Ace of Spades Alternative

by himmelblu

Ace of Spades, the most feared name across the ocean, he was the most feared and notorious assassin and informant there ever was. No one knew who or what he was, some say he is the spawn of the devil. And now, the Whitebeards needed his help.(Connected to my other AoS story, but Ace does not join the Whitebeards in this one(No need to read that one first to understand this))

1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Here is a new/old story

The start is the same as the original AoS, some small things are changed, but nothing big

Why did I make this? Well, some people didn't want Ace to join the Whitebeards, so, in this one, he won't. But others might join instead. Sounded like fun to make

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

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-x-The Past-x-

"Luffy, where are you?" screamed Ace as he searched for his little brother. Luffy had, once again, decided to play hide and seek. Ace usually didn't mind the game, but his time, Luffy had gone and hid deep in the forest. Ace didn't know where the 3 year old was, and he needed to find him quickly. They had never been this far in the woods, and Dadan had told them to be home by sundown. Ace looked behind him, the sun was almost gone. He needed to hurry.

As he was running and screaming for the little brat, Ace could hear some rustling behind him and froze. Maybe it was only the wind, hoped Ace. But no, there it was again. Ace turned around and bent down to pick up a stick, a weapon if he needed it. He moved slowly towards the sound and moved some of the bushes away, and fell backwards as a small body attacked him.

"Ace is bad at hide and seek," laughed the kid as he sat on top of Ace, clearly happy that he managed to surprise him. "Luffy, you idiot. We need to hurry back or Dadan will be mad," said Ace as he got up, and dusted himself off, sending Luffy a glare. "Aww...'' started Luffy. " But Ace-" "No Luffy," started Ace as he cut him off, "We need to go now," said the older one as he took Luffy's hand and dragged him off, clearly ignoring the complaints.

"Itai!" said Luffy as he stumbled and fell, tripping over a root. Ace turned around and crouched next to him. "Are you okay Lu?" Luffy just shook his head, his hand cradling his injured foot. Ace could see the ankle was clearly swollen. He only hoped it wasn't broken. Ace looked back at Luffy's face and could see he was in pain, and probably couldn't walk back. Luffy looked at Ace and could see the concern and fear in his eyes.

Ace then helped Luffy sit, then crouched in front of him, his back towards Luffy. Luffy understood, he stretched out his arms and Ace put him on his back, as he started the walk back. Ace could feel Luffy's arms hanging around his neck. "I'm sorry," started Ace, and he felt Luffy's arm tighten. "I'm sorry I yelled and dragged you, causing you to fall." Ace hung his head a bit, feeling bad for casing Luffy pain. And, his head shot up the moment he heard Luffy laugh. "Ace is stupid, I always fall. And, Ace would never hurt me," said Luffy as he moved a bit, as he started a story on how he fell down the roof once, causing Ace to lose his balance for a few seconds, before he also started laughing at his antics.

As long as Luffy was happy, he would also be happy.

-x-

"BOYS, GET DOWN HERE!" Yelled Dadan up to the rooms where Luffy and Ace were. A door could be heard opening and banging shut. "WHAT YOU CRAZY BITCH?!" Screamed Ace back as he walked down the stairs, Luffy close behind. "Get down here you stupid brat, and stop calling me that. There is someone I want you to meet." Said Dadan as they came down. "I'll stop calling you bitch, when you stop calling me brat." Said Ace as he was down the stairs. "And who do you want us to meet?"

When the kids stood in front of Dadan, she moved a bit to the side, showing a boy that stood behind her. "This is Sabo, he's going to be staying here. Be nice to him." Ace and Luffy looked at the blonde boy, he looked to be the same age as Ace, 6 years old. Ace looked skeptical at the boy, clearly not liking him since he did look like a Noble. "Hi!" Said an overly enthusiastic Luffy, "My name is Luffy, I'm 3 years old." He waved, then pointed at Ace, "This is Ace, he is 6 years old." Said Luffy, and earned a glare from Ace.

The blond kid, Sabo, took his hat off and bowed, "My name is Sabo, also 6 years old, pleasure to meet you." As he put the hat back on, Dadan opened her mouth, "Why don't you go up to their room, and get to know each other better?" She then pushed the kid a bit, and they went upstairs. Luffy running and dragging the boy and speaking on how they were going to be best of friends, Ace trailing behind them.

As they arrived at the room, and Ace closed the door, they sat down on the floor. "Sabo," Started Luffy, "Why are you here and how long are you staying?" Luffy was almost vibrating where he sat, clearly happy for meeting someone new, hoping he would stay. Ace was a bit more reluctant, Sabo looked like a Nobel and Ace didn't like those.

"I'm going to be staying awhile," Started Sabo, getting a happy sound from Luffy. "My family is Nobles. I don't want to be like them, so I ran away. The woman, Dadan found me and brought me here." Luffy looked at him, head tilted, "But, why don't you want to be with your family?" Sabo looked at him, "It is because they are stuck up and won't let me follow my dream." This caught Ace's attention, "Then, what's your dream?" Sabo smiled as he looked at Ace,

"Easy, I'm going to be a pirate." Before Ace could fully comprehend, Luffy spoke, "Me too! Same with Ace!" And then, his grin widened. "And I will be the Pirate King." Ace just looked at him, "Then, why don't we set out together?" Said Sabo, "We will be famous, The Ace, Sabo and Luffy pirates, no, the ASL pirates!" Luffy grinned, clearly liking the idea. "What about we be the captains, and little Lu be the errands boy." Joked Ace, getting a yell of annoyance from the kid. Sabo just laughed, soon they all were laughing.

A week later, they shared a cup of sake, becoming brothers, promising to always be together and protecting each other. The start of something new.

-x-

"Hey Ace! Come and check this out!" Yelled Sabo. They had been together for a year now and were exploring more of the island. They had just found some wreckage from a ship. "What is it, Sabo?" Asked Ace when he got there, Luffy trailing behind him. When they were close to Sabo, he turned around and held out his hand, showing what he had found.. "What is it?" Asked Luffy, "Some kind of food? Can I eat it?" He asked enthusiastically. "No, Lu," Started Ace.

"It's a Devil Fruit."

"What's that?" Asked Luffy, "If it's a fruit, why can't I eat it?" Ace hit Luffy on the head, "Its a devil fruit, it gives you a power if you eat it." He could see Luffy looking at it, "But if you eat it, you can't swim anymore." Knowing that Luffy loved to swim and was training to be better. "Aww, but I wanted to taste it. It looks so COOL." Complained Luffy.

And it did look a bit peculiar. Ace had never seen a Devil Fruit and didn't know if it looked special from others. He had heard that the shape and color could give away what powers it had. This Devil Fruit was shaped like a skull, the color was a deep black, obsidian black even. And it had blood red patterns, it looked like a fruit form hell. "What should we do with it?" Asked Ace. "You should eat it," Answered Sabo. Ace was just about to say something back when Sabo continued. "No, hear me out." Ace closed his mouth and looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "You always say you want to be strong and different from your father." At the mention of Roger, Ace flinched. "This is your change, he never wanted a Devil Fruit."

Ace looked at him, then at Luffy, who seemed to somewhat understand and nodded at him. He hated his father, and wanted nothing to do with him. Especially being like him. And Sabo was right, Roger had shoot down the offer of a Devil Fruit many times. This was his chance. Ace nodded and held out his hands, taking the fruit as Sabo handed it over. Ace looked at it, he was going to do this. He closed his eyes and took a bite.

"BLECH" Said Ace loud, as the foul taste made itself known after he swallowed. "It tastes bad?" Wondered Luffy. Ace only nodded, too busy with trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth. "HEY," Luffy suddenly screamed, clearly wondering about something. "If a Devil Fruit gives you power, what can Ace do now?" Luffy tilted his head a bit, clearly curious. Both looked at Ace, seeing if he could do anything. Ace just stood there, looking at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. "I don't feel any different... I think."

Ace then held his hand out, palm flat and upwards, trying to make something happen. He tried with all his effort to make something happen, anything. When he tensed his hand, his fingers bending a bit, something did happen. Black smoke rose from his hand. "Wow," Said Luffy, "Do it again!" Ace tried again, and smoke rose up from his palm, which Luffy tried to touch, making Ace close his hand. He didn't know if it was dangerous, but Luffy had managed to put his through it. "It didn't hurt," He started, "It was like smoke." Said Luffy. Ace looked down at his palm, making the smoke again and both Luffy and Sabo touched it, no reaction.

What a stupid power, thought Ace.

-x-

Ace had eaten the Devil Fruit 5 weeks ago. The only progress he had made, was that if he concentrated really hard, he could make something that looked like a scorch mark of some sort. It was not hot, but black and some smoke would rise from it. And that was all Ace could do and he hated it. He wished that a fruit that looked at evil and power full as the fruit had, would give him more power than just produce smoke, or if he really concentrated, the scorch like mark.

Luffy did of course think it was cool, saying he liked how he could make smoke and freak out people, same with the scorch mark. They had decided to use it as pattern to where they had been in the woods, so they would not get lost. Sabo said that it probably had more power, but that he just didn't know how to use them yet. Ace didn't believe him.

They were now out investigating a new part of the woods. They had not been here before, mostly because they had heard that other people was here. And that they were not friendly. But they were curious and had decided to check it out. They had taken pipes from a scrap yard as weapons in case they met someone and needed to protect themselves.

After they had walked around a bit, they heard someone talking. It sounded like men and there were 2 voices. The boys sneaked up to a bush, trying to not make any sound. When they were beside the bush, they sneaked a peak over it. They could see 3 men that were standing around a fire, clearly drunk and still drinking. They were talking about some heist they had just done and how they should spend the money.

While they were listening, they suddenly heard Luffy yelp and looked behind them, and froze. There stood an another guy, holding Luffy. "Look at this boys," Started the man. "Seems like we have gotten new toys to play with." Before Sabo and Ace could react, the other men had come up behind them, and was holding them. They tried to struggle as much as they could, but to no gain. The men had taken them in the clearing, to where the fire was. The man holding Luffy had taken him to a rucksack and was searching through it. Sabo and Ace where a bit away, being held by the other two. The last man was just laughing, as he went on about trying to get money from them.

"Now little boy," Started the man holding Luffy, "Why don't you tell me where your parents are?" As he said this, his hand reemerged from the rucksack with a knife, "We don't want you to get hurt, right?" He continued as the knife was held against his throat, almost cutting into it. Sabo and Ace froze, they knew Luffy would never answer. Yes, Dadan was sometimes mean and had some rules they were against. But she was the only family they had right now, aside from their grandpa, Garp.

"Not talking, are you." Said the man, taking the knife and cutting into Luffy's cheek. "Then, I'll just have to make you talk." Sabo and Ace gulped, Luffy would rather die than to betray Dadan and outing her. But the moment the knife drew blood, Luffy went rigid, trying to get away. Something snapped in Ace. Luffy, Luffy, Luffy, Luff-. Was the only thing going through his mind. He needed to save Luffy. As he looked at the blood coming from the wound, the chanting in his head got stronger, He needed to save Luffy. Ace closed his eyes, trying to think of a way. The moment he heard Luffy let out a small sound, his mind screamed LUFFY.

And suddenly he held Luffy in his arms, scaring the man that held him as he backed away.

The other man also let go of what they held and ran away, clearly terrified. "He's a devil, run!" Yelled one of them as they ran. Luffy looked at Ace shocked, not knowing what had happened. "Ace," Started Sabo, "How did you do that? You just disappeared in smoke, and suddenly you held Luffy, reappearing in smoke." Ace only shook his head, he had no idea how he had done it either.

Maybe this Devil Fruit power wasn't as bad after all.

-x-

It had been a year. A. Whole. Year. And Ace had not once been able to do the thing, teleportation, again. And it was driving him mad. When he actually managed to do something awesome, he could not do it again. Sometimes he wondered what deity he had pissed off. He was Gol D Rogers son, his mother had died when giving birth, and his devil fruit was terrible. What more could go wrong?

They were now going around town, Makino had told them that someone famous was coming and they wanted to be there to see who it was. They were in town, but at the abandoned side. So they could still see the docks, but no one was around them, making them able to watch without being noticed. But nothing really happened for a while. Sabo decided to go back to the bar, to Makino. She was nice and had decided to teach the kids stuff about the world. Luffy was doing something stupid and Ace was watching the docks, waiting.

Then a ship came. It was big, bigger than what he had seen before. But who came from the ship and onto the docks, made Ace's heart skip a beat. Nobles. And they headed for the bar. The bar where Sabo was. Ace got Luffy's attention, telling him to go back to Dadan. He could not risk Luffy, he would go get Sabo while Luffy went home. Luffy listened, the mention of food got him running. And Ace headed for the bar, hoping that all the villagers would be able to keep him from getting there first. They did want to talk to him and ask him questions, prolonging his arrival.

When Ace got to the bar, the Nobles was only feet away from the door. Ace took the back way in and found Sabo. He ran up and dragged him out, ignoring his protests and told him to shut up. The moment the back door closed, the front opened and the Noble walked inn. "What's the matter with you, asshole." Said Sabo the moment they were outside, Ace let go. "The boat Sabo, it is Nobles. There are Nobles here." Answered Ace. The moment the words left him, he could see Sabo growing pale. Ace said that they should head back to Dadan, Sabo nodded and they were off, running back to Dadan.

When they were in the woods, on the trail and halfway home, a noise froze them in place. A gunshot. They slowly turned around. And there, a bit behind them, stood the Noble, a gun in hand. "Sabo, Sabo, Sabo." Started the Noble. "Think you can run away from home, and no one will come and bring you back?" The Noble cocked his gun, "Come now, your parents is waiting for you." Sabo gulped and Ace's anger flared. "No," He started, "Sabo belongs here, with me and Luffy, you can't take him, I won't le-." Sabo's hand touched his shoulder, making him stop.

"Ace," He started, face neutral. "It's okay, really, I knew this would happen sooner or later." Then he started walking towards the Noble, who now was grinning.

No. Ace could not believe it. Sabo was leaving them? It could not be true. Ace opened his mouth, but no words came out. Why... Sabo never liked his parents, Sabo wanted to be a pirate, Sabo was his and Luffy's brother. And he was leaving? When Sabo was close enough, the Noble took his arm and started to drag him. No... He can't take Sabo... Sabo was hi-, theirs. Ace looked at them feelings mixed, anger, pain, fear and betrayal. The Sabo turned around, face still neutral, but his eyes, they were full of pain. Ace was about to shout, to jump, run, anything, when the Noble stopped and fell. An arrow sticking out from his neck.

Sabo, too shocked to do anything just stood there. Then a man walked into the clearing. He had pink long hair, going down and a bit past his shoulders, some of it in a ponytail. He had reddish eyes and wore a completely white coat, the insides a color between red and pink. His gloves, pants and boots were also completely white. His shirt was dark and the sides on the coat gray.

He walked completely calm to the body, took the arrow from his neck and took something from his pocket, a card, and put it on his chest. He's an assassin, was the thought that ran thought Ace's head. The assassin looked at Sabo. "Are you okay?" He asked as he looked at him, his face had a soft look on it, a small smile even. But he still looked like the most powerful man they had ever seen. Sabo nodded, making the man give a small nod back before he made his way towards the town.

"WAIT!" yelled Ace, startling Sabo who looked at him. The assassin only stopped and turned around, face still the same passive and calm one.

"Please," Continued Ace, "Please teach me how to be like you, how to protect people." Ace was almost begging, he needed to become stronger for Sabo and Luffy. The assassin looked at him, face not changing a bit. "No," He started, making Ace's shoulders slump. "I don't teach anyone, let alone kids." He then continued to walk away. "Come on Ace," Said Sabo, having walked up to him. "Lets go back to Dadan and Luffy. They are probably worried." He then tried to grab Ace's hand, to lead him back. But Ace only hit his hand away, he was going to do this.

"Please," Ace tried again, "Please teach me, I need to become stronger! I... I..." Ace could not talk anymore, he could feel tears in his eyes, his throat closing up. He needed this, he needed him. He had to become stronger, to protect Luffy and Sabo. He tried to talk again, but got no words. He was desperate, he could feel Sabo holding onto his shoulder, stopping him. No... NO! He needed this, He need to become stronger, to protect Sabo and Luffy... Sabo and Luffy... He opened his mouth, "STOP!" He yelled. And he was no longer being held by Sabo, but was standing in front of the assassin, shocking him.

Ace took a shaky breath as the assassin looked at him, assessing him. "You ate a Devil Fruit?" A nod. "Was it shaped like a skull, obsidian black with blood red markings?" Ace could only nod. How did he know? " You get 2 minutes to say goodbye to the boy, before we leave." Ace stared at Sabo and made his way over. "I'm sorry Sabo, I need to do this." Sabo only shook his head. "I need this to be able to protect you and Luffy. I will visit every time I can, I promise." Sabo was still shaking his head, tears flowing from his eyes. "Tell Luffy, I will be back, I will visit. I won't leave you alone, I promise. You and Luffy train to be good pirates okay?" Said Ace as he hugged Sabo.

Then Ace let go, and went over to the assassin, not looking back at Sabo as they left. His own tears flowing down his cheeks.

-x-

"Try again Ace, you will do it." The assassin, Azuruko, said. Ace had been with Azuruko for a week now and he had made a bit of progress. He could somewhat teleport now. It was still hard, but he could do it. "Look at the spot, imagine you standing there, see the picture in your mind. You standing on the spot under the chandelier." Ace closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. He was exhausted, but he was going to do this. He opened his eyes and tried again. He saw himself standing there, under the chandelier, he needs to be there, NOW. Ace closed his eyes in concentration and when he opened them, he was there, under the chandelier. He smiled at Azuruko, who smiled back. His legs then gave away and Azuruko caught him before he hit the floor. "Maybe a break now." Ace could only nod.

-x- 3 months later. -x-

Ace stood atop of a wall, Azuruko standing below and watching, at the ready if something should go wrong. "Concentrate, Ace." Said Azuruko, knowing Ace was nervous about this. He was going to try to teleport from the top of the wall to a boat in the ocean; a moving boat. Ace had never done this before, he had only tried teleporting to places that did not move. He could see Ace closing his eye, obviously getting his mind to calm down. He could do it, Azuruko believed he could. Ace opened his eyes and he was gone. Then, not a second later, a splash could be heard. Azuruko sighed, as one of his subordinates fished the kid out of the water. "Again, Ace. You will do it." Ace went up to the wall, tried again and a splash and sigh later, Ace lost his patient. "I can't fucking do it!"

Azuruko went over to the kid, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Ace, you can do it. Just take a deep breath and calm down." Ace went up the wall again, Azuruko could see he was anything but calm. This was going to be a long day. "Ace, calm down." Said Azuruko with force and power. The kid would never be able to do it if he continued like this. He could see Ace closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and an another one, and an another one. Finally, though Azuruko. Ace opened his eyes, looked at his target, and he was gone. One second, two seconds passed and no splash. Azuruko looked at the boat, where Ace stood, clearly happy and proud. "Good Ace, now again. But this time, you are going to be landing on a mark, to make your placement better." Ace only groaned. Yes, it was going to be a long day.

-x-6 months later -x-

Ace could now teleport without much problem, as long as he could see his goal. Azuruko was trying to get him to teleport to places he knew, but could not see. Like from the hallway to the living room. This was hard, but he was slowly making progress. And the progress was better then what Azuruko had thought. Which was why, he was going to challenge Ace a bit today. "Here," He said and handed Ace a small pot with a plant. "You are going to teleport from here and to the table, while you hold the plant. " He could see Ace swallowing as he looked at the plant. He knew this was going to be hard, but he also knew it was possible.

Ace nodded and held the plant tight in his hands, looking at the table 10 feet away. This distance was easy for him now, but he had never tried while holding something. "See yourself standing on the table, but with the pot and plant in your hands." Said Azuruko. Ace took a calming breath and looked at his goal. He clutched the pot in his hands and disappeared in black smoke. Reappearing on top of the table, the pot in hand, but no plant or dirt. The place where he stood before, had a pile of dirt and now a broken plant lying there.

Ace's shoulders hunched, as he thought he had failed. "Don't worry." Said Azuruko, "I honestly though the entire pot and flower would fall to the ground." He went over to Ace and put his hand on the kids shoulder, "You did more than I expected." Ace grinned at him. Yes, he was making fast progress.

-x- 3 months later -x-

Ace's teleportation skills had gotten magnificent. He could now teleport from room to room, if he knew exactly where the room where and where he would land. If he had never been in the room, even if he could see it through a window, he could not do it. He needed to have been there before. And it was only at small distances. But they were still training at it.

Azuruko was now standing in Ace's room. It was one of the places he knew in his heart and teleporting from the hallway to here, was no problem for him. "Anytime now, Ace." He said to the boy on the other side of the door. He knew the kid was nervous, but Azuruko knew he would have no problem with it. And then a cloud of black smoke was now inside the room. The smoke faded and Ace stood there, holding one of his subordinates in his grasp. Ace looked at him, a smile on his face. "See?" Azuruko started, "I told you, teleporting with a person was going to be easy." Ace just smiled back.

-x- 3 months later -x-

Ace had now been with Azuruko for a year. He had mastered teleportation and could do more than Azuruko ever thought he could learn in a year. So today, they were going to test some of his other powers out. A subordinate was sitting in a chair, looking a bit nervous. "Listen Ace," Started Azuruko. "This will most likely be hard, but you will be able to do it one day." Ace looked at him a bit nervous as he nodded. "You are going to hold your palm out and produce the smoke, while you do this, imagine an empty room with Peter sitting in the middle, then blow the smoke at him."

Ace was looking a bit nervous, but he nodded. He made his way over to the subordinate, Peter, and held his hand out, palm flat. Smoke rose from the hand, "That's it Ace," Started Azuruko, "Now see the scene in front of you." Ace closed his eyes, concentrating. "Imagine Peter sitting in an empty room, alone." Azuruko could see the smoke changing a bit, growing a bit more dense. "Now, blow it at him." Ace did. The moment the smoke was at Peters face, he went slack, scaring Ace a bit. "Don't worry," Said Azuruko, "This is what I wanted to happen." Azuruko then snapped his fingers in front of Peter, startling him. "But…" Started Peter, "I was alone, you weren't here… right?" Azuruko smiled at Ace, "Perfect Ace, you manage to throw an illusion and trap him in it." Ace stood dumbfounded a bit, before smiling.

This Devil Fruit is amazing.

-x- 6 months later -x-

Ace was getting better at casting illusions and could hold 5 people under it. Loud noises or touch would break the illusion, but Ace was still proud of himself.

But still, he wondered.

"Azuruko?" Asked Ace, "Yes?" Was the answer he received. Ace didn't really know how to ask. When he didn't say anything, Azuruko turned towards him, seeing him fidgeting. "What it is, Ace?" He asked as he put some papers down. "I just wonder… How you know so much about the Devil Fruit and the powers it gives?" Azuruko sighed, he knew the kid would ask sooner or later. The kid had not asked him this once during the one and a half years he had been there, so he knew Ace would soon ask.

"Come with me Ace." Said Azuruko, as he made his way out of the room, and towards the file storage, Ace trailing behind. When they were inside, Azuruko closed the door and asked Ace to sit. "Your power," Started Azuruko, as he looked through some files, "Is special. In the world we have different Devil Fruits and all have their own ability." Ace only nodded, he knew this. "But, a very few is special." Ace tilted his head, special? "You know the types of Devil Fruits, right?" He ask as he looked at Ace, who nodded. Azuruko the motioned for him to explain. "You have the Paramecia, which is the most common and usually gives superhuman abilities. And there is the Zoan types, which gives the ability to transform into an animal and acquire every trail from the animal. And last, there is the Logia type, which is the rarest and allows the user to transform into an element." Azuruko nodded, "You are right," He started

"But, there is a fourth type too."

Ace looked at him, shocked. A fourth one? "You've never heard about it?" Ace shook his head, he though there were only 3 types, what was the fourth one? Azuruko took a file from the cabinet, opening it. "Devil Fruits have been around for a long time, but some longer than others." He flipped though some pages, "Zoan types are the ones people believe is the oldest, but they are wrong." Ace was getting more curious, there were a fourth one, did he have that one? "The fourth type is called Legendaries." Ace tilted his head, Legendaries?

Azuruko continued, "Legendaries were the first kind of Devil Fruit to exis, and they are rare, they make Logia's look common." Ace's eyes widened, they were that rare? "There is only 4 types and you got one of them, the reason I choose to train you. I have seen two of them myself, Chiaroscuro, and Sfumato. The other two is called Tyndall and Porous."

Azuruko looked at Ace, "You have the Sfumato one." Ace tilted his head, not knowing what it meant. "This means you can control and use shadows in a way no other one can. You know the smoke you can make, and the cloud of smoke you disappear and reappear in?" Ace nodded. "It's not smoke, but shadows. You can make the shadows bend and manifest itself, making it look like smoke." Ace looked at him amazed, shadows?

"When you teleport, your body becomes a shadow, and moves faster than light. You can hold onto things and that will move with you. When you cast an illusion, your shadow will manifest itself in the brain of the person, and create more darkness in his brain, this can either shut it down, like when he sleeps. Or erase people, sounds and movement from their eyes and ears. You can't erase touch, remember this. When you brand something, your shadows completely erase the light, and everything dies, creating a mark that looks like it has been branded by fire."

Azuruko handed him a file. "The first known person to acquire this power was Erebus, who lived centuries ago." Ace looked at the file, not really understanding what it said and looked back at Azuruko, confusion in his mind.

Azuruko, seeing the look of confusion, decided to explain. "Erebus was said to not be human, but to be a demon. No one understood how he could teleport, cast illusions, make cold and smoking brands, as well as moving around so quietly and being an amazing assassin." Ace looked at Azuruko, amazed. "He always used his power for good. Yes, he did kill. But only the ones deserving it. He was the greatest assassin there ever was."

Ace made a decision. He was going to be an assassin. And he was going to be like Erebus, the best. "Tell me more." He said, Azuruko smiled, before he continued.

-x-6 months later-x-

Ace had now been with Azuruko for 2 years. He had learned to control his Devil Fruit amazingly. He could teleport, cast illusions and make brands almost perfect. The brands he could make was not complicated ones. He could make perfect shapes and simple patterns, and he was training at making them more detailed. Azuruko had started training him in combat and he was making some progress. Azuruko was a bit annoyed, seeing as he made really slow progress. He could not block or get any attacks in on anyone and it made Ace furious. And Azuruko had decided to give Ace a break, a real break.

Ace was going to visit Sabo and Luffy for the first time in 2 years.

The boat was closing in on the island and Ace was growing nervous; what if they didn't want to see him again? He knew, that if they didn't and Ace would want to leave immediately, Azuruko would do that for him. But he hoped they would be happy to see him again. Mad, yes. But still happy. The boat reached the dock and Ace jumped off, instantly running towards were Dadan lived, waving at Azuruko to show him that he was leaving for his brothers.

As Ace stood in front of the door, he took a deep breath, before he knocked and slowly opened the door. "Dada-." Ace never got the name out of his mouth, before he was engulfed by to gigantic arms, being hugged by Dadan, who was crying, bawling, her eyes out. Saying how much she had missed him, how worried she had been when Sabo had gotten home alone and how happy that he was finally home. Ace could not help but to hug back. Yes, he had missed Dadan. The moment she let Ace down, he was instantly tackled to the ground, a crying 6 year old Luffy lying on top of him, hugging him.

Ace instantly hugged back, feeling tears threatening to fall. When he got up, still holding onto Luffy, he saw Sabo. He was standing in the doorframe, looking angry, worried, happy and pissed, all at the same time. He moved to Ace, hitting him before hugging him, holding him tight. "You told you would visit," Started Sabo, "We heard nothing for 2 years, do you know how worried we were?" Said Sabo as he hugged harder, tears falling from his eyes. "We thought you were dead." Ace hugged back, feeling sorry for causing them to think he was gone, feeling tears falling from his own eyes.

After the reunion, the boys went outside. Ace explained how he had gained control over his powers and how Azuruko had helped him. Even showed them how he teleported, even taking Luffy one time. "So what now Ace?" Asked Sabo, "Are you coming back?" Ace looked at him, then at Luffy. A sigh escaping him, "No," He started and could see the look on Luffy and Sabo's face falling instantly. "I'm staying with Azuruko for a bit more." He looked at his brothers, feeling them staring back, "Why?" Asked Luffy, "We are going to be pirates together… aren't we?" Ace closed his eye, it was now or never.

"I'm not going to be a pirate,"

He started and could see the shock in their eyes, "I have decided to be an assassin." He could see how Sabo looked at him shocked, Luffy tilting his head, "What's an assassin?" He asked and Ace explained. How they got information, killed and fought. But they only did it if the one they hunted, deserved it. "But Luffy," Started Ace, "You and Sabo can still be pirates. I will be with you, not as a pirate, but as an assassin." He looked at Sabo, "I did promise and I will keep it. I won't leave you alone, I'll always be with you, no matter what." Sabo nodded, he did somewhat understand. They continued having fun together, until a sound made them look behind them. Azuruko was standing there. "I'll have to leave now, I'll come back, don't worry. But, I need to get better." They said goodbye, as Ace went with Azuruko.

Life was good.

-x- 2 years later -x-

Ace had gotten better at fighting. He could now beat some of the subordinates to Azuruko and somewhat beat the more experienced ones. Azuruko had also caught onto something. After doing a bit of research, he had found out he was the son of Gol D Roger. When he had asked Ace about it, he could see the hatred, sorrow and loneliness in his eyes. And no matter how hard Azuruko tried, he could not make Ace accept it. The pain of what he had heard was marked in his brain. Azuruko would need help to fix it and he knew who could help.

"Ace." Said Azuruko, getting his attention. "I need you to go out and get information for me, fast." Ace nodded. He sometimes did assignments like this. Easy ones, never any killing, being told he was not ready. "I need you to go and get information from a guy named Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates." Ace nodded as he frowned. Why did that name sound so familiar? He shook his head, probably nothing. "He is expecting you, he should be outside of the village we visited yesterday." After getting a nod from Ace, Azuruko left, letting Ace get on with the 'assignment'.

Ace was at the island and was watching the boat. He could see the captain moving about the ship and decided to get a move on. Ace teleported to the skip, reappearing a place where they could not see him appearing, before he walked into sight. "Oi, kid," Said someone on the crew, "Who are you?" Ace was just about to answer, when the captain, Shanks, beat him to it. "Ace, right?" Ace nodded. "Ah, calm down Benn, Azuruko sent him." They then made it into one of the rooms, some privacy was always nice. When the door closed, Shanks turned to him, "Kid, Ace, right?" He asked, and Ace nodded. "You look familiar, but where…" He then put his hand on his face, covering his freckles, a grin placing itself on his face.

"Are you by any chance related to Roger?" He asked, making Ace freeze. "Why do you think that?" Ace asked the captain. "Easy," He started, "You have the same hair, eyes and face, aside from the freckles of course." He suddenly started laughing. "I knew the old man had a secret, but a kid? This is amazing! How old are you? 11-12?" Ace could only glare at him, "So what," He started, getting angry. "So what if the bastard is my father? You going to tell me how much of a mistake I am? How much I shouldn't exist? How I shoul-." He could not finish as the captain glared at him, the glare instantly taking the words from him.

"Benn," He started, voice hard. "Leave us." Benn did, leaving Ace alone with the now mad captain. Ace opened his mouth to apologize. He should not have lost his temper like that, but the mention of his father always made him angry, sad and made his hearth hurt. Remembering all the things he had been told by others. But the captain spoke first, "Do you know who I am kid?" Ace had a faint idea, but shook his head,

"I am Shanks, former crew member of Rogers crew."

Ace froze again, he could not speak. Shanks had been with Roger and he was angry at him. What was he go-. His thoughts stopped as Shanks began speaking again. "I do not know what you have been told," He crouched down in front of him, laying a hand on his shoulder, "But Roger was a good man, he never betrayed his crew. He was kind and caring, never attacking anyone, except for the stupid ones to attack him, or hurt some of his crew. He was a good man." Ace could only nod, not really comprehending what he said. When his mind got back on track, he understood something, he has only heard what others have said. Not what his crew thought, the ones that actually knew him. He looked at Shanks, who now looked calmer. "Will you…" Ace took a deep breath; "Will you tell me about him? What he really was like?" Shanks smiled and sat down, patting his leg, inviting Ace to sit.

When Ace got back to Azuruko, he no longer hated who he was. A newfound respect for the late Pirate King.

-x-1 year later-x-

Ace fell on his back, air leaving his lungs. "Take a break kid, you need it." Azuruko said as he sat down. "NO!" He yelled back, "I will do it, I can do it." Ace had managed to beat everyone aside from Azuruko, he was just too good. "No, Ace," He answered, "You are too worked up, relax." Azuruko said as he sat on the ground, relaxing. Ace just fumed. He wanted to continue, not relax. "You will never be able to do it if you don't relax, you are easy to read." Ace glared at him, "Oh, Yeah?" What about the others then? I beat them." Azuruko snorted, "They are weak, like you. Too mad and worked up. You need to relax." Ace stood and paced around a bit, before he sighted and sat down besides Azuruko, relaxing.

"I can see it Azuruko, wipe the grin off your face." Azuruko only grinned more.

-x-6 months later-x-

"What kind of bird is that?" Asked Ace, pointing towards a gigantic black bird. "That's a Raven, Ace. They are magnificent." Ace looked at it, he liked it, thinking it looked pretty. It looked elegant and powerful. "Wait…" Started Ace, "Isn't that the same bird that have been around for the last few weeks?" Azuruko looked at the bird and nodded, "I was beginning to wonder when you would notice." He then looked at Ace, "I think it likes you." The Raven cawed and Azuruko laughed.

The next few days, Ace began to feed the bird. He started liking him and decided to name it Dust. Every time Ace was training outside, Dust would be there. Every time he was outside, the raven was close by. Ace started thinking of the raven as his friend. A few days later, they were trying to make bombs. They always did this outside, in case something went wrong.

And it did.

The one handling the explosives managed to somehow slip, making a small spark. Knowing it was going to go bad, he yelled for everyone to run away, that is was going to explode. As they ran away, Ace saw something, Dust was flying towards the bomb. He looked at the ground, some guy had fallen and was not going to make it. Ace screamed as Dust took the bomb in his mouth, the bomb being small enough and the raven being rather large, and flew up, getting the bomb away. Then the explosion happened and the raven fell down on the ground, not moving.

Ace ran over to the bird, tears flowing down his cheeks. When he got to the bird, he cradled it in his arm, saying its name, hoping for a reaction, but got none. Azuruko then arrived and was crouching next to him. He knew Ace was fond of the bird, even naming it. "Ace…" He started, trying to comfort the 12 year old, "NO!" Ace screamed, ripping himself from the hand on his shoulder, cradling Dust to his chest. When he opened his eyes, he could see smoke coming from his hands. The Devil Fruit! Maybe I can save Dust. Ace put Dust on the ground, holding his hands out, making smoke coming from them. "Ace, it's gone." Azuruko tried gain, voice soft. No, though Ace, His power could manipulate and manifest right? He closed his eyes, and concentrated, he wanted the bird to live. To make the cawing sound gain, to be with him.

To be his friend again.

"Ace!" Said Azuruko shocked, making Ace opening his eyes, and looking at the bird. And his hearth skipped a beat. Dust was moving, standing up and making the beautiful cawing sound. It fluttered his gigantic wings, smoke, the same that Ace could produce, dusting off them. Ace looked at Azuruko for answers. Azuruko had none.

After this, they learned, that the bird was somehow connected to Ace. Ace could instantly teleport to where ever the bird was, same could the bird. It also seemed the bird knew what Ace was thinking, doing what Ace though. Azuruko had no idea how or why this had happened, he had never heard about it. But he enjoyed the fact that Ace had a familiar now. The bird also seemed to be really smart and could fight. His gigantic claws and beak making a perfect weapon. After finding this out, Azuruko had made armor for it, seastone armor.

The bird was old, maybe 7 years when the explosion happened, and now? It seemed younger. Azuruko had guessed that Ace's Devil Fruit had done something to its age. He had managed to manipulate the birds structure, his power giving it life and giving the bird some of his power. It seemed to have gotten the same mind as Ace, even stopping to age. It was a miracle. And Ace could not be happier. The next time he visited his brothers, he showed off his bird, Luffy instantly loving it.

-x-2 years later-x-

Ace watched Azuruko as they moved in circles, no weapons in hand. This was a hand to hand combat. Ace was decent at weapons like daggers, swords, and had magnificent aim. He was now practicing his hand to hand combat. He was up against Azuruko, him having already beaten the others. Ace moved first, going for the first blow, but Azuruko was ready. He grabbed Ace's arm, throwing the body over his head, trying to get Ace in the ground to win the battle. But, Ace was also ready. When he was above Azuruko, he twisted himself around, back straight and legs bent as he caught himself on his legs, using Azuruko as a leverage to stay bent. A grin flashed when Azuruko looked at him.

Ace then used all of his force to twist Azuruko around and throw him over his head, same as he had tried, only he had more speed and leverage. Azuruko flew towards the wall and turned so he landed with his feet first, so he could jump from the wall, straight towards Ace. Kicking him to the ground. But Ace was fast, he grabbed Azuruko leg, trying to throw him at the ground. Azuruko braced his hands at the ground the moment he felt Ace's hand on his leg, and spun around, making Ace having to let go as he lost his balance. Giving Azuruko a chance to stand up. And they jumped at each other again.

Azuruko grabbed Ace's arm, twisting it around, trapping Ace in his grasp, Ace brought his other arm to Azuruko shoulder, his leg tripping him as he dragged him down. Azuruko fell to the ground, Ace on top. "I win" Grinned Ace. Then he was at his stomach, Azuruko sitting on his back, "Never celebrate to early brat." Said Azuruko as he got off and helped Ace to his feet. "Good job." He whispered, making Ace smile. He had won.

-x- 6 months later-x-

" Azuruko!" Yelled Ace, as he ran towards his mentor. "Look! Look!" Ace shoved a stone in his face, on it a Spade was branded. It had markings and a skull in the middle, still oozing black smoke. "I want this to be my mark!" Azuruko smiled as he looked at it, "Then kid, what's your name?" Ace smiled, as he took the stone back.

"I'm going to be The Ace of Spades." Azuruko smiled, what a good play on his name.

-x-6 months later-x-

Ace was going on his fist mission. He was going to take out a Noble who had abused children for years. The plan was easy: go in, kill him, leave his mark and leave. Ace was 15 years old and he needed to start making a name for himself. He was already master at stealth, fighting, both with weapons and without. His power making the mission easy. He got inside and stood on a ledge. He could see 20 or so people around. Ace blew into his hand. He had learned, if he did this, he could trap more under his illusion. He blew the smoke in, trapping everyone expect the target. The moment he was the only one moving, Ace shot him with his crossbow, the arrow going straight though his neck, dying instantly.

As he was going to leave his mark, he got an idea. He opened the Nobles shirt and held his palm against his chest, branding his mark into his chest, also leaving a note, saying he was The Ace of Spades.

And so started the legends of an assassin managing to break into the impenetrable and kill without being noticed. The assassin by the name; The Ace of Spades.

-x-1 year later-x-

Ace teleported to Shanks ship, starling the crew. The captain instantly recognizing him, and gesturing for him to come inside with his right arm, having lost his left a couple of years ago. Ace hadn't been able to speak with the captain out of his work for a while, not being able to thank him for saving Luffy. "Ace," Said Shanks, "What brings you here?" Ace stood in front of him. Back straight and shoulders calm. Azuruko had told him to always speak to people with respect, to never act weak or almighty. Treat the people he spoke too with respec, and as an equal. "I would like to thank you for saving my brother, Luffy, a couple of years back, I was never able to before now." Ace gave bow to the captain. "You're Luffy's brother?" Shanks asked shocked. Ace nodded. "The one he calls idiot for leaving them, and the strongest assassin he knows?" Ace's lip twitched as he nodded.

"So, tell me Ace of Spades," Started Shanks, using his assassin's name. "What would you say about working as acquaintances? I could use an assassin." Shanks smiled as Ace though it over and nodded. "How will I reach you? A Den Den Mushi?" Ace shook his head, "All you need is to find a raven or crow, give it a note and tell it to find me. My raven, Dust," Dust flew to his shoulder, "Will make sure the note then gets to me." Shanks nodded, what a great ability.

And thus, Shanks started spreading the rumor on how to reach The Ace of Spades, making him more known and feared.

-x-1 years later-x-

Ace was now 16, his name was known around the seas. His named used as a threat and his mark and name send shivers down people's spines. Ace was standing at a grave, putting down flowers. On the grave was a single name, Azuruko. He had died of sickness a few days ago. Before he died, he had given Ace his current outfit, saying he was saving it for Ace's 17 birthday, but he would not make it. Realizing his time was coming.

The boots and gauntlets where made of the best leather there was, his cape made to keep him warm, and making him seem more intimidating and friendly at the same time, depending on how you saw him. His pants and shirt made to look like the fruit he had eaten. His mask was there to hide his freckles, which made him look young. With the outfit, he looked older, maybe 19 or 20 instead of 16.

He paid his last respect, before leaving, teleporting to Luffy and Sabo, deciding to stay with them for a bit. He would still do assignments, saving money and giving them to Sabo and Luffy, who decided to wait until Luffy was 17 before setting sail. Making his name more known and feared in the world.

-x- 3 years later-x-

Ace was now one of the most feared names there was. No one dared to speak ill of him or try to take him out. Those who tried, wounded up dead, their body unrecognizable. More and more requests got to him every day. And he answered every single one. Dust was only sent to the more special ones, the others got a regular crow with the answer. He had mastered the art of stealth and killing. He always paid his associates and clients with respect and dignity, never acting overpowering and almighty. Acting like they were equals, gaining respect of the ones he worked with. He often visited Shanks and did information run for him. Which he in return helped to look after his brothers.

He sat outside a house he had bought for himself and his brothers. It was located on an island, on top of a clip. His mark caved in a tree, making so he could always teleport here. He opened his newest request and hummed. Seems like the Whitebeards have taken water over their heads. If he remembered correctly, they had been at the island he had an assignment on 6 months ago. Where he had killed a retired admiral. They had seemed so shocked when they saw him. He smiled a bit as he called for Dust, giving him his answer and sending him away.

Life was good.

-x-Present time, The Moby Dick-x-

The Moby Dick was quiet, more quiet than usual. The only sounds that could be heard where the regular sounds of the ocean, and seagulls that flew above the boat. The upper deck, where the Captain's chair was placed, was almost empty. The only ones on the deck were Whitebeard and the commanders, as they had sent the others away, telling them to stay beneath the deck until they got the answer.

The atmosphere was tense. Everyone, aside from the first commander Marco, and Whitebeard, were fiddling with something. Some were twiddling thumbs or playing with their shirt or weapons. Even though the Captain and first commander sat and stood still, they still added to the tense atmosphere. They were tense, the Captain and first commander looking out at the sea, waiting for a sign that their request had been heard. And most important of all, accepted.

Red-haired Shanks had been the one to tell them what to do. That they needed to write a note of what they wanted and who they were, but not explain it. Just a simple ̈I need information about this or him, or I want you to kill/assassinate or sabotage something/someone," nothing more. Then, they would need to tie this note to a raven or crow, and tell the bird to deliver the message to him. How it worked, Whitebeard didn't know, and Shanks refused to tell if he knew how.

The next day, the answer would come in the form of his messenger, a bird Shanks had said. And they would know what bird it would be when it arrived. And even if he accepted, he could still decline if they did something wrong when he himself showed up. And when he showed up, they were to have a file ready, a file with details about what they wanted him to do. And at the bottom, the reward would be listed. The reward needed to be right, as he could very well just hand the folder back and leave if he was unhappy with it.

Then, as they waited, a sound could be heard. It was different from the other sounds of the ocean, it stood completely out, and it only intensified the tense atmosphere on the Moby dick, as everyone froze for a moment before looking up in the sky. A completely black raven flew towards them, its size bigger than most. It let out another cawing sound, causing many of the commanders to swallow, this was what they had been waiting for.

The raven landed on a ledge, not too far away from the captain's chair. It looked at the Captain and let out another cawing sound and moved its wing a bit. Something red could be seen behind the wing, most likely an envelope. Marco was the first one to move, he was the one that was going to get the envelope; they had talked about it, about who should get the note when the messenger arrived. Marco had been chosen since he was the best choice at the moment, mostly because of Whitebeard's size– they didn't know if he would have been able to get the envelope with his big hands.

As Marco was nearing the raven, he noticed something and hesitated. He shot a look towards his Captain and adoptive father, seeing if he had seen it too. The way he looked back at Marco and the bird with worry, signaled that he had noticed it too. The raven's beak and claws had something that resembled a type of armor, and there was no doubt what material it was; seastone. Which meant that not even Marco's power could help him if the raven decided to attack him.

Marco took a deep breath and walked up to the bird. When he was an arm's length away from the bird, it moved. The raven lifted its wing, showing the envelope that was tied to its side. Marco moved his hand with caution toward the envelope, the bird making no movement as he untied the envelope. As the envelope was removed and Marco retracted his arm, the raven lowered its wing back to its side, before it flew up to the mast and stared at the captain, waiting.

Marco moved back to Whitebeard's side, and handed him the envelope. Whitebeard looked at the envelope: it was deep red, almost like blood. It had a wax seal with the imprint of a spade. He carefully opened the envelope, ripping the seal. Inside was a single note. Whitebeard took the note out, and opened it. On the note there were only a few words written, written with red ink on a white paper.

I Accept.

I will arrive tomorrow at noon, be ready.

Whitebeard read the note one more time, just to be sure he had read correctly, even though there was absolutely no way the note could be fake or deceiving. On the bottom of the note, there was a single mark that proudly stood out and gave Whitebeard the complete certainty that the note was legitimate. It was a spade, not just a plain spade mark, it had a design. It was simple and elegant with a skull in the middle, smoke oozing from the mark.

There was no denying it, the mark was exactly the same being left behind, either branded into a victim, or a card left behind to show that he had been there to either sabotage or gather information. The mark of the greatest, most dangerous and deadliest assassin to this day, had answered their call and was coming; the Ace of Spades.

As Whitebeard lowered the note, having checked it out, and giving it to Marco, the raven made its move. It gave a cawing sound, before it flew off, clearly waiting to be sure they read the note. As Marco looked the note over, Whitebeard sat quietly waiting. He knew his sons were getting impatient and more nervous by the minute. When Marco finished reading, clearly checking the mark just as Whitebeard had, Thatch broke the silence, "Well, what did he say?" Marco looked up at Whitebeard, getting a nod from him, then looked back at the other commanders. "He accepted, yoi. He will be here tomorrow at noon."

They only hoped they would not mess this up.

-x-The Next Day -x-

They were ready, or as ready as they could get. The shock and happiness by not only getting an answer, but getting their request accepted, was shocking for most of them. They had heard rumors he only accepted if there was a reason behind the request, he often showed up and looked through the file, handed it back, and left. Not only this, but they had never had any contact with the Ace of Spades. Up until 6 months ago, they still believed he was just a myth, a story people told to scare each other. But, what they had seen that day, had been anything other than just a myth.

~6 months ago ~

The Moby Dick had docked at one of the more hidden islands in the New World– it wasn't a well populated island, but it had many strong inhabitants. After they had docked, Thatch had taken a few of his division to check the island out, to talk to some of the inhabitants to see if it was a place where they could restock and take a break from their duties. Go to a bar, have a party and just have fun. When they got back to the ship, they had news, good and bad. They could restock, the few they had talked to had been nice. But, they talked about a man who always terrorized them and made their lives miserable.

The man went by the name Samuel. An admiral who had been forced to retire by the Marines, he was apparently way too violent and vicious even for their standards, going as far as to kill, sell, and rape children, doing experiments on babies and pregnant woman, experiments that went beyond inhuman. He was injecting bleach into the womb of pregnant women to see how much it would take for the fetus to die. And everything he did, he kept on a record, a detailed record. When he was found out, he was forced to retire, and had apparently fled here.

When Thatch had told his father what he had found out, Whitebeard instantly ordered a meeting. He had heard about Samuel, and he had wanted to stop him from doing anything more– Samuel was less than human in his eyes. And it was decided that Marco and Izou would take 20 of their best men from their divisions, try to get inside his mansion, and bring him to their ship. If not, they should try and threaten him to leave the villagers alone, telling him that the island was now officially under Whitebeard's protection.

Four hours later, they returned with no Samuel in tow, looking a bit worse for wear. The news they brought made Whitebeard indignant. Even with Marco and his 10 best fighters and tacticians, and Izou and his 10 best lock pickers and thieves, they had seen no way inside without starting a fight. They could not afford a fight right now. Whitebeard knew his sons, if the best of the thieves and tacticians had seen no way inside, it was practicality impenetrable. He needed to come up with a plan, and he needed to do it fast. If they didn't leave this island by the next 2 days, they would never reach their destination in time.

After having talked with his sons, Whitebeard had come up with a plan for the time being. Izou, Thatch, Marco, Vista and Jozu would each take 10-12 men and observe the mansion for a way inside, or if Samuel went out, so they could take action. There was no way Whitebeard would leave this island without taking Samuel off his high chair; he was a detestable being, not even human. Everyone who had heard about Samuel and his sick experiments wanted nothing to do with him. But, so many were utterly terrified of him and did not dare to do anything. That had to change.

Everyone was in place, the commanders having their own platoon that they had divided around the mansion and island. Each commander also had a Den Den Mushi to keep in contact with each other and their captain. They had asked around the island and had acquired a detailed map of the area. With the map, it was easier to manage and arrange posts to each platoon and individual.

Izou was in charge of the snipers and outlooks, him having more experience with long distance combat and tactics. He was also joined by Vista, who stood by for backup if something should go wrong. Marco and Thatch were placed in front of the mansion, the mansion only having one exit: the front. They had hidden themselves in between the trees, waiting for orders from Izou or Jozu, who had been placed a bit off to the side of the mansion. They watched for any kinds of passageway. Though both the map and villagers had said there were none, the wall surrounding the mansion being impenetrable, they had to be certain.

No one was going to get in or out without being seen. Or so they thought.

They had held their position for 3 hours when Marco's Den Den rang, he looked over to Thatch, who looked right back at him, both having the same thought; maybe it was time to move. He answered, "Marco." It was Izou, and as he was just about to ask what he wanted, Izou cut him off. "There are villagers coming towards you, they don't look armed, but be on alert." Marco looked at Thatch, "Do you know what they want Izou?" Asked Thatch, why would the villagers come now? "No, but I can't be sure whether they are headed to you or the mansion, keep your guard up." Izou then hung up.

Marco and Thatch looked at each other, Marco signaling for the others to stand ready, not to attack, but to be wary. Thatch unsheathed his swords. He didn't hold them in a battle stance, but he held them at his sides, at the ready if danger was sighted. Marco made his way towards the clearing, intending to be the first one they met, seeing as Marco is the one without any weapons on him; his Devil fruit let him battle without it. He hoped that meeting a weaponless person was better than someone with a weapon, less threatening.

Then, the villagers came into sight. Izou had been right, none of them had any weapons, they just walked calmly. When they reached Marco, they didn't look at him, they just walked a bit past him and stopped, never taking their eyes of the mansion. Marco looked back at Thatch, who only shrugged his shoulders, clearly having no idea as to why they were here. Marco looked back at them, opening his mouth to ask what they were doing here. "Wha–" He was cut off by a villager. "Thank you."

Marco stared at them perplexed. Why had they said thank you? Where they thanking them? What di-. A thud from behind him had him turning around, back towards Thatch who had lost one of his swords, which was clearly the source of the thud, his eyes open in shock staring at the mansion. Marco looked behind Thatch, to see many of the others also having a look of utter shock and astonishment, everyone looking towards the mansion. Marco turned his head towards the mansion, what could get all of them so sho-. Marco froze, eyes widening as all air left his lungs.

He was there.

On the wall of the mansion, on top of one of the gargoyles, he sat crouched, eyes piercing and seemingly glowing as he looked down at them. His cape-like jacket was blowed in the soft wind, it being obsidian black with deep red markings. The end of it had been torn, possibly from fighting and being used for a long time, making it looked like black fire in the wind. The top of the cape was like a scarf, it was hanging around his neck, secured by two buckles, and it moved over his shoulder as a hood. He had a mask on, which covered half of his face. It went from his neck to his nose, and it was obsidian black with a deep red line at the top. The blackness matched his hair, deep black and blowing in the wind. On his arms, there were gauntlets. They started at his elbow and went all the way to his hands, the design reminding people of dragon scales. The 'scales' were big, consistent of scale-like forms, possibly connected to the glove they could see at the end of the gauntlet, where his finger poked through. The scales formed something akin to a blade where his left hand was bent.

Underneath the cape, there was a form-fitting, deep red bodysuit. At his knees his boots started, they were obsidian black, and had two holsters at each leg, each holding a dagger. The buckles that went up the boots was deep red, like the suit. Around his waist there was a belt of some sort. It held holster to a gun and a dagger at its sides, and it also had a few pouches. In the middle of his belt was his buckle, which was his mark; the mark to the Ace of Spades.

The sight was truly magnificent and terrifying at the same time.

He's real, was the only thought going through Marco's head. The Ace of Spades existed. It wasn't just a myth or legend, it-, he was real. And Marco felt, for the first time in a long time, he felt fear. All the legends and myths of the most feared and notorious assassin of all time were real. And he was standing right in front of him. The shock and fear of finding out the rumors- the rumors they had thought to be just that- were true, paralysed Marco for a few seconds. And before he could utter a single word, move a single muscle, a strong gust of wind blew through the forest, making Marco shield his eyes. When he opened them, he was gone.

Maybe, thought Marco, Maybe I only imagined it. But, when he looked over the others, he knew it was real. Everyone was still in a state of shock and fear. There was no way he could have imagined it. Thatch then moved his head to look at Marco, eyes still wide. He opened his mouth to say something, to ask if he saw him too. Not one syllable had made it out of his mouth when everything went crazy. A scream tore them back to the mansion, people running out of it, running away. Marco saw Jozu coming towards them. Marco signaled for him to stay there, while he and Thatch went inside the mansion.

As Thatch and Marco went inside the mansion, there was only chaos. People were running and screaming, trying to get out of the mansion. In the gigantic room, a ballroom maybe, there was something in the middle of the room, underneath the gallery; a body. Not just any body, but the body of Samuel. His body was badly mutilated. Each of his finger joints had a nail through it, his left eye missing completely and replaced by a marine medal. His mouth had been cut open in an eternal smile, his tongue completely gone. But, what stood out the most was his chest. There, in the middle of his chest, was the mark. It was branded into his skin, black smoke oozing from it, just as the myth had said.

"He was suddenly here." Marco and Thatch turned their focus to a man sitting on the floor, seemingly petrified. ̈ ̈There were people everywhere and suddenly a girl screamed. Then he suddenly laid there, gurgling, before he suddenly stopped. No one saw anything- how could no one see anything?" Marco and Thatch looked at each other. The Ace of Spades had broken into an impenetrable mansion, killed the owner after mutilating his body, and no one had seen or heard anything until he was gone? He had truly earned the name of the greatest assassin of all time.

When they arrived back on the Moby, Whitebeard was worried. He had heard the screams from the mansion and he almost went there, but he was stopped by a call from Izou, telling him that they were fine, and that they were heading back soon. When they told Whitebeard what had happened, he could not believe his own ears. The myths where true. And not only that, his sons had seen his work. He had managed to sneak into the mansion, without anyone- not even the people in the mansion or Izou's platoon- noticing anything. And then he had gotten out, showing himself to the villagers and his sons, Izou having nearly fainted when he saw him, he was told. Then, he left before anyone noticed that he had dumped the mutilated body in the middle of the ballroom?

He truly was the best. And that, that terrified them.

~ Back to present time ~

There were even fewer on the deck than the day before. Whitebeard had decided that only commanders would be allowed to be on the deck. He didn't think that The Ace of Spades would attack any of his children. He had heard from many that he was an honorable man, no matter what the rumors may say. He would never attack without a reason or warning if he showed up for a meeting. But, if they were to do anything disrespectful or anything to make him mad, they would lose their one chance of contact with him. And, in the worst case scenario, he would attack.

They could not afford that either. Yes, he trusted all of his children. But right now, he could not afford one of them to make an accident. Many were not used to someone as powerful as him. Even just the name sent shivers down many of their spines.

One of the ones up aside from Whitebeard was Marco, who was standing next to his father's chair, looking bored. But, his shoulders were a bit tense, just like his father's were, showing their nervousness. Jozu was leaning on the railing and trying to look like he wasn't anxious about the meeting. Haruta sat on the railing next to Jozu dangling her feet, her face clearly showing nervousness. Namur and Rakuyo sat a bit to the side, close to the railing, playing a game of cards, trying to look as little nervous as they could.

Thatch, who stood on the opposite side of Marco by his father's chair, held a folder in his hand, looking at it. The others were either doing something to occupy themselves or were on a mission, like Teach and Vista. One of their islands needed help, and they had been the best choice. Whitebeard had said not long ago, that if they wanted to either come up to the deck or go under it, it would have to be now. He didn't want any of his sons moving around the deck and accidentally making a wrong move that may cause a misunderstanding between them and the assassin.

The folder Thatch held was the same folder that was meant for The Ace of Spades. It consisted of 3 pages. The front held a summary of the work they wanted to be done, the second page was a detailed description of the request, and the third held the reward he would get. They had clearly remembered what Shanks had said, the reward needed to be right. But, they didn't know what was right. So the moment they had gotten the acceptance for the meeting, they had held a meeting and counted their funds, seeing how much they could afford.

For them, this request was a big one, and therefore required a generous amount. They had come up with 20, 000, 000. They had 5, 000 000 extra if it was needed. They only hoped it would suffice. If it didn't, they didn't know what to do.

It was almost noon now, only a few minutes left. Thatch still held the folder. But, the moment they saw a sign of the assassin, he would hand the folder back to Whitebeard or Marco. He did not want to be the one delivering the folder. He would not admit it out loud, but the rumors, myths, and what he himself had seen that day terrified him.

As they were looking out at the ocean, waiting for any signs of a boat of some kind, something to signal the arrival of the assassin, a sound startled everyone above deck. Every occupant of the deck instantly shot their gaze towards the side, at the main mast rope that was bound to the railing, to the cawing sound. And there, sitting on the rigging at the rail, was the raven. Was this the sign he was close by? Thatch was about to hand the file back, when another noise startled them, the noise of a pair of feet touching the deck. It sounded like someone just walked off a small ledge, right in front of the captain's chair.

And just like the last time, he was suddenly there.

There was no sign that he was close by, other than the raven. No boat had been seen, no sound could be heard, there was absolutely not anything that could have signaled he was close by until he was standing on the deck, only 10 feet from the captain. Black smoke was coming from his back, a Devil Fruit maybe?

He wore the same outfit as the last time they had seen him. The same cape hung around his neck and down his back along with the same form-fitting deep red suit, which they could now see wasn't a suit, but a shirt and pants, seeing as the pants were a shade darker. Some black markings could be seen moving about the pants and shirt, fitting perfectly with the rest of him.

On his back, they could see a sword sheath, its handle red, the sheath black. A gun was at his waist, and connected to the belt was a dagger, both deep red with black markings. His gauntlets made him look more intimidating, the scale-like design promising strength. His mask covered half of his face. And the belt buckle with his mark was completely black, with the outline of the design being a color between light red and silver.

But his eyes. It was the first time they could see them clearly. They were completely obsidian black, just like his hair and most of his outfit. But, even though they were black, they could see that they held so much power, talent, and a tremendous amount of authority. He held himself with grace and dignity, head raised, shoulders pulled backwards, arms at his sides, back straight and feet a bit parted, standing tall and eyes looking straight at Whitebeard. He looked to be a bit young, but not too young. Maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. But he could be mistaken. The way he held himself, and the fact that they could only see a bit of his arm, fingers, and top of the head, could give off a wrongful age.

Everyone had frozen when they saw him. Whitebeard was a bit shocked at how he just stood there, calm and collected. Most people, when standing in front of him, usually either cowered out of nervousness and anxiousness, or showed as much of their power as they could either by Haki or standing at the ready to fight. But he, The Ace of Spades, did no such thing. He just stood there like he was meeting an acquaintance, standing without any form of resignation, fear, or intimidation, just like he was meeting with someone he considered equal. Even though they were nowhere near equal, the Ace of Spades clearly had the upper hand, even if only half of the rumors were to go by.

̈ ̈Edward Newgate, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Ace of Spades, as he gave a small bow, giving him his respect. His voice held no anger, no spite or hostile tone to be heard. He spoke them like Whitebeard himself spoke to his colleagues, like Jimbei; with respect. As Whitebeard watched The Ace of Spades, he realized something. The assassin had honor, giving them his respect. The realization put him more at ease, knowing he would not just attack them, threaten them, or treat them with disrespect. He would treat them as equals.

As his back and arm fell back into place, the same stance he stood when arrived, he frowned a bit, seemingly displeased with something. A quick glance towards the right made Whitebeard nervous, was there something wrong? Whitebeard looked over himself, towards the stairs that led to the navigation room, not seeing or sensing anything out of place, only a few of his sons and daughters being inside the navigation room. He knew they could not hear them, the navigation room being almost soundproof. When his gaze returned to the man in front of him, his eyes where once again looking at him, the frown gone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Ace of Spades," said Whitebeard, nodding his head a bit, paying his respect back. He was not going to be disrespectful, especially since the man spoke to him in a matter of equality and respect. Then, The Ace of Spades shifted his gaze towards Thatch and held out his arm, seeming like he was waiting for some-. Whitebeard's eyes widened as he looked down at his side. Thatch still held the folder.

Thatch had completely frozen on the spot when the gaze was on him. His breath left him when the arm was held out. He could not move. He was terrified. He could feel the worrying gaze of both his father and brothers on him. He had to move, to do something, anything. He used all of his power to raise his arm a bit, to hold the folder out. Now he only needed his feet to move, why would they not move? And then, the folder was gone from his grasp. A sound of shock left his mouth as he realized what had happened, the raven having flown and taking the folder out of his hand. The raven landed on his master's shoulder, handing him the file, getting a pet on the neck before he flew back to his spot.

"I apologize if my raven scared you, that was not my intent." His voice still held no anger, no malice, same with his gaze which still was on Thatch. A slight nod of his head showed his apologies to the Fourth commander. He had not changed his demeanor. And for that, Whitebeard gave a relieved breath. Thatch still could not speak, but he did nod his head back. He looked up at his father and he looked back with a smile of relief and comfort, he knew Thatch feared this man. Thatch looked at the Ace of Spades, who had averted his gaze towards the now open folder. Thatch swallowed and took a step towards his father.

Ace of Spades looked at the folder, scanning the first side, before lifting it and assessing the next one. His eyes frowned a bit, and without looking up from the folder he was holding, he began to talk. "You want me to get information from the Marines. To find out where they are keeping," his eyes scanning the page, "12 of your crewmembers, who have been abducted last month? His gaze lifted so he could look at Whitebeard in the eyes, waiting for a confirmation. Whitebeard nodded his head. 12 of his sons had been abducted from their last mission. They could find no leads on them, and they were growing desperate.

Ace of Spades nodded his head a bit, as he looked through the page one more time. "And," he continued, "you only want the information? You do not want anyone taken out, or for me to set them free for you?" His gaze was once again back to Whitebeard. Whitebeard held his gaze the best he could. Did he want that? He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. "No," He opened his eyes again, gaze locking onto the Ace of Spades. "I thank you for the offer, but I neither want anyone dead, or for you to free them. I want the honor of that myself." His gaze hardened at the assassin. "However, if you do find out that they have been either tortured or killed, you are allowed to take them out."

The assassin held his gaze, a type of understanding shining in his eyes as he nodded his head, before he looked down at the folder again. When he raised his hand to get to the last page, Whitebeard understood. The deal is not yet made, he could just leave if he was unsatisfied. He closed his eyes for a moment, a tiny bit of fear growing in his stomach. If he declined, they may never find their sons and brothers. He opened them and looked at the assassin as he scanned the last page. The assassin's eyes hardened as a frown presented itself on his face, eyes going straight to Whitebeard's, his voice hard. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Whitebeard's stomach dropped at the words. The reward wasn't big enough, went through his head. He wanted to close his eyes, but decided not to, and he was just about to open his mouth, to ask what was wrong, even though he knew. But, the assassin beat him to it. "You want me to get information from the marines," His voice was hard, not angry or spiteful, just a bit more forceful. "You do not want me to set them free, or take anyone out, as long as they have not touched them," His gaze hardened. "And you are offering me 20, 000, 000?" Whitebeard could not form any words, he did not know how to respond. "I should," He continued, voice still hard, "just give the file back and leave, seeing as it is disrespectful to my honor." Whitebeard closed his eyes, it was over.

"But," Said the assassin, and Whitebeard opened his eyes in shock, the assassin still had his piercing gaze at him. His voice was now back to the normal level, as it was at the beginning. "Someone I care about is quite fond of you." Whitebeard sat there shocked, someone he cared about? The assassin continued. "This assignment," He moved back to the second page, "Will be at a price of fifty." He paused for a bit, thinking. Whitebeard closed his eyes, they had nowhere near that amount. "Sixty thousand." Whitebeard opened his eyes again, completely in shock. "If something goes wrong, add an extra hundred for each I may need to take out."

Whitebeard stared at him shocked, the assassin's gaze never faltering. He was serious. "Why..." Whitebeard could not form the question, "Why only take 50 000 when you offered 400 times as much?" Whitebeard nodded. "It is because I have honor." He closed the folder. "Taking the amount you offered would be like abandoning my honor as an assassin, accepting a reward clearly misgiving and as ridiculous as yours." His gaze hardened again. "I may be an assassin, but I still go by an honor and a code." Whitebeard understood. He was being disrespectful by offering an amount that clearly was too ridiculous, acting like he was bribing and mocking the assassin.

"I am sorry Ace of Spades. I did not think the amount would be disrespecting your honor." Whitebeard bowed his head, giving him his apologies. "I guess I was a bit too worried about my sons and had not thought it through. You have my deepest apologies for coming forward as disrespectful." Whitebeard lifted his head back up, looking at the assassin with soft eyes, hoping he would accept his apology. The assassin assessed him for a moment, then averted his gaze towards the commanders, and they had the same look as their father, regret and apology shining in their eyes. Everyone gave a slight bow to the assassin. Then the gaze was back at Whitebeard. "I accept."

Whitebeard closed his eyes, a weight seemed to have lifted off his chest, a breath escaping him. ̈ ̈Thank you." He breathed out. The captain could feel the assassin still looking at him. "I will have the information delivered to you by tomorrow, in two days should anything go wrong." Whitebeard opened his eyes again, his gaze going to the assassin as he spoke. "I will either have the information delivered by my raven, or by someone I trust. The assignment will be in detail and the price will be at the bottom of the page." His gaze hardened again. ̈ ̈Even if I do send my raven, do not try to give a false amount of money. Believe me, he will know." Whitebeard did not doubt it for a second.

"I will now take my leave." He gave a bow and stood back up, ̈A pleasure doing business with you, Newgate.̈ Newgate gave him a nod back, noticing his sons do the same. He turned to leave, Newgate hearing his sons sigh, a sigh of relief no doubt. They would get their brothers back. The thought made him thankful and happy inside. Everything was going to be al-.

̈And one more thing, Newgate,"

The assassin started, a dark glare piercing over his shoulder, straight at Whitebeard. He felt dread building up inside him. ̈ ̈If you ever decide to call for me again, and that gunman of yours at the top of the stairs points his guns at me, ̈ His eyes frowned even more, ̈I will use his own guns to shoot a bullet into every one of his joints before I kill him." Then he was gone, just as fast as he had showed up, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Everyone's gaze instantly went to the stairs that went up to the navigation room, where Izou reluctantly stepped out into sight. A look of fear, regret, and apology was in his eyes, knowing he had almost messed the meeting up and gotten the assassin angry. Whitebeard was shocked, not only that Izou had been hiding, pointing his guns at the assassin, but that he didn't feel him standing there. Whitebeard closed his eyes; he needed to talk to his sons. This was bad, and it was only a miracle that The Ace of Spades hadn't attacked them or Izou.

-x- The Mission -x-

Ace sat crouched at the top of the tree, on a branch that stood out. He was watching the Marine base, waiting. Finding out which Marines that had taken the crew-members had been easy. There had only been 2 Marine vessels that had enough stupidity to abduct someone from the strongest man in the world. And, only one of the vessels had taken off to a base, and there was no doubt in his mind that they had been the ones behind the abduction. It was most likely that they had been moved, seeing as it was only a Marine administrator base, not a prison. But, the information he wanted was going to be inside the base.

When he showed up at the meeting, he had noticed the gunman, the Sixteenth Commander Izou, at once. The only reason he did not attack was because he could see the Captain, Edward Newgate, did not know he was hiding on top of the stairs. But, if Izou had made a move, he would have attacked. He also noticed the fear in the Fourth Commander Thatch's when his gaze was on him, especially when he held out his hand. He was clearly not the one that was supposed to have the file, a small mishap.

As for the matter about the payment. Had it been any other crew, he would just leave, not accepting the mission. But, seeing the look at Newgate's face told him that he did not know what the usual amount was. And, seeing that the brat was fond of him, adoring his mustache, he would give them a chance to right the wrong, to apologize for the action they did not know was disrespectful. The moment not only he, but the other commanders, had given him their atonement for their fluke, he knew Shanks was right. They were well-mannered and kind-hearted.

Beside him he could hear his raven, Dust, making a cawing sound. It was time to go. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing on top of one of the walls. He looked for the room where the Captain had his files. Dust flew over his shoulder and landed on the top of a door to the right. The door had a bold frame, giving the raven a good place to stay. The door was either to the room he was looking for, or it led the way to the room. He knew from experience that rooms that were either the Captain's or a room that held important files were usually enclosed within the base to keep pirates, thieves, and other unwanted individuals out.

Ace jumped down from the wall, down to a flagpole a few meters down, now at a better angle to see the door and the balcony it led out to, still staying hidden. He then took out a crossbow that was secured to his back and gave a slight signal to Dust, a nod of the head, so the plan could take form. Dust then spread his wings and gave a shrill of a cry, before he leaned down to peck on the door. His armored beak made it sound like a hammer being used. The door was quickly opened, a marine coming out, obviously to see what the noise was. And, the moment he was outside, Ace pulled the trigger on the crossbow, sending a small arrow, a dart, at the Marine. A few seconds later, he fell over, out cold on the balcony.

Ace then disappeared again and reappeared at the railing of the balcony. He then jumped down from the railing onto the balcony and went over to the Marine. He had promised not to kill anyone, unless it was required, and he would keep that promise. Ace leaned down and extracted the dart from the marine's neck, before he moved the marine to a pose that would make others believe he was passed out drunk. Sleep darts made this an easy task, seeing that his belt had a pocket bottle. And, judging by the smell, it was filled with whiskey. Ace then emptied the bottle, being sure to let some drip onto the marine, further making him seemingly pass out cold from intoxication.

Ace went over to the door, opening it just a crack before he was inside. His devil fruit really did come in handy for situations like this. When inside the hallway, he stood still, waiting for any sounds of someone moving or breathing. When he heard nothing, he moved slowly in the hallway, making no sound as he moved, his boots being the best there where in stealth.

As he moved towards what he believed to be the right room, the hallway he was in went into another hallway. He then crouched down and moved close to the wall, towards the hallway, hearing some sound to the right. As he sat crouched at the end of the hallway, before the other one started, a marine walked in the hallway, not noticing the assassin. The moment he was a bit past Ace, Ace moved behind him and pressed on his neck. The marine instantly went down, his pressure point being hit. As the marine was out cold, Ace heard Dust making a small cawing sound behind him. He sat on top one of the doors a bit further down the hallway, the door being locked with a padlock and a regular lock. His destination, no doubt.

He moved up to the door and crouched down, his hand going out to hold the padlock. He made a small hum, the padlock being designed so it could not be pick locked. As he held the lock in his right hand, he moved his left to hover over it, black smoke erupting from the keyhole as the lock opened. Ace did the same to the lock on the door, making no sound as the lock opened or when he slowly and carefully opened the door.

Inside, there sat a marine in a chair, trying not to nod off but having difficulties. He was most likely someone put there to guard the room. Ace crouched down and slowly moved inside the room, the marine not noticing his presence or the small light from the hallway. When he got inside, he closed the door behind him. Ace slowly moved up to a crouched position beside the marine. When he was only a few feet away, he rose a bit and held out his hand, palm flat. The marine was about to react, when Ace's hand changed to a darker color, a bit of smoke rising from it. Ace then blew at the smoke, blowing it at the marine's face. The marine's eyes glazed over, as he went slack in his seat, oblivious to what was going on around him. He was trapped in an illusion.

As the marine went slack, Ace went over to the files, looking for the one on the Whitebeards. After a bit of looking, he found a folder, the size being one of the more massive ones. It was no surprise seeing the size, especially if you considered the size and reputation of said crew. Ace leaned on one of the counters, opening the folder.

Ace hummed as he looked it through. The information was extensive on most of the crew-members, notably on the commanders. It mentioned how The Fourth Commander was a Noble, abandoning his family at a young age, joining the Whitebeards at the age of 18. The Sixteenth Commander was a decent gunman, mocking and terrorizing the marines before he joined the crew. The Twelfth Commander was the youngest on the crew, but even if she was young, she had talent, as she started fighting against the marines, protecting herself from a young age, 14 if the file was right, and joining the crew at 16. Their doctor, White Bay, was one of the best doctors in the New World. And the folder continued like that, information about every one of Whitebeard's crew.

Nothing that he didn't know from before.

But what's this? The First Commander, Marco the Phoenix, suddenly rose 30 years ago, no birthplace, no family or familiars mentioned. There was also no aging, them blaming it on his devil fruit. Ace went over to the file cabinet again and found another file, looking at it before he grinned a bit. Seems like the marines have no idea who they're dealing with. He knew they were bad at figuring certain things out, connecting the dots. But this? Even Ace was amazed at their imbecility.

But back to business. He wasn't completely sure when the guard shift was, but it was probably soon, seeing as the clock was almost at midnight. He did have another 10 minutes, which was more than enough. Ace went back to the first folder, looking through it. And, after a bit of searching, he didn't find the information he wanted. The information he wanted was not going to be inside this file or room, but it would be inside another folder that was located inside the captain's room. After a bit of thinking, he took the files he had looked at and put a card in the first, now empty folder, his mark. He then promptly burned the second folder he had found, storing the first one in his pouch.

Ace then went out in the hallway, closing the door, being sure the locks were locked again. Before he left, he released the guard from the illusion, making him think he only fell asleep. After he was sure the door was locked completely, he erased any kind of trace that he had been there. The only way they would know he had been there would be if they looked in the file and found his mark. By then, he would be long gone.

Ace made his way out to the balcony and made his way on top of the railing. A cawing sound from under him, a bit to the right, caught his attention. Dust sat on top of a door. The door was slightly different from the other ones, this one having a golden frame around the window. The Captain's room no doubt. Ace scouted the grounds and could see no one. Eyes closing slightly, a small frown made itself known, it was a bit weird. It was a marine base after all, shouldn't there be more guards and marines walking about? He would investigate where everyone was later. First, he was going to find the folder.

Ace made his way down to the ground, barely making any noise as he landed. He made his way over to the door, standing beside it, signaling Dust to check the window. A flap of the wing signaled that there where someone inside, the captain most likely. Ace looked at the door, the keyhole to be more exact. It was a keyhole that required one of the older kinds of keys, making the keyhole relatively big, especially if you compared it to some of the new ones, making for a perfect way inside without alerting the captain.

Ace held his hand out again, palm flat, black smoke rising from it, crouching in front of the door and blowing the smoke through the keyhole. He waited a few seconds, to be sure the smoke had gotten to the captain. When he was sure the smoke had made it to the captain, he opened the door and made his way inside. Inside the room, there were various cabinets, most likely containing files and folders. There was a bookshelf that had different books inside of it. A desk was placed close to the wall, the front of the desk pointing towards the door. And behind the desk sat the captain, writing at a parchment, oblivious to Ace's presence, the illusion making Ace basically invisible.

Ace made his way over to one of the cabinets, opening them and looking for the folder from last month when the crew-members had been abducted. It was easy to navigate, seeing as the folders were labeled by date. Ace looked them over, none of them had the information he wanted. He closed the cabinet and made his way over to the captain's desk, there being a lot of files lying about. He was not worried about the captain noticing him. The only way the illusion could be broken was either by touch, someone saying his name, or Ace himself removing it. Any other sound or movement would just seem like a small creak to the captain.

Ace took a quick glance at the files at the desk, seeing if anything looked like it might be what he was looking after. As he looked them over, a file at the top right had a name that was familiar; Whitebeard. Ace reached for the file, it was the only file on the desk that looked promising. He leaned on the desk as he looked it through. It was the right file.

Everything was standing there. How the marine had seen the Whitebeard pirates and had attacked to detain them. How the pirates had not really fought back, most likely because they were seriously outnumbered and one of them was already injured. How they had been taken well cared of seeing as they were a part of the Whitebeard crew. The marines were terrified of Newgate coming after them. Guess I won't need to take anyone out then. It also said where they had been taken, to an offside island in the New World. Ace was not surprised that Newgate was stuck and had found no information. This island was really well hidden. He had the information he wanted, but he was still curious as to why there were more files. Maybe one said something about why there were so few marines walking about the base.

Oh, what's this? He looked at the information he was seeing, eyes frowning before they furrowed in anger. Seems like I'm going to make a small detour. Ace then took the file, left his mark behind one of the files, and left. As the door closed, the illusion on the captain faded. He continued his task, knowing nothing of what just transpired.

As Ace got outside, he instantly disappeared, before reappearing on top of the wall. As he sat crouched, he looked around, searching for a window or door, either with bars or locks, something that would signal that it was a dungeon. A small window stood out; it was close to the grounds and had bars on it. Ace looked at it. "Dust." The raven instantly flew down to the window, looking inside. A cawing sound could be heard from the bird. There's no one inside. That could only mean they were somewhere else. Ace looked around a bit more.

There. A window, a lunette window, high upon the wall, maybe leading to a stateroom. There was obviously something going inside there, if all the light was something to judge from, especially seeing as the other rooms were barely lit.

The lunette window had a ledge, something that was perfect for the assassin. Ace moved the moment he could hear a sound, a small scream, coming from the room. Crouching on the ledge, he looked inside the window. The room was filled with marines, everyone seemed to be cheering and watching something at the end of the room. Ace moved a bit so he could see the rest of the room, to see what the marines was looking at.

And there they were.

Children were being pushed around by marines who were yelling at them to do moves; jump, twirl, sit, sing and other little tricks like they were animals, only serving to entertain the marines in the room who were cheering, yelling, and drinking.

Ace could see 3 children being ordered around by a marine. They were standing on a stage, chained by their left leg to the stage, having a bit of room to do the moves, making all the marines see them. The kids looked to be around 12-14 years old, dressed in pink dresses, with their hair in pigtails with a bow on top, giving them the appearance of child-like burlesques. It was sickening.

In front of the stage, on the floor, he could see two more children who were also dressed up as the other ones. But, they were chained to the stage by a collar around their necks. The chain between the collar and the stage was not long, forcing the kids to sit on the floor to be mocked by the marines and doused in alcohol as the marines screamed and spilled their drinks on them. They were chained at a bit of distance from each other, clearly terrified, and they looked younger than the ones on stage, maybe 10-11 years old.

Ace could now also see another girl with the same outfit, only blue, walking in between the marines, filling up their cups. She looked to be around 17 years old. She hastily moved about, not wanting to stand by the marines for too long as their hands were groping her.

Ace got out his dagger and carefully stuck it between the window and the frame. Moving it a bit up and down until he heard a click, he opened the window. The air inside was heavy, filled with the smell of booze. Ace could hear shouting, laughing, and commands from the marines. Ace held his hand up to his mouth and blew into it, blowing black smoke into it. After he had produced what he believed to be enough, he moved his hand away and blew the smoke into the room.

Everyone, aside from the children, the girl, and the marine on stage, froze, standing there with their arms at their sides, staring at the marine on the stage. Complete silence.

The girl in the crowd froze for a few seconds, terrified of what was happening, why everyone suddenly froze, before she started to move backwards, still frightened. The marine on stage, clearly not understanding why everyone had stopped, got angry, his face going red. "What's the matter? Want more entertainment?" He moved closer to the children, who had also stopped moving, and started to raise his hand. He stood behind the children, ready to strike, when suddenly, an arrow went through his neck, piercing the marine's neck as he gurgled, before falling down, dead.

The girl in the crowd was just about to scream, when Ace put his hand over her mouth. "Don't worry," he started, getting the attention of the girl, "I'm here to help." The girl nodded and Ace let go of her. "What's your name?" The girl stared at him, fear shining in her eyes. "E-Elizabeth." Ace nodded. "Elizabeth," Ace moved to one of the guards at the side, extracting a keychain from his belt and throwing it to Elizabeth. "I want you to go to the stage and release the children." Elizabeth nodded and started going towards the stage.

The children on stage had not turned around when the marine fell, too afraid of being hit or kicked. When they saw him, they had just stared. He could hear Elizabeth telling them to look at her, to just be calm and that they were going to get out of here as she moved towards them. Ace moved towards the girl chained to the stage, the one on the right. She had blond hair and big blue eyes filled with fear at him approaching her. He crouched down in front of her. "Sumiko?"

The child looked at him and nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Ace then leaned over, unlocking the collar, making it fall to the ground. Sumiko looked at it, transfixed. "Sumiko," started Ace, getting her attention, "If you want, you can go with Elizabeth," he pointed towards the girl who was making her way towards the other chained girl, the ones on stage following behind her, "And she will bring you and the others to a safe island." Sumiko looked at Elizabeth. "Or," continued Ace, getting her attention again, "You can come with me, and I will bring you to your brother." "Nii-san?" Asked Sumiko and Ace nodded. She held out her hand towards him and Ace helped her stand.

"Can you walk?" asked Ace, seeing the girl having a bit of trouble getting up to her feet. She nodded, even though her legs seemed a bit shaky. It was probably from sitting too long. When she was standing, she was still a bit small, her height maybe being a bit over 40 inches. Ace then pointed towards Elizabeth, as she stood by the door with the 4 kids. "Go wait beside Elizabeth, I need to do something before we go." The girl nodded and made her way over to Elizabeth.

Ace then made his way up to the stage, over to the marine's dead body. Blood had pooled around his head. He deserved nothing else, Ace just wished he could have played a bit with him. He crouched down next to him, opening his shirt and holding his hand over his chest. His mark branded itself into his skin, displaying who had freed the girls. Ace then rose and made his way over to the girls by the door.

As he made his way over to the others, he could see that the children who had been on the stage had bruising on their ankles and a bit on their arms. The two girls who had been chained to the stage had bruising around their throats and arms. Elizabeth had a bit of bruising on her chest, arms and legs. All of them, especially the kids, looked a bit shaky. Other than that, they seemed to look fine.

When Ace was beside them, he saw that Elizabeth was looking at the marines that just stood there, still staring at the stage. "Don't worry," he started as he brought his dagger out, "They won't come out of their trance until we are far away from here." Ace then cut the ribbons in the children's hair, making the hair fall down, and removing the bow. He offered the dagger to Elizabeth, who did the same before handing it back to Ace. They looked better without the horrid pigtails in their hair, more like real children and less like burlesques. The dresses, they would do for now.

As they moved out of the room, Sumiko raised her hand to hold onto Ace's, still being afraid of what might happen. When they got outside, they walked over to the entrance in the wall. Before they opened it to walk though, Ace looked up at Dust, who cawed, telling them that the cost was clear. They went out of the base and closed the door behind them, hoping to never return again, and they walked towards the shore, where Ace had seen a boat earlier.

When they arrived at the shore, Ace helped Elizabeth get the boat in the water and the children inside it. Elizabeth casted a glance full of worry towards Sumiko, but Ace assured her that she was safe with him, that he was going to be bringing her somewhere safe. He pointed out in the ocean, to a barely visible island. "Go to that island over there." He then reached down in his pocket, grabbing an emblem that had the Whitebeard's mark on it, knowing the island was under their protection. He handed it to Elizabeth. "When you get there, show this to the villagers, they will help you." She thanked him and then they left, waving to them, Sumiko waving back.

When they were out of their sight, Ace turned to Sumiko, holding out his hand. "I'm going to use my powers to get us somewhere safe, it may feel strange and scary, but nothing will happen to you." Sumiko looked up at him, a bit of fear shining in her eyes, but she still nodded and took his hand and they disappeared in black smoke.

The moment they were gone, alarms started echoing and ringing at the base.

-x-

Ace landed on the deck of the Moby Dick the next day, Sumiko hiding behind him and under his cape, scared of who they might meet on the gigantic boat. She decided to hide until her brother was there, knowing Ace would not hurt her. Ace was safe.

As soon his feet touched the deck, he could instantly feel the shock and fear of the pirates on the deck, clearly not expecting he himself to show up. He had told them that either Dust or someone he trusted would show up. But, he was here for more than just the mission. He scanned the crowd, seeing several more than just the few commanders that had been above the deck the day before. He could feel the piercing look from the captain, clearly being concerned and wondering what he was doing here, but not voicing his concern. Ace's eyes stopped, finding the one he was looking for. "Seventh Commander Rakuyo," said Ace, looking him straight in the eyes.

The reaction was instant. Rakuyo froze, feeling a bit trapped in Ace's gaze. The other pirates' attention instantly went to Rakuyo, clearly concerned what Ace might want with the seventh commander. Rakuyo slowly opened his mouth, stammering out a "yes." Ace then moved his left hand, grabbing onto his cape, before lifting both his arm and cape, which gave Sumiko the clear.

He could feel the states going to him the moment he lifted his cape, the noise alerting them. Ace could feel Sumiko moving a bit behind him, probably to peek out from behind him. Ace could see the flabbergasted look at the pirates the moment they saw Sumiko hiding behind him. But, the moment he saw Rakuyo falter a bit, recognition shining in his eyes, Ace felt Sumiko's small hands stop clutching his shirt as she took off towards her brother.

"Nii-san!" She yelled as she reached him, clutching at his shirt, tears of happiness falling from her eyes. (Rakuyo does not have a sister, she is made up for this story)

Rakuyo, the moment his sister reached him, crouched down to hug her, not really knowing what to do or think. The other pirates watched the reunion in astonishment. Rakuyo leaned a bit back, looking his sister over. Ace had changed her out of the horrid dress, dressing her in a red shirt with a black sweater, red tights with a black skirt that went down to her knees. Rakuyo stared at her, clearly happy and shocked at seeing her. "S-Sumiko? H-how?" He asked, looking at the girl. Sumiko tried to answer, but she only ended up choking on her words.

"She was at a marine base, about 2000 miles to the south from here," started Ace, getting everyone's attention. Rakuyo hugged his sister again as he stared at Ace. "She, along with 5 others, had been captured by the marines. When searching the base, I found a file on them, saying that they had been apprehend from their home island to serve as entertainers for the marines." Ace could see Rakuyo tightening his arms around his little sister, trying to keep her closer. "I do not consent, nor approve of children being held captive, or used against their will. When I found out they had the children there, I decided to free them. They had recognized Sumiko as your sister, and I decided to bring her here myself."

Ace then averted his gaze towards the captain, "The other 5, one of them being between 17 and 18, and the rest between 10 and 14, should now be at one of your controlled territories. Not too far away from the base, Kiyomizu island if I'm not mistaken. The older one's name is Elizabeth. She should be at one of the inns or with one of the residents." Ace could see the small nod from the captain, clearly approving his decision. He gave a small command to one of his commanders, Jozu, to check in on the island, to be sure they were well cared for and see if they could help.

Ace brought his attention back to Rakuyo, who was still staring at him. "She does have a bit of bruising around her neck from a collar," he could see Rakuyo looking at her sister, now seeing the marks, "And a bit on her arms. I do think this is the extent of her injuries. However, I still recommend having a doctor look her over." Rakuyo nodded a bit to himself, shooting a look towards his captain, who gave him a small nod. Rakuyo then looked at Ace again, "Thank you." Said Rakuyo, and Ace nodded back. Rakuyo then got up, and took Sumiko's hand, possibly to lead her to the infirmary.

When they were in between the captain and Ace, Sumiko tugged her arm a bit, making Rakuyo halt. She then let go of her brother's arm, and ran towards Ace. When she was in front of him, she stopped, looking up. When Ace looked down at her, she threw herself at him, giving him a hug. "Thank you," said Sumiko as Ace gave her a small pat on the head. She then let go and ran back to her brother, grasping his hand again. Rakuyo stared at him a bit, giving him another nod, before he and Sumiko started moving again. When they went around a corner, Ace brought his attention back to the captain.

He then reached to his side, to bring a folder out from his pouch. "The information you asked for, Newgate." Said Ace, as he held the folder out. The First commander, Marco, was the one to walk up to Ace and get it, bringing it back to his captain. "They have been moved to an offside island, they should also not have been mistreated and everyone is alive. However, one of them does have an injury. He acquired this before the marines apprehended them, the reason for their easy capture."

Newgate nodded as he looked over the folder. When he reached the bottom, he got a bit of a confused look on his face. "You do not want payment for freeing the children and Elizabeth, as well as bringing Rakuyo's sister here?" Asked Newgate, gaze on the assassin. Ace shook his head. "No," he started, "I freed them seeing as children should not be held captive. The fact I brought Sumiko here was only because I already had business with you. If not, I would have sent her to the island with Elizabeth."

Newgate nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. "Then I would, on behalf of my children and myself, thank you for freeing both the others and Rakuyo's sister, as well as bringing her here." The captain then gave a small bow, as did the others. Newgate then gave a small signal to the first commander, and he brought out a small pouch, handing it to Ace. Ace opened it, and it was filled with money. He then closed it and put it in a bag he had at his waist, and while he was just about to give his regards to the captain and crew, a small noise made him avert his gaze to the captain's right side, towards the Sixteenth commander.

"I-I..." He was stumbling across his words and took a deep breath before he tried again. "I apologize for acting a bit hostile y-yesterday, and pointing my g-g-guns at you. I will not do it again." He then did a deep bow, clearly knowing his mistake and showing regret towards it. The expression Newgate and the others had, had told Ace that he had taken his own initiative to apologize. When the Sixteenth commander stood straight again and looked at him, fear still in his eyes, Ace gave a nod, signaling that he accepted the apology. A sigh escaped from Izou as he gave another bow back, clearly relieved he accepted.

"Again, Newgate," started Ace as he bowed a bit, "A pleasure doing business with you." He then disappeared in black smoke. When he rose, back straight, he was on an island. Ace sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree, closing his eyes. He could hear Dust giving a small cawing sound above him as he found a place on a branch, settling down. Maybe I should visit my brothers soon, it's been a while now, thought Ace before he fell asleep, listening to the waves hitting the cliff he was on.

---

And that's the first chapter! This is longer than the original first chapter in AoS, as I combined chapters so it wouldn't be as many chapters, and this story won't be as long as AoS, who is closing in on 1 million words somehow, I don't know how

Hope you enjoyed this!

Don't be afraid to leave a review or send a PM