❤️‍🔥 Captain Ace ❤️‍🔥

The trees are still too big, the road is still annoying and the forest still feels like home.

He walks up the familiar path with a grin on his face, hands behind his head “Wonder what old hag Dadan is doing now.”

When he reaches the hideout, loud shouting immediately answers his question.

Nothing changed at all.

Ace laughs “Yep. Definitely home.”

He pushes the door open “I'm back!”

The room goes silent… Dadan freezes, Dogra almost drops his cup and Magra stares.

For one second nobody moves, then Dadan punches him so hard he flies into a wall.

“YOU STUPID BRAT!”

“GAH!” Ace crashes into a table “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”

Dadan's eyes are red “FOR MAKING US THINK YOU WERE ABOUT TO DIE!”

“Sorry…”

“DON'T APOLOGIZE!”

“Then what do you want me to say?!”

“Shut up!”

“Okay!”

“NOT THAT EITHER!”

Ace laughs despite himself.

For the first time in months, everything feels normal.

Marineford still follows him. The fear in Luffy's face. Whitebeard. Everything he lost. Everything he almost lost.

But right now? Right now he's home.

A few hours later, the shouting has turned into drinking.

Ace sits at the table with a plate full of food.

Dadan watches him, still angry, still relieved and still pretending not to care.

“Eat slower.” she grumbles.

“I’m eating slowly.”

“You swallowed half the plate.”

“That’s slow.”

“Idiot.”

Ace grins, then he glances around and his smile slowly fades “Hey.”

Dadan immediately looks away. That’s suspicious.

“Where is she?”

“Who?”

“You know who.”

“Don't.”

“Dadan.”

She takes a drink “None of your business.”

Ace blinks “None of my—”

“Eat your food.”

“Dadan.”

“Eat.”

“Where is she? I know her well enough to know she came here.”

“You know nothing about her. Just eat.”

Dogra suddenly becomes very interested in the wall, while Magra coughs.

Nobody answers.

Ace slowly puts his fork down “...Why is everyone acting weird?”

“Not weird.”

“You are.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Dadan stands “Anyway! It's getting late!”

“It's the middle of the afternoon.”

“Very late!”

Ace narrows his eyes “Dadan.”

“Maybe you should leave tomorrow.”

“Leave?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“No reason. You're a pirate, you're probably busy.”

Now Ace knows something is wrong, because Dadan never wants him to leave, not after two years and not after believing he was dead or about to die.

He stands “Where is she?”

“None of your business.”

“Dadan.”

“Forget it.”

“No.”

“Kid.”

“You obviously know, tell me.”

Dadan's jaw tightens and for a second she almost looks guilty “Some things are better left alone.”

Ace freezes, his chest suddenly feels strange and heavy.

Two years ago. A face appears in his mind immediately. Your smile. Your laugh. The way you looked at him.

The way he had left before sunrise because he knew if he saw your face again, he would never go.

The way he told himself it was for your safety.

The way it hurt every day afterward.

“...she's here, isn't she?”

Nobody answers and that answers enough.

Ace turns toward the door.

Dadan immediately steps in front of him “Don't.”

His eyes widen “Why?”

“Just don't.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“That's not an answer.”

Dadan looks frustrated “Damn it.”

“Dadan.”

“Don't go looking.”

“Why?”

“Because you'll only make things worse.”

The words hit him harder than any punch.

“...What does that mean?”

Nobody answers.

Ace slowly walks around her “I'm going.”

“ACE!”

But he's already outside.

The village is quiet and the afternoon sun shines through the trees.

Ace walks familiar roads.

Some villagers recognize him immediately. Others stare like they have seen a ghost.

After all, the whole world watched him almost die.

Including you.

His stomach twists.

He wonders if you cried. He wonders if you hated him. He wonders if you moved on.

The thought hurts more than he wants to admit.

“...Guess I deserve that.”

Two years. A lot can happen in two years.

People change. Feelings change. Lives move on.

His feet slow.

What if you don't want to see him?

Then he spots someone and all his thoughts just disappear.

You.

Walking down the path. Alive, healthy and beautiful.

His heart stops.

As soon as you see him, you freeze too.

For a moment neither of you moves.

Ace can only stare.

You look exactly how he remembers, and yet completely different. Older and sadder but stronger.

Your eyes widen.

His lips part “...Y/N.”

Your face changes in shock, relief, disbelief and pain, all at once.

He takes a step forward “It's really you.”

Your eyes shine, and for one impossible second, Ace thinks you might run into his arms.

Instead your expression hardens, like a door slamming shut.

The warmth disappears.

Ace's chest drops “Y/N?”

You don't answer, your hands tighten, and only then does Ace notice the small child standing beside you.

A tiny hand holding yours.

The child hides partly behind your leg.

Ace glances at them briefly.

A cute kid, maybe three years old or something close to that.

He doesn't think much about it, his attention is completely on you.

“Y/N, I—”

You walk right past him.

Ace stands there, stunned.

The child looks up at him while passing, with his curious big dark eyes.

Ace turns immediately “Wait!”

You keep walking.

“Y/N!”

Nothing.

“Come on!”

Still nothing.

Ace groans “Okay, yeah, I deserve that.”

You continue forward “...But could you at least yell at me?”

Nothing.

“Throw something?”

Silence.

“Punch me?”

You finally stop.

Ace almost sighs in relief.

You slowly turn around, your eyes are shining again, but this time with obvious anger.

“Punch you?”

Ace scratches his cheek “Maybe not?”

“After two years?”

“...Fair.”

“After disappearing?”

“Yeah.”

“After not having contact for two whole years?”

“Okay, that one sounds bad.”

“Because it was bad!”

“There were reasons!”

“Really?”

Your voice cracks, and suddenly the anger doesn't sound angry anymore.

It sounds hurt.

Ace immediately feels worse “Y/N...”

“Do you know how… seeing that felt?”

His chest tightens “...Marineford.”

“Marineford.” you laugh sarcastically “I watched it.”

Ace freezes.

“I saw everything from here.”

His throat goes dry “Y/N…”

“I watched you die… they made it look like the heroes who killed the bad villain.”

The words hit harder than anything.

“I saw it happen…” your voice shakes “and I couldn't do anything.”

Ace can't move, can't speak and can't breathe.

“I just sat here and watched.” your eyes fill with tears “Everyone said you were dead. Then suddenly months later… MONTHS LATER the news says you're alive.”

A tear slips down your cheek “I was happy.”

Another follows “So happy. But do you know how angry I was?”

Ace swallows “...Yeah.”

“No, you don't.”

And somehow that hurts because it's true.

You wipe your eyes angrily “I hated you.”

Ace flinches, then you look away “...For about five minutes.”

His heart nearly breaks “Y/N...”

The child beside you tugs gently on your sleeve “Mom?”

The world stops.

Ace blinks.

Mom?

You immediately kneel and your expression softens “Don't worry, I'm okay.”

The child points toward Ace “Who is he?”

You freeze.

The child waits patiently, looking between both of you.

And somehow, for the first time, Ace notices something familiar about him.

The eyes, the hair, the smile… the freckles. But before he can think about it more, you stand “Let's go home.”

The child nods “Okay.”

You start walking again and Ace follows automatically, but you don't tell him to stop.

—-----------

The walk back is painfully quiet.

Ace follows a few steps behind you.

Your son occasionally looks back at him, curious and interested.

Not scared at all.

Every time, Ace awkwardly waves. The child waves back and then keeps walking.

The whole thing would almost be funny if your heart wasn't beating so hard.

Soon the familiar house comes into view.

The moment Dadan spots you, she practically bursts through the door “Y/N!”

You blink “Dadan?”

She rushes over, looking panicked “Listen, kid, we gotta—”

Then her eyes move past you and land on Ace.

Dadan freezes.

Ace awkwardly raises a hand “Uh... hi again?”

The woman looks like she wants to throw herself off a cliff “Oh for the love of—”

You immediately understand “Dadan.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything!”

“You absolutely were.”

“I WASN’T!”

“You were.”

“I WASN’T!”

Ace points between both of you “Should I be worried?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

You and Dadan answer at the same time.

Ace blinks “That didn’t help.”

Dadan groans “So stupid.”

“Hey!”

“Inside.”

Nobody argues.

A few minutes later, everyone is sitting around the old table.

Your son escaped immediately as Dogra and Magra took him outside to play.

Which leaves only you, Dadan and Ace.

The silence is horrible.

Ace shifts in his chair.

You stare at the table.

Dadan pretends she isn’t here.

A fly buzzes somewhere.

Nobody speaks… the fly is honestly carrying the conversation.

Finally Ace clears his throat “So…”

Silence.

“Nice weather?”

You look at him.

Dadan looks at him.

Ace immediately regrets everything “...That was stupid.”

“Very.”

“Yeah.”

Silence again.

A few seconds pass then he says “You look good.”

You blink.

Ace scratches the back of his neck “I mean… not that you didn’t before.”

Dadan snorts.

“Okay, somehow I’m making this worse.”

“You’re talented.”

“Thanks.”

“You weren't supposed to take that as a compliment.”

“Too late.”

A tiny smile almost appears on your face and Ace notices.

His chest hurts, because for a second it feels like old times, but then the silence returns.

Until Ace finally sighs “Can I ask something?”

You shrug “You’re going to anyway.”

“Fair.” he pauses “The kid…”

Immediately your shoulders tense.

Dadan's eyes narrow.

Ace notices neither “How old is he?”

You blink.

That wasn't what you expected but you answer anyway “...Almost three.”

Ace nods “Oh.”

Silence.

Then… “He's cute.”

“...Thanks…?”

“Looks a lot like you.”

Dadan suddenly coughs so hard she nearly dies.

Ace looks over “You okay?”

“No.”

“Need water?”

“No.”

“You sound like you’re dying.”

“Working on it.”

Ace shrugs and then he looks back at you “So…”

You already hate where this is going.

“Did you adopt him?”

The room goes completely silent.

You stare.

Dadan stares.

Ace waits.

You ask, confused “...What?”

“You adopted him?”

“...Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know…”

“You just guessed?”

“Yeah. By Dadan’s reaction to me saying he looks like you.”

Dadan drags a hand down her face “He’s hopeless.”

“Hey!”

“No, she’s right.”

“Y/N!”

You almost laugh.

Ace points accusingly “You’re both being mean.”

“You’re making it easy.”

“Wow.”

He pouts, like a child… like the same idiot you knew years ago.

Then his expression softens “So... not adopted?”

“No.”

“Oh.” a pause “Then his father is here?”

You choke.

Dadan slams her forehead against the table so hard that Ace jumps “WHAT NOW?”

“Nothing.”

“You just headbutted a table!”

“Deserved.”

“For what?!”

“For knowing you.”

Ace looks deeply offended, then his attention goes back on you.

You stare.

Nobody answers.

“...So?”

You blink slowly “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Yeah?”

“Seriously?”

“Yes?”

Dadan makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like suffering.

Ace glances at her “Why are you both acting so weird?”

Neither of you answer.

Ace frowns and then he starts thinking. You can practically see the gears turning.

“Okay.” he points toward the door “The kid is almost three.”

“...Yes.”

“I’ve been gone…” his voice trails off and his brow furrows “...three years.”

Your stomach drops.

Dadan closes her eyes.

Here it comes.

Finally.

Ace keeps talking, mostly to himself now.

“Almost exactly three years.”

Silence.

“And he isn't adopted.”

Silence.

“And everybody keeps acting weird.”

Silence.

“And Dadan wanted me gone before I saw you and him.”

Silence.

His eyes slowly move toward you, then toward the door and then back toward you.

The smile is gone, the joking is gone, the idiot is gone.

For the first time since he arrived… Ace is completely serious.

“...Y/N.”

Your heart pounds.

“How old is he exactly?”

You swallow “...two years and seven months.”

The answer comes out barely above a whisper.

Ace freezes.

The math is easy.

Gone for three years.

His face loses all color “No…” the word leaves his mouth before he can stop it.

Your eyes immediately drop to the table. Shame twists painfully in your chest.

You hate it, because you shouldn’t feel ashamed and you know that… but suddenly you do.

Maybe because of how shocked he looks, maybe because you never planned for this conversation, maybe because part of you is terrified he won’t want this. Terrified he’ll regret it. Terrified he’ll look at your son and see a mistake.

You grip your hands under the table “...I didn’t know.”

Ace doesn’t move.

“I found out after you left.”

Silence.

“I couldn’t tell you.”

Silence.

“Then…” your voice cracks and you look away “I didn’t even know where you were until you made it to the news and then… then everyone thought you were dead.”

The room becomes even quieter.

Dadan watches both of you carefully, ready to step in if needed… or out.

Ace is staring at the table, at nothing and at everything. Trying to fit this reality inside his head.

A child.

Your child.

His child.

The little boy outside, the one who waved at him earlier, the one with dark eyes, the one who smiled, the one who… suddenly Ace stands.

His chair crashes backward, making you flinch.

Dadan immediately rises “Ace.”

But he doesn’t seem to hear her.

“...That's my son.”

Nobody answers… nobody needs to.

Because the answer has been sitting in front of him this whole time.

And for the first time since you met him again… you realize he isn't looking at you anymore.

He's looking toward the little boy laughing outside.

As if the entire world has just changed, and maybe it has.

Because for two years, Ace believed he had left behind one person he loved.

Now he’s discovering he left behind two.

The door slams open and then he’s outside.

You stare after him and your heart immediately drops.

For one horrible second, fear grips your chest. Fear that he’s running away, that he’s leaving.

Again.

You push the thought away and rush after him “Ace!”

You reach the doorway just as Dadan catches your wrist.

You turn.

She’s watching the yard, watching Ace, and for once, she doesn’t look angry, she looks sad.

“He ain't running.”

Your brows furrow “How do you know?”

Dadan sighs “Because I know that idiot.”

Then she lets you go and says “Go.”

Dogra and Magra are playing with your son.

The little boy sits proudly on Dogra's shoulders while Magra runs around roaring like a monster “THE GREAT BEAST IS COMING!”

“NOOOO!”

Your son laughs so hard he almost falls off Dogra's shoulders.

“FASTER!”

“I'M TRYING!” Dogra complains.

Then your son notices Ace and the laughter slowly fades.

The boy tilts his head, watching him.

Ace stands completely still, staring.

Looking at him for the first time.

His son.

The words still don't feel real.

Your son waves with a tiny happy wave, the same one he gave Ace earlier.

Ace's face immediately crumples.

Your heart squeezes painfully, because now you understand this isn't rejection or anger… this is grief.

The little boy slides down from Dogra's shoulders and walks over, stopping right in front of Ace, looking up.

Ace looks down.

The resemblance is impossible to miss now.

Your son points at the red beads around Ace's neck “Pretty.”

A broken laugh escapes Ace, almost immediately followed by a sob “You think so?”

“Yeah.” the little boy nods confidently “Very pretty.”

Ace presses a hand over his mouth, his shoulders shake.

And suddenly every single thing crashes into him all at once.

Not just the fact that he has a son, not just the fact that he missed three years.

Everything.

He looks at the little boy, at the child standing in front of him, and his mind starts filling the empty spaces.

The spaces where he should have been.

He sees you standing alone.

Without him.

He sees you crying.

Without him.

Laughing.

Without him.

Getting sick in the mornings.

Without him.

Craving strange food.

Without him.

Growing bigger every month.

Without him.

His chest hurts.

He never saw your belly.

Never saw his son growing inside you.

Never placed a hand there.

Never felt the kicks.

Never talked to him through your skin.

Never watched you smile when the baby moved.

Never watched you complain when the baby kicked your ribs.

Never helped you tie your shoes.

Never carried things for you.

Never stayed awake when you couldn't sleep.

Never comforted you when you were scared.

Never promised you that everything would be okay.

Because he wasn't there.

Your son smiles at him with his tiny innocent smile.

Ace feels something break.

He missed the birth.

His son's first breath.

His first cry.

His first smile.

His first laugh.

His first word.

His first steps.

His first birthday.

Everything.

His knees almost give out.

“Ace?” your voice sounds distant, he can barely hear it.

Because suddenly another image appears in his head.

Marineford.

The crowd.

The execution platform.

The world watching.

The world cheering for his death.

The newspapers.

The broadcasts.

The fear.

And then… you watching, alone.

You believing he was gone forever.

Ace's breathing becomes shaky.

His mother suddenly comes to mind. The woman who carried him alone. The woman who suffered alone. The woman who watched the whole world hunt her child before he was even born. The woman who endured everything by herself.

And suddenly he understands that he left you carrying a burden alone.

He finally understands that while he had convinced himself he was protecting you, you had been surviving without him.

Just like his mother did.

The realization hits him so hard that he physically stumbles.

“Ace!”

You rush forward, but before you can reach him, he drops to his knees.

The yard goes silent. Everyone freezes, while your son blinks in confusion.

You stop moving “Ace...?”

His head lowers and his hands shake.

You have never seen him like this.

Tears hit the dirt beneath him.

“I’m sorry.” the words come out broken, barely audible.

“Ace...”

“I’m sorry.” his voice cracks “I’m so sorry.”

Your eyes widen.

Ace lifts his head and the view nearly destroys you.

“I missed everything.”

You immediately shake your head “Ace…”

“I missed everything.” his voice rises with desperation “His birth.”

Another tear falls “His first words.”

Another “His first steps.”

Another “His birthdays.”

A horrible broken laugh “I wasn't there.”

Your throat tightens.

“You were alone.”

“Ace…”

“I left you alone.” his voice breaks again “I wasn't there.”

Your eyes burn.

“You were pregnant and I wasn't there.”

You can't answer.

“You were scared and I wasn't there.”

Ace wipes his face, only for more tears to replace them “I should've been there.”

The guilt is eating him alive.

You can see and feel it.

“I should've been helping you.” his shoulders shake “I should've been holding you.”

Your vision blurs.

“I should've been holding him.”

The little boy quietly walks closer, confused, but sensing something is wrong.

Ace notices him, and that only makes him cry harder “I wasn't there.”

Then Ace lowers his head and the next words nearly stop your heart “Can you forgive me?”

You freeze.

Ace's voice becomes smaller and more fragile “Please.”

The yard is completely silent.

“I know I don't deserve it… I know I hurt you.” his hands clench “I know I left.”

You feel tears running down your own face now.

“But please...”

Ace looks at you, like someone terrified of the answer… “Please forgive me.”

His voice cracks completely “Please.”

And suddenly all you can see is the boy you fell in love with.

Your Ace.

Broken, crying and begging, because he thinks he lost everything… and he still doesn't realize that despite all the hurt… despite all the anger… despite the years apart...

You've never stopped loving him.

Not for a single day.

You want to say something, anything, but before you even can, a tiny hand grabs yours.

You look down and see your son is standing beside you.

Looking from you to Ace.

“Mom?”

Your expression softens immediately and you squeeze his little hand “Yes?”

He points toward Ace, toward the crying man kneeling in front of you “Can't you forgive him?”

Your heart almost breaks, because there is no judgment in his voice, only innocent confusion.

As if forgiveness is the easiest thing in the world.

As if love is simple.

You smile at him, then you lift your eyes.

Ace is looking at you and here your smile slowly disappears, a sad expression replaces it.

You look into his eyes and say “No…”

Ace freezes, his shoulders tense.

Regret fills his expression so quickly that your heart hurts, so you hurry to continue “There's no need.”

Ace blinks “What?”

You smile sadly “As I said this afternoon...”

Your fingers tighten slightly around your son's hand “I hated you for like five minutes.”

A tiny laugh escapes Ace, wet and shaky.

You let go of your son's hand, then slowly kneel in front of Ace, bringing yourself to his level.

His eyes widen slightly.

You gently take his face in your hands and your thumbs brush against his cheeks, ceaning away his tears.

Another one falls immediately and you wipe that one away too, very softly.

Ace leans into your touch without even realizing it.

“I understand your situation, Ace.”

His eyes immediately lower.

You gently guide his face back toward you “Look at me.”

Slowly, he does.

Your thumbs brush against his skin again “I loved you a lot.”

Ace's breathing stops.

“And I will never stop loving you.”

His eyes widen “Y-Y/N...”

“I'm so happy you're here now.” your own voice starts shaking “Sorry if I got mad or if I acted cold.”

Ace immediately shakes his head, hard “Don't apologize.”

You blink “Ace…”

“No.” his voice is firm despite the tears “You don't get to apologize for that.”

You stare at him.

“I left.” his hand gently covers one of yours “You had every right to be angry.”

Another tear slips down his cheek “You had every right to hate me.”

You smile softly “Good thing I didn't then.”

Ace laughs weakly.

You continue softly “I was scared too.”

His expression immediately changes… it softens.

“I thought our story ended there.”

Without thinking, he reaches for you, his arms wrap around you, holding you tightly “I'm here.”

His voice shakes “I'm here.”

You hold him just as tightly “I know.”

For a while neither of you moves or speaks.

Finally you pull back slightly and see your son is still standing there, watching everything carefully and curiously.

You smile, then gently place a hand on his shoulder “Kael...” (random name from google lmao sorry)

The little boy looks up immediately “Yeah?”

You smile softly, full of love , full of pride and warmth.

“This is Ace.” you glance toward him, then back to your son “Your dad.”

Kael blinks, then he looks at Ace.

Ace looks terrified, absolutely terrified… you almost laugh.

Then you turn toward Ace and your smile becomes softer, filled with so much love it almost hurts “Ace...”

His eyes meet yours.

“This is Kael.” your fingers gently brush your son's hair “Your son.”

Ace completely breaks again, with fresh tears appearing instantly.

“Hi...” Kael tilts his head “You're my dad?”

Ace nods immediately, quickly “Y-Yeah.”

Kael thinks about this then he says “Cool.”

Ace blinks “Cool?”

“Yeah.” Kael points at his tattoo “You have funny freckles.”

Dogra explodes laughing, while Magra nearly falls over.

Ace stares in horror “They aren’t… freckles…”

“They are… are you stupid?” Kael nods wisely.

Ace turns to you “I HAVE BEEN A FATHER FOR TEN SECONDS AND I'M ALREADY BEING BULLIED.”

“He's definitely yours.” Dadan says from the doorway.

“HEY!”

Kael giggles, then he says “Mom talked to me about you, you’re the very cool fire boy.”

Then, without warning, he steps forward and hugs Ace… small arms around his neck.

Ace completely freezes and his eyes widen.

His arms slowly wrap around him carefully, like he is holding treasure.

“Hi, dad.”

Ace makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob “Hi, kid.”

Ace reaches out for you with one hand and gently pushes you to kneel beside them.

You do so and then you wrap your arms around both of them.

Ace immediately pulls you closer and the three of you stay there, holding each other.

A family… maybe messy and maybe a bit late, but a family anyway.

Ace looks at you, you look at him, and this time, when he leans closer, you meet him halfway.

The kiss is soft, gentle and warm.

When you pull away, Ace rests his forehead against yours, finally smiling.

Then Kael tugs on his sleeve “Dad?”

“...Yeah?”

“Can I sit on your shoulders?”

Ace grins immediately.

The old familiar grin, the dangerous one that means bad decisions are coming “Kid, I can do way cooler than shoulders.”

Your eyes widen “Ace!”

Fire suddenly bursts around him as he shoots into the air with Kael in his arms.

Kael screams in delight “I'M FLYING!”

Ace laughs “THAT'S MY BOY!”

“ACE!”

“HE'S FINE!”

“PUT MY CHILD DOWN!”

“OUR CHILD!”

“PUT OUR CHILD DOWN!”

Dadan lights a cigarette “Yep.”

Everyone laughs.

And Ace…  he laughs the loudest out of everyone.

He’s alive, he’s home… exactly where he belongs.

He looks down at you with the softest expression you ever saw on him, making you smile softly back at him.

Ace has never once doubted your strength. He knows that you're capable of handling and defending yourself against an enemy. But of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't worry about you.

He offers to handle the bigger enemies and hopes you say yes. Mainly to show off his strength to flatter you, but also because he'd rather you not get your beautiful hands dirty.

However, today was different. The Moby Dick docked on an island they hadn't discovered. Unbeknownst to them, it was marked as enemy territory.

"C'mon, Ace," you pleaded as you hung onto your boyfriend's arms. "Let me join you guys, please! It's not fair that I have to be the only one with Pops while you guys have some fun."

"No, babe. You need to keep him company while we pick up a few things," he softly pushed you away, waving goodbye to you as he joined the rest of the crew.

Although he meant well, it really wasn't fair that everyone but you was allowed to be on the island. He just didn't want to risk you getting hurt. But in reality, there was nothing to do on the ship when it was just you and a sleeping Pops.

Consequently, you disobeyed Ace's orders and left the Moby Dick.

You weren't going to let someone hold you back from adventure whilst they were exploring it themselves. Just as long as you get back to the ship before everyone else does, then everything should be fine.

The island was buzzing with adventure as its citizens crowded the stores in the heart of town. Civilians gathered around sailors, telling countless stories of their bold journeys. Pirates blended in crowds, careful not to grab attention and only what they needed for their voyage.

It didn't take long for you to spot Ace, who was already chowing down on multiple meals. Despite wanting to "lay low," Ace proudly wore Pop's Jolly Roger on his back. He was a walking fight waiting to happen, and he knew but never cared or felt ashamed of it. You knew that there would be some moron wanting to prove his strength by fighting Whitebeard's second division commander. So, you had to explore the island before disaster struck.

You walked closer, wanting to get a better view of your boyfriend, stopping in your tracks when you noticed who sat next to him.

A girl sat next to him, who gazed at him as if they were married. As any other person would, you felt a pang of jealousy, especially since he didn't mind her presence.

One of the things you absolutely loved about Ace was how kind he is. That and how he could go on and on about his little brother, Luffy.

Seeing him easily connect with people wasn't out of the ordinary; it was more so that he didn't understand social cues that bothered you instead.

"Ey," a man spoke to you, "y'gonna order or what?"

Your eyes narrowed at the man, glaring at him for interrupting your eavesdropping. He simply rolled his eyes at you and walked away to find another person to take an order from.

You turn your eyes back at them, staring intently and studying every gesture and word that came from Ace.

You were only a couple of feet behind your boyfriend and the strange woman, hiding behind a menu to cover yourself from spying on them.

Ace was eating and talking at the same time, food stuffed in his mouth as he rambled on about his little brother and how amazing he is. The woman, who sat next to him, sipped on her drink and listened to him as she smiled and nodded, hoping he would catch the look she was giving him.

The sight made you fume with anger. They laughed together, talked as if they could go on for days, and sat comfortably in silence. All the things he had done with you too.

Insecurity was quick to find you, already wondering if Ace would be the type of person to cheat or break up with you over someone else he had fallen in love with.

You got out of your seat, having had enough of the sight you witnessed. Would it have been better if you had listened to what Ace had told you? You weren't too sure whether or not you had seen him hang out with this woman; the pain of insecurity had already hit you.

Before you could reach the exit, you bumped into a tall, intimidating man. You carefully looked up and saw him holding your poster to his face.

"Seven-hundred-million berries," he said. His calm, low-pitched voice brought chills down your spine. A lump formed in your throat, already thinking about how you weren't prepared to fight an enemy and forgot to bring your weapon.

His oversized, hard fist slammed into the left side of your body, punching you straight into multiple walls a mile away. The people in the bar caught attention to this and immediately ran away, not wanting to get involved with danger.

Your body trembled as you struggled to get back up, ultimately failing to fight back when the enemy grabbed hold of your neck.

"I'm gonna have fun destroying you before I get my reward," he spat at your face, smirking at how easy it was to catch someone with such a large bounty.

Embarrassingly enough, your eyes drifted to Ace, who was behind him, warning your enemy to let you go.

Before you could listen any further to what else he had to say, your blurry eyes slowly closed, drifting away, ultimately passing out.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─

By overhearing what your crewmates had talked about in front of you while faking your sleep, you learned that you had passed out and been slipping in and out of consciousness for a week straight.

Although the last thing you could remember was getting beaten up, you still recalled Ace "flirting" with that ugly woman.

Even after your body was able to immediately recover thanks to Marco, it still carried the pain of the jealousy and insecurity you had felt. Would it be wrong to try to get back at him for what he did, despite saving you after not listening to him?

Maybe...maybe not...

Your body wobbled its way out of the infirmary, catching the attention of Marco, who was going to stop by and check up on you.

"Woah, hey," he ran to you, holding you close so you wouldn't fall. "Did you just wake up? You shouldn't be walking out of the infirmary, wouldn't want you gettin' hurt again."

"Umm," you croaked, deciding if you should really do this. "Where am I?"

"We're on the ship looking for land. We still need supplies after what happened at the last island," he replied as he brought you back inside to lay you on the bed.

"Ace was pretty worried about you, y'know. I told him it was a bad idea to leave her alone with no one but Pops, she was eventually gonna get bored, I told him." You looked at him, completely "confused" by the information he had given you.

"Who's Ace?" You asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Marco looked at you as if you had two heads. The concussion was merely a minor injury, so for Marco to determine that you would earn memory loss didn't cross his mind in the slightest.

"Uh,” Marco paused for a second.

“Excuse me," he whispered before getting up abruptly and running out of the infirmary. The door was left wide open, so you tried your hardest to conceal your laughter. Giggling to yourself as you covered your mouth in amusement.

Marco ran to the dining hall, slamming the door open, not caring that it could've broken. Everyone in the hall turned their heads to Marco, noticing how he was out of breath and his chest was rising harshly.

"She lost her memory," he huffed in between his words.

The dining hall was silent for a brief moment until Ace stood up. They all knew who exactly Marco was talking about. Ace didn't say anything, but his face sure did tell you everything he was feeling when he heard those words.

He dashed out of his seat, hoping to get to the infirmary in an instant, but Marco stopped him from exiting.

Marco shook his head at him, "You can't see her."

"Why not?! She's my girlfriend, and I'm worried for her!" He yelled, hastily trying to push Marco's arms away so he could leave.

"If you see her right now, you're going to overwhelm her!" He replied, struggling to control his worry.

"She knew me before she joined us," Ace shot at him. "Just let me see my girlfriend."

Marco sighed in defeat, remembering now that Ace won't back down either way.

"Fine," he replies. "But if she doesn't remember you, don't be surprised when we tell you, ‘I told you so.’"

Ace scoffed at him, already feeling confident that you would be the only one to remember him. After all, he was the reason you went out to explore the seas.

─ ⊹ ⊱ 2 years prior ⊰ ⊹ ─

The sun slowly began to set, creating an orange hue in the sky. The ocean shimmered as it reflected the light from the sun. This island was buzzing with romance. It carried beautiful views, amazing food, and charming music that could be heard from every corner of the streets.

That's why you had resided here on this island. For six years, you've been moving island to island to try to find something interesting that could happen in your life. Whether it be romance, adventure, sorcery, mystery, or even danger, you just needed something that wouldn't bore you to death.

It hadn't been long since you moved to this new island. Four months to be exact. Yet, you had already gotten tired of this new life you had been excited to live.

You'd walk out of your house every day, which was located in the middle of the bustling city, hoping that maybe one thing would be of interest to you. Days slowly went by. Turning into weeks, and then months.

You wanted to move again, but not only would it be expensive, it would also be a very reckless decision to make. You've moved about seven times already, using all of the money your parents had saved for you to go to college. You had no interest in studying anyway, so what was the point?

Usually, you would spend your days walking around the city, observing people, attempting to greet people, but ultimately backing down because you didn't really know how to make friends.

Until one destined day, you bumped into a strange cowboy who was chasing after a bounty poster. Although he had apologized, it irritated you that he messed up your hair, which you had spent so much time on.

He offered to pay you back with dinner and introduced himself as Ace, the captain of the Spades Pirates.

For a pirate, he was kind, rambled on about his little brother, and even ate as he talked, getting food on your face and using your clothes as napkins. Obviously, this annoyed you to the core. Never in your life have you met someone so rude yet so sincere. It was definitely odd.

But you liked it.

Ace didn't mind it at all when you flashed him a piercing look. Instead, he would scratch the back of his neck and apologize, only to continue what had irritated you, unaware that he was doing it again.

He loved that, despite falling asleep multiple times and doing things he shouldn't have, you still listened to him. Even asking him questions about his little brother, which he was more than glad to answer.

When Ace walked you to your home, you told him that this was the most exciting thing you've ever done since you first moved. You embarrassingly admitted that you've moved from island to island, hoping to find something that could make your life less miserable and maybe figure out what to do for the rest of it as well.

Without a second thought, he asks you to join him.

"What? Why would I join a stupid pirate crew, especially since I could die at any moment!" You blurted at him. Both of you stopped at your house, lingering for just a moment because you felt like something about him drew you in.

"Weren't you looking for adventure?" He asked, scratching his neck as he recalled what you had told him earlier, making him confused by your own words.

"I mean, yeah, I want something exciting to happen. But I'm only eighteen! I still have a lot left to do in my life before I die!!" You yelled at him for not recognizing the obvious reasons as to why you couldn't join a pirate crew. That, and you being an ordinary citizen.

Your reaction earns a hearty laugh from Ace, holding his stomach in pain from how hard he was laughing.

"C'mon, Y/n," he said as he giggled. "Don't be a chicken. I know you'll have fun with us."

"I dunno," you said as you stared at your feet. "I don't have powers like you or Luffy, and I don't train either."

"I'll train you," Ace blurted faster than he expected, covering his mouth as it had betrayed him. "Ah— but only if you're okay with that."

You could tell that he was starting to get nervous after giving you a personal solution impulsively. It didn't bother you in the slightest though. It was cute.

The day ended with you thanking Ace for the meal and wishing him a good night, already reminiscing about the day you just had.

When morning came, it didn't take long for you to be woken up by a certain cowboy, who was throwing tiny rocks at your window to grab your attention.

Ace shares that he plans on staying on the island for a few days just to convince you to join him. It was stupid, but definitely not surprising. Especially since he decided he would be crashing at your place, not even bothering to get your input.

Strangely enough, you ended up caving in and joining him only because he had finished every bit of your groceries, and you didn't have enough that could even last you a day.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─

"Not to brag, but she's totally gonna remember me," Ace boasted as he walked to the infirmary, hands behind his neck, walking as if he had won an award. The crew followed behind him, snickering, waiting for the moment when you prove him wrong.

Because of how loud the crew was, being able to hear them all the way from the dining hall, it gave you time to practice your poker face before meeting your boyfriend face-to-face.

When Ace walked in, his cocky attitude instantly died down after seeing you again. He didn't care if his family was behind him, teasing him for being a lovesick fool. He was glad to see you alive and well for once, even if you remembered him or not.

He took off his hat and kneeled next to the bed you sat on, watching him slowly and carefully approach you, scared to intimidate you.

"Y/n?" He whispered to you. The crew carefully watched behind the door, crowding and even squishing each other to watch. Some people had even started placing bets on whether you would remember your boyfriend or not.

"It's me, your boyfriend, Ace?" he said as he fidgeted with his hat as he waited for your answer. The suspense was practically killing everyone on the ship, waiting for just a single word that would come out of your mouth.

"Boyfriend? You? Who the hell even are you?" Your face scrunched at the label.

For a moment, no one said anything. The only thing you could hear was seagulls squawking and waves crashing into each other. But it sure didn't take that long before everyone bursted into laughter, even going as far as to point at Ace while laughing at his face. You could hear people repeat your words and multiple ‘Marco told you so.’"

But none of that seemed to faze Ace. Instead, he slowly got up from his knees and walked out of the infirmary with his hat tipped over his face, not bothering to say anything at all, as he had just been proven wrong. You were able to get a few laughs out thanks to Marco, who kicked everyone out since there was no reason to be in the room anymore.

You did it. You had successfully gotten your revenge. Yet, your body still carried the pain of the jealousy and insecurity you had felt multiple times now. It was weird. You thought that maybe this would give you a little bit of relief from the frustration. Instead, the pain had only grown because you didn't even fix the problem.

You really just dug yourself deeper into a hole despite knowing it was wrong.

Yet, you still did it.

Being able to socialize with the crew now that you were allowed to go out only after two days since waking up did kind of help out with the pain, you had to admit that. But the pain still lingered. You tried not to dwell on it, but every time you walked up to Ace, he avoided you. Not even bothering to acknowledge that you were both on the ship. And when you tried speaking to him, he would give you a blank stare while not saying anything.

It took you three days until you finally had enough, asking other people for him, but you would constantly end up in trial and error. You haven't even moved a step from where you started.

Consequently, you had had enough. It's been far too long for you to live without being able to speak to your boyfriend, let alone look at you the way he used to. You didn't want to admit it, but you had to confront him and come clean about your actions. Because if you didn't soon, you would lose him.

It didn't take long for you to find Ace. He leaned on the railing, watching the sun slowly set as its light reflected on the waters below. You carefully walked up to him, scared that he would tell you to go away. His eyes were more droopy than they usually were, and his eye bags seemed to have gotten worse. Embarassingly enough, you realized now that you haven't seen him smile since waking up from your concussion.

"Hey, Ace? Right?" You acted clueless, trying to keep the act up. Ace didn't turn around or even acknowledge you. He kept his eyes on the view instead, earning a sigh from you.

"So uh, is it true that you're my boyfriend?" You asked him, hoping it would at least make him glance at you. "Everyone keeps telling me about us, and now I'm starting to think you weren't joking. Or maybe it's just a prank, y'know, since I'm not really aware—"

"Yeah, it was a prank," he cut you off, keeping his eyes on the view. His answer made you wince. You definitely didn't expect it.

"What?" you whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

"We never dated. We were just messing with you, sorry," he casually replied without even glancing at you.

The pain you felt, the hole you dug, it all went deeper and deeper. Whatever it was you expected didn't matter. In fact, nothing mattered to you anymore. A huge lump formed in your throat, already threatening you to cry and yell at your boyfriend, if he even was anymore, for being such an asshole. Was this your punishment for lying? For eavesdropping? For not following a simple request? Whatever it was, you just wanted it to stop. For it all to end.

"Okay, I can't do this," you abruptly said. "I don't wanna do this, please. I'm sorry, Ace."

You tried to choke back your tears from falling, but it was inevitable. The lump in your throat made it difficult for you to fight back from your strong emotions.

"I never lost my memory. I lied about that. I was just mad at you for talking to that stupid woman at the bar. It just pissed me off seeing her look at you the way I look at you, and the fact that you didn't care or even notice it made me so frustrated."

You look down at your feet, fidgeting with the denim of your pants. You could feel your tears rolling down your cheeks, watching them splash on the wooden floorboard below you.

"I knew doing this was bad, but I didn't care because I wanted to get back at you for what you did," you choke out, "But now that I'm seeing you avoid me, it's making me realize how selfish I was. I'm sorry, Ace, for being such a stupid, insecure, selfish girlfri—"

Ace interrupted the last part of your apology with the tightest hug he's ever given you. You weren't even able to hug him back, but you were fine with it. You leaned into his neck instead, smelling the scent of his hair that oddly smelled like both cinnamon and smoke. For a moment, you both stayed like that in silence. Listening to the sound of the gentle waves slapping the ship.

"Don't ever do that again," he says, pulling away from you as he holds your shoulders.

"If you ever have a problem, you need to tell me no matter what," he stares deeply into your eyes. "I don't want you to feel insecure and needing to get revenge over something stupid we can fix easily."

His hand holds your cheek, caressing it before pulling you in to close the gap to kiss you. His lips were slightly chapped, but you didn't care. You leaned into his touch to deepen the kiss, holding the back of his head and his neck while he held your cheek and your waist.

Although it had only been almost a week since you missed your boyfriend's love, Ace was not so fortunate, having to miss you for almost two weeks now. This kiss was more than enough to bring him back to life.

"So uh," you broke the kiss, already giggling as you gazed at your boyfriend's beautiful face. "What are we gonna tell the others?"