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It started with boredom.Or atleast that’s what Ace wanted to call it.
He sat on the railing, one leg hanging over the side, chin resting in his palm as he stared out at the sea.
Clouds gathered slowly overhead, thick and dark, swallowing the earlier light bit by bit.
It had rained before.
It would rain again.
Anyone could tell.
“This is boring.” Ace exhaled.
“No.”
Ace didn’t even turn.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.” Jozu replied.
Ace clicked his tongue.
Behind him, a few of the crew were already watching.
Because they knew that tone.
That kind of bored never ended well.
Ace swung his leg once.
Then again.
His gaze drifted downward. Toward the water. Toward the small shape tied just below. His Striker.
His shoulders straightened slightly.
“I’m going for a ride.”
The deck went still.
“No.” Izou,who surprisingly was on the deck,said immediately. “Absolutely not.” he added.
Ace turned this time, frowning. “What? Why?”
“Look at the sky.” Jozu said, pointing out the obvious.
Ace briefly did.
Then shrugged.
“So?” he questioned.
“So it’s about to storm.”
“It’s not storming yet.”
“It will soon.”
Ace hopped down from the railing.
“Then I’ll be back before it does.”
“You will not.”
“Yes,I will.”
“No,you won’t.”
“I’ve done worse.”
“That’s not reassuring,Ace!”
Ace waved a hand.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t swim.” Namur reminded gently to the younger.
“I won’t fall.”
“That again-” Izou started but was cut off as the first mate stepped forward.
“Not today, Ace,yoi.” Marco said.
A pause.
“Why not?” Ace looked at him.
Marco didn’t soften it. “Because it’s reckless.”
Ace’s jaw tightened. Just slightly.
“It’s not that reckless.”
“It is stupid then. Because it will be raining in a few minutes.” The phoenix continued.
“But it's not raining yet.” The boy tried defending himself.
“Yet?” Marco repeated, trying to keep calm.
Silence stretched.
Something in Ace’s expression shifted.
Subtle.
Quick.
Gone just as fast.
“I said I’ll be fine.”
Marco watched him,carefully.
“Stay on the ship.” A clear order.
A beat.
Ace smiled. Too easy. Too bright.
“Relax.”
And then he moved. Fast.
Over the railing and down, landing clean on the Striker like he’d done a thousand times before.
“ACE-!”
“GET BACK HERE-!”
Too late.
Fire sparked.
The small boat surged forward cutting across the water in a clean, sharp line.
In just mere second he was gone.
Silence hit the deck.
“Go get Pops,yoi.” But all were busy watching their second commander sail further and further away.
“Now.” Marco glared at them.
Everyone scattered, seeing that their first division commander's patience had run out.
And above, the sky darkened further.
The first drops fell.
Soon more figures arrived.
The currently not busy commanders.
Other nakama drawn by the noise.
And some of the Spades too.
“What happened?” Sammy,from the second division, demanded.
“Commander Ace went out.” Leo,from the tenth division,answered.
“In this weather?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Idiot.” Thatch,one of the commanders on deck,muttered.
Deuce stepped forward slowly,arms crossed.
Watching the horizon.
“He’ll be fine.”
Several heads snapped toward him.
“This isn’t the same as the other times,” Haruta said. “A storm is coming.”
Deuce didn’t look away.
“I know.”
A pause.
“Then why aren’t you worried?” Izou asked quietly.
Deuce’s jaw tightened slightly. “I am, commander Izou but even if I tried to stop him, he’d just go faster.”
Well,no one could argue with that one.
Out on the water, Ace laughed.
Wind hit his face.
Spray followed.
The Striker cut through the waves like it always did. Fire steady beneath him.
'This?' Ace thought.
This he knew.
Movement.
Speed.
The kind that didn’t leave room for thinking.
Didn’t leave room for anything else.
The waves rose higher.
Stronger.
The rain picked up.
Sharp against his skin.
But Ace didn’t slow.
Didn’t hesitate.
He leaned into it,adjusting,shifting,riding the swell instead of fighting it.
“He’s actually doing it.” someone,back in the ship, said.
“Of course he is.” Haruta replied.
The storm built.
Wind howling.
Waves crashing harder,higher, unpredictable.
More and more minutes passed
The deck had gone quiet.
Tense,watching and waiting in case their little brother needed them.
“Ace.” Deuce muttered under his breath.
He would be fine. Deuce knew it well. They had faced worse before. Especially that one storm that lead to their first meeting.
But the sea wasn't the problem here.
Because Deuce knew his captain well.
This? This wasn't just Ace being his usual reckless self. This was Ace not wanting to share his feelings but wanting a way to vent.
It just is a rather reckless way of venting. One that certainly worried their family.
Out there in the sea Ace kept grinning.
The feeling was familiar.
Too familiar.
The way the waves rose.
The way the wind pulled.
The way everything demanded everything from him all at once.
The sea was unpredictable the way the forest was.
And yeah,at some point Ace had gotten used to the forest and the beasts but he got used to the sea too.
It felt like home.
In a way,if he tried hard enough, he could image he was running around at the forest alongside Luffy, that adorable reckless brother of his, instead of worrying his older ones,by being out here.
Suddenly a wave came.
Different.
Bigger.
Wrong.
Ace saw it too late.
It rose fast,higher than the rest and came crashing down toward him with a force that didn’t give him time to adjust.
“Shit-!”
It hit. Hard.
The Striker bucked violently.
Tilting,losing balance.
And Ace slipped.
Half his body went under.
Cold.
Frozen.
Weak.
The sea swallowed him up to the chest,dragging and pulling.
For a second,just one,he disappeared.
From the ship voices were heard.
“COMMANDER ACE!”
Chaos.
Full.
Uncontrolled.
“He’s down!”
“GET-!”
But Ace didn’t fall completely.
His hand stayed locked onto the Striker.
He coughed,water burning his throat and pulled.
Muscles straining.
Waves fighting him.
But he climbed back on boat.
Breathing erratic.
Soaked clothes and hair.
But alive.
A familiar cry cut through the storm,as the sound of wings were heard from the distance.
Ace stilled.
Blue flames burst through the rain, cutting through wind and water as a massive form dove from the sky.
The phoenix hit the air above him, circling once,then dropping lower, close enough that the heat of the flames cut through the cold rain.
“Ride’s over, yoi.”
Ace huffed,still catching his breath.
“I’m all right.”Ace muttered.
Marco didn’t answer.
But his talons locked onto the back of the Striker,steadying it.
Ace exhaled.
“You stayed out too long.” Marco’s voice was quieter now.
Rain fell harder.
Ace looked ahead.
He didn't answer.
Marco,god thank his soul,didn’t push it either.
He turned them back toward the ship.
The moment his feet hit the deck everything exploded.
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?”
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”
“IN THE STORM ACE! IN THE STORM!”
Ace barely had time to step off the Striker before hands grabbed him,checking, pulling, making sure he was actually there.
Marco landed a second later, talons scraping against the wood as blue flames flickered out.
He shifted back immediately, already reaching for Ace’s arm.
“You could’ve been swept under, yoi.”
“But I wasn’t.” Ace snapped.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
It cut through the noise just enough to make a few of them pause.
Not stop. Just pause.
“I had it handled.” he added, pulling his arm back.
Rain had begun falling harder and harder now, cold drops soaking into clothes, into skin, into everything. Not a single person remained untouched by the rain.
“You call that handled?” Thatch barked. “You almost got thrown off!”
“But I managed to climb back on.” Ace shot back.
“That’s not the point,little brother!” Thatch continued.
“It is the point!”
“No it's not,Ace!”
Izou stepped forward, voice quieter. “You went out alone,in unstable weather. Acting against orders.”
Ace laughed,a dry laugh.
“I needed clearance to go for a ride now?”
“Yes,yoi.” Marco said immediately.
“Since when?”
“Since you do if it puts you at risk.”
“I wasn’t at risk!”
“You were, Ace!”
Ace’s jaw tightened,his hands curled at his sides.
“I’ve handled worse.” he said.
“That’s not something to be proud of.” Thatch said, quieter now.
Ace’s head snapped toward him. “I’m not proud-”
“Then why are you acting like this is nothing?”
“Because it is nothing!” Ace's voice rose. Not loud yet. But getting there.
“I was fine. I am fine. So why does everyone keep acting like I committed a crime?”
“Because you acted reckless. Put your life on risk.” Marco said.
There it was again.
That word.
Life.
Ace hated the way Marco said it.
Hated it with passion.
Because Marco said it as if his life is something precious.
As if Ace's life is worth something, and isn't just the misery that always is.
As if Ace should feel proud being alive when everyone wants him dead.
Only three people have ever told him that being Gol D Roger's son didn't matter,and one of the tree is dead.
Truly, what great odds!
So annoying.
“I am not reckless with my life.” he repeated, sharper now. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Did you now,yoi?” Marco asked.
Oh but Marco was not mad. Wasn't even saying it in an accusing voice.
It got on his nerves.
“Is that what it is? You thinking it was fine,yoi?”
Ace faltered for half a second. Then his expression hardened.
“Yeah.”
“You slipped.”
“I recovered.”
“You got lucky.”
“Like hell I got lucky” Portgas D Ace didn't do luck. Not when his life was a cruel joke.
“Ace-” Thatch started.
“No!” Ace cut in, louder now. “You all keep acting like I don’t know what I’m doing!”
“That’s not what we’re saying!”
“That’s exactly what you’re saying!”
That one made them hesitate.
Because Ace was angry now.
And everyone knew that was the problem.
“I’ve been on the sea long enough by now.” Ace went on, voice rising, words faster now. “I’ve handled the marines, I’ve handled pirates, I’ve handled numerous dammed storms-”
“Yet you almost got thrown overboard just earlier,yoi.” Marco cut in.
Flat.
Direct.
No room to dodge it.
Ace’s breath hitched.
Then he scoffed.
“I didn’t die.”
“But you almost did.”
“Almost doesn’t count!”
“It does when it’s about about your life.”
“FOR DAVY JONE'S SAKE, FUCKING DROP IT ALREADY!”
That one rang.
It cut through everything.
Silenced it.
For just a second.
Ace stood there, chest rising and falling faster now, shoulders tense, hands clenched tight enough that his knuckles had gone pale.
“I was fine,” he repeated, quieter but not calmer. “So just drop it.”
No one answered.
Because no one believed him.
And Ace knew it.
And that made it worse.
'They don’t get it.'
The thought came uninvited.
'They don’t get it.'
The sea,the movement,the wind,the way everything shifted under your feet but still felt right.
It was like home.
Like something he understood.
Something that made sense.
Even when it didn’t.
Especially when it didn’t.
Like Dawn.
Like the forest.
Unpredictable.
Like Luffy.
Familiar.
Like Luffy too.
Alive.
Hopefully like Luffy too.
And why? Why would Makino not have a snail? He could have called ages ago and spoken to Luffy instead of having to wait for two nore years for Luffy to reach the New World...
And yeah...
maybe he pushed it.
Maybe he stayed out longer than he should’ve.
Maybe that wave had come a little too close.
But he handled it!
He always handled it.
He will always handle it.
“I said drop it.” he repeated.
“No.” Marco said.
And that? That snapped the last thread.
“Why the hell not?” Ace yelled.
“Because you scared us!”
That one hit differently.
Because, truly, it was just the truth.
Ace froze. Just for a second.
Then he laughed.
“That’s not my problem.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew it. Too far. Too sharp.
But he didn’t take them back.
Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.
Because now they were all looking at him.
And if he backed down now, then what?
Then he’d have to admit something.
Something he wasn’t ready to say.
Something he didn’t even want to name.
A voice cut through everything.
“Enough.”
Deep. Heavy. Final.
The King of the Sea had spoken.
The deck stilled instantly.
Even the argument.
Even Ace.
Whitebeard stepped forward, massive and unmoving even against the shifting storm.
His gaze moved over the commanders first.
Then settled on Ace.
“Inside.” he said.
He was looking at Ace but everyone knew the orders were for the rest.
No one argued.
Not this time.
Reluctantly,one by one, crewmates and commanders alike stepped back, tension still tight in their shoulders but contained now.
Until it was just Ace, Marco and their father.
The rain felt louder now.
Without the shouting.
Without the noise.
Just the storm.
And them.
Newgate looked straight at Ace.
Long and Silent.
“What were you thinking?” he finally asked.
Not loud. Not angry. Just serious. In a way Newgate never had done with ace from all people before.
Ace looked away first.
“I told you. I was fine.”
“That wasn’t my question,boy.”
Ace’s jaw tightened.
“I knew what I was doing.”
“And when you slipped?”
“I recovered.”
“And if you hadn’t?”
“I would have.”
Newgate’s gaze didn’t change.
Didn’t soften. Didn’t harden. Stayed the same.Waiting.
Ace shifted,annoyed now.
Another familiar feeling passing through him
He was cornered.
“I had everything handled.” he snapped.
A pause.
Then Newgate nodded once.
“Very well.”
Ace blinked.
That was not what he expected.
“Then you won’t mind the consequences.”
'And there it is.' Marco thought.
Ace’s expression dropped instantly. “what?”
“You’ll be on deck duty,” Newgate said. “Three weeks. No missions. No Striker.”
“Are you serious,pops?” Ace stared.
“Yes.”
“That’s-” Ace scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You took unnecessary risk.”
“I handled it.”
“You disobeyed direct orders.”
“I thought it wasn't that important.”
“And that was your mistake.”
Silence once more.
Ace’s hands clenched again.
“This is unfair.” he muttered.
“You and I both know it is not.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Newgate didn’t acknowledge that.
Didn’t argue it.
Just looked at him with a calm expression.
And somehow that was worse.
Ace exhaled sharply. Frustrated. Angry.
Something else underneath it that he refused to look at.
“Fine.” he snapped.
Then turned.
Stormed past Marco.
Boots hitting the deck harder than necessary.
The door slammed behind him.
The rain kept falling.
For a moment no one spoke.
“Pops, yoi.” Marco said, obviously waiting for something.
“Let the boy throw his tantrum,son.” Newgate said. Calm and certain.
“He’ll settle.”
Marco didn’t look convinced. But he didn’t argue further either.