Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/6410923.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/F, F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      One_Piece
  Relationship:
      Portgas_D._Ace/Smoker, Monkey_D._Luffy/Trafalgar_D._Water_Law
  Character:
      Portgas_D._Ace, Smoker_(One_Piece), Monkey_D._Luffy, Trafalgar_D._Water
      Law, Donquixote_"Corazon"_Rosinante, Sanji_Vinsmoke, Roronoa_Zoro,
      Fushichou_Marco_|_Phoenix_Marco, Mugiwara_Kaizoku_|_Strawhat_Pirates,
      Whitebeard_Pirates
  Additional Tags:
      Canon-Typical_Violence, Gang_Violence, Alternate_Universe_-_High_School,
      Alternate_Universe_-_Modern_Setting, Other_Additional_Tags_to_Be_Added,
      Masturbation_Interruptus, Anal_Sex, Sex, First_Time, Character_Death
  Series:
      Part 1 of Calystegia
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-03-31 Completed: 2018-03-04 Chapters: 102/102 Words:
      350158
****** Calystegia ******
by madansemacabre
Summary
     The city of Goa has always been a rough place to live. To survive,
     many chose to join the many gangs that dominate the city. It takes
     strong bonds and resilience to survive.
     Ace is just waiting for his 18th birthday so that he can officially
     be adopted by Edward Newgate, leader of the Whitebeard gang – but
     falling in love with the new police chief might put a slight wrench
     in his plans.
     Law and Rosinante have escaped to the city of Goa after a near-death
     encounter with Doflamingo Donquixote – but are they actually safe or
     is the clock ticking down until they’re killed off? And is there a
     point to Law attending high school as if nothing will happen and if
     Luffy’s joy and happiness wasn’t rubbing off on him?
     Multiple POVs to tell the story of one year in the city of Goa!
     Modern High School AU – Rating will go up with time!
Notes
     A/N: Ahh, this is my first fic in ages, I hope you guys like it! POVS
     switch per chapter but it’s always going to be stated right away
     who’s chapter it is! I'm hoping to update weekly - but a few chapters
     have already been written, just gotta review them!
***** - ACE - Love Wasn't On My Bucket List *****
Ace groaned slightly as his eyes cracked open
By the looks of it, he had fallen asleep again apparently. Honestly, being
diagnosed with Narcolepsy at seventeen was not what he had asked for! (To note,
he hadn’t even heard of the disorder until he got diagnosed with it).
Ace rubbed his eyes and started to look around the room he was in. Last he
remembered he was in the park. He had just finished buying all of the school
supplies that he and Luffy needed for the new school year. It had been annoying
to cross town to get the supplies on sale, but they just couldn’t afford to
just grab it at any store.  And on his way back, he sat on a park bench for a
minute and ate a snack, which must have been when he fell asleep.
 
Ace squinted; it was hard to see in the dark. It was a dark room with – bars?!
He was in jail?! Ace jumped up from the hard bench he was on and ran up to the
bars. He grabbed them and stuck his face forward into the bars, trying to see
if could see anyone “HEY!” he screamed, shaking the bars the best he could “WHY
THE HELL AM I IN HERE? I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” that you know of’ added Ace
mentally, but that’s details that they don’t need to know.
“You can relax.” stated a gruff voice from around the corner. Ace blinked. He
didn’t recognize that voice. He was sure he knew every cop in town. He had
lived in the area his entire life.
The cop turned the corner, and Ace’s jaw dropped. He certainly didn’t know
him.  The man was huge. He had a large, tall built, solid with muscles that was
barely contained in his button up uniform shirt. Ace could see the buttons
straining to keep closed. He had thick white hair that made him look clearly
much older than he probably was and a disgruntled look on his face as he came
up to the bars, holding a set of keys “I found you sleeping in the park and I
didn’t want to leave you there to get mugged, so I brought you here to sleep it
off in the drunk tank.”

“I wasn’t drunk!” barked Ace, feeling flustered.  Why was he feeling flustered
anyways? Why was this cop so good looking?
“I know that. I looked at your medical alert bracelet.” Ace blinked and looked
down at his wrist. He always forgets that he wears it – guess it came in handy
now

The police officer opened the gate and Ace stepped out “You carried me here?”
Ace asked with a big smile on his face. Damn, he wishes he remembered being a
carried by the man.

The man grunted “Of course I did, it’s not like I could wake you up to walk you
here.” Ace chuckled, then he turned and noticed something was missing “Where’s
my bag?! Did I have my bag with me?!” 
The man nodded, facing Ace as he pointed behind with him with his thumb “That
ugly ass green bag? Yeah, it’s in my office, c’mon.”
“Hey, my bag is awesome” stated Ace as he followed the man to his office, his
eyes scanned downward. Nice
The police officer opened the door to an office and walked in to grab the green
bag on the ground, leaning against the big wooden desk inside. Ace looked at
the door and read the plate, surprised
“Captain C. Smoker?” Ace read out loud. The man turned his head slightly as he
made his way back to the door, handing the bag over to Ace, who quickly checked
to make sure everything was in there “Yes? That’s me. I have to say I was
pretty surprised that this bag was filled with school supplies and food.”
Ace laughed “Hey, the school year starts tomorrow! A guy needs his supplies!”
then Ace paused “How come I don’t know you? I was sure I knew every cop in
town”
Smoker lifted a brow, staring at Ace. Ace could feel his stomach swirling –
what was going on? “It’s not assuring for someone to say ‘they know every cop
in town’ you know.”
Ace shifted the bag onto his shoulder “Hey now, I’ve lived here my entire life!
Of course I know the people! Also, my Gramps’ a cop, sorta.”
“I just got transferred here. Today was first day on the job, and lucky for me,
I find a sleeping teenager on a park bench.”

“A transfer? You sucked at your old town or something? And a captain on patrol?
That’s different. The last guy just sat on his ass and did nothing” stated Ace
“I like to know my area. And no, I was transferred since I did so well and my
services were needed here.”
‘I know what I’d like for you to service me with’quickly thought Ace, biting
his lip to contain the comment in. Shit. He might be too into this cop. “Oh, I
see”
 
They walked down the hallways towards the main reception area. It was
completely dark outside.

“Uh…what time is it?” asked Ace, looking towards Smoker, hoping for some good
news. ‘Please let it like, super dark at 7pm or something’

“Around 2am.” replied Smoker, grabbing the thick leather jacket on the coat
holder near the front of the reception area. He turned to a young woman with
short black hair, sitting at a desk typing away that Ace didn’t recognize
either. How was this possible? Marco made a point of making sure they knew
every cop in the area. “Tashigi, I’m going to bring this kid home. You hold
this place down”

Tashigi nodded, a determined look on her face. Ace lifted a brow, guess she
took her job seriously. “Yes captain! I’ll make sure everything stays in tip
top shape and I’ll see you in the morning!”

Ace blinked, looking at Smoker “You’re off the clock?” Smoker grunted, taking a
cigar out of his coat pocket and sticking it in his mouth “I’ve been off the
clock for a while, but I was waiting for you to wake up so I could take you
home.”

Ace’s head was swimming. Why was this guy so nice to him? But then Smoker’s
words replayed in his head and Ace’s blood ran cold “No! No, no! You don’t need
to do that! I can get home just fine by myself!”

Smoker lifted a brow, scowling “Boy. It’s 2am. I’m not going to let a kid walk
home at 2am.”

Ace visibly bristled “Oye, I’m nearly 18! I’m not a kid! And I’ll be fine!”

Smoker grunted, pointing at Ace, clearly annoyed “I don’t give a shit what you
think, I’m driving you home. Now, c’mon.” Ace groaned as Smoker grabbed his
arm, bringing him outside towards a police cruiser and unlocked the door of the
passenger side, gesturing to Ace to get in “Either you do it voluntarily, or
you get the pleasure of me waking up your parents as I deliver you to the door
in my custody.”

Ace groaned, rolling his eyes as he sat in the car “I’m telling you, I’ll be
fine!” Smoker closed the door and walked around the car, getting into the
driver’s seat.
“And I’m telling you I don’t care about your youthful perception of
invincibility.” Smoker started the car and turned to Ace “So, where do you live
anyways, kid?”

Ace paused for a moment. Did he really want to tell this cop where he lived?
Guess he didn’t have much of a choice at this point

“Corvo district.”
There was a heavy pause before Smoker’s scowl got even more severe as he
pointed to Ace “Like hell I would let you walk there! I’m driving you right to
your front door!” then he turned around, looking at his mirrors as he pulled
out and started to drive towards the district.

Ace paused, surprised.
He was honestly expected to get kicked out and given a bus fair. Nobody willing
drove to Corvo district. Even the city buses only barely go close to it, either
at the neighbouring town of Windmill or at the edge of the Gate district. But
nobody drove through Gray Terminal district (or what’s left of it) and much
less Corvo. Who was this man?
“Uh, I know you’re new to town and everything, but you could just let me off
near Gray Terminal, I can make my way easy home after that.”

“No way in hell. I read all of the reports; I’m taking you right to your front
door. I’ll be damned if anything happens to you under my watch”
Ace’s heart was pounding in his chest. This man needs to stop saying all these
things, he was going nuts! Ace dug through his bag for his cell as Smoker kept
driving him to his place in silence. He pulled it out victoriously as he got
his hands on it among all the crap in his bag, afraid it had gotten stolen
while he slept. It was a beaten up old thing. Marco offered time and time again
to replace it for him, but if his phone was too nice, it might get nicked at
home and sold off for god knows what. He flipped the orange phone open, his
small charm of his favourite character from a rhythm game he played dangling to
the side, a small present from Izo.
‘Good, the battery’s not completely dead’ Ace mused as he flipped through the
notifications. He quickly shot out a mass text to a bunch of his friends and
quickly flipped his phone shut. He couldn’t hide the smirk on his face when his
phone started buzzing like crazy.

Smoker raised a brow, quickly looking in Ace’s direction then back on the road
“Pretty popular at 2am, aren’t you?”

Ace laughed “Are you accusing me of being a hooker?”
Smoker sputtered, slightly turning red as he looked towards the road again. The
area was looking worst and worst now; it wouldn’t be long until they left the
Gate district. “No, I’m saying kids like you should be in bed by now so nobody
should be texting you.”
Ace huffed “For the last time, I’m not a kid, I’m 17! I’ll be legal in a few
months!”
“Which means that until then, you’re a kid.” replied Smoker, barely looking
away from the road.
Ace groaned, lounging back in his seat. He really didn’t want Smoker to think
of him as a kid. He was starting to formulate plans for this man. This gorgeous
piece of man. Maybe he should have made a fuss so that Smoker would have had to
restrained him – Ace cleared his throat. He needed to calm down. Getting hard
in front of the cop would just be embarrassing and would not lead to hot steamy
sex inside the police cruiser. Porn is a mountain of lies.
As they entered Gray Terminal district, Ace could see Smoker looking around,
unable to mask his shock as he looked around. “What the hell happened here?”

“It happened about 7 years ago.” Said Ace, nonchalantly, too used to this story
“A giant fire broke out and the entire district went on fire. It killed
thousands of people. And the people who lived here were really poor, so either
you died or you lost the very little you had to begin with.” Explained Ace,
leaving out the part that it was done on purpose by the aristocrats living in
High Town district and that Ace had been in the district when the fire ravaged,
but he knew it would make things awkward and he didn’t know if he could trust
this cop just yet.
Smoker grunted, clearly annoyed “And of course because it’s the slums, barely
an effort was done to help. Always the same goddamn story. And looks like they
haven’t even tried to really rebuild it either. Typical.” Ace blinked,
surprised at what he heard. Maybe this guy wasn’t a stooge who just listened
and repeated to everything his higher ups said. That’s odd for a cop.
Ace laughed slightly “I like you already, Captain!” Smoker snorted “Alright,
we’re in Corvo now, so what the way to your place?”
Ace sighed, pointing towards a dirt path off to the side of the road “It’s
actually down that way, but you won’t be able to get to my front door. The old
hag I live with is paranoid about getting robbed so she made sure that we lived
in a rather secluded place where you couldn’t just drive up, but if I just go
down that road, I’ll be home in no time” explained Ace, truth be told, it was
more that Dadan herself WAS a crook and didn’t want the cops to be able to
easily get to her and the family, but details.
 
Smoker grunted, pulling over besides the dirt road Ace pointed out and turned
to glare right at him. Ace could feel himself get hot, the pit of his stomach
going insane “You’re not messing with me right? That leads straight to your
house? I won’t get to work tomorrow morning and find out you got killed or
anything?”

Ace blinked, not sure what to do with all this concern from the Captain. So he
grinned “I’ll be just fine, don’t worry about it! Thank you for the ride
though!” exclaimed Ace, quickly pulling out his lighter from his pocket and
lighting the Captain’s cigar “These work better when they’re lit!” teased Ace,
getting out of the car
Smoker blinked, surprised, then he smirked “I was trying to be polite, maybe
you didn’t like cigar smoke.” stated Smoker, as he rolled down his window. Ace
smiled, going around the car to stand in front of the window “You’re sure
you’ll be fine? I can walk you to your door, it’s no problem.”

Ace chuckled “Trust me; I’ll be dead if I show up at my door with a cop. You
can just head home.”
 
As Ace was saying that, two guys started to approach the car. One was holding a
knife, the other had brass knuckles on

“Hey,” one of them called out “Looks like it’s our lucky day! Someone has some
shit they can give us”

The other one smirked “Yeah, and here I thought tonight was going to be a slow
night!”
Ace paused, turned his head towards the two and glared, lifting his chin up and
staring right at the two, his smile dropping instantly “The fuck you just say?”
The two men became white, scrambling as panic overtook them “Holy fuck it’s
Ace, let’s get the hell out of here!”  And they ran off, almost tripping over
themselves as they did.
Smoker paused, looking at the scene and then back at Ace “…Do I even want to
know?”
Ace laughed “Nope! It’s better if you don’t! Goodnight Captain.”
Smoker sighed, rolling up his window “Goodnight brat.”
Ace paused a moment, then sighed before turning around to start his trek home.
“I guess brat is better than kid.” mumbled Ace, walking up the well-used dirt
path to his home.
 
Ace jogged up the path, knowing very well that the longer he took to get home,
the less sleep he was going to get that night. He was already looking at barely
3 hours of sleep, the police station being a considerable way from his home. 
Ace walked up to the decrypt old dormitory and sighed. It looked like shit.
Granted, a long time ago, it was probably some sort of military housing or
something, for it to be in the middle of nowhere near a forest. Basically it
had been abandoned a long, long time ago and they were basically squatting. As
long as someone was always home, they couldn’t have the house taken from them.
It was falling apart though, if Ace was honest enough with himself. But Ace was
the only one who really did any repairs on it and he went to school full-time
because if he didn’t, he’d attract the attention of social workers and that’s
the last thing he needed.
Ace knew very well that if a social worker ever visited their home, he and
Luffy would be taken away. And he also knew very well that they wouldn’t be
kept together. Luffy could easily be reclaimed by his gramps, but Ace – it
wasn’t guaranteed. And it’s not like anybody took care of Luffy like he did, so
he’d be damned if anybody else got him.
Ace unlocked the door quickly, sticking his key back into his pocket. He closed
the door as quietly as possible to not wake up the occupants of the house.
Thankfully he’s lived here his whole life, minus that stint where he, Luffy and
Sabo lived in their treehouse, so navigating in the dark wasn’t an issue. He
quickly made his way to the hallway that led to the bedroom, carefully
navigating around the people sleeping in the living room. Once in the hallway,
he grabbed the rope hanging from the ceiling, pulling it down to reveal a
ladder and the opening to the attic. He carefully pulled it down and quickly
climbed into the attic and pulled the door shut with the ladder. Once it was
carefully closed, he surveyed the room.
It was a tiny, cramped room, with two small beds crammed into a tiny space.
Between the two beds, there was a small dresser with two lamps on it and behind
Ace a chest that was filled with whatever junk they shoved in there and a
bookcase filled with many random things as well. On one of the beds, Luffy laid
sleeping, drool on the side of his mouth as he was muttering about meat. Ace
chuckled quietly, walking up to his brother’s bed and plopping down in front of
it. He reached underneath the bed, using only the moonlight to see, and pulled
out a red back pack and groaned.
Ace was sure the bag was in better shape than this last time he saw it. This
would put him back. Ace turned around and reached out under the unoccupied bed
and pulled out a Danish cookie tin and opened it revealing a sewing kit. As
fast as he could, he repaired the bag as much as he could, but the reality of
the thing is that it needed to be replaced.
“Maybe I can convince Garp to get Luffy one for Christmas.” muttered Ace as he
finished up the last stitch. He put the bag down and reached into his own bag,
pulling out the school supplies he had bought for the both of them, separating
them into the different classes and labeling them accordingly. He quickly put
the supplies in Luffy’s bag and set it besides the dresser for Luffy to find in
the morning. Ace then quickly flipped his phone open and saw the time.

3:35am

Fuck.
Ace set the alarm on his phone for 5:30am and plugged it into his charger near
his bed. He quickly stood up and took off his t-shirt and hoodie and stripped
off his jeans. Fuck it, he was sleeping in his boxers tonight. Ace laid on his
bed and his mind quickly went back to Captain Smoker.
‘God he was gorgeous’ thought Ace, his hand grazing down his stomach. Ace was
well aware of his sexuality, with his crushes being more or less exclusively
male but he had never gotten that worked up over another man before. But man oh
man, did the Captain hit all of his hot spots. Ace closed his eyes, thinking of
his chest, his arms, his face, that chin, those warm brown eyes, his hair, fuck
he wanted to run his fingers through it, wanted to nip his earlobes, suck on
his neck  - WHOAH! Ace jumped, eyes wide open as he remembered where he was,
who was in the bed besides him and also that he REALLY needed to get some sleep
because tomorrow is going to suck ass if he works on even less sleep than he
already has to work with. Ace smirked to himself as he closed his eyes. One
thing’s for sure, he wasn’t done with the Captain.
 
Alarms could die in a fucking fiery pit if you asked Ace.

Ace groaned, turning over in his bed to turn the goddamn offending thing off.
He then shot a glare at Luffy who was still sleeping away. The bastard had
another hour easy to sleep in. Ace shook his head, dragging his tired body out
of bed. He opened the dresser and pulled out the clothes he needed and his
green bag and opened the hatch, heading downstairs. If he was lucky, nobody
would be up at this time.

Ace quickly slipped down to the main level and beelined straight for the
bathroom. Success! It was empty! He quickly closed the door and locked it, not
taking any chances of someone coming in. Ace turned to look at himself in the
mirror and groaned. Fuck, not only did he look like shit, he’d have to shave
this morning again. Ace considered himself pretty lucky having taken so much of
his appearance from his mother, but of course his father had been a hairy man
and that’s what he had to have inherited from him – that and his built and hair
colour. Ace sighed, turning on the shower. The pipes loudly creaked and moaned
in protest but Ace didn’t care if he woke everyone in the house. If they’re
just going to laze around the house all day anyways, they can goddamn sleep
later. Ace got into the shower and his mind wandered back to last night.
He smiled to himself, closing his eyes. He wondered how the captain kissed.
Would it be small pecks, or would his kisses be deep and serious. He took his
job really seriously; he probably took every other aspect really seriously
too.  Would he hold him tight? Would his grip leave faint imprints of fingers
on his hips? Would he grip his hair? Would he cup his ass? Grip his ass? Would
he be gentle and forceful or demanding and rough? Would he-

“ACE! I TOLD YOU TO STOP USING THE GODDAMN SHOWER AT 5 IN THE FUCKING MORNING!
YOU’RE WAKING EVERYONE UP IN THIS HOUSE!” screeched Dadan while banging on the
bedroom door.

“Well now the mood is killed” muttered Ace, shaking in frustration as he
grabbed his washcloth and the sad leftover soap he had left “UNLIKE YOU PEOPLE,
I HAVE PLACES TO BE! I’M ALMOST DONE ANYWAYS, SO WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE”
screamed back Ace, he didn’t need this today!
“YOU BETTER BE, OR I’M CUTTING OFF THE WATER” threatened Dadan and then Ace
could hear her stomping away back to her room, slamming the door

‘You do that already when you don’t pay for the fucking water’ thought Ace as
he quickly showered and shaved himself. He got dressed and quickly got out of
the bathroom.
Even though Dadan said that he had woken up everyone, it didn’t actually seem
like anyone was up. Ace made his way to the kitchen, carrying his bag with him.
Once he reached the kitchen, he took his bag out and removed assorted cold cuts
and a few vegetables, boxes of granola bars, cookies and snacks and a loaf of
bread and condiments. He quickly started putting together two lunches for
himself and his brother and put them in the shopping bags that the ingredients
were sold in. One day he’ll have to get Luffy an actual lunch bag. Ace then
took out a small carton of eggs and took the vegetables and cold cuts he had
left and cut those up too and started to make an omelette.

“That smells good.”
Ace jumped slightly and turned around, looking straight forward, then down. Oh,
looks like Dogra was up

“It’s not for you, it’s for Luffy.” stated Ace, glaring at his roommate, making
sure he wasn’t getting any funny ideas
“I know, I know. I also know you hoard food in that bag of yours.” stated
Dogra, pointing to the bag

“Well maybe if some people didn’t insist on robbing me when I left food in the
cupboards, I wouldn’t NEED to hoard food now would I?” replied Ace, putting the
cooked omelette on a plate. He then dumped the frying pan into the sink, making
Dogra frown

“Who do you think is going to clean that?” Dogra asked, avoiding commenting on
Ace’s statement
“Any one of you that’s spending all day at home. I don’t have time, I have to
feed Luffy and get him to his bus so that he’s not late for school. And
furthermore, I provide most of the food for all of you, so shut up!” Ace put
the lunches he made in his bag and grabbed the plate with the omelette and left
the kitchen.
He made his way back up to the room and set the plate down on top of the
dresser and pulled one of the lunches out of his bag and quickly put it in
Luffy’s. ‘There. He’s all ready to go; now he just needs to get up’
Ace turned to the small window in the attic and pulled the frail curtains out
of the way, lighting up the room considerably. Then he turned to his brother,
still sleeping away in his bed and loomed over him
“Luffy. Get up.”
Luffy mumbled in response and turned on his side, away from Ace.
Ace lifted a brow, frowning and took the plate and put it right by Luffy’s face
“Luffy get up or I’m going to eat this!”
Luffy’s eyes snapped open as he reached forward, grabbing Ace by the waist “NO!
IT’S MINE!” then he blinked, looking up at his brother, who looked slightly
amused by his antics “Good morning, Ace!”
Ace chuckled softly, offering the plate to his brother “C’mon, eat up and get
dressed, we have to go soon to make sure you’re at the bus stop on time!”
Luffy nodded and eagerly ate away at his breakfast, then stopped to stare at
Ace “Where’s yours?” Ace blinked, looking through his cellphone messages “I
already ate, don’t worry about me.” Ace frowned, staring at his phone “Hey…did
we have plans with Sabo?”
Luffy blinked, as he kept eating his breakfast “No? Are we hanging out with
Sabo today?!” Ace frowned more, and then shrugged “I don’t know, cryptic text
from him, saying I needed to tell him all about last night later? I don’t know,
I’ll call him during lunch.”
Luffy frowned, looking down at his food “I wish we could hang out with Sabo
more often.”
Ace sighed sadly. He felt the same way as his brother. It wasn’t Sabo’s fault
though, Sabo did the best he could, it was that goddamn family of his.
Especially after the ‘incident’.  But Sabo was back in their lives after so
many years, so in Ace’s books, it’s better than nothing.
“He does the best he can, Luffy.” stated Ace, getting up to ruffle Luffy’s
hair. Luffy only grinned brightly in response. “I know! I’m happy we just have
Sabo back!” Ace chuckled, taking the empty plate out of Luffy’s hands

“C’mon, your bag’s all ready, I packed your lunch and you showered last night,
right? Tell me you showered last night, Luffy.”

Luffy nodded, grinning brightly “Yeah! Nami told me that if I didn’t – she
would string me alive!” Ace snorted, thank you, Nami.
“Excited for your first day of high school?” asked Ace, setting the plate on
top of the dresser – he could deal with that when he gets home
“Yeah! I had a hard time sleeping because I was so excited!” said Luffy,
opening up the drawer and taking out a pair of jeans shorts and a big yellow t-
shirt with a face on it, quickly putting them on.
Ace lifted a brow at his choice “It’s gonna be cold outside you know, it’s
September. Put on a hoody or something, I don’t want you getting sick!”
Luffy huffed, pointing at Ace “You’re wearing like the same thing!” Ace
blinked, looking down, he was wearing a Gudetama t-shirt with an opened yellow
short-sleeved button up shirt that had purple polka-dots and a pair of black
shorts that went to his knees with a heavy orange belt with a big buckle. He
had a black cowboy hat on his head with red and blue charms on it. Ace actually
had two hats, the other one being orange, and alternated when he felt like it.
 
“My body temperature is like, a million times higher than yours, kid! Wear a
damn hoody!” barked Ace, pulling out Luffy’s favourite red one and presenting
it to him. Luffy huffed and put it on, knowing better than to argue with Ace
for too long. Ace just smiled, glad that he won and put Luffy’s strawhat on his
head, making his little brother grin brightly.

Luffy and Ace slipped out of their houses and Ace went around the back for a
moment, coming back with two metal pipes, handing one over to Luffy “Let’s go,
we have to get you on the 7 o’clock city bus so that you can make it to Usopp’s
in time for the school bus.”
Luffy blinked “Huh? Aren’t you coming with me?”
Ace laughed “Nope! Only first year nerds like you take the bus to school, I’m
gonna get a ride in with the guys.”
Luffy huffed, slightly shoving Ace with his free arm “Hey!”


The two boys continued chatting as they walked through the Corvo district and
then entered the Gray Terminal district. Even if it was not even 7 in the
morning, it was still a really rough district, Ace and Luffy had to be ready
for a fight anytime, hence the pipes.
The metal pipe had been Ace’s signature weapon when he was kid. When Sabo
joined up with him, he adopted it too, and when Luffy joined them years later,
so did he. To this day, even though they were both incredible at basic street
fighting, people had learned to leave the boys with the metal pipes alone.  Ace
wasn’t called ‘The Devil of Corvo District’ for nothing.
Soon enough they made it to the first and only bus stop in Gray Terminal, just
in time to see the bus rolling up. Luffy handed his pipe back over to Ace
“Alright Luffy, you go straight to Usopp’s, okay? And I’ll see you in school.”
Luffy nodded, getting on the bus with a bright side and warm goodbye.
Ace waved back until the bus was out of sight and then smirked. It was time for
his plan. Ace quickly bolted down the street, right back to the house. He put
the pipes back and started running in the opposite direction, towards Windmill
district.
It took Ace a good 10 minutes of solid sprinting to get to where he needed, but
soon enough, he pushed the doors open to Party’s Bar. Technically it was a pub,
but details. Ace smiled brightly, waving at the woman behind the counter.
Makino was in Ace’s eyes, the only real saint he’s ever known. She had been so
incredibly nice to him as a kid that she’s also the only girl he’s ever had a
crush on. Makino was taking care of Luffy since he was born, so Luffy kinda
considers her like his mom. But when Luffy met Shanks, everything changed and
Luffy’s gramps decide that Luffy needed to live elsewhere, hence how he wound
up living with him. But Makino visited often enough, which is how he got to
know her.
“Ace! What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?!” asked Makino, shocked
to see Ace. Ace merely grinned “Don’t worry! School starts at 9:30! The thing
is, I needed some of your amazing coffee!” answered Ace, pulling out his wallet
and taking out the money he needed. A Large should be good?
Makino frowned slightly “Ace! You didn’t need to come here for that!”

Ace shook his head, presenting her the money “No, I really did! It’s not for me
though, it’s for this cop that really helped me out last night, I wanted to
give him the best coffee in town as a thank you, he’s new to town too, so maybe
he’s become a customer!”
Makino giggled, grabbing one of the to-go cups and poured the coffee inside
“Not every day you’re thankful to a cop, Ace. I thought you avoided them like
the plague.”
Ace blushed, shifting his cowboy hat off to scratch his head “Yeah, I know, but
this guy, he was, yeah. I just want to say thanks and stuff.”
Makino giggled again as she handed him the cup and a bag of cream and sugars
“Here, I’m assuming you don’t know how he takes it. Tell this officer hello for
me and thank him for me for helping you”
Ace smiled brightly, man, Makino was the greatest “Will do!”
 
Ace then bolted out of the restaurant and started to run towards town. If he
was lucky – he’d get to the police station by 6:30 and hopefully the coffee
will still be warm, but Makino had packed it up real tight, so Ace hoped so.
Thankfully Ace’s prediction was right and he rolled into the police station at
exactly 6:30, with a bright smile on his face. “Good morning everyone!”
Tashigi blinked, standing up, surprised “Oh, you’re the boy from last night!
Did you forget something?”
Ace shook his head and grinned “No, no, but is the captain in? I wanted to give
him a little thank you for last night”
Tashigi blinked and then she smiled brightly, turning around “I’ll go get him!”
but then she tripped on something Ace couldn’t see past the counter and fell
flat on her face. Ace jumped, wanting to go help her but not knowing if he was
allowed around the counter, but she quickly got up “I’m okay!”
“Tashigi, did you just fall again?”
Ace couldn’t stop himself from smiling brightly. There he was! Smoker turned
the corner, staring at Tashigi, not impressed. She smiled brightly “I’m okay
sir! Sorry, I was coming to get you, the boy from last night is here and –“
“I can see him.” stated Smoker, turning his gaze towards Ace, lifting a brow.
“How come you’re here, brat?”
“Came to show you that I’m not dead?” teased Ace, smiling, and then he
presented the coffee to Smoker “Actually I wanted to bring you this as a thank
you for last night. It’s coffee from Party’s Bar and Makino makes the best cup
of joe in town, so here you go!”
Smoker sighed, smiling slightly “You didn’t have to do that, kid.”
“But I wanted to! I could have gotten mugged or worst out there and you helped
me so are you really not going to take your small thank you gesture?” stated
Ace, wiggling the coffee cup a little more, pleading eyes at Smoker
Smoker rolled his eyes and approached the desk, taking the coffee “Alright,
I’ll take your coffee, but it’s my job to make sure people are safe.” Smoker
took the bag of cream and sugar and started to prepare his coffee, Ace
carefully watching how he did it for future reference “Don’t you have school?”
Ace blinked, surprised to have gotten addressed and grinned “Yeah, but like, in
a few hours, I’ll be fine!” Then he watched as Smoker took a sip, the man
looked surprisingly pleased with the coffee
“Shit, you weren’t kidding about this coffee” stated Smoker, looking down at
the cup. Ace grinned “Makino’s the goddess of coffee, let me tell you!”
Then Smoker gestured towards Ace with the cup holding the coffee “Also kid,
what the hell are you wearing?”
Ace looked down “Oh, this is Gudetama, he’s like, this super lazy egg and- “
“No, I mean the whole outfit”
Ace blinked “What? What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s blinding”
Ace smirked “Maybe I like attention”
“Well you’re going to get it in that” retorted Smoker, not looking impressed
“Well, then I got the attention I wanted.” purred Ace, biting his lip slightly
as he locked eyes with the officer.
Smoker turned red and sputtered slightly, not sure how to respond to Ace’s
comment. Ace merely laughed and waltzes his way out the door, smirking, proud
of himself, as he didn’t break eye contact with the officer “Have a nice day,
Cap~tain!”
“Get the hell out of here, you brat!” barked Smoker as Ace made his way out the
door, laughing.
 
Ace looked at his watch once outside. Even though he told Makino that school
started at 9:30, it was more like, class started at 9:30, but you were marked
late if you showed up after 8:45, so he had to time this just right to not be
late.
Ace broke out into another sprint. If he was lucky, he might just make it.
Half an hour later, Ace was cutting across someone’s yard when he spotted
exactly what he needed. He bolted into the street, stopping right in front of a
car at the stop sign and slapped the hood of the car “Hi!” The driver flipped
him off and honked the horn as Ace laughed and went around the car, opening the
back passenger door and getting in, taking a seat

“Wow guys, that’s a rude welcome”
Marco turned around from the driver’s seat, frowning at Ace “What the fuck man,
I almost ran you over! And why the fuck haven’t you answered your phone?!”
Thatch laughed, sitting in back seat besides Ace, handing him a Tupperware
“Here you go, I put aside some breakfast from this morning for you.”
Ace made a pleased noise and took the Tupperware, smiling brightly “Thatch,
you’re a beautiful human being, you know that?”
“Stop distracting him with food!” barked Marco, pointing at Ace “You can’t text
me that shit and then not answer!” Izo laughed softly from the passenger side,
not looking away from the car mirror, as he was checking his makeup. Ace was
almost in awe at Izo’s abilities with makeup, he was seriously a magician when
it came to it.
“Relax, Marco. Ace is fine.”
Marco huffed, starting to drive down the road, clearly not amused with Ace’s
antics “Why weren’t you at the meeting last night? I texted you and you never
answered. You missed some really important info”
“Is Pops mad?” asked Ace, digging away at his breakfast. Thatch was such a
great cook!
“No, Pops isn’t mad. He figured you had a good reason to miss the meeting. But
I’m mad, and I want to know what that reason is!” replied Marco, gripping the
steering wheel a little harder

“Oh, I was in jail.”
Marco slammed on the brakes, sending everyone forward. Marco and Thatch both
turned to look at Ace stunned. Izo blinked, closing his eyeshadow pallet slowly
and turned towards Ace
“Ace. Why where you in jail?”
“And why didn’t you call me?! I could have easily bailed you out!” remarked
Marco, shocked
“Oh! I wasn’t in jail for a bad thing! I had a narcolepsy spell in the park so
I was taken to the drunk tank until it wore off, which apparently was at around
2am.” explained Ace, finishing the rest of the food in the Tupperware
Izo frowned slightly “That’s when you sent the text, by the way, what the hell
was that about? ‘I think I met the love of my life’?”
Thatch chuckled softly “Yeah, that was weird, it isn’t like you to get all
mushy like that”
Marco frowned, continuing to drive towards the school “Yeah, mind elaborating
on that? You never replied to any of us when we asked you more about that”
“Oh sure! So basically, the cop who took me in is like, amazing! I never saw
him before though, but he’s gorgeous and is a brick house of muscles, and tall,
and he’s really blunt and honest, kinda really gruff, anyways, I just really
liked him. I brought him some of Makino’s coffee this morning as a thank you!”
answered Ace happily, still on the buzz from the interaction this morning
Everyone else in the car froze in silence, staring at Ace. Marco quietly pulled
over and put the car on park. Then he put his head in his hands “Ace. What was
the name of this cop?”
“Uh, Captain C. Smoker, why?”
“OH MY GOD!”  yelled the three others collectively, all looking exasperated.
“Of course it had to be him! Of course!” cried Izo, carefully massaging his
temple. Thatch just started laughing hard, his face turning red and tears
forming at the corner of his eyes
“Out of all the goddamn people, Ace, seriously?!”
Ace blinked, confused, then he frowned “How come you all know him and I don’t?”
Marco sighed, opening up the storage compartment between his and Izo’s seat,
pulling out an ipad. He quickly unlocked it and started to open up a PowerPoint
presentation.  “Because you missed some important info last night” replied
Marco, before swiping to a picture of Smoker and handing it over to Ace “Is
that him?”
Ace smiled softly at the picture “Yeah, that’s him! Can you send me a copy of
that?”
“Captain Chase Smoker of Loguetown is one of the three new cops to the area.”
started explaining Marco, ignoring Ace’s question “He’s renowned for single-
handily solving the ‘gang’ problem over there, and was sent here to do the
same.”
“Oh wow, that’s amazing!”
“Ace. We’re the gang problem.”
Ace looked sheepish as he scratched his head “Oh right, haha, shit”
Even though they looked like four teenage boys in a car in reality, they were
high ranking commanders of the Whitebeard gang with their own divisions and
subordinates.  The Whitebeard’s territory was pretty much the entire city. They
weren’t an aggressive gang in general, but they could be extremely violent when
crossed. Ace had joined the gang about a year prior, after his own gang had
been dissolved by the Whitebeards. Ace had tried his hand at taking them down
and lost – but all of his men got to also join the Whitebeards, so that was
fine in Ace’s books.
It was common in the city to either join a gang or start a gang. There was a
severe division in this world, and if you weren’t noble or already well off,
you basically had to live a meager existence, join the military or be a cop and
have to follow orders for the rest of your life or join a gang and hope to
somehow make something of yourself. There was money in gang activity and a lot
of it. Ace personally wasn’t looking for fame or glory; he just liked the lack
of restrictions that came with being in a gang. Also, he enjoyed fighting more
than he cared to admit.
“31 years old, turning 32 in March. Was a captain in the Marines until he was
discharged about two year ago and then became a cop in Loguetown, which is his
home town and pretty much single-handedly got rid of the gang problem”
continued Marco
Ace frowned “That’s it? You usually don’t have so little info; usually you have
everything they’ve ever done and what kind of underwear they wear.”
“Yeah, Ace really wants to know what kind of underwear the captain wears” added
Izo with a smirk
Ace smirked “You know, fantasy fodder, very important”

Thatch laughed “Oh gross man”
“Anyways” stressed Marco, getting tired of everyone’s antics “I was weirdly
enough unable to get any real info about him aside that his mother’s dead and
he has an aunt still living in Loguetown. When I asked Pops about it, he just
laughed and told me not to be too concerned about it”
Ace frowned slightly. It wasn’t like Pops to just disregard things like this.
Maybe the old man knew something and didn’t feel like it was important for
Marco to know about it. Which by itself would be really weird since Marco was
Pop’s right hand man. Regardless, it was weird.
“The next new cop is Tashigi Shigure.” started Marco, flipping to the next
picture on the ipad. Ace blinked, it was the clumsy cop he met at the station.
“She was also in the marines with Smoker, his First Lieutenant, actually. When
the captain discharged from the Marines, so did she. The two enlisted to become
cops at the same time and generally work as a pair.”
“Whoah whoah whoah” cut off Ace, brow furrowed together “Are they like,
together?”
Marco shook his head “Nothing to worry about, there is nothing indicating them
of ever having a romantic relationship, you can calm down, now.”
“But, she is rather efficient at what she does and basically counters his
flaws, apparently the Captain isn’t a fan of any bureaucratic things like
paperwork, so she does it.” added Izo as he’s checking his phone
“Exactly. But the one cop that we’re really gonna have to keep an eye on is
actually the third new recruit.” stated Marco, as he flipped to the next
picture on his ipad. Ace frowned, he didn’t see him at the station.
“He was actually part of the police force since last year but he was recovering
from injuries, but before that, he was an undercover agent for secret services.
But he chose to blow his mission to save the life of a 13 year old boy that was
involved in the gang he had infiltrated to shut down. The boy was dying of
white lead disease and there was only one vial of the cure left that was going
to be sold off for billions on the black market. Long story short, he was
discovered and they shot into him multiple times to try to kill him but he
somehow survived. So the two were relocated here a year ago to recover from the
affair but clearly their lives are in danger, so they’re technically hidden
here.”
Ace frowned “They hid a guy hiding from a gang in a gang infested city?”
Marco shrugged “Well, to be honest, it’s rather brilliant, considering the
Whitebeards, the Red Hairs, and all our other allies would never cooperate with
the Donquixote gang to hand him over.”
Ace stared at Marco shocked “What?! The guy screwed over the Donquixote gang?!
How the hell did he even infiltrate it in the first place? Doflamingo doesn’t
just take anybody.”
“It’s easy when you’re his little brother.” stated Marco, flipping to the next
picture which showed the cop and Doflamingo Donquixote side by side – the
resemblance was clearly there
“His real name is Rosinante Donquixote, but now he’ll be going by the name
Rosinante Trafalgar since he apparently insisted that the kid keeps his real
name. He’ll be attending our school, hence why I wanted you to know about this
before we go. The kid’s name is Law Trafalgar.” explained Marco, flipping to a
picture of Law.
“Is he Luffy’s age?” asked Ace, squinting slightly
“He’ll be in Luffy’s homeroom. I already checked.”
“How come we never heard of this guy before though, I thought we knew the names
of every member of the Donquixote gang?”
“Because he used to go by the name Corazon.”
***** -LAW- This Has The Makings of a Sitcom! (Albeit A Cheap One) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh! Thank you for all the kudos and the nice comments! I was super
     nervous about putting this up so I’m really happy you guys are liking
     it! Now onward to Law’s POV!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Law inhaled sharply, trying to not roll his eyes but failed in the end.  He
understood where Cora was coming from, but it was getting annoying to
constantly be asked if he was going to be okay.
“I’m fine, Cora. You can stop asking. I’m just going to school; I’m not going
to go run a triathlon.”
Cora let out a frustrated sound, mumbling about how one didn’t run a triathlon
to begin with. It was actually kinda really funny to watch him drive. Cora was
over 7 foot tall and any time he needed to get in a confined space like a car,
it was just really funny because he basically had to cram himself in. It didn’t
help that his police uniform is rather ill-fitting as well. His custom made one
didn’t arrive yet.
“You just recovered from a disease that should have killed you; I have every
right to be worried! I don’t want you to push yourself too hard, if you need to
stop or leave, you let me know, okay? Don’t be such a damn teenager!” replied
Cora, clearly annoyed. Law watched him chew on his bottom lip, he could tell
that Cora really wanted to smoke a cigarette, but he was strictly told to cut
down due to his heart. It was new after all.
 
They had gotten extremely lucky.
Not only did they go rogue on Doflamingo Donquixote but they also robbed him of
a massive sale. Law had gotten lucky, aside from getting brutally beaten by an
associate of Doflamingo, he escaped having been given the cure to the disease
that was killing him. Cora on the other hand…

Cora had gotten shot up like crazy when he stole the cure in the first place
from the gang selling the last vial, beaten as well by the same associate that
beat up Law (Law still had nightmares about it) and then Doflamingo himself
plugged him full of bullets and left him to die. And Law was sure that Cora was
dead. But Cora had instructed him to not look back and escape – so he did.
He was picked up by secret services agents that Cora worked with and they told
him they would recover Cora’s body and Law was brought straight to the
hospital. Even if Cora had administered the only cure left for the White Lead
Disease, it still had to work itself out of his body. Law was lucky though. His
entire city had been plagued by the environmental disease that was caused by
too much exposure to the toxic lead in its original form – but it was declared
contagious (which it wasn’t, but it was a good way to sweep the problem under
the rug) and everyone in his city was to be kept under quarantine until they
found a cure. Or so they though.
The World Government soon started to kill everyone in town.
 
Law was the only survivor.
 
While recovering at the hospital, Law had heard people talking about a giant
John Doe and he quickly went to go see who it was – and to his marvel, it was
Cora.
It took massive surgeries and a heart transplant to save him and also an
extremely long recovery time in general, but to Law, it was okay, because Cora
was there.
 
“If anyone should make sure not to push themselves, it’s you! I’m not the one
on my second heart, you took your meds right? You have to make sure your body
doesn’t reject your heart!” snapped Law, he didn’t mean to be so rough with
Cora, but he’s from a family of doctors and has studied medicine since he was a
kid, he knows what happens to transplant patients when an organ doesn’t take
and he’ll be damned if he loses Cora again.
“Of course I did! You yelled at me this morning to take them!” replied Cora,
puffing his cheeks.  Law couldn’t stop watching Cora as he drove. He knew what
he was doing was a mere defense mechanism, a confirmation that Cora was still
alive and it wasn’t a long drawn out dream and that was he was still in that
box, hearing him get shot –
Law closed his eyes, putting his hands over them. Oh god, not now. He took a
deep breath, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale
“Law?! Are you okay?! Do you need me to pull over?! I’m gonna pull over. Do you
want to just go home and rest? They don’t really do anything too important on
the first day anyways, you could just stay home?!”
Law opened his eyes and looked towards Cora who was looking at him beyond
worried. Even without all the makeup Cora wore when he infiltrated the gang, he
still looked really expressive.  Law smiled as Cora ran a hand through his
hair.
“I’m fine, I swear, Cora. And we can’t go back now, Bepo will be late.” stated
Law, pointing behind him with his thumb to the young man sleeping in the back
seat
Cora laughed “I don’t think Bepo would mind too much staying home either, he
seems pretty out of it right now!”
Law chuckled softly. Bepo was his best friend.  When Law was at the hospital
recovering, his neighbour in the next bed was Bepo. Bepo had just lost his
entire family in a big accident. Bepo never went into details about it and Law
never pushed.  Bepo was a big kid, he didn’t look like he was 15 like Law at
all. He was really tall and had a huge frame, but he was all smiles and
laughter. Law always liked the stark contrast between his black skin and his
white shaggy hair. In the end Bepo just reminded him of a bear. After Law found
Cora in the hospital, Cora soon offered to take both boys home with him
permanently, adopting them both.
They were given a house in the city and new identities. Cora insisted that Law
kept his name, it being the last remains of his family. Cora went from
Rosinante Donquixote to Rosinante Trafalgar, and Bepo also adopted the
Trafalgar name having no attachment to his family name. Cora was added to the
local police force and Law and Bepo were signed up to the local high school.
Technically they were under the witness protection program but Law knew very
well that Doflamingo would find them one day if he hadn’t already. Cora knew
that very well as well. One day their domestic farce would end. Law dreaded the
day.
Cora sighed, restarting the car and going back on the road “You know you have
to get used to calling me Rosinante.” stated Cora nervously, knowing very well
it wasn’t a topic Law liked
Law gritted his teeth. He knew that, but he hated that name. It just reminded
him that Cora was actually a Donquixote and shared blood with that monster
Doflamingo. To be perfectly honest, Law loved that Cora was now a Trafalgar
like himself – not that he’d ever tell Cora that.
“No thank you, I’m gonna stick to Cora. We both know it’s not going to really
change anything.” stated Law, frowning. He wasn’t budging on this one. 
“Uurrgghh fine, but just you.”
 
“Bepo calls you that too.”
“Fine! Both of you only then!” exclaimed Cora, clearly frustrated with the
whole ordeal.
“Are we at school yet?” asked a sleepy voice in the back of the car. Law turned
around and smiled “Naw, not yet, Bepo. You can keep sleeping if you want.”
Bepo chuckled “Naw, it’s okay; we’re only a few blocks away.”
Law blinked, looking back at Bepo “Oh.” Law pointed to the side of the road
“You can pull over right here, Cora.”
Cora lifted a brow “Huh? But Bepo just said it’s a few more blocks.”
“Yeah, but it’s totally lame to show up at the front door with your dad.”
Cora looked at Law with an expression that was a cross between annoyed and
happy but kept driving.
“Cora!”
Cora didn’t say anything, looking forward as he kept driving, but with a full
smirk on his face – oh that asshole!
“CORA. PULL OVER RIGHT NOW.” barked Law, this is gonna be bad!
Bepo laughed “You messed up big, Law”
“SHUT UP!” snapped Law at Bepo, then he turned to Cora “C’mon, please, PLEASE
just pull over”
“Sorry…” mumbled Bepo, sinking back in his seat
“See, I was gonna” started Cora, a huge smirk on his face now. God he’s such an
ass “But then you were mean to Bepo, and for that, you need to be punished.”
“…you suck monkey’s balls, Cora.” mumbled Law, sinking back in his seat. He
knew he deserved that one.
Cora chuckled, pulling over the side, right in front of the school gate “You
have your hobbies, I have mine. Anyways, here you go, remember to give the
school doctor your meds, okay? You need to go see her every day at lunch,
Dr.Kureha is already expecting you.”
Law sighed, nodding as he grabbed his bag and opened the door “Yeah yeah, I
know. C’mon Bepo.”
Cora then opened his own door, causing Law to whip his head back “Oh no, c’mon,
no!”
“I drove you to the gate to punish you for being mean to Bepo, but now you’re
gonna get punished for calling me embarrassing.” replied Cora, a huge smile on
his face
Law usually loved that smile – but not right now
“You wouldn’t” hissed Law, trying to grab his things and leave as fast as
possible
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” replied Cora, getting out the car and stretching his limbs –
yeah he probably needed to do that, thought Law, but now he had to escape
without making a scene.
“HAVE A NICE DAY AT SCHOOL, LAW” yelled Cora, waving his arm enthusiastically
as Law walked away.
Oh my god.
“Stop that! Go back in the car!” barked Law, aggressively pointing at the car
while Bepo was howling away besides him, finding it hilarious, hunched over
laughing.
“BE SURE TO BE NICE TO ALL THE OTHER KIDS, OKAY?! AND LISTEN TO YOUR
TEACHERS!!”
He was so dead when Law went home. ‘Gonna fill the fucking fridge with pizza.’
plotted Law, putting his hat on his head and pulling it over his eyes but
tonight they were supposed to go for celebratory sushi, and he didn’t want to
ruin that.  Right now surviving the humiliating moment was his main concern.
Law could feel how red his face was.
 
Cora cackled, this was too funny. Fundamentally, he knew that nobody
particularly cared about what he was doing – but Law was a typical teenager,
and of course was overly concerned about his image. That thought made Cora
smile. Law could finally be a typical teenager.  It was all he really wanted,
and it made blowing his four year mission all worth it. He genuinely hoped that
Law would be able to fit right in. Now though, he had to get to work, himself
being the new kid at work.
 
Bepo kept laughing until he stopped to make a sound of awe. Law blinked,
looking up. “What?” Bepo pointed to a car in the parking lot. “Look at that
blue mustang with the blue flames painted on it. It’s really cool looking!” Law
blinked, it was kinda – obnoxious. But then again, he had his eye on a yellow
car, so he wasn’t any better. “I forgot a bunch of Whitebeards attended school
here.” stated Bepo as he watched a bunch of guys around the car talking.
Law had heard of the Whitebeards – it was the major reason Doflamingo never did
business in this area. Edward Newgate, the leader of the Whitebeards hated
Doflamingo. As well as Whitebeard’s allies and they were a massive and powerful
group. There was no point in trying to cross them or try to take them down;
their numbers compared to the Donquixote gang were just too great. But right
away Law recognized the second in command of the Whitebeards; Marco the
Phoenix.
Law wasn’t sure how Marco got the nickname, but he was renowned in gang circles
merely for one, being extremely young for a second in command of a massive gang
like the Whitebeards but also for his insane information gathering abilities.
Law was certain that Marco knew exactly who he was and what he and Cora where
doing in town. Especially since him and the other gang members were currently
starring at him. 
As Law was trying to make something of them, he heard the clopping of sandals
coming towards him. He turned to see what it was when the guy running ran right
into him. Law blinked, surprised as he suddenly had an armful of a guy. The guy
blinked, looking confused and laughed as he looked up at Law with a bright
smile on his face “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t see you there! I like your hat though!” 
The guy then laughed and ran towards the group near the car, laughing the whole
way as one of the Whitebeards berated the guy for not watching where he was
going. Law blinked, not sure how to process what happened – but the oddest
thing was the straw hat, you don’t see people wearing those very often in
September.
Bepo tugged on Law’s arm, pulling him out of his daze “C’mon, let’s go find our
way around before everyone else does so we don’t get lost. And go see the
doctor! Cora made me promise that I would bring you!”
Law snorted “And what do you get if you do?”
“Double scoop of ice-cream tonight!” declared Bepo happily “Also! I want you to
meet Shashi and Penguin before class starts!”
Law chuckled “I already met them, remember? We talked over skype and stuff.”
Due to Cora being in recovery for a heart transplant, the entire house
basically has to be sterilized until he was fully healed so nobody could come
over. Law had been extremely meticulous about it, which probably drove Cora
insane, but Law wasn’t having any of it. He wouldn’t let anything happen to
Cora if he could prevent it.
Bepo let out an annoyed huff “That’s not REALLY meeting them, Law! Like, it is,
but it isn’t, we can hang out now! Hopefully we’re all in the same homeroom,
what’s your homeroom anyways?”
Law put his bag down and quickly pulled out a file. He opened it up and pulled
out his schedule “Homeroom D.” Bepo let out a happy noise, fist pumping the air
“Alright! We’re the same homeroom!”
Law sighed in relief. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Suddenly someone barreled into his back, sending him forward into Bepo’s arms,
who quickly caught him. Law growled, whipping around – it was the same damn guy
as before!
“Oops! Sorry guy, I didn’t mean to crash into you! I was roughhousing with Zoro
and he sent me flying!” exclaimed the guy happily. Then he blinked, looking
straight at Law. “Hey! I don’t know you! I thought I knew everyone around
here!”
Law frowned “I’m new.”
The guy smiled even brighter (which Law thought couldn’t be possible) and stuck
out his hand “Oh! Welcome to Grand Line High! I’m Luffy D. Monkey!”
Law looked at him shocked for a split second – this idiot was a D.?! Then his
expression hardened “Law Trafalgar. Sorry, I don’t shake hands.” Luffy
shrugged, still smiling and took his hand back “Oh, are you a germ-hater type,
Torao?”
Law frowned “That’s not my name.”
Luffy laughed “Sure it is, Torao! You seem really cool, I bet we’re going to be
awesome friends! You should come meet everyone! Whoah! Who’s that guy behind
you?! Can we be friends too? C’mon! I’ll introduce you to everyone!” declared
Luffy, grabbing Law’s arm and pulling him down the hallway towards a group of
people, laughing brightly, Law barely able to keep up.
 
He takes it all back, this year is gonna be a nightmare.
Chapter End Notes
     Just to note! Bepo’s black because polar bears have black skin! So I
     really wanted to keep that! And if you didn’t get the pizza comment
     it’s because Cora’s least fav food is pizza!
***** –ACE- Time to Add Homoerotic Subtext (As Text!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Okay! I’ll be putting all the side ship warnings here! Also heads up,
     the order of the names mean nothing here.
     In this chapter there is ;
     AcexSabo (not actually, you’ll see)
     FrankyxRobin
     SaboxKoala
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Marco’s car pulled up in the Grand Line High’s parking lot. Ace was always
amazed that Marco was allowed to park, not only in the teacher’s parking lot,
but also in the Vice Principal’s spot. Granted, Grand Line High hasn’t had a
vice principal in years since the last one quit due to stress. (Ace might have
played a hand in that)
As they were getting out of the car, Ace frowned, looking towards the main
gate. “What’s going on over there?” Everyone got out of the car, looking
towards the scene around a car by the main gate with a giant man yelling and
waving at a boy trying to escape his utter embarrassing scene with a larger boy
besides him laughing
“Oh man, poor kid, that’s brutal” expressed Ace, wincing at the scene
“Well, that makes things easier.” started Marco, pointing towards the scene
“That tall man yelling is Rosinante Trafalgar, the boy looking utterly
embarrassed is Law Trafalgar.”
Ace blinked, and then he smiled. Even though the act was super embarrassing,
Ace would tell that it was done out of love and not malice. Even though awful
circumstances brought the two of them together, Ace could tell from where he
was that Rosinante probably genuinely loved Law and vice versa.
“Man, what a way to start the school year” remarked Izo, then he closed his
eyes “Well, at least we know who are they are, so?” Izo’s eyes snapped open.
His makeup always made his every movement extremely dramatic “Are we keeping an
eye on them, or what?”
Marco shrugged slightly “I think we’re going to wind up seeing Trafalgar around
the school enough that we won’t really need to – Rosinante on the other hand,
if Ace insist on being shamefully forward with the police Captain, I guess he
can keep an eye on Rosinante too.”
Ace snarled, whipping his head back towards Marco “Fuck you, bird brain!”
Marco didn’t seem very distraught by the comment “Am I wrong?”
Ace grinded his teeth together. He fucking hated when anyone made assumptions
about him “Only because I want to get to know him too. He sounds like one hell
of a person.”
Before Marco could respond, everyone turned towards Luffy running towards them.
Thatch’s eyes widen, then he turned to Ace “Uh – isn’t going to run right into-
“
But before he even had the chance to say anything, Luffy ran right into Law’s
arms as he was turning around making Ace groan. The two exchanged words quickly
before Luffy went back to running towards them, big smile on his face
Ace didn’t understand why it put him on edge to see Luffy in Law’s arms
“LUFFY YOU IDIOT! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING! YOU RAN RIGHT INTO THAT KID!”
screamed Ace, on edge for whatever reason – probably due to the lack of sleep.
Luffy laughed brightly, not at all bothered by Ace yelling “Aww it’s okay! He
seemed nice! I really liked his hat!”
“His hat? Really?” said Izo calmly, but his face betrayed him, he clearly
thought the thing was hideous
“Yeah! It’s so cool! He looks really cool, I never saw him before!” exclaimed
Luffy, looking back at Law who was being dragged into the school by the other
boy he had been with
“Did you get here okay?” asked Ace, looking over at Luffy, making sure he was
all in one piece.
“Yeah! Chopper and Nami got on the bus a little after Usopp and me! Sanji as
well! So we all rode to school together!” explained Luffy, looking around the
parking lot, clearly searching for something
“And Zoro?” asked Ace, surprised to have heard nothing about Luffy’s best
friend
“Well Zoro –“started Luffy before he was cut off by Ace
“IS THAT A FREAKING HEARSE?!” cried out Ace, pointing towards the white vintage
ford Lincoln funeral hearse pulling up into the parking lot.
Marco snickered, looking down as he laughed into his hand. Clearly he knew it
was coming.
Soon enough Perona Dracule stepped out of the passenger seat of the hearse and
her closest friend Kumashi stepped out of the driver’s seat. Of course she was
making the poor guy drive her to school. It was bad enough she wouldn’t let the
guy talk in her presence
“Of course it’s Perona, why are we surprised in any way? Who the hell else
would come to school in a hearse?” commented Izo, rolling his eyes. Perona
Dracule was the daughter of Mihawk Dracule, one of the most powerful CEO’s in
the world. It would make sense that she could have any car she wanted. Luffy
made a disgruntled noise
“Heeyy! Where’s Zoro?! Zoro’s dad said Perona could only get a car if she drove
Zoro to school every morning!”
The Whitebeards looked at Luffy and then back at the car. Then they noticed
that Perona and Kumashi opened the back and pulled out a casket. Perona kicked
the casket a few times, yelling at it and suddenly it opened, Zoro Roronoa
coming out of it, yawning before he started to yell at Perona.
Everyone looked at the scene shocked except for Luffy who cried in joy and
started running towards his friend
“How did he not…you know, suffocate?” asked Ace, still shocked
“How do you not suffocate in your food when you pass out in it?” pointed out
Marco with a smirk on his face
“Oh shut up.”
 
Ace stretched slightly as he walked in the hallways towards his locker. The
seniors where on the third floor of the school with the juniors, the sophomores
were on the 2nd floor and Luffy and his friends will be on the main floor with
the rest of the Freshmen. Ace smiles, exhaling softly as the conversations
around him became muffled. He was in a good mood. Luffy was finally a freshmen!
As Luffy got older, Ace wasn’t sure if he should be more worried or less
worried about him. Clearly though, he had a really good group of friends, so
that gave him relief. When Ace left, Luffy would still be in capable hands.
 
“So, are you going to tell me what the hell that text was about or do I have to
beat it out of you?”
Ace was startled out of his thoughts as he felt someone drape himself on his
back, an arm hanging off his shoulder. Instantly he was pissed off, but then
the voice rang through.
“SABO?!”
Sabo laughed, standing straight, taking a step back as Ace whipped around,
looking at his brother shocked. “What? What are you doing here?! Why aren’t you
at St Snob Academy for Snobs in Snobs Training?!”
Sabo laughed even hard, hugging his brother tight, Ace instantly hugged back.
“Is that what you call the Academy? I finally convinced my parents to let me
transfer here two days ago! I wanted to keep it a surprise!”
Ace was completely overwhelmed right now.
Sabo was his best and dearest friend. He loved him more than anything and they
both loved Luffy with all their hearts. Sabo was the only one who truly
understood how important Luffy was to him. Ace and Sabo met when they were 5.
Sabo had run away from home, him being from an aristocratic family from High
Town. But Sabo couldn’t deal with the rigid life of High Town and had ran away
to live in Gray Terminal where they had met. Sabo had tried to mug Ace and it
had led to an all-out brawl. Afterwards, they decided to be friends and became
inseparable. When Luffy joined them later on, he and Sabo practically took on
the role of parents for Luffy, and forever swore as a trio that they would
forever be brothers – until the incident.
The incident that had nearly killed Sabo.  Ace and Luffy though were told that
Sabo was dead, but the reality of it was that Sabo had lost his memories due to
the blast and Sabo’s family, once they reclaimed him at the hospital, refused
to let Sabo anywhere near his friends. The proof of the incident is now forever
burned on Sabo. He had a large burn mark over his left eye, leaving his
partially blind in that eye. Truth be told, Sabo’s parents forced him to wear a
coloured contact so that people wouldn’t know the eye was damaged. Appearances
were extremelyimportant to Sabo’s parents.  Sabo also had many burn marks going
down his entire left side which disgusted his parents – Ace personally thought
they were really cool and they made Sabo even more handsome then he already
was.
“I can’t believe they let you come here!” exclaimed Ace, pulling back but
gripping Sabo’s arms. Sabo got his memories back when he saw Ace in a magazine
early last year and went looking for him and Luffy, with great success. But
once Sabo’s parents got wind that he had reunited with them, they did
everything they could to stop Sabo from going anywhere near them – with mild
success. Sabo was very crafty and ingenious, he was also technically a
terrorist, but that was details.
“Well, I got an early acceptance in the engineering program of Goa University,
so they shut up pretty quick when I threaten to run away from home again. Even
though they have Stelly as their prodigé, it would be humiliating if their
eldest son ran away from home again.” explained Sabo, mocking his parents. Ace
laughed, he loved when Sabo did this.
“But enough about me! Tell me about your text! Who’s this guy? Do I know him?
Do you have a picture?” exclaimed Sabo, overly excited. Ace laughed, putting
his arm around Sabo’s shoulders, pulling him in. Then he turned towards Marco,
Izo and Thatch who were putting their things away in their lockers “Sorry guys,
gotta go have some brotherly bonding!” They laughed, waving him off as Sabo and
Ace went down the hallway, towards and empty classroom.
 
Ace looked around and quickly pulled out his lock-pick set and quickly unlocked
the classroom’s door, opening it and offering Sabo entrance. Sabo acted all
touched and quickly skipped into the room, Ace following suit and closing the
door behind him.
“Sooo?” started Sabo, turning around to sit down on the desk in front of the
room
“Well” started Ace in return, moving forward between Sabo’s legs, putting his
arms on either side of Sabo’s hips “Gonna be real honest with you, he’s the new
chief of police.”
“Ace, are y-!” barked Sabo, but was caught off by Ace “I know what you’re
thinking, but he’s not like that, I swear! He drove me home last night and he
asked about Gray Terminal, and you know what he said after I explained it? He
went on about how because it was the slums, nobody made a real effort to help
the people or fix it, and that it was the same goddamn story as usual.”
Sabo blinked, and then he smiled “Ooooh, he sounds like he’s not a total
government stooge.” remarked Sabo, seeming pleased “What’s his name, maybe
Dragon knows a few things about him”
Ace smiled. Dragon was actually Luffy’s dad, but since he’s head of an
organisation that wants to overthrow and rebuild the world’s organisations,
Luffy’s grandfather Garp wanted Luffy to have nothing to do with his father and
took Luffy away from him. Hell, Garp even told Luffy that he didn’t have
parents so that he shouldn’t ask about them. Sabo on the other hand got saved
by Dragon after the incident and is alive today because Dragon has administered
first aid right away and brought Sabo to the hospital. Sabo’s been secretly
part of the Revolutionary Army since then. 
“Oh maybe! His name is Chase Smoker! Tell me if you find out anything! Anyways,
he’s like, a dream. He’s tall and built huge and he has a really nice laugh
when you get him to laugh, but usually he’s kinda gruff, but he’s also super
nice and his honor system is incredible, like, he insisted on driving me home,
not because I did something wrong, but because he wanted to make sure I got
home safe – and this was past his shift time! I brought him a cup of Makino’s
coffee this morning and he really liked it! He was just, really great.”
Sabo blinked, in awe at Ace’s rambling, and then he lifted a brow, smirking
“Ace…how old is he?”
Ace blinked back “31, why?”
Sabo snorted “What’s with us and older people, man?”
Ace laughed, Sabo’s own girlfriend was older than he was. Koala was in college
for social work. Sabo’s parents don’t approve of her at all and often pretend
that she doesn’t exist. And this was simply because they thought she was a
commoner. Ace doesn’t know what they’d do if they found out that she’s actually
part of the same organization as Sabo, hence how they met. Or worst, if they
knew her personal history.
“I don’t know man, maybe we just like people who are certain of themselves,
responsible, put together people” offered Ace, which made Sabo laugh
“Oh god, it’s because we need an adult in our lives!” replied Sabo, causing Ace
to start laughing really hard, Sabo joining in.
 
“My, you boys seem to be having a lively time”
Sabo and Ace turned their head quickly towards the woman at the door. Ace
stared at her, trying to place her somehow but he didn’t recognize her. Sabo
gasped, surprised “Robin?”
The woman chuckled, closing the door behind her. She was holding a stack of
folders and a messenger bag hung to her side – shit, she was probably the
teacher of this class!
“Hello Sabo. My, my, breaking into my classroom on the first day, that’s a good
start” stated the woman, putting her things down on the desk. She didn’t seem
angry though, just, amused. “Also, am I supposed to keep this scene a secret
from Koala or is she aware of these…” Robin waved her hand, gesturing to Ace
and Sabo’s positioning “arrangements?”
Sabo laughed, pushing Ace forward gently so that he could jump off the desk
“Naw naw, Ace and I just mess around like this. So, you’re a new teacher here?”
asked Sabo, turning to face Robin. Ace cleared his throat, lifting a brow and
frowning at Sabo
“OH! Sorry! Robin, this is Ace D. Portgas, my brother I told you about! Ace,
this is Robin Nico, she’s going to be our new History teacher. She actually has
a degree in archeology!” explained Sabo, smiling
Ace lifted his brow even more and tipped his head towards Sabo, inviting him to
continue
“Also she’s um, an associate, I guess to the Army?” added Sabo, looking back at
Robin, not sure if his answer was correct. Robin chuckled softly “More or less,
I needed their help in the past.”
Ace blinked, surprised as this information. When someone needed help from the
Revolutionary Army, it was usually because they were victims of human
trafficking, slavery, falsely imprisoned, victims of injustices in general or
on the run from the World Government. He wondered which one she was but knew it
wasn’t the time or place to pry.
But one thing was for sure, there was no denying how beautiful she was. Robin
had this grace to her that was absolutely mesmerizing. 
“Is Franky here too? I’m excited to finally meet him!” asked Sabo, having not
noticed how distracted Ace was with Robin.
Robin nodded, smiling softly “Of course he is. It would be too dangerous to
leave him at home. He’d rebuild the entire thing – again. He’ll be teaching
welding and shop class.”
“Oh, I have those.” answered Ace, absentmindedly
Sabo and Robin looked at Ace. Robin laughed softly “A fair warning, my husband
is extraordinarily talented in what he does, he’s just very eccentric. Also
please don’t mind his appearance, he was involved in a massive accident in his
youth and due to the reconstructive surgery, it left him looking a little odd.”
Ace smiled brightly, now he was intrigued “Duly noted!”
“Now you boys better go back to where you’re supposed to be and no more
breaking into classrooms, understood?”
“Understood!” they both said at the same time as they walked out of the class,
waving to Robin who gracefully waved back.
 
“Want to go see Luffy?” offered Ace, making his way towards the stairs. Sabo
laughed “Of course I do!”
They both booked it down the stairs, doing their best to avoid colliding in the
other students coming up and down until they reached the main floor.
“I see his hat!” exclaimed Sabo as Ace snickered. The freshmen in general
stayed clear of the seniors, so many of them where openly moving away and
making wide circles around the two.
Ace smirked “I see him too, but he doesn’t see us. You grab the left?”
“You grab the right” responded Sabo with a giant smirk on his face as they both
charged towards Luffy
 
“And this is AHHAAHH!” cried out Luffy surprised as both his brothers came from
behind him and grabbed his arms, scooping him up in the air, lifting him as
high as possible “NOO, put me dow- SABO?!” replied Luffy surprised. Ace gave
Luffy a lift in the air, surprising Sabo and threw Luffy in Sabo’s arms, who
easily caught him. Luffy wrapped his legs around Sabo’s shoulders and hugged
Sabo’s head
“SAAABOOO!!! What are you doing here?! Saboo!!!” cried Luffy, hugging Sabo
tight
“I go here now!” replied Sabo as Ace went behind Luffy, and pulled him off Sabo
Ace laughed and looked at Luffy’s group of friends. He then caught Sanji’s gaze
for a moment, who looked surprised, then he blushed and looked away. Right. Ace
needed to talk to him.
Luffy grinned brightly and turned towards his group of friends “Everyone! This
is Sabo! Sabo, this is everyone!” exclaimed Luffy, unable to hide his bright
smile.
Sabo laughed and greeted the group “Hello everyone!”
“Hello Sabo!” they all replied, but before they could say anything more, the
bell went off, signaling they had to go to their homeroom
“Oh, we gotta go, c’mon” stated Ace, grabbing Sabo’s arm and pulling him
towards the stairs as Sabo gave one last hug to Luffy. Ace smiled, it was nice
to have everyone together again.
Chapter End Notes
     We're back to Law next week!
***** –LAW- Enter the Villain (Where Did He Even Get That Suit?) *****
Chapter Notes
     Another short chapter – sorry about that! I swear the next Law one is
     kinda long! Basically I write until I hit the plot point I need to
     and then switch pov! So what I'll do is later this week I'll post
     Ace's next chapter! That way, you guys will get more content!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Law could barely keep up with how fast Luffy was dragging him away to meet his
friends. The other boy was babbling on excessively about how he was going to
love it here at their school and how great his friends were but honestly it was
filling Law with dread.
 
How the hell do people possibly expect him to return to how things were before
he lost his first home? His mandatory therapist keeps telling him that he has
to accept what happened and move on – because now he was safe. How could she
possibly know that? 
 
Law wasn’t supposed to see his 14th birthday, much less his 15th. Yet here he
was. How was he expected to just carry on as if nothing has ever happened, as
if he didn’t see his entire family get killed, his little sister burnt alive in
his family’s hospital? Law closed his eyes for a moment. This wasn’t the time
to think about this. Concentrate on right now.
 
“So here’s everyone! Everyone! This is my new friend Torao!” brightly exclaimed
Luffy, showing Law this eccentric group of people
 
“That’s not my name!” snapped Law, then he looked at the group again, this was
intimidating as hell.
 
“Hello!” said a girl in the front, she looked very sweet, and her light blue
hair a startling contrasts to her dark skin. She gave a very regal air “My name
is Vivi Nefertari.” Then she stuck her hand out to shake Laws
 
“Oh Torao doesn’t shake hands! He’s a germy dude” replied Luffy. Law frowned at
him
 
“My name is Law Trafalgar, not Torao! And this behind me is -” Law blinked,
where did Bepo go?
 
The other girl sighed, looking defeated “There’s no point, Law. Once he decides
on a nickname for someone, they’re stuck with it.” Then she paused, looking at
him “You said Trafalgar, right? Would you happen to be related to a really tall
blonde police officer?”
 
Law blinked, surprised. Who was this crafty redhead and how did she know about
Cora? “…Yeah, he’s my…uh, dad? How do you know him?”
 
“My mom is Officer Clementine!” said the girl with a big smile on her face.
 
Law couldn’t help smiling a bit at that. Officer Bellemere Clementine was a
really cool, badass cop that used to be in there same agency as Cora. She was
very sweet and helpful to them when they first got to town and she kept herself
available to them any time – now that Law thought about it, she did tell them
that she had two daughters around his age.
 
“Oh, does your sister go here too?” The girl nodded “Yeah, Nojiko’s a senior
though. By the way, I’m Nami.”
 
Then a blonde hair guy with possibly the weirdest eyebrow in the world, handed
to the girls what looked like gourmet muffins “Here you go, miss Nami, miss
Vivi~!”
 
Nami and Vivi smiled, taking the treats “This is Sanji Blackleg.” introduced
Vivi. Sanji looked up at Law, cocked his one visible eyebrow and nodded. Law
simply nodded back
 
“I’m the great Usopp!” declared a guy, throwing himself directly in front of
Law. Law scowled, why was he in his space? The guy’s bravado instantly
disappeared and he jumped back a little.
 
“Hi! I’m Chopper Tony!” stated a young voice, Law blinked and looked down and
saw a tiny boy with floppy brown hair and a big smile. Law’s surprised he
missed him with his pink top hat.
 
“You look young.” stated Law, lifting a brow. Shit! He said that out-loud!
Chopper nodded and smiled brightly “Yeah! I was bumped up because I was too
advanced! I’m actually only 13!” explained Chopper
 
His cuteness was too deadly decided Law, who merely nodded at the explanation.
Luffy then laughed and pointed to a nearby guy with spiky green hair that was
leaning against a locker, arms crossed, listening to the conversation “And this
is – “
 
But before Luffy could finish his sentence, two senior boys came barrelling
down the hallway and grabbed Luffy, pulling him up in the air and throwing him
around “NOO, put me dow – SABO?!”
 
Next thing he knew, Luffy was hugging the blonde boy tightly, screaming in joy
and Law saw this as the perfect moment to step back and walk away.
 
 
 
Law turned the corner and saw Bepo snickering, waiting for him “You abandoned
me!” cried Law, pissed. Bepo flinched and bowed his head “I’m sorry, I wanted
to see how you’d deal with Luffy.”
 
Law blinked “You know him?”
 
Bepo nodded “We weren’t in the same classes in middle school, but Luffy’s kind
of a legend. He’s hard to miss with his strawhat and he’s very – um Luffy.”
 
Law frowned, slightly pushing Bepo’s shoulder – Bepo didn’t move much though
“You could have warned me!” Bepo chuckled
 
“I had no idea he’d get to you so fast!” 
 
“That was kinda mean Bepo! Putting him right in the path of hurricane Monkey so
early in the morning.” said a voice behind Bepo as another one chuckled. Law
looked around Bepo and saw Shashi and Penguin and he smiled.
 
“Hey guys” greeted Law, trying to hide the fact that he was a little nervous
 
“Hey Law! It’s nice to finally see you live and up-close!” said Penguin, with a
huge grin on his face. Shashi nodded in agreement
 
“You guys too.” stated Law, but then Bepo tugged on his shirt “C’mon! Put your
stuff in the locker fast, we gotta go see the doc before the bell rings!”
 
Law nodded, putting his stuff away, grabbing only what he needed “See you guys
later?” Shashi and Penguin nodded “Yeah! We’re not in the same homeroom, but we
might be in other classes, we’ll see!”
 
 
Law quickly dropped off his medication with Dr. Kureha, and was honestly a
little surprised at her appearance but then ran to get to class in time. Once
he was in the class, he saw on the board was drawn up an elaborate seating
chart. Shit, apparently he had to find himself
“Aww.” Bepo whined “We’re not even remotely close to each other. I’m like, way
in the front and you’re in the back.”
 
Law looked at Bepo “You found me?” Bepo nodded, pointing to a square “You’re
the last row, second last on the right.”
 
Law nodded, turning around to head to his seat, but then he froze.
 
Oh no.
 
Right beside his seat, besides the wall, Luffy was already sitting in his seat,
laughing away as he playfully pushed on this tall guy with spiky green hair’s
back with his head, as he was sitting right in front of him. Besides him was
Sanji, who looked depressed, lying flat on his desk. Law followed Sanji’s gaze
and saw that Vivi and Nami were seated near the front, by Bepo.  Usopp as
sitting in the seat on the other side of Law, and in front of Law was Chopper.
 
Oh shit, he wasn’t going to last the year was he?
 
Law quietly made his way to his desk, distracting Luffy from his task. “Torao!
Where did you go? I wanted to introduce you to my brothers!” exclaimed Luffy
happily
 
Law looked at Luffy surprised – those two seniors were his brothers? Thinking
back, it kinda made sense. Both where about the same height, the blonde one
looked like he was more built like Luffy, but the blonde hair and blue eyes and
white skin didn’t really make sense. Luffy had a darker colouring and his hair
was black as his eyes. Frankly Luffy resembled the other brother more – except
the other brother had a much blockier built and frankly, he had very sharp
facial features. Odd. It intrigued his scientific mind though.
 
“Sorry, I had to go see the doctor before class started” explained Law
 
“Oh! You went to go see my grandma!” exclaimed Chopper, turning around with a
big smile
 
This kid was seriously lethal
 
“She’s your grandma?” asked Law. Chopper nodded
 
“Yeah! I live with her since my parents died! I’m gonna be a doctor just like
her!” Law smiled, and then he chuckled a bit
 
“Same here, I’m going into medicine myself” Law thought he’d be blind after how
brightly Chopper smiled
 
“Oooh that’s so cool! Let’s do our best!” exclaimed Chopper, but before Law
could say anything, Luffy was pulling on the sleeve of his hoody
“Torao! Torao! I never got to introduce you to my best friend! This is Zoro
Roronoa!” Law then followed where Luffy was point and was surprised – the stoic
guy?! Seriously?!
 
Zoro gaze shifted to lock eyes with Law. Zoro nodded and Law nodded back.
Ookay.
 
“There’s no real point of introducing the moss head, Luffy, not like he’s good
for anything” quipped Sanji, smirking, his legs crossed on top of his desk.
Apparently he wasn’t depressed anymore?
 
If ever there was a face of someone who knew he was starting shit – it was
Sanji’s right now
 
Anger instantly flared up in Zoro’s face as he tensed up, glaring at Sanji “At
least I’m not a stupid ero-cook who becomes utterly useless whenever there’s
women around!”
 
Sanji let out a cry, pissed off and kicked Zoro’s desk “If anyone’s useless
it’s you! Sleeping your goddamn life away, your own sister put you in a
freaking coffin!”
 
Usopp sighed “There they go again.”
 
Law lifted a brow, turning towards Usopp who jumped “They always do this? Do
they hate each other or something?”
 
Luffy laughed and shook his head “Naw, they’re really good friends.” Then he
smiled softly at them
 
Law blinked, surprised as the fight carried on. But suddenly someone entered
the room “Good morning, class, I am Miss Monet Floche. Please just call me Miss
Monet. I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. I am also one of this
school’s chemistry and biology teachers. But today we won’t be having a
homeroom because we have a formal assembly to introduce the new teachers and
such like myself. So I’m going to do a quick attendance and I’ll ask you all to
file out, one by one towards the gymnasium, understood?”
 
Law furrowed his brow – something was off about this woman. For a woman who
appeared so friendly – there was something very cold about her. Miss Monet
started to take attendance but when she got to Law, she locked eyes with him
and smirked. Law frowned, responding to his name but the whole situation made
him uneasy.
 
Everyone quickly made their way to the gymnasium, taking a seat where they
could. Luffy quickly found his brothers and waved at them before going to go
sit with his friends. Law and Bepo sat down with Shashi and Penguin. Law looked
back to where Luffy’s brothers were sitting.
 
He was right; he did see one of them in the parking lot this morning.
 
It seems that Luffy’s brother or brothers were part of the Whitebeard gang. Law
frowned. Was Luffy too? Was he trying to recruit? That would explain a lot
actually.
 
Soon the assembly started with the secretary announcing that they’ve had a
sudden change in principals. Everyone let out a sound a shock, but when Law
looked back, Marco seemed the most shocked of all.
 
If Marco didn’t know something…
 
Soon came forward a tall, very muscular man with a square face and a severely
stern look on his face. He wore a dark red suit with a flower pinned to his
lapel.
 
“My name is Sakazuki Akainu. I will be Grand Line High School’s new principal.
I expect you all to follow the rules and conduct yourselves in a way that will
make this institution proud. I will be cracking down on all illegal activities
or misdemeanors in this school and will expect you all to strictly follow
procedures and excel in your studies. I will not accept disappointment.”
 
 Law could feel the tension in the air. He quickly gazed around the room and
could sense the fear and hostility from the students. And now looking again,
everyone seemed more or less separated in many groups – where these all gangs
in the making? Or actually concrete ones? One thing’s for sure, this principal
is going to be a real game changer.
 
Also that Law instantly hated him.
Chapter End Notes
     Not using Sanji’s canon last name is a /very on purpose thing/! And
     finally! We’re getting somewhere main plot wise! Also I want to point
     out that everyone is very much on purpose picked for their roles in
     this story!
***** –ACE- I Just Want To Be a Real Boy *****
Chapter Notes
     I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THIS CHAPTER EARLIER! RL got WAY in the
     way this week and I wasn't able to get on - I hope you enjoy this
     chapter and what I'm gonna do is that I'll post the next chapter on
     Wednesday! So two chapters is one week! FOR REAL! AGAIN! I'm so sorry
     - but let's see Ace's side of this story!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Ace stretched his arms as he walked towards the gymnasium for the assembly,
yawning. Sabo laughed, slapping him softly on the back
“Let me guess, you woke up super early again to prepare everything for Luffy.”
teased Sabo with a knowing smile
“Yeah, got in super late too after the whole jail fiasco I told you about. I
think I got maybe 3 hours tops of sleep last night. I could use one hell of a
nap.” replied Ace, letting out a small yawn
“I also imagine you didn’t get much actual sleep either - with the new beau in
mind” suggested Sabo, with a big grin on his face. Ace merely laughed in return
“Why are you so excited about this? M’not pissed or anything, genuinely
curious”
“Because I can’t remember you ever being this – I don’t know this crush-y over
someone? You know, aside from Makino. It’s really nice.” explained Sabo,
smirking
Ace let out an exasperated sound “Uuurrggh, you’ll never let me forget that,
will you?”
“Absolutely not! It’s the first time I ever saw you blush! It was always great
to see that - you turn completely red! Ah- who would of thought that the Devil
of Corvo District who have a full body blush” teased Sabo, grinning
“Ah shut up! Man, nobody’s called me that in years” pointed out Ace
“Really? Lost your moniker? It suited you well though.”  Ace smiled. Sabo was
probably the only one who truly saw him at his absolute worst. It helped that
they would mug and beat up local gangs when they were in grade school together.
Ace as a kid had no mercy though. He would beat people nearly to death with a
metal pipe if they crossed him.
“I’m a fan of his current moniker personally. People are still trying to figure
out how the hell you set your hand on fire without seriously hurting yourself”
pointed out Marco, cutting in, not even looking away from his phone.
 
Ace had to smirk. When he decided to start his own gang once he lost Sabo, Ace
had worked hard to develop something that would make him stand out from the
other people. Some gangs chose to look like circus people, others chose more
aquatic themes, but Ace wanted to stand out due to strength.
So he chose fire.
It took a lot of work and research and lots and lots of tests, but Ace figured
out a safe way to set his hand on fire when he fought. So that way, not only
did he do physical damage, he also severely burned the person he was beating.
It was an efficient way to make a name for himself – and it worked beautifully
too. Soon enough ‘Fire First Ace’ was born. But the Spade gang was taken and
were integrated with the Whitebeard gang. Truthfully it was for the best in the
end – Pops being the best thing that has happened to Ace. But the moniker ‘Fire
First Ace’ remained, and that was a bonus.
“Ah ah, trade secret. Gonna take that one to the grave with me” quipped Ace,
please with himself
“Pfft, whatever. As long as you remain on our side. Hmm, we’re getting a few
new teachers, but nothing too big. Most of them are young-ish.” stated Marco,
still typing away on his phone.
“Ahh, Marco’s insane information connections strike again. You should join the
army!” replied Sabo
“No thanks, I’m loyal to Pops.” stated Marco, still typing away
 
They walked into the gym and quickly went to go sit together. It was common if
not expected for the gang members to sit together whenever they could. Ace
quickly spotted the Kuja gang. The all-girl gang was incredibly powerful,
mostly due to their overwhelming strength and wealth, but they had their own
area and never really interacted with the Whitebeards – and for good reasons
too. They hated men.  The Kuja gang was actually a really old gang. They used
to all attend Lily Academy, an all-girl school, but it was shut down a few
years back, forcing the members to attend Grand Line High. Their current leader
was Hancock Boa. She just turned 18 and known to be the most beautiful girl in
the city. Even Ace had to admit that she was really pretty.  But he and Hancock
actually had a pretty good relationship – but she wanted to keep that a secret.
As Ace looked over to them, he wound up locking eyes with Hancock. She blinked
and merely nodded, acknowledging him and then quickly looked away. Ace smiled.
He’ll have to make arrangements with her later. Ace groaned softly in his seat,
leaning his head back. Man did he have a lot of people to talk with today.
“You okay there?” asked Izo, laughing. Ace blinked, he hadn’t noticed that he
had leaned back his head into Izo’s lap. Izo was sitting right behind him in
the upper row of the bleachers
“Your lap is just, so nice, Izo” stated Ace, grinning. Thatch laughed
“Aww, I want a turn with my head in Izo’s lap!” Izo blushed at Thatch’s comment
and started to laugh
“I’ll start taking reservations then!” teased Izo. Haruta leaned in, putting
his arm out to block Izo’s lap
“Okay Ace, your trial of Izo’s lap is over! Now we start charging!” Everyone
started to laugh. Marco chuckled, still glued to his phone
Sabo then nudged his side, pointing to Luffy who was waving at them and waved
back with Sabo
“Well, if we’re already making money off Ace, might as well start making money
off Izo”
Ace blinked, then he glared at Marco “Make money off of me?! How?!”
Marco lifted a brow, looking at Ace unimpressed. “Um, your online store?
Remember who runs that? Also, three of the magazines you’re in sold this
morning alone”
Ace blushed, sinking back into his seat.  Last year, he was approached in the
mall to join a modeling contest. The prize was 1000$ cash prize and Ace wasn’t
dumb enough to turn that away. Worst off, he could have won gift cards for the
mall and Luffy needed new clothes so he figured what the hell. Ace figured he
was a good looking guy, so he’ll probably score the gift cards.
He wound up winning the contest.
It led to a small modeling gig. Ace wound up not signing on full-time,
(modeling was a lot of work and Ace had other things to do) but he did it long
enough for his photos to wind up in a good amount of magazines and posters (the
giant poster at the mall was kinda weird to see) but it was how Sabo found him
again and he made a lot of money to put in Luffy’s bank account, so he was
happy.
Soon after his first pictures went up, Ace started to gain a following online
and to this day; he had a pretty big online presence between facebook, twitter,
Instagram, tumblr, youtube and everything else. With a little encouragement
from Marco, he opened up an online store to sell prints and stuff of himself.
Personally Ace found it a little weird but he really liked being connected to
thousands of people all around the world like that.
Ace was about to reply to Marco but the assembly started. 
 
The school secretary went up to the podium. Her blonde hair tied tightly back
as she adjusted her glasses with her hand

“Attention students.  Before we start this assembly and the new school year, we
have a special announcement to make. Our beloved school principal had to step
down due to personal reason and has been replaced. I now invite our new school
principal to introduce himself.”
Ace could hear Marco dropping his phone. He could hear the collective shock go
through the entire student body.
“Did you forget to tell us this?! Getting a new principal is kinda really
important” hissed Izo quietly at Marco. Marco shook his head, jaw slack in
shock.
“No! I didn’t know! I had no idea of this!”
When Marco didn’t know something, it was bad.
Ace watched as a large, muscular man came forward. He was wearing a red wine
suit with a flower on his lapel.  Ace could feel anxiety building up in his
stomach, to his throat. He instantly hated this man. This man felt dangerous
and Ace wanted to be anywhere but around him.
 
The man cleared his throat and began to talk.
“My name is Sakazuki Akainu. I will be Grand Line High School’s new principal.
I expect you all to follow the rules and conduct yourselves in a way that will
make this institution proud. I will be cracking down on all illegal activities
or misdemeanors in this school and will expect you all to strictly follow
procedures and excel in your studies. I will not accept disappointment.”
 
Marco began furiously typing on his phone. Ace knew that he was trying to
remain calm, but he was panicking inside. Ace looked around at everyone and
everyone seemed on edge, well, minus Luffy.  Ace quickly looked at Hancock who
looked beyond furious. ‘She’s not going to handle him well at all’Hancock
couldn’t handle authoritative men at all, when they tried with her, she usually
got violent. In general, the mood felt extremely hostile. It made sense, their
new principal basically just declared war on the gangs.
“Is he out of his mind?” asked Izo, eyes narrowing, remaining calm as he
removed his fan from his sleeve and opened it to cover his face, looking to the
side. Ace knew Izo long enough to know that he was being dismissive of the
principal “He is but one man.”
Ace nodded, Izo made a good point. The man had to be mad. Most of the students
at school were armed or were powerful fighters. Looking at his own group, Izo
was the best shot in the whole region, Haruta excelled with blades, Thatch was
a bare knuckle fighter with knives and Marco as well. Ace himself was very
powerful and versatile fighter. Even Luffy’s group was composed of fighters.
This man had to be mad!
 
The assembly soon wrapped up, but honestly nobody was really paying attention.
The news of the new principal had shaken everyone up.
 
Ace quietly followed his friends out, trying to resist the urge to throw up.
What was with this man? Why was he bothering him so much? He closed his eyes
softly, trying to regain the feeling he felt around the Captain. Captain Smoker
had made him feel so safe; he needed that feeling right now.
“Uhh, you okay Marco?” asked Haruta quietly as Marco furiously typed away at
his phone.
“Yeah, just trying to get some things handled ASAP.” replied Marco, frowning at
his phone
 
“Mister Phoenix, is it?”
 
They all stopped and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was
principal Akainu. Ace frowned sharply, how did he know that name?!
“My name’s Marco.” stated Marco, trying to remain civil. Ace could tell he was
furious.
“Yes well, I wanted to let you know, mister Phoenix, that we will be towing
away that monstrosity of yours in the parking lot. You are not the vice-
principal so your car should not be there” stated Akainu, smirking
Marco merely smiled calmly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, sir. My
car is in the student parking lot.”
Akainu frowned, the mood shifting out of his favour “It better be, mister
Phoenix. And I better not see it in the vice-principal parking spot ever
again.”
Akainu turned to leave, but then he stopped, locking eyes with Ace. He paused,
smirked and turned, walking away.
Ace was going to throw up right now.
“How is your car not in its spot?” asked Thatch once Akainu was out of sight
Marco smirked “I messaged Vista ASAP when Akainu started talking; he was around
so he went to move the car during the assembly.” Then Marco frowned sharply “He
knows who I am though, which was made clear by how he kept calling me Phoenix.
This man is dangerous.”
Ace chest felt tight. He had such awful vibes from the guy. Sabo put his hand
on Ace’s shoulder, instantly relaxing him.
“I didn’t like the way he eyed you, Ace.” stated Sabo, frowning sharply. Sabo
then took out his phone and typed away a quick text. He then put his phone away
and looked at Ace. Ace felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He turned to Sabo
and nodded curtly. He’ll check it later when he was alone. Sabo nodded back,
understanding
“Well, we better get to class” stated Haruta with a sigh
Ace forced himself to laugh, putting his arms around Sabo and Haruta “Aww
c’mon! First day of school! Let’s make this fun!”
Ace just wish the anxiety would go away.
 
Once he was seated in his seat, Robin Nico walked into class and smiled.
“Welcome to World History. I know many of you are beyond excited about this
class” this made the class chuckle “And some of you, not as much. But let’s get
started, shall we? We have a lot to learn.”
Ace smiled softly, he thinks he’s going to like this class. He turned to look
at Sabo who was really attentive, clearly someone else was too. Seeing Sabo
reminded him that he had a text to read. Ace quickly whipped out his cellphone,
reading the message – then his stomach dropped
 
Sabo:
What if he knows who you /really/ are? Be careful, Ace.
 
Ace quickly put his phone away and tried to distract himself by paying
attention to the lecture – but his mind was whirling.
 
He was so close to escaping the nightmare.
 
Ace was 17 years old and he would turn 18 on January 1rst. When he turned 18,
he would go to city hall and legally have his name changed and be formally
adopted by Pops. Even though he managed to fool the school administration, he
couldn’t fool the government.  His name wasn’t actually Ace D. Portgas. It was
what he wanted it to be though.
 
His legal name was actually Ace D. Gol.
 And if word got out, he would be arrested and executed.
 
Very few people actually knew the truth.  Sabo knew, Luffy knew, Dadan knew,
Marco knew, Pops knew and Gramps knew. But nobody else – and Ace wanted to keep
it that way.
20 years ago, the world of gangs was controlled by one man. Roger D. Gol. 
Nobody was more powerful than him and nobody could cross him and expect to walk
out fine.  They called him the King of the Underworld because of it.  He was
the ultimate Don.
He was also Ace’s father.
But 20 years ago, he fell in love with a woman living on a southern island.  He
then married her and she got pregnant. 20 years ago, Roger was captured by the
World Government and executed and his entire family was declared outlaws. The
World Government tried desperately to find Roger’s pregnant wife to execute her
and his unborn child. His mother forced herself through natural medicinal means
to delay the pregnancy so that she wouldn’t be suspected
His mother stayed pregnant with him for 20 months
It killed her.
She was only able to give birth, hold Ace for a moment and name him, and then
she was gone
If the World Government knew who Ace really was – they would execute him too.
His mother gave her life for him to live – so he was going to live
But until his name was changed, he couldn’t get health insurance, he couldn’t
get legal ID, he couldn’t get a driver’s license, he couldn’t get a social
security number – nothing. So his work options were extremely limited; all the
jobs he worked, he was paid up-front.  He couldn’t even get a bank account! He
had to ask Marco to open up a bank account for him so that he could deposit the
money he did make, which meant he also had to ask Marco for his own cash, which
was annoying.
But all this would be behind him when he turned 18.
At 18, he will finally be able to move into the Whitebeard house, his Gramps
forbidding him right now. At 18, he could finally get his life on the road, he
just needed to have his birthday and he just needed it all to be legal. And
take the name of the woman who gave him life.
Fuck his father’s name, fuck his existence. Life has been a fucking nightmare
his entire life because of the burden of being the son of the world’s most
hated man – he would be free of it soon, and live his life as Ace D. Portgas.
And he would finally be free.
Ace dug in his pocket and pulled out the old wrinkled photo of his mother. It
was a tiny picture, a quick shot taken of her once at a bar, but she was
beautiful. And he treasured it. Ace carefully put it on the corner of his desk,
instantly calming down. Worked like a charm every time.
Ace blinked, suddenly a note was on his desk, he quickly flipped it open and
smiled
 
Sorry for upsetting you 
 
Ace turned to look at Sabo who was looking back at him sheepishly. Ace smiled
back and waved his hand, letting him know it was okay. He turned slightly to
look at Marco who was still discreetly typing away on his phone, trying to do
damage control as he wrote notes with the other hand. Marco wasn’t human
deduced Ace.
The bell soon rung and Ace gathered up his things, but before he had a chance
to grab the photo of his mom, Sabo beat him to it.
“You know, you look so much like her, it’s ridiculous.” stated Sabo, smiling.
Ace grinned brightly. He liked hearing that – he’d kill himself if he looked
like his dad.
Marco blinked, turning around, then frowned when he saw the picture “You took
out the pic of your mom? You okay?” 
Ace nodded, taking the photo back from Sabo and putting it in his pocket “Yeah,
just a bit riled up from the assembly.” admitted Ace, a little sheepishly
Marco nodded, frowning “You should be. I got my info on the guy and it’s really
bad. I’ll tell everyone about it tonight. Let’s go to gym, Izo’s gonna kill us
if we don’t help him undo his hair.”
Sabo sighed dramatically “While you guys go off gym-ing, I’m off to my advanced
calculous class.”
Ace stuck out his tongue “Whatever smarty pants! Have fun being smart!”
Sabo laughed, patting Ace on the back “Oh I will!”
Ace walked out of the class laughing and instantly locked eyes with Akainu who
was in the hallway.
This was going to be a shitty year.
Chapter End Notes
     Annnd we finally reached the heart of Ace's goal for this fic!
***** –LAW- No Se Permite Que Ríe En La Clase De Español! *****
Chapter Notes
     Okay! A few notes for this chapter!
     If a character is talking between « these » it means they are
     speaking in another language!
     And this actually one of my fav chapters so far! I wound up doing A
     LOT of research for it too! I waited months for a certain book to
     come in to the library so that I can find exactly what I needed for
     this chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The tension in the room completely changed after Akainu’s words.
Law shifted in his seat awkwardly, looking around the room. People were pissed.
The man had basically declared war on all the gangs. It was a dangerous move.
Granted, he probably believed that these teenagers couldn’t possibly be
dangerous – but if he was that naïve, that means he’s probably going to wind up
dead.
‘Doflamingo would have had his body hanging from a telephone pole by sunrise’
mused Law. Generally though, the gangs he could recognize around the school
were not known particularly for their violent crimes. They could be violent –
but usually it was to discreetly dispose of a problem.  Not like the Donquixote
gang. They killed to make a point – there was nothing discreet about it.
Law slunk down on the bench even more. That was another reason this readjusting
to ‘normal’ life was a sham. Law had blood on his hands and a lot of it.
Granted, he didn’t violently kill like the older people in the gang had – but
he had done his share.  He had been excused of all of it, the authorities
claiming that he had been coerced into it against his will. He hadn’t
contradicted them because he didn’t want to go to juvie. Cora hadn’t said
anything either. But they both knew the truth.
Law exhaled.
Truthfully though, since he had run away with Cora, he hadn’t even tried to
hurt anyone. Maybe he had been coerced. He had been angry at the world. A world
that had seen himself and his loved ones as disposable. But Cora had changed
that. Cora took that anger out of him with his love and care – but that was the
case for him. He knew it wasn’t the case for the people around him.
 
The assembly soon ended and they all returned to their classes.  Law sat down
and instantly heard Luffy talking away “So what do you guys think of the new
teachers and stuff?”
“That History teacher was absolutely beautiful!” exclaimed Sanji with a big
smile on his face, thrilled “Our homeroom teacher is also a beauty! So many
beautiful women surrounding us!”
Zoro rolled his eyes, not even trying to hide it “I don’t like that new
principal at all. Something about him is off.”
Sanji stopped gushing and his expression grew serious “You felt that too?”
Zoro nodded “Yeah. He’s going to cause a lot of problems. I saw him talking to
Marco outside in the hallway; it takes a real fool or a real arrogant asshole
to directly confront Marco like that.”
Luffy laughed “Aww I’m sure Marco’s fine!” then his expression grew serious
“Ace didn’t look so good though, he probably got the same vibe as you guys.”
Usopp blinked, turning to Luffy “How about you? You’re generally a good judge
of people”
Luffy shook his head “I don’t like him either. He seems like he’s making
trouble just to make trouble.”
“How about you, Law?” asked Zoro, eyes locked on Law “How did you feel about
the new principal?”
Law paused, frowning. He wasn’t expecting to be asked his opinion “Don’t care
for him at all.”
Zoro nodded “He basically declared war on all the gangs. So either he’s a giant
idiot – or he’s really dangerous.”
Law’s eyes widen slightly. He hadn’t considered that possibility. It was one of
the few (very few) disadvantages of not being in the Donquixote gang anymore.
Doflamingo had a tendency to know exactly who everyone was and what they did.
Something told Law that the principal hadn’t always been a principal.
 
Class soon started and went by quietly. Miss Monet taught Biology, which was
already a really strong subject for Law. Law looked at his schedule real quick.
‘Next class was Advanced Spanish’ noted Law quickly. Granted, he didn’t need to
take Spanish. The Donquixote gang operated pretty exclusively in Spanish.  But
he figured it would be an easy bird class considering all of his other classes
were advanced classes this semester.  Also Law had gotten used to reading in
Spanish with his time spent with the gang and he didn’t want to lose the
capacity. Personally he would have preferred to take Italian, because he really
didn’t want to lose his native tongue either, but the school didn’t offer it.
The bell rang and Law packed up his things and headed off to his next class. As
he made his way towards the classroom, he heard the now familiar sounds of
sandals slapping against the ground loudly and turned around – was Luffy
following him?
“Torao! Wait!” cried out Luffy, chasing after him. Law stopped, waiting for the
other to catch up ‘Did I drop anything?’ wondered Law as he quickly looked at
his stuff
Luffy smiled brightly, catching up to him “I’m in Spanish too! I figured we can
sit together!”
Law blinked, surprised “You’re in Advanced Spanish?”
Luffy laughed “Yeah! Ace insisted I learned a second language, and since I’m
already fluent in Portuguese, we figured that Spanish would be easy enough to
pick up”
“Ah.” answered Law, walking into the class and taking a seat near the back,
Luffy sat in the seat beside him. “Does your brother make all of your
decisions? What about your parents?”
“I don’t have any parents!” replied Luffy happily “I have people I live with,
but Ace is the closest thing I have to a parent. Sabo too!”
Law felt like such an asshole.
“Hey, I’m really sorry, I-“started Law, but Luffy raised his hand to stop him
“It’s okay! I never met my parents anyways! Gramps says I don’t even have any
to begin with, but I’m super lucky, Ace and Sabo are the best and I have
awesome friends” explained Luffy happily
Law stared at him always shocked. He wasn’t expecting this from the boy. Law
figured that Luffy was this kid with a great happy life, with awesome parents
who supported him and raised him right, that never knew starvation, never knew
what it was like to lose everyone, and just lived a great secluded life. But
now he really wasn’t so sure – but how can he stay so upbeat?
 
How could Cora stay so upbeat after everything?
 
Law didn’t really know Cora’s history. Cora never divulged and Law never asked.
But Law knew it had to be bad. The first time he saw Cora without his shirt on
was terrifying. The man was literally covered in scars, cuts and burns and all
sorts of things, things he couldn’t even explain. And considering Doflamingo’s
habit of brutally murdering anyone who hurt Cora – there was no way this all
happened while he was undercover with the gang. Meaning it probably happened to
him when he was a kid. Something really bad must have happened to royally fuck
up Doflamingo, so it would make sense that both brothers had gotten affected by
it.
But Cora had turned that event into a desire to help people, with compassion.
While Doflamingo wanted to hurt people and destroy everything.
“Torao? You okay? You look out of it” Luffy’s voice snapped Law out of his
thoughts. He shook his head, turning towards Luffy
“Sorry, got distracted with my thoughts” explained Law, as he watched the
teacher walked into the class and begin writing on the board
Luffy chuckled “It’s okay! My friends do that too all the time!”
 
«Alright class, please pay attention! I am your teacher, Miss Viola, and I’ll
be teaching you Advanced Spanish. For the first few weeks, I will be more
forgiving to all those who do not speak in Spanish but after a while, I will be
less and less sympathetic. We will start this class by introducing ourselves in
Spanish and then we will get right into our reading. »
Law straightened up when he heard the Spanish, time to start this class.
 
After everyone quickly introduced themselves (Law was genuinely surprised at
how well Luffy introduced himself) Miss Viola started handing out the book they
would be reading for the semester. Law lifted a brow when he received his brick
of a copy. Apparently they were reading The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of
La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. Great. Apparently he couldn’t escape his past
even in high school.
Luffy cackled “Isn’t this the windmill guy? Ace told me about this story.”
Law sighed; he had to ask “He took Spanish too?”
Luffy shook his head “Nope! He took French, actually. Don’t know why though.”
Law regretted asking.
«Alright» started Miss Viola, opening up the book «I will ask everyone to take
turns reading. Yes, this book is in Spanish, so if anyone has any trouble with
a word, please raise your hand and let me be aware. You will stop reading when
I tell you to. You may begin” stated Miss Viola, gesturing to the first student
on the left.
Law read along with the student reciting, enjoying the Spanish he was hearing.
Some of the students struggled, the summer months making them rusty, others he
could tell often spoke Spanish in general. Personally it just lulled his mind
so he started to zone out.
It’s odd that even though when he thinks about the 3 years he spent with the
Donquixote gang with nothing but spite – it did have nice quiet moments as
well. There was this odd sense of security within the gang. Even if Doflamingo
was a horrible monster – he did take care of his own as family. Law was always
fed, he always had a warm bed, and he always had new clothes and everything he
could have asked for. And if anyone hurt Law, Doflamingo would deal with them
swiftly. Hell, Buffalo had asked for the PS4 when it first came out and
Doflamingo had gotten it for him a month before its release. The man was
extremely generous when it came to his own – but extraordinarily cruel to
anyone who crossed him.
«…having composed, struck out, rejected, added to, unmade, and remade a
multitude of names out of his memory and fancy, he decided upon calling him
Rocinante…»
Law’s head snapped up surprised at the name he just heard. Who’s named
Rosinante? Honestly he had never heard of someone else with the same name as
Cora! What kind of character was it?
Oh my god, it was the fucking horse.
Law snorted, trying to swallow down his laughter. He couldn’t burst out
laughing now! He was in the middle of class!
«Mister…Trafalgar! Is something funny?! » asked Miss Viola, looking at her
seating chart and then back at Law, looking annoyed.
«Ah- forgive me, I, I just thought ‘what an awful name for a horse’! »
explained Law, trying to get himself out of it
Miss Viola raised a brow, and then she smiled «Glad to see that someone spotted
that»
Law covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide how incredibly embarrassed
he was.
But now he was in trouble.
Every single time the name came up; Law couldn’t help but snort and snicker.
Originally Miss Viola let it go, but Law could see her losing patience with
him.
«Trafalgar. It’s your turn now, if you can pay attention long enough without
laughing. » stated Miss Viola coldly
Law nodded, turning to his book and started to read
« And so saying, he charged with levelled lance against the one who had spoken,
with such fury and fierceness that, if luck had not contrived that Rocinante
should stumble midway and come down, it would have gone hard with the rash
trader. Down went Rocinante, and over went his master, rolling along the ground
for some distance; »
And Law lost it
A loud howling laugh burst out of Law’s mouth as he completely lost it. He
dropped the book on the table and tears started falling out of his eyes
It was bad enough that the damn horse had the same name as Cora – but he
couldn’t handle it being clumsy too!
Law really wanted to stop laughing, but he couldn’t stop himself now – he was
too far gone. Soon enough, he heard someone else burst into laughter with him.
Miss Viola was furious “OUT! OUT! BOTH OF YOU OUT! You will spend the rest of
the period sitting in the hallway and you both have a half hour of detention
tonight! I will not be disrespected in my classroom!”
Law nodded, still laughing as he gathered his books and went to go sit in the
hallway. Cora was going to kill him – but he couldn’t help himself!
Once outside of the classroom, he sunk to the floor, his laughter finally dying
down; he wiped the tears out of his eyes and grinned. He was going to get in so
much shit for this, but honestly, it was just too damn funny.
Law paused – didn’t Miss Viola say ‘both of you out’?! Law turned his head to
the side and was shocked to find Luffy, sitting there besides him, also wiping
the tears out of his eyes
“How come you’re here too?”
Luffy chuckled, a wide grin on his face “Your laugh was too contagious, when
you lost it, I couldn’t help myself!”
Law looked at Luffy surprised. Now he felt bad “Oh, sorry about that”
Luffy shook his head, still grinning “No, no, it’s okay! You have a really nice
laugh, it was hard not to laugh along!” admitted Luffy, rocking in place
Law blushed hard. He wasn’t expecting that at all “A-Ah.”
“What was so funny anyways?” asked Luffy curiously, his full attention on Law
“Ah, um, my…my dad, his name is Rosinante” explained Law, feeling he owed Luffy
that much for getting into trouble.
Luffy looked at him stunned for a moment and burst into giggles “Hee hee! No
wonder you were laughing!”
Law smiled softly; maybe this kid wasn’t so bad at all.
“SILENCE YOU TWO! I DID NOT SEND YOU IN THE HALLWAY FOR YOU TO CHITCHAT! YOU
KEEP AT IT AND YOU’LL OWE ME TWO DAYS OF AFTERSCHOOL DETENTION! NOW START
READING!” barked Miss Viola at them at the door
Law nodded, kinda really scared as he took out his copy and started to read,
hearing the door slam as Miss Viola went back in.
 
Soon enough the bell rang, signaling that the period was over. Law stood up,
gathering his things and got ready to head to lunch. Luffy waved as they parted
ways, running towards the lunchroom. Law sighed. It was time for him to go grab
his medication. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take his meds – he knew that
he had to. But it was more that Dr.Kureha was kinda…intense.
Law made his way to the school doctor’s office and slowly opened the door. He
looked inside and saw that Dr.Kureha was talking to another student. He started
to close the door, not wanting to disturb them but he was soon stopped
“Not so fast, mister Trafalgar! I was awaiting you! You’re not getting away
from taking your medication, mister!” declared Dr.Kureha, pointing at Law
Law sheepishly went back into the office, closing the door behind him “Sorry, I
didn’t want to bother you if you’re with another student.”
Dr.Kureha laughed, shoving the other student’s arm, Law now recognizing him as
one of Luffy’s brothers. “That’s how you’re supposed to act, Portgas! Not that
garbage you keep doing!”
“What?” drawled out Ace, slowly purring “Are you implying that you don’t like
my elaborate seduction? I figure if we have to see each other five times a
week, I might as well get a little something special out of it”
Dr.Kureha rolled her eyes, looking completely done with Ace “It’s only the
first day of school and I want to slug you”
Ace smirked “Maybe I like it rough?”
Dr.Kureha laughed, going over the cabinet and opening a few bottles of
prescription pills and taking a few out of all of them and handing it over to
Ace “Just shut up and take your meds”
Ace sighed, grabbing the glass of water on the cabinet and accepting the pills
from Dr.Kureha “Lot of good these do, I still fall asleep everywhere like a
jackass.” grumbled Ace as he swallowed the pills
“Well maybe if you cut back on the coffee” remarked Dr.Kureha, putting the
bottles back inside the cabinet and pulling out Law’s
“Hello no! If I could get a personal coffee IV, I would!” replied Ace, heading
towards the door. Dr.Kureha rolled her eyes, handing Law his medication
“Don’t be stupid like him, Trafalgar. Be good and take your meds.” Law lifted a
brow, accepting the medication and the glass of water
Ace laughed, and then he paused, looking right at Law as he took his meds. Then
he bowed his head “Oh! You’re the kid Luffy ran into this morning! Sorry about
my little brother, he can be rather rambunctious. I gave him a good tongue
lashing though for crashing into you, he should know better!”
Law was surprised at the apology.  He wasn’t expecting this – but on the other
hand, this would make a lot of sense “…would you happen to be…Ace?”
Ace grinned, laughing softly “I am! Surprised you heard of me already!”
Law nodded, heading towards the door, he was getting hungry “Yeah, Luffy
mentioned you a few times this morning.”
“Ahh? Guess you guys have class together, actually, pretty sure Marco mentioned
you two shared a homeroom.” stated Ace, walking towards the cafeteria with Law
Law frowned sharply “Guess you know about me.”
“Just the basic really, if anything, it sounds like you went through some heavy
shit. Don’t worry though; we have no intention of going after you or your
guardian. It’s just good to know about it in case he comes to finish the job. ”
explained Ace, his expression getting severe
Law nodded. He appreciated that Ace didn’t say Doflamingo’s name out loud in
the middle of the school hallways and it was also good to know that The
Whitebeards weren’t after him or anything. “I have a question though.”
Ace smiled “Yeah? Go for it”
“Is Luffy a Whitebeard too? Or is it just you and your other brother?”
Ace paused and then he laughed “Oh no! I’m the only Whitebeard in my family,
actually! Luffy’s just a teenager, which is how I want to keep him. Sabo isn’t
in a gang. He’s part of an organization, but he’s not in a gang.”
“Wait – he’s just that stupidly friendly?! He wasn’t trying to recruit me?”
blurted out Law, shocked
Ace smiled “Yeah, he’s just that stupid friendly! He’d be a menace if he was
recruiting though!”
Law smiled softly, maybe he suspected too much of Luffy
Ace then paused, before entering the cafeteria “A word of warning though”
“Huh?”
“If Luffy likes you? You’re not getting rid of him. He won’t care about your
past, anything you’ve done, who you’ve been, nothing. If he likes you – he
likes you. ” stated Ace with a grin, before walking into the cafeteria.
Law stood there stunned, unable to process Ace’s last words as he watched Ace
go straight to the biggest table in the cafeteria, sitting down besides Marco
and start devouring the lunch that was handed to him as everyone around him
laughed.
 
“Law? What are you doing just standing there?”
Law snapped out of his trance and turned to look at Bepo, who was looking at
him concerned. Law shook his head “Sorry, I was just, trying to make sense out
of something. So where are we eating?”
Bepo chuckled, leading Law to the table where Penguin and Sashi were already
sitting.
“How come you were talking with Ace?” asked Bepo as they sat down
“We both had to grab our medication at the doctor’s office, so, yeah” explained
Law, taking out his lunch
“Ace had meds to grab? What kind of meds?” asked Penguin as he leaned in
curious, with Sashi
Law shrugged “I’m not sure – but he mentioned something about falling asleep
everywhere –“
 
Suddenly a loud clanking noise broke through the room. Every conversation
stopped and everyone turned around towards the sound of the noise. Law could
clearly see Ace face-down in his plate, his arm stiff, still holding onto the
fork. Izo stood up, banging a spoon against a metal lid.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE, PAY ATTENTION! IT’S TIME TO PLACE YOUR BETS!”
Law watched as all the seniors, juniors, and sophomores started taking out
their money hurriedly towards the table.
“IT’S TIME TO PLAY ‘IS IT NARCOLEPSY OR SLEEP DEPRIVATION!’ QUICK! WE’RE ONLY
TAKING BETS FOR TWO MINUTES!”
Law stared in shock as mobs of people ran to Marco, desperate to get their bets
in as Izo help up an hourglass. When the sand emptied out, Izo whipped out his
hand to the side, signaling that it was over.
“Alright, that’s it, bets are closed” stated Marco, sitting back and started to
count the money. Haruta and Thatch then got up and walked over to Ace’s seat.
Thatch lifted Ace’s head out of his plate, showing everyone that there was no
reaction from the other and then carefully put his head back down. The two of
them then started to shake Ace’s chair violently. When they stopped, Thatch re-
lifted Ace’s head – showing once more, the lack of reactions
“It’s a narcoleptic fit everyone, those who bet on it, come collect” stated
Marco loudly. Law could hear the collective groans around the cafeteria as
people realized their bet was wrong. Law stared in shock – how was this even
allowed?! Law quickly scanned the room, looking for Luffy – did he know? Would
he be mad? Law was surprised to see Luffy laughing – and hard. Apparently he
found this whole thing absolutely hilarious. Well that was a relief.
Sashi laughed “Guess that answers the question of ‘what does Ace have’” Penguin
snorted
“It’s weird they’re allowed to take bets like that. I thought gambling was
against the school rules”
Bepo made a sound of agreement as he tore away at his chicken sandwich. Law
found it funny that Cora made Bepo meals with bread considering that neither
Law nor Cora ate bread. Then again, Cora openly spoiled them both rotten, so he
wasn’t too surprised.
“Oh, before I forget, Bepo, I have to stay after school for a half hour.”
remarked Law, as he continued eating.
Bepo looked at him stunned “You joined a club?! Seriously?”
Law shook his head “Nope, detention.”
“Cora’s gonnakill you!” cried Bepo
“That’s why you’re going to tell him.”
“Noooo!!!”
 
Chapter End Notes
     Luffy speaks Portuguese because Oda said that if they had actual
     nationalities, Luffy would be from Brazil! So I wanted to reflect
     that by making him already fluent in Portuguese!
     Also Narcoleptics shouldn’t be drinking coffee! Bad Ace!
     Next chapter we’ll have a brand new POV!
***** –CORAZON- All Buddy Cop Movies Start Like This, Right? *****
Chapter Notes
     TA-DA! It’s Cora’s turn! I hope you guys enjoy everyone’s fav gentle
     giant!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Cora yawned, driving towards the police station. He was exhausted. The stress
of getting everyone ready for school this morning and the overwhelming stress
of making sure Law was actually okay had drained him. Cora huffed. He needed to
be at his best! This was his first day at work since his mission ended! He had
spent a year recovering, his wounds have closed up, and he was now all healed!
It was time for him to get back into a routine.
Cora groaned what routine? He’s never had a routine.  He went from royalty to
poverty, to orphan, to a ward of the world government to undercover cop. 
Granted, he had done his time to earn his rank of Commander. He rather enjoyed
being an agent for the world government. He got to help people and stop as much
disaster and evil-doing as he could. It was his way of giving back to all of
those who had helped him. When he was given the mission to infiltrate the
Donquixote gang and take down his brother – he knew he had to do it. Blood be
damned, Doffy needed to be stopped. Honestly – he felt a little responsible for
it. Maybe if he had stayed with Doffy? Maybe if he had stopped him from meeting
Trebol, who took him under his wing at Doffy’s worst? Maybe if he had stopped
Doffy from killing their father?
Cora shook his head. He could wonder all day, but what was done was done. Or so
had said the therapist. The therapist was a nice woman, Cora couldn’t deny that
– be he felt she a bit mal-equipped for what he went through or worst, what Law
went through. Cora found himself sugar coating a lot when he spoke with her –
he didn’t want her to know what he actually went through. How a whole town had
strapped them outside a window and shot arrows at them for fun. How he was
beaten and bloodied for stealing a loaf of bread when they were starving. It
was just – too much. Cora figured he might as well just keep all of that to
himself. No need to upset someone else over his past. He was happy now.
He loved Law and Bepo with all of his heart.  Hell, Cora loved everyone in life
that helped him. He loved Sengoku who adopted him as his own when he found Cora
wondering around crying as a child – regardless of who Cora actually was. He
loved Bellemere who took him under her wing when he joined the World Government
forces, thrilled that she was now working at the same police station as he was.
But his boys were his everything. And all he wanted was for Bepo and Law to
have as normal lives as possible.
Well, until Doffy found them.
Cora didn’t doubt for a moment that Doffy already knew where they were. And
that they were alive as well. Not only did he manage to infiltrate a spy into
the World Government forces (fuck you, Vergo) , Cora wouldn’t be surprised if
every police database was watched. Shit, Cora himself remember being privy to
that datebase when he was in the gang. Being the second in command had some
perks!
Cora groaned again. Honestly he didn’t like looking back too much on that time.
Because even if his brother was pure evil in a human form – he couldn’t deny
that he did still love him. And Cora knew that deep down; his brother had loved
him too. Shit, not even deep down, he had loved him openly – until he confirmed
that Cora had been betraying him from the start. Before Doffy’s face flew into
rage, Cora didn’t miss the hurt expression on his face. Bottom line – Doffy was
sure he had killed him, hence why he left him there for dead. The second Doffy
found out – he probably started to plan when he would finish the job. But Doffy
wasn’t a stupid man. He carefully crafted every single operation. Cora knew
that Doffy would eventually find him and eventually attempt to kill him again.
Hopefully if he does succeed that Law would remain safe.  If Doffy does kill
Cora, he won’t kill Law. He’ll try to get him back. Doffy was enchanted with
Law the moment he had met him. Cora to this day still wondered how the hell a
kid that small could have gotten so many grenades.  Doffy would come snatch up
Law – and Law would be the next Corazon, that much Cora knew.
Cora grunted as he drove into the police station parking lot. He should
probably stop thinking of himself as Cora. He had been Rosinante for so much
longer than he was Corazon but it meant so much to him that Law called him Cora
that he just couldn’t let the name go. But he did like that his legal name now
was Rosinante Trafalgar – he was honoured that Law accepted him joining his
family.
Cora got out of the car and stretched himself out. Being tall was such a pain
in the ass when everything in the world was so small compared to him. Even the
uniform he was given was too damn small. Bellemere had told him that they
specially ordered him one – but it wasn’t in yet, so he had to with the one he
got. Thankfully he was just doing a desk job. They would send him out for
patrols once in a while – but generally he was to stay at the station. Sengoku
had been very clear when they transferred Cora to a local police force that
Cora wouldn’t be allowed to be isolated more than he should. Everyone was aware
that Doffy would come after him. The city was specially picked because it was
mostly Whitebeard and Redhair territory – both who hated and refused to work
with the Donquixotes.  Also the Kuja gang who hated men – so of course would
have nothing to do with Doffy. Basically the city of Goa was the kingdom of
All-Those-Who-Hate-Doffy.  Not only that, they transferred the former Chief of
Police of Loguetown Captain Chase Smoker at the same time.
Honestly, Captain Smoker kinda scared the shit out of him. Even when he was in
the gang, he looked up the Captain who was stopping all the gang activity in
Loguetown – only to really find nothing. Cora remembered hearing about him
while he was in the World Government marines. He was legendary for telling
whoever he wanted off and only obeying orders if he believed in them, never
betraying his own moral compass.  Honestly Cora had nothing but respect for him
on that extent – but it did cost him his military career in the end.  He had
been given an order that he refused to carry out. They told him that he had to
resign if he didn’t do it – so he did.
The Captain then went on to become a cop. Quickly rose through the ranks and
became Chief of Police in no time. He was efficient and had no trouble taking
down gangs. Cora personally always found that extremely suspicious – how did a
civilian know so much about the inner-workings of gangs? But whenever he looked
around – minimal information was ever found about him. His grandfather had been
a cop, but he had died before the Captain was ever born. It didn’t seem that
his father was in the picture, his mother died when he was 14 of illness and he
had an aunt in Loguetown that owned a flower shop. When and where he enlisted
and his time in the military academy was all noted but nothing else really. It
put Cora on edge to be working with someone he knew so little about.
Cora quietly ducked into the police station and went straight to Bellemere’s
desk. He was actually a little early for his shift, but he wanted to get a feel
for the place first. Bellemere was typing away when she looked up from her
screen when a large shadow loomed over her
“Rosi! You’re here!” she got up and hugged Cora. Cora couldn’t help but smile
as he hugged her back
“Yeah! I finally get to work at the station, thank god too, I was getting
really bored at home” teased Cora, chuckling
Before Bellemere could even respond, a package in plastic was pushed against
Cora’s stomach. Cora blinked, looking down shocked – it was the Captain!
“Right on time, your uniform showed up, Trafalgar. So get changed and meet me
in my office when you’re done. I have things to go over with you.” stated the
Captain, putting a cigar in his mouth
“Y-Yes sir” replied Cora, feeling like an idiot for being so intimidated – he
was a half a foot taller than the man!
“Going for a smoke?” asked Bellemere to the Captain, but then she smirked
“Heard about your little present this morning- how nice of you to impress Ace
so much.”
Smoker turned bright red and scowled at Bellemere “Don’t bring that up! That
brat is a nuisance!”
Bellemere laughed, sticking a cigarette in her mouth and stood up “Aww, c’mon!
Ace is a good kid; real responsible too, he’s practically raising his little
brother alone. It’s actually kinda cute that he likes you so much, he’s not one
to warm up to people fast. C’mon, I’ll go smoke with you.” Then Bellemere
turned to Cora “Get changed and meet us outside, we’ll do the more casual intro
out there. Don’t worry about the Captain, he’s just a big, grumpy bear, but
he’s got a warm heart.”
“The hell are you saying about me now, woman?!” barked Smoker, flustered. Cora
could hear someone else trying to stop themselves from laughing. ‘That must be
the other cop that started with me’
Bellemere just laughed, pushing the Captain outside who lit his cigar before he
even reached the door. Cora smiled; maybe it wouldn’t be too bad working here.
He quickly got changed and took out his pack of cigarettes – the doctor told
him to cut back, so he was sure just one or two would be okay! He stepped
outside and saw that Bellemere was still teasing the Captain, laughing away as
he looked more and more embarrassed.
“Just stop talking about him!” barked Smoker
“No way! I couldn’t believe my ears when Tashigi told me that he brought you
coffee from Makino’s! You know where that place is? It’s in Windmill district!
He ran all the way over there to bring you coffee! Did you sleep with him or
something?” teased Bellemere, smirking
Smoker chocked on his cigar “WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN?! He’s a child! What do you
take me for?!”
“A man with a pulse. Ace is one good looking son of a bitch. And last I heard,
he isn’t dating anyone.” continued Bellemere, humming
“If you’re into children, by all means, you can have him” replied Smoker,
taking a puff of his cigar
“Mmm, nope. Ace is exclusively into men. Both my daughters confirmed this.” 
Cora chuckled a bit, walking up to them
“Ahh, here’s my handsome boy!” cooed Bellemere as Cora walked over
“Do you feel the need to adopt everyone?” asked Smoker, smirking
“A little bit. But Rosi’s particularly cute, look at that face!” Cora turned
bright red, lighting his cigarette “Also I’ve known him since he was a kid,
he’s the kid Sengoku adopted.”
Smoker lifted a brow “My sympathies. Does he still have that goat of his?”
Cora laughed “Yeah, he does!”
“So intro time” started Bellemere “Chase, this is Rosinante, Rosi, this is
Chase!” Both men looked at each other and shook hands. Smoker took his cigar
out of his mouth and exhaled. The silence was killing Cora’s nerves
“Heard what happened to you, Trafalgar. I have to say I’m impressed with your
survival skills, shot 7 times in the heart and still lived to tell about it?”
Cora blinked, surprised to have it brought up. He laughed nervously “Well, my
heart didn’t make it, gotta make sure to take care of this new one”
“Listen” started Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar “I don’t give a shit
that you’re a Donquixote. Blood means jack. I judge people by who they are and
so far, I heard nothing good about you. Especially when I heard you bailed on
your mission to save a dying kid who you adopted after. I have respect for you,
so don’t be so damn nervous around me.”
Cora’s jaw dropped. ‘How did the Captain know I was afraid of people judging me
by my family name?’ Cora smiled brightly “I’m really glad to hear it, thank
you!”
“See? Warm hearted grumpy bear! Absolutely perfect for Ace” noted Bellemere,
grinning – Smoker turned red and sputtered
“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THAT?!”
Cora only laughed
 
Soon enough, they had put out their smokes and walked back in. Tashigi was
standing by the desk looking absolutely nervous. Before Cora had time to react,
he heard Smoker growl
“What?”
“Umm…the mayor…the mayor’s assistant called and um…” started Tashigi,
completely flustered, looking at her hands nervously
“Out with it!” barked Smoker again, clearly getting frustrated with the whole
situation
“The mayor’s hosting a big dinner tonight at 7pm at The Baratie to celebrate
the new additions to the Goa city forces and we have to go!” blurted out
Tashigi, as fast as she could
 
“No way in hell am I going!” replied Smoker, clearly ticked off “That loon
thinks he can just make this big ass dinner out of nowhere and we’ll just drop
everything to go?!”
Bellemere cooed “Now now, Chase. You have to go. It’s a party for you!”
“They can go” said Smoker, gesturing to Tashigi and Cora “I’m going to stay
here and do my damn job.”
“Naw, I’ll take over for you, you go off and do your social mingling. You work
way too much,Chase!” stated Bellemere, grinning “C’mon! The Baratie is a great
restaurant!”
“Urgh, I hate the ass-kissing smoozing crap” muttered Smoker, giving up
“Aww, but it’s your job as Chief of Police!” ribbed Bellemere, putting her arm
around his shoulder and giving it a squeeze
“Wait – did you say tonight? I can’t go tonight, I promised Bepo and Law that
we’d go out for sushi to celebrate the first day of school” stated Cora,
panicked
“I can call the Mayor if you want? To see if we can squeeze in two more
people?” offered Tashigi smiling
Cora smiled “You think he’d allow it?”
Tashigi smiled, sure of herself and nodded and offered her hand “I’ll do my
best! Also I’m Tashigi Shigure! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rosinante!”
Cora gasped, shaking her hand “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself sooner!”
Tashigi smiled “Don’t worry! What matters is that we did eventually! Now I’ll
give the mayor a call, hopefully we’ll get good news!” Then she turned and went
back to her desk
“Well, if I don’t go, one of his sons can have my spot.” added Smoker,
Bellemere just laughed
“Stop trying to get out of this, you grump! You’re going, and you’re going to
like it!”
“Good news!  The mayor’s assistant said it was okay since they had already had
planned extra seats for our significant others and well, since none of us have
any…” trailed off Tashigi, looking a little deflated
“The Captain can just bring Ace” offered Bellemere, grinning
“I hate you.” stated Smoker, glaring at her. Tashigi just sighed
 “We just moved here, I don’t understand how the Mayor would think that we were
already dating someone.”  Smoker just grunted
“It’s standard. People always just assume that everyone’s paired off and plan
in consequence of it.” He explained “Now I’m going to have to go home early to
grab my fucking suit, this mayor is a pain in my ass”
Bellemere laughed, watching Smoker sulk back to his office “Ahh. How about you,
Rosi? You’ve been here for a good year now, met anyone interesting?”
Cora sighed. It was a question he got a lot. Granted, he was 28 years old, he
felt he was okay looking enough and had a good job, owned a house, so on and so
fourth – so he would understand why people thought he would be dating, but the
truth was –
“I’m not interested in dating at all to be honest” replied Cora, smiling softly
“Huh? Why not? You’re a gorgeous young man and you’ve got so much going for
you. If it’s about a kids, take it from me, it doesn’t stop anyone.” pointed
out Bellemere, wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk. Cora shook his head
“It’s not about that. I’m just not interested” stated Cora, smiling “Besides, I
already have two sons I love with all of my heart, I don’t need anything else.”
Bellemere sighed and smiled, putting her hand on Cora’s shoulder and giving it
a squeeze “If you say so, but don’t turn away a chance just because of that,
okay?”
Cora chuckled softly “I’ll be fine”
“You should probably tell your boys that they’ll need to dress nice for
tonight” stated Bellemere “The Baratie is a really nice place.”
“Oh, like suits and stuff?” asked Cora, taking out his cell “I’ll send them a
text. After I grab them at school, we can just go home and get changed. Well,
I’ll send Bepo a text, more likely to get a reply that way”
“Law doesn’t answer?”
“Only when he feels like it. Bepo usually replies pretty fast” then Cora’s
phone beeped “Oh! See!  Must be their lunch period…Huh? Law has to stay a half
hour later? Did he join a club or something?”
“Law?! Like your son Law? The anti-social kid that lives in your house? Yeah
freaking right.” quipped Bellemere. Cora looked at her offended
“Hey! You never know! Maybe there was like, a dissection club or something”
then Cora’s phone beeped again
“DETENTION?!” screamed Cora, shocked “ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL?!”
Cora furiously typed on his phone, the message back to Bepo clear as day
 
Cora ♡ :
I’M GOING TO KILL HIM.
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Ahh! I hope you enjoyed the new point of view! We’ll be swinging back
     to Ace next week, Cora will be in the rotation but his POV won’t be
     as common as Law’s and Ace’s – but it’s nice to shake things up once
     in a while! (also to have a POV that takes place at the police
     station!)
***** –ACE-Maybe Making Out With My Little Brother’s Friend Was a Bad Idea?
(Naw) *****
Chapter Notes
     More character introductions in this chapter!
     Small note – a date will be set but it’s not shippy!
     Ships mentioned:
     Franky x Robin
     Past!Ace x Sanji (nothing serious)
     Past!Marco x Ace (nothing serious)
     annd a little something starting
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
“Fuck I hate it when I fall asleep during lunch” grumbled Ace, washing his face
in the bathroom. Ace knew his narcolepsy didn’t bother his friends – but it
sure bothered him! He sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Ace wasn’t
surprised he got another attack – he was wearing himself thin and he knew it.
Between taking care of Luffy, keeping up with school, working odd jobs at all
times of the day, his obligations to the Whitebeard gang and his social life,
he was just exhausted. But he had to keep pushing, just a little bit.
 
“Our leader wants to speak with you.”
Ace straightened up, turning around to look at Ran, who was standing by the
door, her arms crossed.
“Now? Does she also want to come in or she wants me to meet her somewhere?”
asked Ace, he knew better than to be snappy with the Kujas
“Yes now. And no, she’ll meet you behind the school. At the usual place.”
replied Ran, turning around “Don’t follow me there.”
Ace nodded, watching her walk out. It was law within the Kujas to not interact
with men as much as possible. So his meeting with Hancock had to be discreet.
Ace slipped out of the bathroom and quickly texted Marco where he was heading.
He slipped out of the cafeteria and went right outside. Ace was about to turn
the corner to where he knew Hancock was waiting for her but was stopped by
another Kuja member
“Oh. It’s you. Come”
She then led him around the corner where Hancock Boa was leaning against the
wall, talking to her sisters. Hancock had the reputation as the most beautiful
women in town, and honestly? She deserved it. Ace particularly liked the look
she was sporting today, that jeans, boots and leather jacket combo looked
fantastic on her.
“Hey Hancock, you wanted to talk?”
Hancock looked up and waved to the other Kujas, to dismiss them
“Yes. Please let us be, girls. I want to talk to him privately.”
The girls hesitated for a moment but soon dissipated, but not before Ran got
right in Ace’s face
“You do anything to her and we’ll come get you!”
Ace nodded, acknowledging the threat as Ran left
 
“How can I help you, Hancock?”
Hancock sighed, looking frustrated “Homecoming.”
“Ah! Yeah, that’s coming up, isn’t it?” stated Ace, now knowing where Hancock
was going with this
“Can you -?” started Hancock
“Of course. It’s my pleasure to be your date.” replied Ace with a smile.
Hancock sighed in relief
“If we’re going to be voted homecoming king and queen again, we might as well
just go together.” stated Hancock, looking uncomfortable “At least I know I can
trust you.”
Ace smiled softly, making sure to keep his distance from Hancock “Any
particular colours you want me to wear?”
“I’ll text them to you when I decide on the dress.” Then Hancock paused “Thank
you, for doing this for every dance. But if you have a date –“
Ace cut her off “I don’t. Really. Single gay man here. Besides, they make us
dance together when we’re elected, but what if I don’t win?”
“You always win.”
“Hey man, there’s new kids! Like my little brother Luffy’s super friendly and
stuff!” explained Ace. Hancock shook her head
“I refuse to be touched or dance with any man I don’t know. So you better win.”
She stated, no room for arguments
Ace nodded. Then he was quiet for a moment “Hancock…my brother’s girlfriend
Koala went through the same thing as you, if you ever want to talk with her
about it-“
“No. I don’t wish to talk about it period.” snapped Hancock, leaning her back
forcefully against the wall. Message received.
Before Ace would reply, the bell rung, interrupting them both
“So about the new principal.”
Ace could see the fury in Hancock’s eyes
“I do not like him.”
“Marco said he’s going to give us the full report on him tonight –“
Hancock nodded at him. Message received
“I have to go to class, text me the details for the suit, okay?”
Ace then turned and jogged off to his next class.
 
Ace dashed into his next class before the second bell rung. Marco lifted a brow
at him once Ace was seated “So why did she-?”
“Homecoming.” replied Ace, pulling out the books he needed – the Captain can
call his bag ugly all he wants! It was super useful!
“Guess you’re her date again?” asked Marco, still not looking away from his
phone
“Yeah I am… what are you even doing on your phone?” remarked Ace, crossing his
arms on the desk and leaning into them “You’ve been glued to that thing all
day.”
“Let’s see, communicating with merchants, communication with the other members,
processing a shipment or ten, talking with Pops, and dealing with your orders.
And that’s just to begin with. I’m also checking twitter for what’s trending.”
replied Marco, not looking away
Ace chuckled, typical of Marco. “Is Pops in a good mood?”
“He was, until the whole principal thing. Pops knows him.” stated Marco,
frowning
Ace’s eyes widen “What?”
“Did I hear that right? He knows him?” hissed Izo, turning around in his seat.
Ace was always baffled at how they were always sitting near each other
regardless of seating plans
Thatch frowned deeply “I’m starting to get worried this ass is serious about
shutting down all the gangs.”
Haruto huffed “Whatever, we’ll take him down.”
“We have to be careful” stated Marco, but before he could say anything more,
the teacher walked into class and started up “We’ll talk about this tonight at
the meeting.”
 
Math soon ended and Ace gathered up his things to head to welding. In the
hallway, Sabo grabbed his arm and both boys walked arm in arm to welding class
“Honestly I never met Robin’s husband, I wonder what he’s like” pondered Sabo
out loud. Welding and shop class were tucked away at the far end of the
building. Soon enough less and less students were around them
“Hmm, probably cool and mysterious like she is?” offered Ace, but Sabo didn’t
seem too convinced
“Something tells me you’re wrong on this one” then Sabo opened the door and
both he and Ace stopped dead in their tracks
Was the teacher wearing a speedo?! 
“AH SUPER! Some more students showed up! Take a seat anywhere guys! We’re
missing a few more dudes and we’ll get started with class one of 101 Welding!”
exclaimed the teacher enthusiastically.
 Ace couldn’t believe his eyes – to begin with the guy was huge, he had a very
large upper body though and not so much in the legs. He had a bright blue hair
that was style garishly reminding Ace of a rooster with massive sideburns. He
had a big gold chain around his neck and a Hawaiian shirt that was opened with
of course – the aforementioned speedo. But like Robin mentioned, something
about his face looked – really fake. You could easily tell he had tons of work
done.
“Holy shit you’re awesome” stated Ace in awe, this was going to be his
favourite class
“Thanks dude! You have a really super sense of style too!”
Sabo paused for a moment “Are you…You’re Robin’s husband, right?”
The teacher paused, lifting a brow “You must be Sabo then.” Then he broke out
into a giant smile “Awesome! Nice to meet you, I’ll do the intro for the class
when everyone shows up, okay? So take a seat!”
Ace and Sabo went to the metal tables and sat together at the same one. A few
other students came into the class and then the teacher shut the door. He then
grabbed his guitar and sat on the desk in front of the class, strumming the
guitar
“Hello dudes and dudettes! My name’s Franky and welcome to welding 101! Before
you ask, my face looks weird because I got hit by a train in my youth – don’t
do that, kids! So basically I’m gonna teach you guys the basics of welding and
after that, I want you guys to partner up and build something AWESOME for the
rest of the semester – got it?” explained Franky “So partner up now and start
planning what kind of thing you want to build!”
 
Ace and Sabo instantly grabbed each other’s sleeve, grinning broadly.
“We’re so building that fighting robot we planned as kids” stated Sabo
“Oh man, the fire breathing one shaped like a t-rex?! YES.”
“Whoah whoah whoah, you guys expect to build a super dangerous fire breathing
t-rex robot?!” interrupted Franky, looking appalled
“…yes?” replied Ace weakly
Frankly smiled brightly “Oh hell yeah! Let’s get this started! Like, we’re only
going to build the body in class, but I’ve built robots before, so I can help
out with the wiring and crap!”
Ace couldn’t help but gush – this is going to be awesome!
“We’re so going to need to sick that robot on Dadan.” stated Sabo, smirking
Ace couldn’t have asked for a better partner.
 
Welding soon ended and all the students left class. Class was finally over for
the day, so now students got to decide if they went to club or went home. Ace
wasn’t part of any club and neither was Sabo, but he needed to talk to the
others to see what they had planned. Ace spotted Marco and the others and began
to approach them until a voice caught his attention.
“Ace? You have a moment?”
Ace turned and spotted Sanji leaning against the locker, arms crossed, and his
face beet red. Ah yes. Right.
“Oh hey, Sanji! Anything I can do for you?” offered Ace
“Do you need me to leave?” asked Sabo, looking between them. Damn Sabo and his
ability to read a room
“N-No! No. Nothing like that, ah, Ace, would you like to make some money
tonight? We suddenly got slammed with a big reservation for tonight at the
restaurant and we could use a hand – The old man really liked you when you
helped out last time.” explained Sanji
Ace blinked – that wasn’t what he expected – but hell, he’ll take it! Oh wait,
meeting – ah
“Don’t worry.” cut in Marco “We’re going to head back to the house in about a
half hour, we’ll have the meeting during supper and Sanji - you can have Ace
around 6, is that okay? The reservation’s at 7, isn’t it?”
Sanji sputtered, shocked “How did you even kno- That’s fine.”
“Could you use another person?” asked Sabo, surprising Ace.
Sanji looked at Sabo surprised “Ah, actually yes, one or two people would help”
“Okay, I can ask my girlfriend if you want!” offered Sabo, smiling
Sanji paused “You have a girlfriend?”
“Yeah, she’s real cute, real responsible.” added Ace
“Does she go here?! Do I know her?!” asked Sanji excited, looking around. Ace
had to laugh
“No no, Koala goes to college!” explained Sabo, typing away on his phone “Ah,
she said yes! So we meet at the Baratie tonight?”
Sanji nodded, looking like he reached cloud 9 “Yes yes! I can’t wait to meet
this wonderful Koala~! I bet she’s as cute as her name!”
Ace chuckled at Sabo’s confused expression – Sabo never saw Sanji’s
overwhelming love of women before. Ace’s expression then grew serious
 
“Do you have a minute, Sanji? There’s something I want to talk to you ab-“
“Yeah. Let’s. Yeah.” replied Sanji, pointing down the hallway “Cooking class
should be empty since the club doesn’t start until tomorrow and I have a key?”
Ace nodded, gripping Sabo’s shoulder “See you later! I’m super happy you go
here now”
Sabo laughed, hugging Ace. Ace instantly melted into the hug. Sabo leaned in,
whispering in Ace’s ear “I’m super happy too.  I’m going to Koala’s apartment,
so we’ll meet you at the Baratie tonight. I’ll talk with you-know-who and see
if I can get more info, okay?”
Ace smiled. Good old Sabo.
“Alright” started Ace, pulling back. Then he turned towards Marco “Gotta talk
to Sanji for a second, meet you guys at the car in a bit?”
Marco smirked, nodding. Fuck, right, he knew what happened
 “Alright~”
Ace turned, nodding to Sanji who was bright red again, following him to the
cooking club.
 
They got to the empty classroom and Sanji unlocked the door – quickly locking
it behind him as Ace walked through.
“Look, Sanji, I just want to start off with I didn’t tell anybody and I have no
intention of telling anybody.” stated Ace right away. Being in this classroom
filled with burners and sinks and a giant fridge was reminding him at how
hungry he was
“…Thank you. I…yeah. I’m not…I didn’t… Urgh.” replied Sanji, running his hand
through his hair “Fuck I could use a smoke.”
Ace blinked, and then laughed “I knew it! I knew you smoked! I could taste the
nicotine in your mouth that night!”
Sanji turned a deep shade of scarlet. “Y-You – ah-!”
Ace blinked. Oh shit. “Whoah, Sanji. It’s okay? All we did was make out, it’s
okay.”
Sanji frowned sharply “It’s not okay!”
Ace frowned in return. He didn’t like how Sanji was making this sound. They
were both drunk off their asses when they made out but Ace had freaking asked
before they started.
“Hey, I don’t know what you remember, but I asked you if you wanted to and you
said yes rather enthusiastically. If you regret it, that’s fine, but like I
said, I’m not going to be telling anyone. And as far as I’m concerned – nobody
knows about it but Marco.”
Sanji let out a cry of anger “YOU TOLD MARCO?!”
Ace waved his hand “No, no, he caught us – we were kinda in his room.”
Sanji sighed in relief “Oh good – he won’t?”
Ace shook his head “Naw. He thought it was pretty funny honestly.”
Sanji paused, smiling a bit but then he looked up at Ace confused
“Why did you take me to Marco’s room?”
 
It was now Ace’s turn to blush. The Whitebeards had a tendency of throwing wild
parties rather regularly. And during those parties, Ace particularly enjoyed
getting rather drunk. And Ace found out that when he gets drunk, he had a
tendency to well, ah, want to make out with people.  At the last party of the
summer, him and Sanji had gotten really drunk after Sanji had showed up too
late and missed his friends. Ace didn’t want him to be alone, so he spent the
evening with him. Ace actually really liked Sanji. The guy had a calm, smooth
vibe about him (when he wasn’t losing his mind over women) that Ace really dug
and also, Ace found him pretty cute. So of course, once he was drunk, he
couldn’t help but ask Sanji if he wanted to make out – and Sanji
enthusiastically said yes.
But usually when Ace was making out with someone at these parties – more often
than not, he made out with Marco. So, he was used to going up to Marco’s room
with Marco to make out. They never really went past kissing – which is exactly
what happened with Sanji too. But he was so used to automatically going up to
Marco’s room that it’s exactly where he went that time too. Marco at the end of
the night had wanted to go to bed – and instead found Sanji and Ace making out
on his bed. Marco laughed it off and got them both water and soon after Sanji
was put in one of the guest rooms to sleep it off but Marco had no ill-will
towards it because it wasn’t as if he and Ace had anything going on.
“Ah…well, because usually he’s who I make out with when I’m drunk.” admitted
Ace, scratching his cheek.
Sanji smirked, raising a brow “You do this often?” Ace laughed
“It’s a nasty nasty habit I have, honestly. You just got involved in it this
time”
Sanji paused, then he frowned a bit “Why me?”
Ace smiled “You’re really cute? I don’t know, I wanted to kiss you.” Offered
Ace, then he frowned “But, if you feel I crossed a line, I’m really sorry. That
wasn’t my intention at all.”
Sanji shook his head, turning bright red, looking away “No…No. It’s nothing
like that; it’s more like…I’m surprised I said yes.”
OH!
Ace laughed, relieved “Oooh! Okay! Now I get what’s going on here.” He gripped
Sanji’s shoulder, smiling “Don’t worry about that! It’s nothing, really.”
Sanji shook his head “No, it is! I-I’ve never, I didn’t think-“
Ah.
“Hey. This doesn’t ruin your reputation as a lover of women, you know? Messing
around with a guy once in a while doesn’t change what you like. It just means
you like guys once in a while.”
Sanji frowned “But…I didn’t! Not before that night!”
Ace lifted a brow. That he wasn’t buying. “You sure about that?”
Sanji hissed “What are you implying?!”
Ace shrugged “I don’t know. I do know though that my first crush ever was on a
girl and now I’m strictly into men.”
Sanji raised a brow “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Sexuality is fluid and stuff, I don’t know, I think that the idea
that we’re strictly into one gender kinda restrictive? But I’m sorry for
confusing you like this, I didn’t mean for that.” admitted Ace, feeling a
little out of his comfort zone.  He might have set off some massive confusion
for Sanji and that wasn’t his intention at all
Sanji sighed, shaking his head “It’s…not your fault. Guess I’m just angry at
how much I liked it.”
Ace chuckled “Maybe it’s just that you liked kissing! Kissing’s fun!”
Ace blinked, Sanji was a bright red. He sighed, yeah, he definitely started
something.
“You know” started Ace, trying to smile as encouragingly as possible “There’s
nothing wrong in being bi. Like, Luffy won’t care, he sure as hell didn’t when
I came out to him.”
Sanji shook his head “it’s not about Luffy, it’s about –“
 
Suddenly the door slammed open, and in came Zoro
“Oye! We’re tired of waiting! Let’s go!”
Sanji’s mood instantly turned. He looked pissed. Wait no - Actually, he looked
embarrassed!
OH!
Ace smirked, putting his hands up “Sorry sorry, it’s my fault! I took up
Sanji’s time, you guys go have fun”
Sanji mood cooled, and he turned to Ace “If…If I want to talk about this more
–“
Ace smiled brightly “Any time!”
“Talk about what?” asked Zoro, frowning
“How much you’re an impatient nosy bastard!” replied Sanji
Ace laughed “Alright alright, I’ll let you guys go, I have to go meet up with
my gang anyways!”
Ace quietly slipped out of the room, not even sure if they heard him or not –
it didn’t matter. It was all clear to Ace now.
Chapter End Notes
     TADA! A little bit more Strawhat action in this chapter! Next week
     we’re going back to Cora!
***** –CORAZON- I’m Not Usually Into Book Burning, But – *****
Chapter Notes
     I’M SO SORRY!! I went home sick from work on Monday and left the damn
     USB key with the fic in my work locker and I was sick on Tuesday too
     – so I couldn’t get the key until today!
     I’d like to thank my little sister with helping me out with this
     chapter and used her Criminology and her job with the cops to check
     over what I wrote to make sure it’s legit!
     EDIT: THANK YOU SELLEN23 FOR POINTING OUT THAT 'EDWARD' IS
     WHITEBEARD'S FAMILY NAME!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Cora spent the rest of his shift fuming.
 
How could Law possibly get detention?! Did he start a fight?! Threaten
someone?! Cora gritted his teeth. He was kinda afraid of this. It’s really hard
after you lived years in utter violence to just go back to being normal.
 
Cora knew more than anyone that Law had the capacity to seriously hurt people
with ease. Granted, after they ran away, Law hadn’t seemed willing to hurt
anyone – but he was also deathly ill. So that might have played a factor. Cora
frowned. He didn’t want Law to ruin his future because of this. Maybe he sent
him back to school too quickly. Maybe he should have just kept homeschooling
him?
 
“You need to relax, Rosi.” said Bellemere calmly, putting a hand on his
shoulder “You’re thinking the worst – it might just be as simple as he was
talking with another student during class and the teacher got mad. Trust me,
they call you if it’s really bad.”
 
Cora lifted his head from his laptop where he had furiously been typing up
reports.
 
“Really?”
 
Bellemere laughed “Yeah! Because they have to notify the parent if the kid gets
suspended, so I’m pretty sure it was something really mild and the teacher is
just quick to get mad. How about this, go pick them up at the time you planned
and go talk with the teacher, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
 
Cora sighed in relief.  That was good news.
 
Smoker stormed out of his office, still clearly mad about having his plans for
the night ruined. Then he paused and turned to Cora “Trafalgar. My office.
Now.” And then he went right back in his office
 
Cora yipped, surprised at getting addressed, jumping out of his seat and
falling to the ground. Bellemere laughed as Cora groaned, sitting up.  “Is he
going to kill me?”
 
“No, that’s not his killing voice!” commented Tashigi from her desk, also
typing away “That’s his ‘I need to discuss something private with you’ voice.”
 
Cora was kinda scared at how well Tashigi apparently knew her boss.
 
 
 
Cora knocked on the door of the Captain’s office as he walked in. Smoker was
typing away at his computer as he gestured to the chair in front of the desk
“Sit.”
 
Cora nodded, quietly taking a seat. “Ah, um. You wanted to see me?”
 
Smoker nodded, looking away from his computer and straight at Cora “I’m going
to need your help with something.  I was sent here to take down the gangs
running rampant, but you and I both know that we’re not dealing with small
fries here. The Red Hair and the Whitebeards are massive and powerful gangs. I
can only do so much, so I’m going to need your help considering you know their
inner workings much better than I do.”
 
Cora blinked, surprised. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised though. It made
sense that the Captain would want to use his information like that. The man was
strategically amazing. He used every resource he could to get the job done. 
 
“It’s not going to be easy. And the problem is that the city of Goa is
structured around it’s gangs.  Getting rid of the Whitebeards and Red Hairs
could destroy the entire structure of the town” noted Cora, worried
 
“Which is why they’re not my prey right now.” explained Smoker, pulling out a
map “I’ve made a chart of what territory is owned by what gang. My plan is to
strike down the little ones first and then keep moving up. Usually gangs rely
on allies to get little things done. If I can get rid of their so-called mules,
they’ll slowly collapse because they’ll need to spread out their main members
instead – you snag those up. Soon enough, the major players will have to get on
the field”
 
Cora listened to the Captain shocked. He knew way too much for a simple cop.
How did he even know who had what territories so well?! Cora nodded, looking
over the map.
 
“You also have to find out what product they’re moving around. That’s going to
be another issue. And also keep in mind that once someone is taken down,
someone else will move into their territory.” explained Cora, recognizing many
of the names on the map
 
“That’s exactly what I want. The gangs will be forced to thin themselves out –
which is when they make mistakes.”
 
This man is terrifying. Cora grunted, looking at all of it over. This could
easily work for small gangs – but anybody who’s been around long enough will
know they’re being smoked out
 
“The issue is that this won’t work for the major gangs like the Whitebeards –
they have the numbers easily to spread out.”
 
Smoker frowned, leaning back in his seat. Cora could have sworn he looked
uncomfortable every time the Whitebeards get brought up. “I’m aware of that
problem. I’ll be holding off on going after them for now. I’ll have to find
another strategy for them.” Smoker then shifted, taking a cigar out of his
pocket and sticking it in his mouth. Cora could tell he really wanted to light
it right now
 
“Also they’re smart. By being such high numbers – it’s hard to peg any crimes
on any of the members. What they do is illegal, but it’s not a crime to be part
of a gang. If we don’t catch individual members doing illegal things, we have
jack shit on them.  Edward is good at making sure his members appear to have
clean hands. So even if the members of the gang are clearly marked with their
tattoos of his mark, we can’t arrest them for anything. But he’s going to fuck
up – or rather all the kids he takes in are going to fuck up. All those sons of
his.” explained Smoker, clearly frustrated, and then he pulled out a file,
opening it and showing Cora the top document “I especially have my eye on this
one.”
 
Cora learned forward, grabbing the file, quickly reading it “Marco the
Phoenix?”
 
Smoker nodded “Second in command of the Whitebeard gang at 17 years old. This
kind has to be special enough for the old man to give him that much
responsibility. Apparently his information gathering skills are top notch.”
 
“Yeah. He’s high in demand.  Many gangs in the past have offered multiple
bribes to try to get Marco, but he’s extremely loyal to Edward. But it makes
sense, from what I understand, he went to live with Edward as a small child. Of
course he’d be that loyal to the man that raised him.” explained Cora. 
 
That was exactly what Doffy did. He’d collect orphaned children and raise them,
so that they would be loyal to him without a fault. He still felt pangs of
regret for not taking Buffalo and Baby 5 away from Doflamingo, but they were
too far gone at this point.
 
Smoker grunted, disgusted “When I think they collect children like that.”
 
Cora sighed, shrugging “Those kids need a home – so, they were given one.”
 
Smoker nodded, chewing on the end of his cigar “I’m going to discuss that with
the Mayor tonight, we need to do more for the youth around here. If kids feel
like they have no choice but join gangs, clearly that’s a problem that needs to
be addressed.”
 
Cora stared at the Captain shocked. Most cops just arrested the kids without a
second thought – the Captain wanted to get to the root of the problem.  It was
a nice change.
 
“I read the file on your kid.” admitted Smoker, opening the drawer and pulling
out the thick file and putting it in front of Cora. “I’ll be putting it in the
safe. That way people won’t be able to poke their noses into it.” Cora sighed
in relief
 
“Thank you.”
 
“Now get going, you have to go pick up your kids. I’ll see you tonight at the
restaurant.” stated Smoker, getting up and going to the safe to open it, Law’s
file in hand
 
Cora stood up, walking to the door “Thank you, honestly.”
 
Smoker shook his head “I’d be a shame if this got out. I wouldn’t want the
kid’s life to be tarnished by this more than it has. The past belongs in the
past.”
 
Cora smiled and nodded. The Captain was a good man.
 
 
 
Cora got into his car and drove to the school. He had forgotten about the whole
detention fiasco while discussing with the Captain but now it was back on his
mind. He quickly got to the school and parked the car in the visitor parking
lot. He got out, walking inside the building. Cora went to the office, looking
for someone to talk to. He knew well enough that strangers couldn’t just waltz
into the school.
 
Cora walked up to the secretary who was typing away a report “Um, hello?”
 
“Welcome to Grand Line High, how can I help you sir?” Cora frowned a bit; the
secretary somehow looked familiar to him.
 
“Ah, my son has detention? I was just wondering if I could speak to the teacher
to know how come? I’m not here to defend him or anything though! Just really
want to know the reason and I know that if I ask him, he won’t tell me, and I-“
 
“Detention is in the classroom right besides here. Your son should be there. 
Who is he? I can tell you what teacher issued the detention” explained the
secretary, adjusting her glassed with her fingers straight as a board.
 
“Trafalgar, Law?”
 
“Viola Dold issued the detention; I can go get her for you. In the meantime,
feel free to go see your son.” stated the secretary, standing up and walking
away. Yeah, Cora was sure he saw her somewhere before. But she was wearing more
black.
 
 
Cora moved to the hallway and found the classroom. He poked his head inside and
found three students sitting at the desks, doing homework. Well, Law was doing
his homework by the looks of it. The guy sitting behind him also seemed to be
trying to do his homework, but was very distracted by outside. The girl sitting
in the desk at the left of Law had her legs up on the desk and was playing a
game on her phone.
 
“LAW! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HAVE DETENTION ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL!”
screeched Cora, furious. So much for trying to remain calm
 
Law jumped out of his seat, surprised by the sudden appearance of Cora “Hey!
This is your fault!”
 
Cora pulled back, surprised “What the hell do you mean by that?! Don’t pin this
on me!”
 
“It IS your fault! Did you meet up with Bepo? He’d probably in the quad.”
explained Law, disregarding Cora’s request for more info
 
Cora blinked “I didn’t see him in the quad?”
 
“He probably went to the bathroom. He tried to sit here with us to work on his
homework, but Miss Viola didn’t let him.”
 
Cora was about to respond, but the secretary returned, standing beside Cora
“Mister Trafalgar, Miss Viola would like to see you now.”
 
Cora nodded, thanking the secretary and turned back to Law “You’re done here
soon right?”
 
Law nodded “Yeah, about 10 minutes left.”  Cora gave Law the okay gesture and
turned to follow the secretary
 
Cora sighed, following the secretary to a classroom. She opened the door and
gesture for Cora to walk in. Cora blinked, looking around the room. Everything
was in Spanish!
 
He frowned sharply, starting to panic – did he have a meltdown? A panic
attack?! Why did he let him take Spanish?!
 
“You must be mister Trafalgar’s father” started Viola. Beautiful woman, noted
Cora, but she looked beyond pissed off.
 
“Ah yeah, I’m here because my son has detention and they told me you issued it
– I’m not here to start a fight or defend him, I just want to know what
happened so I can talk with him and to prevent it from happening again!”
explained Cora quickly, putting his hands up . He didn’t want the teacher to
think he was one of those parents.
 
Miss Viola nodded, seeming to relax a bit. “He disturbed the class multiple
times.”
 
Cora stared at her shocked. Law?! Law was disturbing a class?
 
“Ah?! That doesn’t sound like him at all! Was he talking with other students?!
Oh wait, he was making his dumb ass comments again – I mean, dumb comments, I’m
sorry.”
 
Miss Viola shook her head, and then frowned deeply “No. He kept laughing.”
 
Cora frowned deeply, confused “Like – Law? Law Trafalgar? Like, the boy that
looked pissed off all the time? Laughing? In class?” Clearly they confused Law
with a different student.
 
Miss Viola nodded “Yes! We were reading and he kept giggling and laughing and
suddenly he just bursts into a laughing fit and couldn’t stop! I had to kick
him out of class and mister Monkey who was laughing with him!”
 
Cora had a sinking feeling in his stomach “Umm…mind me asking…what book you
were reading?”
 
“I don’t see how that’s so important” she started but grabbed the book from the
desk and held it up “But we’re reading The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of
La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes“
 
GOD FUCKING DAMNIT
 
“I…I ah, I’m sorry, it’s…it’s my fault he kept laughing. Ah. ARGH” started
Cora, running his hands through his hand, clawing his face. OF COURSE IT HAD TO
BE THAT DAMNED BOOK. 
 
Miss Viola frowned, lifting a brow “I do not understand, mister Trafalgar.”
 
“My…My parents were big fans of that book…ah, um. ARGH. LOOK.” Cora took out
his wallet and pulled out his driver’s license, handing it over to Miss Viola.
She took the license and read the name, gasping, shocked, and dropping the
book.
 
“Your name- !”
 
“Yeah.”
 
“That’s why he laughed!”
 
“Yeah.”
 
“Your parents named you after the horse?!”
 
“…yeah.” replied Cora, defeated. “They thought he was funny and charming, sweet
and loyal, so – yeah.” Also considering their family name, it worked rather
well. The teacher didn’t need to know that he was clumsy as well.
 
“I was wondering why he found this all so funny. Fine. I will remove this
detention from the record, but he better not laugh again!” stated Miss Viola,
handing Cora back his driver’s license.
 
“There’s no need to do that” stated Cora, bending over to pick up the book and
then hitting his head on the desk
 
“A-A-AH! H-He deserved the detention.” explained Cora, rubbing the spot he
bashed against the desk, handing Miss Viola the book
 
She laughed softly, taking the book from Cora “Clumsy as well, I see. Maybe it
is a name that suits you, Rosinante.” Then she paused «It’s not a name you hear
often, are you from Spain as well?»
 
Cora shook his head, surprised at the sudden switch to Spanish «Ah yes, but,
not directly, it’s hard to explain. You?»
 
Miss Viola smiled, blushing slightly «Yes, I’m from Dressrosa. »
 
Cora’s eyes shot open. Holy sh-! The Donquixotes originally ruled Dressrosa
until they moved. Cora never thought he’d hear that name again! «Oh wow! I
haven’t heard that name in ages! It’s rare to meet people from Dressrosa.»
 
Miss Viola chuckled «It’s nice that someone actually knows Dressrosa. You have
family there? »
 
Cora smiled. Stay cool. «Had actually, but a long time ago»
 
Miss Viola frowned «The boy. He’s Italian isn’t he? »
 
Cora nodded «Ah yes, well, he’s my adopted son. He’s originally from Italy, yes
»
 
Miss Viola smiled «I trust you’ll deal with his laughing problem? »
 
Cora smiled brightly, nodding «I’m on it! »
 
 
Cora then left the class, proud of himself. It seemed he smoothed things over
with Law’s teacher. Cora felt bad for doubting Law and expecting the worst of
out him, but he couldn’t help it! But Law was a good kid, and Cora needed to
have more faith in that. Now he was going to pick up Law and Bepo, get dressed,
and go to a nice dinner that was all paid by the Mayor. Yeah, he just needed to
have more faith in Law
 
 
“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP, I WILL BEAT YOU WITH THIS DESK!”
 
Cora gasped, turning into the classroom. Law was standing at the girl’s desk,
face completely red, clearly pissed off.  The girl on the other hand was
laughing
 
“WHAT THE HELL?! I JUST WENT TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT WITH YOUR TEACHER AND NOW
YOU’RE THREATENING THIS POOR GIRL?!”
 
“Stay out of this!” barked Law, not amused
 
“No fuck that! Like what the hell man?! You can’t go around threatening to beat
people with desks!” replied Cora, furious “Now get your ass in gear, we have to
go home and get changed and head out soon after”
 
“I don’t ever want to hear that shit out of your mouth again!” threatened Law
at the girl, who merely smirked and waved
 
Cora was going to kill him!
 
“Bye Torao!” said the other boy, smiling brightly and waving
 
Law blushed slightly and waved back weakly at the other boy “A-Ah, yeah, bye
Luffy.” And walked past Cora, walking quickly down the hallway
 
What was this?!
 
“Hey. Law. Hey. No, you don’t get to run away. Who was that boy? Why did he
call you Torao? What does that even mean?” stated Cora, briskly walking behind
Law who was trying to escape. It was hard for Law to do so when Cora could
easily catch up to him – it paid off to be a giant sometimes.
 
“I-It doesn’t matter! Drop it!” barked Law, getting redder. There is no way in
hell he was dropping this now!
 
“Hey! I didn’t know you were here, Cora!” exclaimed Bepo happily, sitting on a
bench in the quad
 
“You should join a club, Bepo. Since this guy is apparently going to live in
detention.” stated Cora dryly, gesturing to Law with his thumb
 
“Hey!” cried out Law
 
“Also, who is Luffy, why is he calling Law ‘Torao’ and why is Law all nervous
around him” Cora smiled; Bepo would have the answers for him!
 
“Umm, Luffy’s a funny kid in our grade. He calls Law that because he probably
misheard his last name and gave him a weird nickname, he does that and I don’t
know why Law would be nervous around him. But I heard that he got detention
because of Law.” explained Bepo. Law frowned sharply, glaring at Bepo
 
“Turncoat! You snitch!”
 
Bepo frowned, looking down “I’m sorry”
 
“Oye! Stop being mean to Bepo! None of that was worth hiding!” declared Cora,
grabbing Law by the back of his shirt, lifting him slightly and dragged him out
the main doors “I can’t believe you threatened that girl! What’s wrong with
you?!”
 
“Which girl?” asked Bepo following along
 
“Bonney Jewelry.”
 
“Huh? How come?”
 
“I’ll tell you later” stated Law, getting into the backseat with Bepo as Cora
got into the driver’s seat
 
“You tell him but not me?!” asked Cora, starting the car “I’m the adult who can
get you out of shit!”
 
 “Because it’s not important for you to know! Besides, she was asking for it.”
explained Law, leaning into his seat “Where’s this sushi place we’re going to
anyways?”
 
Bepo frowned “Don’t you know?...I forgot to tell you. I’m sorry!”
 
“Forgot to tell me what?”
 
“We’re not going to sushi, the Mayor decided to make a special dinner for the
new cops, so we’re going to that instead. But it’s a fancy restaurant, so we
have to get all cleaned up.  Thank god I bought you both suits last year.”
explained Cora, sighing. He now understands the fuss the Captain made; he was
too tired for this shit after a long shift.
 
“What? I was excited for sushi!” whined Law, leaning more into his seat,
looking pissed
 
“I know, I know. But instead we can go Friday, okay? To celebrate the end of
the week!” bargained Cora, hoping to please Law
 
Law sighed “Guess that’s fine.”
 
Then Law smirked
 
“Hey Cora.”
 
“What?”
“NEEIIIGGHH”
 
“I WILL THROW YOU OUT OF THIS CAR, I SWEAR!”
Chapter End Notes
     AAANNND CHAPTER END! Next week it’s Whitebeards week!
***** –ACE- Town Meeting Song (Time to Get Pitchforks!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Chapter out a little early this week because work is going to be
     super busy and the chapter was already done so here it is! Just to
     note – Whitebeard is younger here because so is Ace!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace turned the corner, heading towards the parking lot to be met with Marco
leaning against the wall.
“All good?” asked Marco, standing straight and following Ace out to the parking
lot. Ace nodded, rubbing the back of his neck
“Yeah, seems like. But Zoro picked him up in the classroom first.”
Marco snorted, and then he paused before snickering. Ace lifted a brow
“What?”
“You just missed one hell of a scene in the hallway just now. Seems like your
brother got detention today.” explained Marco, taking out the car keys and
hitting the button for the alarm, watching the three boys already in the
mustang jump up, startled at the noise
“WHAT?! Goddamnit, Luffy! The first freaking day?!” groaned Ace “Any idea why?”
“Disturbing class. Apparently he started laughing along with another student”
explained Marco, getting into the car, his seat was instantly kicked
“BOO! You suck Marco!” cried Thatch, kicking the chair again for good measures.
Ace laughed, getting into the passenger seat as Marco started the car and drove
out of the parking lot
“You guys jumped like, a foot in the air!”
“We’ll get you back for this.” promised Izo, narrowing his eyes. Ace turned
around
“Whoah whoah! This is all Marco! You getMarco back for this!”
Haruta laughed, leaning back in his seat “Well well, now it’s not so funny,
isn’t it?”
Ace narrowed his eyes, pointing at the three in the back “Watch it. I’m the
King of Pranks.”
“No. No pranks. Not again. We still haven’t gotten those burn marks off the
wall in the living room!” stated Marco, his voice stern.  Ace huffed
“I bought that nice painting to cover it though!”
“That painting is so fucking ugly, I have no idea why Pops let you put it up”
Izo pretended to throw up, making Thatch laugh
“What! No! It’s awesome!”
“Ace, it’s a black velvet painting of a bull with psychedelic colours!”
reminded Thatch
“Uh, like I said? Awesome?”
“You’re lucky you’re hot Ace, because you have the worst taste in the world.”
explained Izo, waving his hand as if to dismiss Ace
“I do not!”
“Look at what you’re wearing. Seriously. So lucky you’re hot.” pointing out
Izo, looking discouraged
“…Hey, the Captain said that this morning too, actually...” remembered Ace,
frowning. Then he turned to Marco “Do I have shitty taste?”
“Yes. Yes, you really do. Ace, we pick literally the ugliest thing we can in
the store for your birthday presents and you always love it.”
“…those presents are awesome!”
“Weirdly enough, the only time you don’t have shitty taste is with people.”
pointed out Thatch, shoving himself against Izo, who let out a surprised cry,
pushing back
“…wow you guys are assholes.” stated Ace, frowning sharply, crossing his arms
and sinking into his seat
“Hey you asked” replied Marco as he kept driving. Then he frowned, smirking
“Yoi Yoi Yoi, break it up back there! Or I’ll turn this car around!”
Thatch laughed, tickling Izo’s sides as he laughed, squirming “You’ll bring us
back to school? Noo, mom! Don’t bring us back to school!”
“S-Stop it Thatch! M-Mom is g-gonna g-get p-pissed!” replied Izo, laughing.
Haruta just laughed at both of them
“HEY! Why are you calling me mom?!” Marco frowned, not sure how to take it. Ace
snorted
“Good job guys, he didn’t know he was mom until now.”
“Wait – do you guys call me ‘mom’ behind my back?!” asked Marco, eyes narrowing
“Well duh. Pops is Pops and since you take care of all of us, you’re ‘Mom’”
explained Thatch as he stopped tickling Izo who was trying to wipe the tears
out of his eyes
“You’re so lucky I have to redo my face before tonight anyways, Thatch! Or
you’d be dead!” then he smirked at Marco “Like literally everyone calls you
Mom. How did you not know this – or the type of underwear Ace’s new beau wears!
Stop disappointing us, Marco!”
“YEAH!” replied Ace, laughing “You let me down!”
Marco rolled his eyes, turning into a long narrow road “Oh shut up. I’ll rig a
camera in his bedroom just for you, Ace”
Ace’s eyes widen, he was about to say something, then paused “…I don’t think
he’d like me very much if he found out I watched him in private. He seemed like
a very private kind of guy.”
“Oooh you considered it!” accused teasingly Izo, pointing at Ace “Ecchi!!
Hentai!!”
Ace laughed “I’m sorry! I’ll repent!”
“Ah! Then you volunteer to help me undo my hair, fantastic!” replied Izo
singsong-y, grinning
“Oh, you got tricked into that one, Ace” noted Haruta, laughing
Thatch frowned “I thought I always help you out, Izo?”
Izo smiled softly, shaking his head “We’re on a supper tight schedule tonight
and you have supper to make. Ace and I both have to work tonight.”
“Oh? You do Ace?” asked Haruto, leaning forward, against Ace’s seat
“Ah yeah, the Baratie has like, a big party tonight and needed a hand. And you
know me, always willing to do any job that pays under the table.” explained Ace
“Yes, about that dinner. It’s the mayor having a celebratory dinner for the new
cops in town.” added Marco, approaching the big metal gate that limited the
entry to the mansion inside.
“OH?” said Ace excitedly. He didn’t think he’d see the Captain so soon after
“Oho, Ace. I’ll teach you my secrets to find out what kind of underwear a man
is wearing under their clothes just by looking at them” offered Izo, smirking
 
The Whitebeards didn’t all live in the big mansion on Moby Dick lane, but it
was where they all reunited. It was a very isolated house. Only one road
leading to it that was highly monitored. Marco punched the code on the remote
in his car, making the gate open. The house is made of white limestone with
light blue accents. In the car, only Ace didn’t live at the house – well, for
now. It was a multiple story house, surrounded by a giant brick wall and a
metal gate. Access was extremely limited in general but the mansion was easily
spotted from nearly anywhere in town. Newgate Edward wasn’t a man who hid but
he took his privacy very seriously.
Marco pulled up to the front entrance and pulled over, letting everyone out and
then drove to the large garage. Ace sighed, following everyone into the house.
He dreamed of living here so bad. But he wasn’t allowed to until he turned 18,
and it was so frustrating to have Garp attempting to stop him at every turn.
Garp was such a dick.
The boys walked in and immediately took off their footwear. Vista came down the
main staircase, smiling “Oh! You’re all home! Good! Everyone’s almost all here,
Jozu needs to wait for his wife to come and take over for him at the store, but
he’ll be here on time. A few other stragglers will be coming in a bit but
Jozu’s the last division commander we’re waiting on. Everyone should be here on
time”
“They better be.” Said Marco, coming in from the garage “It was Pops that
called the meeting – is he in his office?” asked Marco, taking off his shoes
and putting on a pair of sandals
“Yeah, he’s waiting for you. Haruta! Wanna spar a bit before supper?” asked
Vista grinning. Haruta smiled brightly “Absolutely!”
Thatch put his hand on Izo’s shoulder “I’ll go make dinner, see you guys in a
bit” and then walked off to the kitchen. Izo nodded and then turned to Ace,
expression serious “Upstairs?”
Ace sighed, he knew there was more to this than just helping Izo with his hair.
 
 Before either boy could move, they heard something running towards them. Ace
smiled brightly, dropping to his knees as a small white dog ran up to him
“STEFAN!”
The Sealyham terrier climbed into Ace’s arms as Ace hugged him tight, ruffling
his fur. Ace stood up, carrying Stefan, going up the stairs. Izo laughed
“Sorry Ace, Stefan can’t come with us, with my hair down, he’ll have nowhere to
walk.”
Ace pouted, putting the dog down at the top of the staircase and petting his
head
“We’ll be back together soon, Stefan.” whispered Ace at the dog, making him yip
back in response and trotted away. Izo quickly led them to his room, opening
the door and inviting Ace in.
 
Even though Izo had been living outside of Japan for a few years now, he took
Japan with him with his room. He had the room redone with tatami mats and low
furniture. Izo quickly removed his tunic and slipped out of his palazzo pants
and washed off his makeup. Ace couldn’t stop the smile on his face when he saw
Izo’s tattoos. They were gorgeous.  He had the Whitebeard symbol (the original
design) on both of his arms, but around it, Izo had gotten traditional tattoos
done around them, looking like old Yakuza tattoos. When he wore a kimono, they
didn’t show – otherwise his family would kill him. Ace wish he knew the meaning
behind it all – but he was afraid it was too personal of a thing to ask. Izo
had also gone back to Japan to have them done the traditional way.
 Izo quickly put on the needed undergarments and took out two cushions and
placed them in front of a full-length mirror and a table filled with beauty
supplies and accessories.  He placed the other pillow behind the first one and
kneeled down on the first one. Ace took his seat behind him.
To the side, there was a small television hooked up to a laptop. Izo flipped
the laptop open.
“Want to work on your Japanese while we do this?” offered Izo, opening up a
small side fridge and pulling out a few bottles of water, offering one to Ace,
who gladly accepted it
“Sure, but nothing too hard, I’m kinda fried” explained Ace, grabbing one of
the combs and resettling on the cushion as he watched Izo select a show from a
streaming service
“Chi’s Sweet Home it is then!” picked Izo, leaning back onto the cushion and
started to take out the pins holding his hair in
“That’s the kitten one, right?” asked Ace, slowly undoing the strands of hair.
He’d be dead if he broke any of Izo’s hair
“Mmhmm.” replied Izo, undoing the strands “You don’t need to untease it that
much; I’ll need to put it back up for tonight anyways.”
“Okay, I gotcha.”
They both worked in silence for a while, Ace always in awe when Izo’s hair was
down. It easily went past his feet if he stood up, which was a really
impressive feat considering that Izo was the tallest of their gang at school.
Ace had a hard time dealing with his own hair and it was considerably shorter
than this.
“Are you serious about the Captain?” asked Izo quietly. Ace jumped slightly,
lost in his own thoughts.
“Well, I barely know him” admitted Ace, knowing the topic was going to get to
the Captain
“I’m not judging you or telling you not to.” started Izo, looking down at the
strand he was working on, then he flashed his eyes back up, catching Ace’s gaze
in the mirror “But I do think you need to be very careful. Not only is he a
cop, one that’s renowned for taking down gangs at that, but he is also
considerably older than you. I don’t want you to get hurt in all of this. Older
men can be very cruel and fickle. You don’t have experience dating whatsoever.
I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Ace sighed softly, smiling. For everyone teasing that Marco was the mom,
sometimes Ace swore it was Izo. Izo took Ace’s silence as an opening to
continue
“To him this might just be a fling but I know you, Ace. You’re not the fling
type. You come off as an easy-going guy, but you’re not. You’re very guarded,
very serious and very loyal. If you were to start something with this man, I
can see you getting hurt. And if he hurts you, I’ll have to kill him.”
Ace chuckled softly, still working on the different strands. But he knew very
well that Izo would kill him. He was the best shot out of the entire gang and
was easily one of the country’s best shots. If Izo wanted someone dead – they’d
be dead.
“I’m…not that ahead to be honest. I’m just coasting on the crush for now. But
honestly, what could I possibly have to offer this guy? I’m an off-record kid
in a gang with no real future. That just screams ‘take me home to your
mother’.” explained Ace, sighing
“Oi! Don’t speak badly about yourself!” scolded Izo, frowning “You have a lot
to offer! He’d be a total idiot to turn you down!”
Ace blinked, and then he blushed furiously, looking sheepish. Izo sighed
“I’m just saying that if you’re going to do this, be straightforward and honest
with him. Don’t play games, don’t pretend you’re someone you’re not, don’t try
to hide things. Lay it all out on the table. Let this be an informed risk he’s
taking.” continued Izo as he started to part his hair. “Hold these please, but
separate”
Ace nodded, watching Izo meticulously style his hair in a complex style, asking
Ace to hold parts and then exchanging them for other parts.
“Isn’t this similar to what you had this morning?” asked Ace, watching Izo put
in the hair decorations
“Yep, but I earned the right to wear like this, so I’m going to” explained Izo,
grabbing his makeup off the small table
“Earned?” asked Ace, watching Izo started to put his makeup back on
“Didn’t you remember that my hair was different when we first met?” inquired
Izo, putting on the foundation
“Uh yeah now that you mention it, it was like, rounder?” offered Ace, trying to
put the hair into words, it was complex enough
“Hmm, it was because I hadn’t earned the right to do my hair like this. But now
I have, so I will.” explained Izo “You can go now if you want”
Ace smiled, shaking his head as he leaned back on his hands “Naw, I like
watching you get ready.”
Izo gasped, pretending to be appalled “Hentai!” Ace only laughed
 
A while later they both came down the stairs, Izo looking considerably more put
together with a traditional kimono on and makeup that was more elaborate than
what he had on at school, but Izo swore was simplified to what he would have
been wearing traditionally.
“Oh, you guys are just in time! C’mon! Pops is already at the table!” said
Jozu, walking by, yawning
Ace quickly made his way to the dining room and looked around impressed. It was
rare to see all the members of the Whitebeard reunited like this. Their numbers
were great and getting them all together was nearly impossible. But if Pops
tells you to be there, you’re going to be there. And speaking of Pops, there he
was sitting at the head of the table.
Newgate Edward was a very large, tall man. He was 70 years old but you wouldn’t
know it except for the fact that his hair of his moustache was white. He had a
glass of whiskey in his hand, laughing away as his nurses tried to get him to
not drink it – and falling miserably. Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly
every time he saw him. To Ace, Newgate was his father. He had taken him in at
his absolute worst and taken care of him as a son. Not only that, when Ace had
told him he was Roger’s son - he didn’t care. Ace owes everything to him.
Ace quickly took his seat and started to dig into dinner.  Dinners at the
Whitebeard mansion were always really fun – with loud conversations, booming
laughter and lots of food and drinks to go around. But once dinner was done,
the mood instantly grew serious.
“My dear sons, we have a problem.” started Whitebeard, lying back in his chair
“For some reason, underneath our noses, Grand Line High has a new principal.
Usually this wouldn’t be an issue, but the scumbag they assigned the role is
Sakazuki Akainu.”
Ace could hear a collective sound of outrage and disbelief. But when he looked
around the room, it was mostly the older members of the gang who responded to
the name.
“For you whelps, who have never heard of Sakazuki, he’s a piece of shit Marine
that used to work under the World Government and he’s easily the biggest
shitball you’ll ever meet. He’s underhanded, manipulative, two-faced asshole
who will burn anyone and everyone to further his own career. The man has no
sense of honor or dignity and will stoop to any level to get what he wants.
That said.” started Whitebeard, frowning sharply “What bothers me though is why
he’s currently a high school principal. Last I heard he was still kissing ass
with the World Government.”
“He still has files with them” started Marco, flipping through his ipad “But I
wasn’t able to crack any of them open for now. But I’ll keep working on them”
Whitebeard smiled, laughing “GURARARARA! That’s my son! I expect nothing less
of you! But all of yoube careful. If he’s in Goa, he’s here for a reason and
he’ll stop at nothing to get to it. Also, Ace, I’ve told that you’re going to
be a server at the Mayor’s dinner tonight at the Baratie?”
Ace nodded, telling himself to not be surprised that Pops knew “Yeah?”
“Good, I’ll need you to come to my office with me. I need to discuss what I
need you to do tonight, understood?”  Whitebeard then stood up with Marco,
grabbing his much refilled glass of whiskey and both headed out of the room
“Meeting dismissed, carry on with your nights, boys!”
Ace smiled, nodding “You know it!” then he took a piece of cake from the table
and stuffed it in his mouth and jumped out of his chair, running after
Whitebeard
“That’s it, Ace! Practice breathing through your nose when something is stuffed
in your mouth!” cried out Izo after him, making everyone laugh
Ace smirked, flipping him off as he walked out of the room, making the laughter
roar even harder
 
 
Ace followed Whitebeard and Marco back to the office on the third floor. The
room was huge, decorated to look like a massive library with a giant white desk
in the middle of the room with small office to the side. Whitebeard sat down in
the chair behind the desk and Marco sat perched on the edge of the desk, Ace
merely stood in front, feeling nervous.
“Relax boy.” started Whitebeard “I’m not gonna punish you or anything, we just
have to talk. Does Sakazuki’s name meaning anything to you?”
Ace frowned, shaking his head “No? Not particularly?”
“Well it should. He was extremely aggressive about the execution of Roger and
his kin.” explained Whitebeard. Ace could feel the colour disappearing from his
face.
“You mean-“
“I think he’s here for you.” stated Whitebeard bluntly; Ace could feel his
knees buckle, the room was starting to spin as well
“Ace, sit down, man.” offered Marco, speaking softly. Ace nodded, pulling up a
chair and sat down.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this, boy. I think he figured out that Roger’s
child is alive and well and pinpointed him to this city. Now, I don’t know if
he knows it’s you, or he just thinks that it’s someone at your school. So,
until you turn 18, try to stay out of his hair. The statute of limitation for
your arrest and execution expires then and even if he does figure out it’s you,
he won’t be able to do anything” explained Whitebeard sighing “Lucky for you
though, you’re the splitting image of your mother and look nothing like that
bastard, Roger.”
Ace nodded, his mind whirling. Akainu had looked straight at him though!
Chances are he knew – but how?! The pool of people who knew the truth was so
limited – Garp?! Could it have been Garp?! But why would the man have taken
responsibility for him for nearly 18 years if he was just going to sell him out
in the end? It made no sense?
“Boy.” Whitebeard called out, pulling Ace out of his thoughts “Get a hold of
yourself. We will do anything and everything in our power to make sure he
doesn’t get you – understood? On that note though –“then Whitebeard smirked “-
have a thing for the new police chief, eh?”
Ace turned completely red, angry as he glared at Marco, jaw dropped “YOU BIG
MOUTHED PIECE OF SHIT!”
Marco burst out laughing, leaning back and falling on the desk, clutching his
stomach
Whitebeard laughed along, slapping his knee. Of course he found it hilarious!
“I-I won’t, I won’t let it, I-I” oh god, Ace couldn’t even get the words out
because he was so humiliated! Marco was a dead man!
“Relax boy, I don’t question your loyalty. I wanted to let you know that if you
wish to pursue this, I give you permission.”
Ace blinked, shocked “Wha-?!”
Marco snapped forward, turning to Whitebeard, shocked as well “What?”
Whitebeard nodded, smiling “I know Chase Smoker very well. Honestly I’ll be
surprised if that old hardass even gives you the time of day. But, if he does
for whatever reason, I trust Ace to not jeopardize us in any way.”
Ace smiled softly, flattered by the trust Pops had in him.
“But for tonight, I want you to keep an eye on the conversations around the
table. Now, I don’t think anything relevant or productive will really happen at
the dinner, but just in case. That mayor is a real fool. The Captain will try
to bring forward things, but the Mayor I highly doubt it, but just in case” Ace
nodded, he was planning listen-in on them anyways. And he knew Sabo and Koala
would too.
“Alright, now get going, Thatch is going to give you and Izo both a ride. You
mustn’t be late” continued Whitebeard, waving his hand to dismiss Ace. Ace
quickly thanked Pops for his time and stepped out, heading down the stairs
where Izo and Thatch were quietly discussing among themselves at the door. They
broke apart to look at Ace, Thatch smiling and Izo raising a brow
 
“You’re not getting changed?” asked Izo as Ace walked up to them
“Naw. They give you the full uniform over there.” explained Ace, grabbing his
bag that he left at the door
“You guys ready to serve some people tonight?” asked Thatch, opening up the
garage door
“Pfft, get out of here” replied Izo, walking through the door and Ace following
behind
Thatch walked up to his car, laughing as he unlocked the doors, opening the
door for Izo to get in. Ace smiled, it was always kinda really funny how
borderline helpless Izo became once he had everything on. Ace was sure he could
manage anyways, he was Izo after all, but Thatch just loved to help him. Thatch
once said that Izo looked like royalty all dolled up. Ace got into the backseat
since he was the first one to get off as Thatch got into the driver’s seat
“Will you need a ride home?” asked Thatch, hitting the clicker to open the
garage door
“Naw. I’ll be getting out much later anyways. Usually I’m there at least until
like, 10pm or 11, I’ll just huff it home myself.” explained Ace, closing his
eyes and leaning back in his seat
“Alright, if you’re sure.” replied Thatch, driving out of the yard
Ace decided to try and catch a bit of shut eye – he had a long night ahead of
himself and he wanted the giant ball of anxiety in his stomach to go away.
Chapter End Notes
     STEFAN IS CANON AND THAT’S ALL THAT COUNTS!
     Profile here! http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Stefan
     Next week we’re going to Law and we’re gonna find out why he got mad
     at Bonney! Also heads up – I’m going to try to update on time next
     week but I’ll be gone to a con the whole weekend – but it seems that
     you can time something to be posted at a certain time – so I’m going
     to try that! If not – Tuesday morning for sure!
***** - LAW – New Rule – All Potential Step-Parents MUST Be Older Than Me! (So
Fuck Off!) *****
Chapter Notes
     YEESS! Made it on time! Now we find out why Law was so mad in
     detention!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Laws was ticked off.
On one hand, he understood why he had detention – on the other hand; this was
total bullshit.
Soon after his last class of the day ended, he had presented himself at the
office, where the secretary had led him to an empty classroom besides the
office. Bepo asked the secretary if he could join detention too because they
were leaving together anyways, but Miss Viola was in the office and she had
chased him away and told him to wait in the quad.  Law had quickly taken a seat
near the back and pulled out his homework. This was what people did in
detention, right?
Honestly Law was rather surprised that he even had homework on the first day,
but most of it was merely readings. Soon enough, Luffy barreled into the
classroom and sat right behind Law
“Hey Torao!”
“I’m doing homework and so should you.” stated Law, not looking away from his
workbook. Luffy chuckled, taking out his own workbook
“I was gonna! After me and my friends are going to go hang out at Zoro’s house
after, do you wanna come?”
Law frowned, still looking at his book. Why was he inviting him over to his
friend’s house? They just met!
“No thank you, I have plans tonight”
“Yeah, a date with his right hand” stated a girl who walked into detention and
sat down beside him. Law lifted a brow at the girl, frowning. He was sure he’s
seen her around.
“I’m left handed.”
The girl blinked and then burst out laughing, taking out a box of Milk Duds out
of her pocket and started eating them
“Nice response. Name’s Bonney Jewelry! Haven’t seen you around, good looking?
Where have you been hiding?”
“I’m trying to do homework?” replied Law; he was not getting in trouble again!
Before Bonney could say another work, a teacher burst into the classroom. Was
he wearing a speedo?!
 
“Hello dudes and dudettes! Gotta say, I am super impressed that you guys
managed to get detention on the very first day of school. Like, was this
something you set out to do or anything? Anyways, bad news guys, I really
didn’t think someone would actually be in detention so I set up a few
conference calls, so I gotta bounce right back to my office, but I’ll check up
on your guys, just, try to behave okay and everything will go SUPER!”
And then the teacher left
Law stared stunned, not sure how to handle the hurricane that just came into
the class. But he shrugged and went right back into his work.
 
Time passed before suddenly Law was shaken out of his thoughts by screaming –
at him.
“LAW! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HAVE DETENTION ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL!”
Law jumped out of his seat and looked towards the door- holy shit, it was Cora
and he looked pissed!
“Hey! This is your fault!”
Technically it was – but this was clearly the wrong thing to say, because Cora
looked almost offended at the accusation
“What the hell do you mean by that?! Don’t pin this on me!”
Shit. Okay. Time to diffuse the situation. Bepo!
 
“It IS your fault! Did you meet up with Bepo? He’d probably in the quad.”
 
Cora blinked. Yes! It worked! “I didn’t see him in the quad?”
 
“He probably went to the bathroom. He tried to sit here with us to work on his
homework, but Miss Viola didn’t let him.”
 
Cora was about to respond, but the secretary returned, standing beside Cora
“Mister Trafalgar, Miss Viola would like to see you now.”
 
Cora nodded, thanking the secretary and turned back to Law. And tension
diffused. If Cora was a subject you studied – he’d have a PHD. “You’re done
here soon right?”
 
Law nodded “Yeah, about 10 minutes left.”  Cora gave Law the okay gesture and
turned to follow the secretary
 
Law sighed in relief and went back to his reading. There was a moment of
silence until Bonney spoke up
“Was that really tall guy your dad?”
Law frowned, looking away from his book and glared at Bonney – why did she keep
bothering him?!
“No, random people like to come yell at me in detention – of course that’s my
dad!”
“He’s awfully young. What is he? In his late 20’s”
Law growled – he knew she wouldn’t shut up unless she got an answer
“He’s 28.”
“Did he have you at like, 13 or something? Like holy shit.”
“Yeah, the white guy with blonde hair and hazel eyes is my biological dad, how
did you know?” As if his tan skin, grey eyes and black hair wasn’t a dead
giveaway or anything. Someone was clearly failing biology.
“Hey man, maybe you’re mixed or something, I was trying not to assume shit”
“No. He adopted me.”
 
Bonney stayed quiet. Law exhaled, enjoying the peace and quiet before she spoke
up again
 
“Hey. Do you need a stepmom?”
 
Law could see his vision getting red. No fucking away is she going anywhere
NEAR Cora!
“YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!”
“Che, touchy touchy” muttered Bonney as she kept playing a game on her phone,
popping a piece of candy in her mouth.
There was silence for a moment longer until once again
“Soo…is your dad like…proportionate everywhere? I need to know…for science.”
 
Law stood up, slamming his book down on the desk as he stood up in front of
Bonney’s desk and slammed his hand down on the desk, pointing at her with the
other as she started laughing
“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP, I WILL BEAT YOU WITH THIS DESK!”
 
“WHAT THE HELL?! I JUST WENT TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT WITH YOUR TEACHER AND NOW
YOU’RE THREATENING THIS POOR GIRL?!”
Oh god no.
 
After an awkward scene in the school and a long ride home – they finally made
it back to their home.  Law groaned the second he walked in. Now that he was
home, he just wanted to take his clothes off, get in a comfy t-shirt and boxer
and relax for the rest of the night. Law always hated pit stops like this –
even when he lived with his biological family. On the bright side, Cora didn’t
seem too happy himself, muttering away about where he put their nice shoes.
“Do we have to go to this?” asked Law, frowning as he took off his shoes at the
door
“Yeah. Otherwise there’s no food in the food because I haven’t had the chance
to do groceries yet. So you’d both be shit out of luck for supper.” explained
Cora, unbuttoning his uniform shirt and slipping it off.  It was always kind of
hard to see how littered with scars Cora was – especially since –
“Oh! Cora! Law told me the other day that he stabbed you once! Did it leave a
scar?” Law couldn’t believe how childishly curious Bepo look as he asked that.
Cora merely chuckled and started running his left hand down his back, his
fingers carefully following along, looking for the scar
“This is the entry scar” started Cora as Bepo looked at it amazed. Personally
it just made Law feel super bad.  Then Cora moved his fingers to his chest,
pointing to another scar “And this is the exit scar!”
“Law stabbed right through you?!” asked Bepo amazed. Why the hell wasn’t he
disturbed damnit?!
“Yeah, but don’t worry – personally I was impressed a ten year old had such
force!” explained Cora, smiling brightly and laughing “It was okay though. I
completely understood why he did it.”
Law frowned. He didn’t want this conversation to happen. Law huffed, turning
and making his way quickly up the stairs, slamming the door as he went into his
room. Law threw himself on his bed, closing his eyes. He knew that Cora wasn’t
mad about him stabbing Cora – especially with his drunken, sobbing confession
that one night. But he felt awful about it. When he had told Bepo, it was
because he didn’t want them to have any secrets, but he never expected it to be
brought up so casually. Law knew that it was probably for the best that it was
brought up. It happened and they shouldn’t pretend it didn’t. But he hadn’t
expected it to upset him so much. Why was this upsetting him so much?!
“Law, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t want me to mention it.”
Law looked up from where his face was splattered against his pillows. He didn’t
even hear Bepo come in
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t think it would bother me this much” explained Law, no
sense beating around the bush
“I should have realized it though” started Bepo, coming into the room, sitting
on the bed and hugging Law. “You’re kinda sensitive when it comes to Cora.”
Law turned bright red. Holy shit, he was. Fuck.
“Urgh, whatever” grunted Law, leaning into the hug. Bepo gave nice warm hugs.
“Sorry to disrupt this scene but-“started Cora, smiling sheepishly as he held
up two pairs of nice shoes. Law’s were black and white oxfords and Bepo’s were
only black. Law couldn’t help but smile back softly
“I’m not mad…or upset…anymore” said Law quietly, not breaking the hug with Bepo
Cora sighed, smiling and sitting down on the bed besides the boys “I figured,
just brought up memories, huh?”
Law puffed out his cheeks, now a little embarrassed and shifted Bepo towards
Cora, who tipped over and fell in Cora’s arms. Cora laughed, holding both boys
“You could have just said you wanted a hug!”
They were silent for a while, then Cora sighed again “We have to get ready if
we’re going to be there in time.”
“I guess” muttered Law, eyes closed and enjoying the warmth
“I’m sorry about sushi! I really wanted to go too! I looked around and
apparently Foxfire Sushi is the best place in town too! But I called them today
and made a reservation for Friday and we’ll have the fancy room with the
tatamis and it’s gonna be g-“
“Cora. Stop. It’s okay. You’re taking me to a fancy fish place.” explained Law
Cora paused, and then laughed, embarrassed “Haha yeah, I guess so.”
“Just wish I could go in jeans.”
“They don’t let you in if you’re in jeans”
Then Cora paused, turning to leave, but then turned back “…Law, why were you
mad in detention?”
Law sighed – no point in hiding it now “She asked if I needed a step mom and
then asked if you’re completely proportionate”
Bepo started to howl in laughter and Law watched as Cora turned completely red
“W-WHAT?! T-That’s so fresh of her! She is a child! A child!”
“It’s why I told her to fuck off!”
“Cora you’re all red!” remarked Bepo, pointing at Cora who started to rub his
face, trying to get the red out
“Okay! Enough of that! Get ready! Get ready! We’re running late!” and then the
very embarrassed Cora left the room – but not before running into the door
frame
There was silence in the room before Bepo and Law restarted laughing
“Did she really?” asked Bepo, wiping the tears out of his eyes
“Yeah, it was beyond awkward – I don’t want to think about Cora’s dick size?!”
“THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE YOU GUYS GETTING READY!” howled Cora from his room.
Law could hear in his voice how embarrassed he was.
Both boys burst out laughing.
 
All three of them after quickly got dressed and washed up. Earlier this year,
Cora had to get a few suits custom made due to his size and decided to get one
done for both of his sons. Law borderline thought it was ridiculous since both
he and Bepo were growing – but Cora insisted. Saying that they never knew when
they needed a suit and appearances were important. When Cora spoke like that,
Law always wondered if he was parroting his parents, Sengoku or his brother.
Nether less, Law really liked his suit. It fit him really well. It was black
with a yellow lining inside. Law wore a yellow dress shirt with it with the top
buttons undone and a loose black tie. Bepo came out of his room in an orange
suit with a white dress shirt and a matching orange bowtie and black vest. Law
smirked – man they were lucky at how flexible Cora was with their colour
choices.  Cora soon came out of his room in a normal black suit with a dark
pink tie – Law frowned.
“Hey! You’re seriously dressing normal?”
Cora eeped and shrunk down slightly “I…I figured this would be a safe choice
for work. You guys look awesome though!”
Law sighed. That made sense.
Cora quickly shooed them out the door and into the car, claiming that they were
running late and had to go. It didn’t take them too long to get to the Baratie.
Oddly enough, for a place downtown, it had a huge parking lot that was more or
less already full
“Whoah, this is insanely busy for a Monday night, don’t you think?” commented
Cora, getting out of the car
 
“This place is always like this.”
 
They all turned towards the sound of the voice and found Smoker, leaning
against the wall smoking a cigar. He was dressed in a grey suit with a dark
blue dress shirt and a tie that matched the blazer. Smoker looked beyond
annoyed as he kept working on his cigar and Tashigi stood beside him, smiling.
“Good evening, Rosinante!”
Tashigi was wearing a knee length purple dress with a square neckline and short
sleeves. The skirt of the dress poofed out a bit - it made her look
considerably younger than she was. Law personally thought that the two of them
looked like father and daughter.
“Ah Tashigi! You look really cute!” remarked Cora, walking up to the two
Tashigi turned bright red at the compliment, surprised “A-Ah thank you! You
look great too! Are those your sons?”
“No Tashigi, he just picked up two teenage boys in suits on the side of the
road” remarked Smoker, making Tashigi eep
Law smirked. Oh. He liked this one.
Cora laughed sheepishly “Yes, these are my boys. This is Law and this is Bepo!”
Tashigi smiled, sticking out his hand, offering it to both of them “Hello! I’m
Tashigi and this is –“
“Call me Smoker.”
“Ah-This is Captain Smoker!”
Bepo shook her hand and Law shook his head, and then nodded at her. Nope.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, Law doesn’t shake hand” pointed out Cora. Tashigi quickly removed her hand
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” exclaimed Tashigi, retracting her hand
“Did you guys go in yet?” asked Cora, looking at his two colleagues
“Nope. I’m going to finish smoking this before I have to go deal with that
lunatic.” commented Smoker, looking exasperated at his almost finished cigar
“The mayor?” asked Cora, lifting a brow. Law smiled a bit – sounds like this
night will be interesting
“Yeah…” started Tashigi, looking to the side “The mayor is…special.”
“There is no way that man got elected legally.” stated Smoker, putting out his
cigar stub against the wall “Guess it’s time. C’mon.”
They all made their way inside of the Baratie. Law looked around shocked. The
place was gorgeous. And it was completely packed! The restaurant had two levels
and the second, upper level was a bit more isolated, so Law figured it was for
private parties
 
“Hello! Welcome to the Baratie! Do you have a reservation?”
Law blinked, looking at the petite girl in front of him. Even though the girl
was of small stature, something told him not to fuck with her.
“We’re with the Mayor’s party” replied Smoker, looking despaired. The girl
chuckled
“The Mayor isn’t here yet, but I can show you to your seats” She grabbed a few
menus and led them all to the upper level. Law’s jaw dropped.
The seating arrangement was – weird. It was a long table but in the middle, the
chair that should be there was red velvet lounge chair.
“What the fuck is that” stated Smoker, pointing at the chair. Thank god someone
said it.
“Apparently the mayor especially asked for that chair and had it sent over.”
explained the girl, waving her hand dismissing it
Law stared at the girl, shocked, and then back at the chair – what kind of
conceited son of a bitch brings his own fucking chair to a restaurant??
Smoker rolled his eyes, already looking beyond done and sat down in one of the
chairs “Are you going to be one of our servers? I need a drink.”
The girl shook his head “Alas, no. Your two especially chosen servers will be
here shortly!” and then she headed out
Law took his seat as far away as possible with Bepo sitting to his side and
Cora on the other side of him. Tashigi sat across from Cora and Smoker besides
Cora. Soon enough, two servers appeared, decked in black suits and white gloves
carrying trays of glasses and water pitchers
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be your servers for tonight. If you
need anything from us, please let us know. I am Sabo and this is Ace. We will
be at your disposal all night.”
Ace smirked, bedroom eyes locking with the group, but especially the captain
“For whateveryou might need.”
Law could see the colour draining from the Captain’s face – what was this?
Tashigi stifled a laugh, putting her hand in front of the mouth.
“Oh- you’re Ace!” stated Cora, smiling brightly, looking beyond amused
Law smirked, maybe tonight will be more interesting then he thought
Chapter End Notes
     Ahh! So slightly odd convo from Bepo’s part – but I figured if I
     heard that kind of story, I’d want more details myself! Also it was a
     way for Bepo to let Cora know that he knew about the story too - but
     they're fumbling around. And I wanted to show the openness they have
     a family! Also Law and Bepo’s suits were taken from the new year
     pin’s from the Mugiwara shop!
***** –ACE- There’s a Secret Menu Just For You! *****
Chapter Notes
     Updating a little early because tomorrow's going to be a busy day!
     Are you all excited to find out who the mayor is?
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
Ace got out of the car and waved goodbye to Thatch who then drove away with
Izo.  He walked up to the Baratie main door and saw Koala and Sabo talking on
the side of the restaurant. They both stopped talking and waved to Ace who
jogged up to them
“Hey guys! Didn’t go in yet?”
Koala shook her head “Nope, we never worked here, so it would be weird if we
just walked in”
“Ahhh makes sense, c’mon, let’s go inside”
 
Ace led Koala and Sabo to a side door and they quietly walked in. It led them
to a small room behind the kitchen and Ace could hear the kitchen already
bustling. He sighed – it always smelled so good at the Baratie
“Oh you’re here, good!”
Ace smiled at Sanji who was coming out of the kitchen in his white chef’s
blouse. Sanji then smiled brightly
“OH! Is this Koala?! She’s such a beauty! I’m blessed to have such a vision in
front of me!”
Koala lifted a brow, confused “What?”
Ace laughed, putting his arms around Sabo and Koala “Yep! This is Koala, so
we’re ready to serve at this fine restaurant!”
 
“You asked Ace again?”
Ace turned around and saw Zeff behind him, looking grumpy. Ace smirked “Did you
not want me?”
“Considering this is a supper for the mayor, you know as much as I do that we’d
need you. But what about these two – can they hack it?” asked Zeff, eyeing Sabo
and Koala
“Sabo and I grew up together in Grey Terminal.” explained Ace, gesturing to
Sabo “And Koala can take him.”
Sabo and Koala looked at Ace confused, wondering where he was going with this.
Zeff grunted in approval as he turned to look at Sanji
“Good choices, Eggplant.” Then Zeff gestured to a back room “C’mon, we’ll get
you set up in your waiter’s uniforms. Little lady, I hope you don’t mind being
a hostess but we need someone who can hold themselves up-front”
Koala nodded, smiling “I’m on it!”
Zeff then took out a uniform with a dress shirt and a black fitted vest and a
full black skirt and handed it to Koala
“This should fit you.”
Koala took the outfit and turned around and went towards the bathroom to get
changed. Zeff then handed two waiter uniforms to Sabo and Ace
“Now you boys will be handling the special guests exclusively. Give them
whatever they want within reason and be ready to interfere with anything that
happens. Your priority is the restaurant and the food.”
Sabo raised a brow again as he took his uniform and turned to Ace. Ace merely
chuckled
“The Baratie is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – I’ll explain everything when
we get dressed.”
Zeff handed Ace his uniform and nodded, turning away and going back to the
kitchen.
Ace smirked; this was going to be fun.
 
Ace, Sabo and Koala quickly got dressed. Koala got a quick lesson about the
seating schedule for the evening and her chores at the front. Ace and Sabo went
to go set up the table for the event and Koala quickly went to join them,
insisting she could help.
“Oh, by the way, he sent a chair over.”
The trio turned around to look at Sanji, who was carrying a red velvet lounge
chair with Patty. Ace burst out laughing, shocked as he went to grab the chair
with Sabo from the two of them
“He said he wants to be seated in the middle of the table” explained Sanji,
looking fed up. Ace only laughed
“So, how many demands has he made so far?”
“Uurrgghh don’t even ask, the asshole kept calling and calling and urrgghh – he
made us vacuum the carpet three times, using products he asked for, so that it
smells exactly like he wants it to”
Ace laughed again, patting Sanji on the shoulder. Sanji then turned around and
went back to the kitchen. Ace blinked, spotting Koala and Sabo playing with the
lounge chair.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Checking the quality of this chair” explained Koala, smiling
Ace frowned, okay?
 
They quickly set up the table and Sabo and Ace went to hang out in the dressing
station, checking where all the materials are and getting a quick rundown from
Sanji about their jobs. But until their guests arrived – they didn’t have much
to do so Sabo and Ace went to go sit in the back of the upper level.
“Do you work here often?” asked Sabo, leaning in his chair
“Umm, here and there. They pay under the table and it’s never dull work.”
explained Ace, looking around
Sabo smirked “What are you looking for?”
“Umm…Marco tipped me off that this dinner was for the mayor to celebrate the
new police officers?”
Sabo smiled brightly “Are you telling me that your crush is coming tonight?!
Oooh how exciting!”
 
“What’s exciting?” they both looked down and saw Koala who was looking up at
them
“Hey! Shouldn’t you be hostessing?!” asked Ace, clearly trying to deflect
“Ace’s crush is coming tonight!”
“TURNCOAT!”
“Oooh the police captain is coming tonight? How fun! I’m excited to see what
Ace’s into”
“No! You have a big mouth Sabo!” cried Ace, turning red
“Holy shit, it’s happening!” replied Sabo, excited at Ace’s blushing
“Ohh, the famous full-body blush! I’m so blessed tonight” replied Koala,
laughing
Ace wanted to die! Curse his friends! Ace shook his head, trying to make the
blush go away.
“You can both shut up now!” replied Ace, hiding his face in his hands. But
before anyone could say anything else, Sanji came up the stairs
“Zeff said he spotted the Captain and a few of the other guests outside, so get
ready. Mayor’s nowhere in sight yet, but he’s usually late”
Koala went back to the hostess stand right away and Sabo and Ace went to the
kitchen to grab a tray with a pitcher of water and glasses
“Ready?” asked Sabo, grinning
“I should have left you in the forest” mumbled Ace, grabbing his tray, only
making Sabo laughed
“Alright, let’s do this!”
 
They waited on the side, watching the guests file in and sit down. After Koala
left, they quickly made their way to the table
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be your servers for tonight. If you
need anything from us, please let us know. I am Sabo and this is Ace. We will
be at your disposal all night.”
Ace smirked, bedroom eyes locking with the group, but especially the captain
“For whateveryou might need.”
The tall cop laughed, Rosinante was it? “Oh you’re Ace!”
Ace chuckled, putting a glass down in front of the man “I see my reputation
precedes me”
Rosinante laughed “Bellemere told me about you”
Ace laughed at that, giving a glass to Bepo and Law “Only good things, I hope!”
Rosinante snorted “So far!”
Ace chuckled and his sight locked back on the Captain. The man looked nervous
out of nowhere for a reason.
“Oh! Officer Tashigi! That dress looks really pretty on you!” noted Ace,
pouring her a glass of water
“Why thank you, Ace! It was a present!” explained Tashigi smiling
“From who?” asked Smoker, suspicious
“Hina?” answered Tashigi, slightly confused at the Captain’s reaction
“Hina gave you a dress?”
“Yes? She said she saw it in the store and thought it was perfect for me!
Wasn’t that nice of her?” explained Tashigi, smiling
“…You better be careful, Tashigi.” muttered Smoker, taking a drink of his water
“Huh?!” cried out Tashigi, completely confused at what just happened. Ace
swallowed his urge to laugh. Who the hell was this Hina?
“Hina? Like, Black Cage Hina?” asked Rosinante, taking a sip of water
“Oh yeah! I forgot that you were in the Marines as well! Yeah, that Hina”
stated Tashigi
“You guys are friends with her? I always wanted to talk to her, but she’s kinda
scary. I saw her use a few cadets as a chair once” explained Rosinante, causing
Law and Bepo to look at him horrified
“The worst part, is those poor saps probably asked her if they could be her
chair.” noted Smoker, looking slightly disgusted “I see men falling over stupid
over her on a regular basis.”
Ace frowned slightly. He wasn’t sure what to make of what just happened.
Because either it was great news because the Captain didn’t seem to be one of
those men falling over this Hina stupid – but on the other hand, it could be
because he’s her boyfriend so that’s why he isn’t effected by any of this?
“Boy.” started Smoker, gesturing to Ace. Ace hmphs, guess he was back to boy
“Yes, Captain?” asked Ace, smirking
“Give me glass of whiskey please, don’t care which, just make sure it’s
strong.”
Ace nodded “Coming right up!” and headed towards the kitchen
“I’ll take the rest of your drink orders” offered Sabo, trying to not chuckle
as Ace ran off
 
Ace turned into the kitchen, spotting Sanji. Sanji turned around, raising a
brow
“Best whiskey?” asked Ace, pointing towards the liquor cellar
“First bottle on the right of the whiskeys” replied Sanji, working on a sauté
sauce “Any food orders yet?”
“No, just drinks” replied Ace
“Okay, has he arrived yet?”
“Nope, not yet” answered Ace as he went into the liquor cellar, taking the
indicated bottle and quickly fixing the Captain his drink. When he was about to
deliver it, Sabo passed him, smirking
“Could you be flirting more with the Captain?”
Ace blinked, confused
“Huh?”
But Sabo was already gone, himself in the cellar. Ace shrugged, getting back to
the table and giving the Captain his drink.
“Here you are”
“Thank you.” Smoker took a small sip and nodded “Good stuff.”
Ace was about to reply when suddenly the front door slammed open
 
“Ahhhh~! What a long day! Interrupted from my nap for a stupid dinner party.”
“You planned this, sir.”
“Are you contradicting me?” asked the man, eyes narrowing. The other man shook
head
“I would never!!”
“Good.”
Ace watched as Koala went around the stand and smiled brightly at the Mayor and
his party
“Mayor Eneru Kami! What an absolute pleasure to have you here tonight! May I
lead you to your seat?” asked Koala, never breaking her massive smile
Eneru looked at her, and then cocked his head “Hmmm. Aren’t you a tiny thing,
why I could squish you like a bug. Wouldn’t it be fun to try?”
Ace tensed up. This could get ugly fast!
Koala merely smiled “If you did that sir, who would bring you to your seat?”
Eneru blinked and then burst out laughing “YAHAHAHAHA! I like you! Alright
little bug, bring me to my seat!”
Ace exhaled, good. Mayor Eneru was…something. Nobody has any idea where he came
from – one day; he just took over as Mayor while the former one was shamed out
of office. Eneru was one arrogant son of a bitch, but in Eneru’s defense, at
least he was honest about how awful he was. He also had a great sense of style
in Ace’s opinion – it’s bold to wear that much gold jewelry and to button up
only one buttons of a dress shirt.
Koala led him to the table and Eneru quickly kicked off his sandals, revealing
his golden toe rings and plopped down in his seat.
 
“Where’s the booze? What kind of service is this?” whined Eneru leaning back as
his associates sat around him.
“Did he…just…” started Tashigi, looking scandalized at Eneru
“Hello Mayor Eneru! My name is Ace and I’ll be your server today with my
brother Sabo over here!  Can I start you off with a drink?” cut in Ace, talking
loudly to cover over Tashigi. Clearly this was the first time she ever dealt
with Eneru
“Hmm, I’ll have apple cider. Didn’t this information get sent to you?” mused
Eneru, looking annoyed
“It did, but I wanted to double check in case you changed your mind.” explained
Ace, bowing slightly
Eneru chuckled, clearly amused “Go fetch my drink, little fox. You’re not
fooling anyone.” Then he turned, looking at Sabo “You. Get me food for the
table, I’m hungry and annoyed.”
Sabo also nodded, quickly catching up to Ace
 
“What the fuck?!”
Ace started to laugh, preparing the Mayor’s drink as Sabo collected the fruit,
vegetable and meat platters that had already been prepared by the kitchen
“He arrived, huh?” asked Zeff, looking at them from across the kitchen
“Yeah, like the piece of shit he is!” replied Ace, putting a tiny umbrella in
the drink. Ace knew they amused the mayor “Called Koala a little bug and
threatened to squash her – but she handled it like a boss.”
“How are you not surprised by any of this?” asked Sabo, shocked
Ace shrugged and smirked “They always call me in to deal with the Mayor. But
just you wait; we’re in for one exciting night”
Chapter End Notes
     SURPRISE!! ENERU’S THE MAYOR! Clearly I’ve had this planned from the
     beginning! Haha!
***** – LAW – Clearly You Were Raised in A Barn! (This Is Gross, So Gross)
*****
Chapter Notes
     A lot of you seemed to have been shocked at my choice of Mayor! But
     that’s what makes it fun, right? Also the idea of Law being a
     borderline germ freak is very inspired by Law in One Piece Party!
     (which is supper funny if you haven’t had a chance to read it)
     ALSO! Bonus! I did a sketch of what Eneru’s wearing and posted it at
     the end of the chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
Law just stared at the mayor.
How was this abomination of a man even the mayor of a city?!
Law’s eyes shot down to Eneru’s bare feet and he wanted to throw up
WHO THE HELL TOOK OFF THEIR SHOES AT THE DINNER TABLE AT A RESTORANT?!
Not only that, what was he even wearing?!
He had on the weirdest patterned dress pants Law had even seen and so much gold
jewellery?! And a bandana on his head?! Wasn’t this a nice place?!
Law’s eyes shifted to the left to meet with Bepo’s, who looked just as
horrified, and then they both shifted their gaze towards Cora
Who was just sipping his water as if he didn’t care?!
Cora shifted slightly and took his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed
out a message on his phone and set it down on Law’s lap, turning towards the
Mayor and introducing himself and the two boys
Law blinked, looking down surprised at the phone
 
KEEP ALL COMMENTS TO YOURSELF, LAW. I SWEAR TO GOD.  THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN
DOFFY.
 
Law snorted, a smirk soon growing on his face. He did have a point there.  But
the feet thing was still super gross.
 
Sabo and Ace soon returned with platters of food for everyone. Law quickly took
a small plate and filled it up with things he knew that all three of them would
enjoy. He set the plate down in front of himself, knowing that neither Bepo nor
Cora would be shy to pick it out of the plate.
“Ace is being like, super flirty with the Captain” whispered Bepo, leaning
close to Law as he took a grape off the plate.
Law lifted a brow. Now that Bepo mentioned it – whenever the Captain asked for
anything of Ace, Ace would lean in real close, his voice would drop slightly
and he would do bedroom eyes at the Captain. Wasn’t the man like, too old for
him? But it was interesting to see, when he usually spotted Ace, the other
seemed in control of his action but now, it was like Ace was almost throwing
himself at the Captain. 
 
“And what would you like to eat?”
Law blinked, distracted from his thoughts and looked up at Sabo, who lifted a
brow. Then Sabo frowned, pointing at Law
“Oh! I know you! You’re the guy who was sent in the hallway with Luffy today”
Law blinked slowly, then his eyes widen. Shit! “Y-Yeah?”
Why was he suddenly scared of this guy?!
Sabo’s frown quickly turned into a warm smile “Sorry my brother’s such a
handful, but he does mean well”
Law exhaled, feeling a little better. At least the guy wasn’t mad at him. Then
he grabbed the menu he was given earlier and pointed at one of the items
“I’d like the pepper-honey cedar planked salmon please, and with the pilaf
rice”
“Oooh, that sounds good! Put me down for one of those too!” exclaimed Bepo,
Sabo nodded
“You got it! Two salmons coming right up – and to drink?”
“Ah, I’m good with water.” answered Law and then he turned towards Cora who had
probably the biggest forced smile Law had even seen him with as Cora listened
to the Mayor talk
 
“And then, you know that little natives tribe? What are they called again, oh
yes, the Shandians, anyways, they’re all mad at me right now because I took
their land to build myself a giant gazebo and a pool to my house! And they keep
threatening me as if I’m scared of a bunch of gnats!”
Law could feel the rage overwhelming him as he went to stand up to tell the
Mayor off – but Cora put his hand over Law’s face and forced him back into his
seat, giant smile still on Cora’s face.
Law fumed, sitting in his seat but saw that both Tashigi and Smoker looked
horrified at the story. The Captain gritted his teeth
“You mean…you forced them out of their homes to build a pool and a gazebo?!”
Eneru lifted a brow, looking at Smoker as if he wasn’t sure why he even asked
that question.
“Yes? That’s exactly what I said? Were you not listening to me? How can you be
a good chief of police if you don’t listen?”
“This is why we’ve had multiple complaints from the tribe!” replied Smoker, Law
could swear he was seeing smoke coming out of his ears
“Well, they are big babies, I offered them jobs at my house and they refused
and said that they were going to kill me, YAHAHAHA! I’d like to see them even
try!”
Smoker quickly stood up; obviously furious “I’m going to have a smoke.” and
stormed off before Tashigi could say anything, clearly getting ready to calm
her Captain down. She sighed, looking a bit overwhelmed at the moment.
Eneru rolled his eyes “Some people just can’t handle it when little gnats
complain – he should grow a thicker skin if he’s going to be the Police Chief
of this town!” sing-songed Eneru, leaning back in his lounge chair sideways,
his feet on the chair.
That’s it!
“I need some air.” announced Law, standing up and heading outside as well
before Cora could stop him.
 
Law pushed the main doors open and turned the corner to see the Captain Smoking
another cigar outside and somehow had another drink in his hand – when Law got
closer, he could see that Ace was with him. Law paused, quietly backing up and
hiding on the other side of the wall, listening in.
“Isn’t he a fucking prick?” asked Ace, smirking as he smoked his own cigarette
against the wall
“I knew he was bad from everything I’ve heard of him, but holy shit” replied
Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar
“Yeah, I’m surprised he’s still alive to be honest…well, not really. He’s an
amazing fighter.” noted Ace
Smoker lifted a brow, looking at Ace “What? He is?”
Ace nodded “Yeah, he was well-known in the Underground before he became Mayor,
he’s very fond of using very powerful Tasers, wouldn’t be surprised if he was
packing some tonight.”
Smoker frowned, turning to directly face Ace, taking another drag of his cigar.
He exhaled, blowing the smoke towards Ace “Brat. You listen and you listen
good, I’m going to ask you a question and I’m expecting an honest answer.”
Ace smirked, leaning in closer “Oh yeah? What’s that, old man.”
“I was told that more or less every teenager in this town is in a gang – does
that include you?”
Ace paused for a moment, leaning in towards the Captain, looking up at him with
a proud smirk
“Yes. I’m a proud member of the Whitebeard gang.”
Was he out of his mind?!
Law stared at Ace shocked – how nuts was he to just come out and just tell the
fucking Chief of Police that he was in the biggest gang in the city?!
“You fucking kidding me, brat?” snapped Smoker, clearly pissed. Ace pulled back
and shrugged
“You told me to be honest with you, so I am.” Ace just waved his hand “I’d show
you my tattoo but I’d wrinkle my shirt”
“So this whole crap you’re doing here is an act? What’s your game, boy? What
are you trying to achieve by trying to cozy up with me?” snarled Smoker,
clearly not amused. Ace chuckled, his voice low.
“There’s no act.” admitted Ace, leaning in again “I’m just…drawn to you, that’s
all. Also you have nothing to worry about – I’m second division.”
Smoker paused, his expression softening, as if the threat was gone “Second
division? You?”
“Hey!” cried out Ace, insulted “The fuck is that supposed to mean? Oh-!” he
then shifted, looking past Smoker “Hey there Law! Came to escape the Mayor as
well?”
 
Law winced – shit, he was spotted! Law coughed, walking towards the group
“Yeah…Guy’s a total wackjob”
Ace’s eyes narrowed as the smirk returned on his face “I know you heard
everything. Don’t play dumb.”
Law froze. He wasn’t expecting Ace to be so open and confrontational about it.
“Ah…well.”
Ace shrugged again “Whatever, I’m not hiding it or anything. And Law already
knew I was a Whitebeard.” Then he turned to the Captain, running his finger
down Smoker’s lapel “You have nothing to worry about, Cap~tain.  I just like
you, simple as that.”
Then Ace snuffed out his cigarette and smiled, turning around “Your food should
be just about ready, so finish up and come back inside!”
And then Ace went back inside.
Smoker growled, frowning deeply as he watched Ace go back inside. Law felt his
entire body tense up. The air was thick with tension and the silence was almost
painful. Suddenly, the Captain turned and faced Law
“Tell me you’re not going to do something stupid like join another gang”
Law blinked; surprised at the question, then he shook his head “No. Not after
all the work Cora did to get me out of one.”
Smoker lifted a brow “You still call him ‘Corazon’? Pretty sure you’re not
supposed to call him by his code name.”
Law flinched, surprised it was brought up. His cheeks redden as he puffed them
out, clearly pouting “I can’t help it. He’ll always be Cora to me.”
Smoker sighed, snuffing out his cigar against the wall “Guess it doesn’t
matter. You can’t convince me that Doflamingo doesn’t know that you’re here
anyways.”
Then the Captain turned around and went back inside.
Law quietly watched him go and frowned. Doflamingo definitely knew that they
were here; there was no real doubt about it. Law felt so helpless though. If
Doflamingo did show up – what could he possibly do? Law was a bare knuckle
fighter at best.  He would use weapons like pipes and such when available, but
it wasn’t enough. He had been pretty good with a sword though. He needed to
learn a way to fight against Doflamingo and the associates if needed. He’ll
have to think of something.
 
“Law? The food’s here!”
Law turned his head and saw Cora smiling sheepishly. Law sighed and smiled
softly. He needed to protect Cora no matter what. If anyone was in danger here
– it was him.  Law walked up to the door and frowned at Cora, clearly annoyed
“I know, I know, but it’s just for tonight, okay? We’ll eat and we’ll find a
reason to bail.”
Law nodded again and Cora put his arm around Law’s shoulders and pulled him in
close, nuzzling the top of Law’s head
“Soon soon, we’ll go home. And then I’ll never make you go to a supper with the
Mayor again”
Law smiled, walking in with Cora as they returned to their seats, food already
on their plates. Everyone had already started eating, the Mayor squawking away
about whatever nonsense he was going on about now. The Captain tried a few
times to talk about youth programs or something, but Law couldn’t really
understand what was being said – but it was clear that the Mayor didn’t want to
hear it and just kept talking about how he redecorated his entire office with
carpet with actual gold trim.
“Hey Bepo”
Bepo stopped eating, turning towards Law
“Yeah?”
“Did you happen to see the club list?” asked Law, himself trying to remember if
he saw it
“Yeah! It was in the hallway by the quad, so I looked it over while I was
waiting for you – I actually took a picture, do you want to see?”
Law grinned “Yeah! How come you took a picture?”
Bepo chuckled, pulling out his phone and getting the picture out “In case you
wanted to see it, also I’m kinda thinking of joining this Navigation club? It
looks really cool and apparently Nami’s the president, I don’t know how since
she’s a freshman, but she’s amazing in Geography, so it looks fun – also she’s
really pretty!”
Law took the phone and zoomed in on the list, looking through the options and
bingo.
“Saw a club you like?” asked Bepo, leaning in
“Yeah, this kendo club looks interesting. Know who runs it?” asked Law, trying
to see if there was a name in the description
“No, but I know that Zoro’s in it and his dad apparently sponsors it, so it’s a
really well funded club. You should do it Law! You’ve always wanted to do sword
fighting! We could have duels! Kendo vs Karate!”
“Are you guys talking about swords?!”
Both Law and Bepo turned their heads, looking at Tashigi who was looking at
them with bright eyes, across the table from Cora
“Swords?!” asked Cora, surprised. Smoker groaned, slapping his hand over his
eyes
“And there she goes-“
“I love swords! What kind of swords? Are you looking into buying one or
learning how to sword fight?” Law was super surprised at the enthusiasm
“Umm…I was thinking of joining the kendo club?”
“You are?! Seriously?!” quipped Cora, surprised
“Oooh that’s a great sport! Traditional Japanese sword fighting is actually
what I’m specialized in! If you want any tips or tricks, let me know! Also when
you’re ready to buy your equipment, I can take you to the best stores in town!
I know I just moved here, but I looked them all up before I came here and
checked them all out, and if you want to buy a particular sword, I’ll tell you
what price you should expect and which ones are a total rip-off, also how to
spot a counterfeited sword from an original and-“
“Wow! You sure know a lot about swords!” commented Cora, shocked
“You should see her house” replied Smoker, exasperated
“Swords are my passions! But katanas especially!”  declared Tashigi proudly
Smoker frowned, looking towards the mayor “I don’t even think he’s listening to
us anymore”
“Was he ever listening to us?” quipped Law proudly, making the Captain snort
“But Law, you want to join a club?” asked Cora, smiling brightly – he was too
damn enthusiastic about things like this!
“Ah, yeah, I was thinking of it yeah.” Law didn’t know why he felt so nervous
telling Cora that, this was weird
“I’ll sign off on it no problem! Bepo you too! Clubs are good!” replied Cora,
still smiling. Law sighed; at least that was a good sign.
 
“Little raccoon, I want more cider”
Sabo frowned, looking confused and turned to Ace and pointed to himself
“Am I-“
“Yep. I’m a fox”
But before Sabo could say anything, suddenly the front doors slammed open,
revealing five men with their faces covered in ski masks and bandanas, holding
guns
 
“PUT ‘EM UP, THIS IS A HOLD UP! We’ll be taking possession of this restaurant!”
Law’s eyes shot open shocked – shit like this was exactly what he feared. His
head turned sideways, watching as Cora, Tashigi and Smoker started to get up,
reading to interfere
“All of you sit down.” ordered Eneru, leaning back on his lounge chair “This
isn’t for you to handle. There’s a reason I picked this particular restaurant.”
They all sat back down, turning towards the mayor, confused as Eneru popped a
piece of apple in his mouth
“Just sit back and watch the show.”
 
Law turned, watching as Koala, stood firm, grabbing a few menus and smiled
brightly
“Hello sirs, do you have a reservation?”
The man in the front took his gun and aimed it right at Koala
“This isn’t a game, little girl!”
What the fuck was she doing?!
“I don’t like being threatened.” stated Koala sing-songly with a bright smile,
 before she quickly threw the menus in the guy’s face and ducked down quickly,
and landed a punch right in the man’s jaw, throwing him on the ground
As that was happening, Law spotted Sabo and Ace run past the table and jumped
down to the main level. Within seconds, they had made their way to the other
attackers and took them down one by one. Everyone at his table stared in shock,
minus the Mayor and his entourage who merely laughed and cheered. When Law
looked down, he noticed that all the other restaurant patrons were also
cheering along and enjoying the fight.  Was this a staged show?!
One of the attackers managed to break free and ran up the stairs to the second
level, everyone got up, getting ready to interfere
“Sit. Down.” ordered Eneru once more but before anyone had a chance to –
someone came from the back and kicked the attacker right in the throat, taking
him down
“I’m sorry, this is a private party”
Law blinked, surprised to see Sanji standing there in a chef’s uniform, holding
plates of dessert and holy shit, how flexible was his leg?!. Sanji quickly
served the desserts to everyone who watched stunned, again, minus the Mayor and
his entourage and then Sanji went back to the attacker and kicked him in the
ribs
“You are not welcomed here. Please make your way out.”
Law looked back down and saw Koala open the door as Sabo and Ace threw all the
others out. Ace came up the stairs and grabbed the last one – throwing down the
staircase for Sabo to collect at the bottom and threw them out too
“W-What in blue blazes is happening here?!” hollered Smoker, furious at the
scene
“The Baratie gets held up often.” started Sanji “A lot of gangs want to use it
for a headquarter or they want to hold it up due to the fact that we get very
wealthy patrons.”
“You never mentioned that!” screamed Smoker at the Mayor “We could have brought
back-up! Security! Anything!”
Eneru shrugged “Why? All the waiters and cooks here are trained fighters.”
Law blinked, holy shit!  It all made sense now! Sabo and Ace were asked to be
servers tonightbecause of their fighting abilities!
“And they just threw them outside?!” continued Smoker, trying to piece
everything together
“Oh, Bellemere is here” stated Cora, waving at Bellemere who was at the main
door, collecting the men thrown outside, who was waving back to Cora
“That’s why I told you not to worry. But isn’t the little fox a magnificent
fighter? I’m very pleased with the little bug and the little raccoon as well.
This was a very entertaining evening! YAHAHAHA!” declared Eneru, laughing
Smoker stared shocked and then groaned; massaging his temple “I need a drink.”
Ace put a full glass of whiskey in front of the Captain, smirking “I figured
you’d need this.”
 
“Little fox! You’re sure you don’t want a job with me, I’m sure we could find
something for you to do”
“No thank you, Mayor Eneru! I’m loyal to Pops and I’ve told you that before. If
you want me, you’re going to have to convince him~!”
Eneru snorted, taking the glass of cider that Sabo was giving him
“I’m not that foolish.”
Then he turned towards Sabo
“And you, little raccoon! I was very impressed! Where did you learn to fight?”
“Ace and I grew up together, so we learned to fight together.” explained Sabo,
refilling everyone’s drinks
“Aren’t little slum boys the best” started Eneru, grinning “The little bug as
well, I was surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so incredibly violent. I like
her.”
Eneru quickly downed his drink and stood up
“Alright, that’s enough fun for one night” he then put back his sandals
“Satori, you handle the bill, and I’ll be waiting in the car”
And Eneru just walked out with his associates
The rest of the table just sat there, surprised
“What a fucking jackass” blurted out Smoker, his face extremely red as he
pounded a fist into the table “This entire fucking night was a farce”
“I wouldn’t take it to heart if I was you, Captain” started Sanji, helping Ace
and Sabo gather up the plates “He’s always like this with his guests. He also
called this morning at like 5am to make the reservation”
Tashigi blinked, looking at Sanji “Aren’t you young to be one of the cooks?”
“I’m actually the sous-che- Wow! You’re a beautiful woman!” cooed Sanji “I’m so
happy I gave you one of my delicious deserts!”
“Wait, you made this?” asked Tashigi, pointing to her mostly eaten dessert
“It’s amazing!”
Sanji nodded, beaming with pride “I had a hand in all of your meals, actually!
If I wasn’t working on the meat, I was working on the sides, or the sauces,
etcetera! I’m very happy you enjoyed your meal”
“It was the only thing I enjoyed of this entire night.” admitted Smoker,
lifting his glass of whiskey to toast Sanji “Honestly, who would have thought
that Red Leg Zeff would open up such a nice restaurant.”
 
Sanji froze, looking at the Captain stunned. Ace looking at him surprised as
well.
“R-Red Leg Zeff? As in the former gang leader?! I thought he disappeared!”
exclaimed Tashigi, shocked
“He did. He lost his leg in an accident and wound up here and opened a
restaurant. Heard he adopted a young boy, I’m assuming it’s you” stated Smoker,
taking a sip of his whiskey
Sanji snorted “You apparently know a lot.”
“I’m the chief of police, it’s my job. And don’t worry, Zeff’s crimes were
rather minor and I feel like losing a leg is enough punishment for any crimes
he would have committed. As far as I’m concerned, he’s done his time.” 
explained Smoker, leaning back in his seat “Also, I recognized your fighting
style when you kicked the shit out of that guy. That was Zeff’s technique all
over.”
Sanji smirked “I do my best” and walked away with the dishes, Sabo and Ace
following them
 
Cora cleared his throat and stood up “I think we’re going to go. The boys both
have school in the morning”
Law sighed in relief, thankful for Cora giving them the opening to leave
“That’s fine. I expect you at the station at 8am sharp tomorrow, Trafalgar.”
Stated Smoker “It was nice to meet both your boys.”
Tashigi nodded, smiling brightly “It really was! I can see why Rosinante is so
fond of you boys!”
Cora beamed, smiling proudly. It always made Law feel funny when Cora did that.
“Mayor aside and … the freaky hold up, I actually had a great night with you
guys. I’m very happy to be working with you both.”
Both Law and Bepo stood up, nodding to both Smoker and Tashigi
“Thank you for having us tonight” started Law
“It was very nice to meet you too!” finished Bepo, smiling
 
 
All three of them filed out of the restaurant, nodding and thanking Sabo and
Ace on their way out and quickly made their way to the car.
They got home soon enough and Cora let out a loud sound of relief the minute he
opened door, kicking off his shoes and threw his blazer on the recliner in the
living room
“Uuurrggh what a long day!” exclaimed Cora, taking off his tie and quickly
getting undressed in the living room
“What’s with you and stripping in the living room?” asked Law, chuckling as he
took off his own blazer
“It’s my house, I do what I want!” stated Cora, gathering up his clothes, now
that he was in his boxers and socks and making his way up the stairs
Bepo and Law laughed, following him up the stairs to make sure that Cora didn’t
slip. Thankfully he didn’t but he did run into the bannister as he turned the
corner.
Law went to his room and quickly took his suit off and threw it in the dirty
clothes hamper. He turned and looked at the clock, seeing that it was already
9:30.
In his boxers, Law opened a drawer and pulled out a yellow t-shirt with a
design he created himself with a giant smiling face on it and went to his
schoolbag, pulling out the student guidebook. Law took the book and sat on his
bed, flipping through the book to get to the club section. Apparently clubs
started up tomorrow and that to sign up you just needed to speak to the advisor
of the club or its president.  Law frowned, lifting a brow – he had never heard
of Mr Brook Yomi? Guess he’ll need to find him tomorrow to join the kendo club.
“Are you looking up club information?” asked Bepo as he walked into the room.
Law looked up at Bepo, seeing that he changed into his boxers and just a t-
shirt too. Bepo came around the bed and laid down, Law leaned back and reclined
himself on Bepo
“Yeah, have you heard of Mr Brook Yomi?” asked Law, flipping through the
guidebook, looking for a teacher’s directory
“The music teacher? He was introduced at the assembly.” pointed out Bepo,
closing his eyes
“Wait – the guy with the ‘fro?”
“Yeah! That’s him!”
 
“Hey, how are you two doing?” asked Cora, leaning on the door frame
“Good, we’re just looking up clubs and such” explained Bepo
“Oh yeah? What are you thinking of joining, the Karate club?” asked Cora,
walking into the room
“Naw, geography! I’d feel like I’d be cheating on my Sensei if I joined the
school’s karate club!”
“Urgh, why are you to tall” asked Law, poking Cora in his knees as they came up
to Law’s face, making Cora laugh as he took the guidebook
“Because I forgot to stop!” Cora looked through the list of clubs “So kendo,
huh?”
“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to learn more than just the basics, but yanno with
everything that happened-“
“No, makes sense, and we didn’t really have any swordfighters except for
Diamante-“
“I hated that douche”
“And you hated that douche.”
“I think you should do it!” exclaimed Cora, smiling happily “This is cool, your
first high school club”
“You seem more excited about this than we are” noted Law, Cora only chuckled
“I guess I worry about you guys more than I let on, so it’s nice to hear about
you guys settling and making friends. Like that Luffy guy, he seemed nice!”
Law snorted “You know our servers tonight?”
“Ace and Sabo?”
“Yeah, those are Luffy’s older brothers.”
Cora blinked, and then his jaw dropped
“EH?! But – what?!”
Law started laughing and Bepo did too. Core sighed, handing Law back his
guidebook
“Alright, time for bed, you’d had a long day – oh! Before I leave, Law, your
punishment for laughing in class”
Law frowned, glaring at Cora “Which is your fault.”
“HEY!” cried out Cora, offended “I didn’t name myself that! It wasn’t my
decision!”
Then Cora cleared his throat
“As I said, your punishment is this; you have to read the entire book over and
over again until you stop laughing when you see my name and at whatever dumb
shit that horse does!”
Law blinked – that was actually a pretty good idea. If he knew the book well
enough, he wouldn’t be caught off guard or react to it anymore because he’d be
used to seeing it
“Alright, deal.” Then Law paused “You know, it’s weirdly symbolic too. A man
called Donquixote abuses someone called Rosinante for his own gain.”
Cora blinked, surprised, but then he frowned deeply, pointing to Law “Go to
bed!”
“I’m already in bed” replied Law, smirking, making Cora frown more, and he
threw his arms in the air and stood in a bear stance
“I’m going to smush you and that smart mouth of yours!”
 Law laughed “I dare you!”
Cora growled and threw himself on both boys, making them burst out laughing,
once the laughing subsided they all just laid in their piles quietly before
Cora spoke up
“Was your first day of school okay? Detention aside?”
“Yeah! Law finally got to meet Sashi and Penguin!” stated Bepo happily. Law
couldn’t help but smile at that, it was nice to finally hang out with them
“Oh yeah? I’m glad, they can come over anytime, okay?” replied Cora, shifting
to hug them both the best he could “Law?”
“Yeah, it was…eventful.” Then he paused, closing his eyes “But it was a good
day.”
“Good” then Cora stood up, smiling at both boys “Now time for bed, okay? You
have school tomorrow.”
Law frowned, he wanted to ask Cora about his day but wasn’t sure how
“What about you? Have a good first day?” asked Bepo . Thank you, Bepo!
Cora grinned “Yeah! It was great! I’m lucky; everyone so far seems really
friendly so far!”
Law smiled, relieved
“Alright! Enough chit-chat! Sleep for real!”
“It’s only 10 though”
“Growing boys need at least 8 hours!”
“So we can grow taller than you.” replied Law, smirking
“You don’t want that. The world is not made for the very tall, believe me. It
is not made for us at all.” replied Cora, looking discouraged but then he
smiled, making his way to the door “Alright, goodnight boys. Love you both”
“Goodnight Cora! Love you too!”
Cora looked at the boys one more time and then turned to leave the room after
turning off the light, running into the doorframe. He swore slightly, walking
out of the room and Law could hear Cora going into his own room, but leaving
the door open.  Law shifted off Bepo and turned to look at the other
“You’re staying here?”
Bepo nodded, shifting to pull back the comforter so that they can both slide
under the blanket
“Sure! I don’t feel like going back to my room anyways.”
Law was thankful that Bepo had no issues with this arrangement. Law hated
sleeping alone and usually had nightmares when he did, so either Bepo slept in
his bed, he slept in Bepo’s or he’d sneak into Cora’s bed. Either way, both
Cora and Bepo gave him this small gesture which was really appreciated.  Law
also knew that Cora left his door open so that Law or Bepo never felt
unwelcomed in his room.
Soon enough both boys were well under their blankets and Bepo soon fell asleep.
Law stared at the ceiling for a while, his mind buzzing. He did have a good day
now that he thought about it. Law closed his eyes and his thoughts went towards
Luffy and his bright smile and he felt his heart skip a beat as he lulled to
sleep.
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     AANNND WE ARE DONE LAW’S DAY! The next chapter will finished Ace’s
     day and then time will start skipping left and right! I hope you’ve
     enjoyed this all so far – we’ll be meeting more people in the coming
     chapters!
***** – ACE – This Is Like A Bad Romcom But With More Fights! *****
Chapter Notes
     OKAY! Final chapter for this day! Wow, it’s been a ride!
     YES A LOT OF DIALOGUE REPEATS ITSELF! But I wanted to show how Ace
     was thinking during the scene!
     Side Pairings in this chapter are
     Sabo x Koala
     Slight Past!Ace x Sabo
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Ace! You’re being such a shameless hussy!”
Ace blinked, turning towards Sabo as he handed the order slips to the kitchen
staff
“Huh?”
“Oh come on! You’re practically throwing yourself on the Captain!” explained
Sabo, shocked
“I am?” stated Ace, shocked. Was he throwing himself at the Captain? Maybe he
was giving him a little bit more attention than everyone else but he wasn’t
throwing himself on the Captain! …Was he?
“Wait…you’re not realizing you’re doing this, are you?” asked Sabo, walking up
to Ace “Ace, listen to me, you’re like, giving him bedroom eyes, making your
voice all sexy, moving in closer to him than anyone else”
Ace felt all the colour drain from his face. Holy shit, that was humiliating!
“Uh…I’m not looking too much like an idiot, am I?” asked Ace nervously, fuck he
felt dumb
“Umm…actually Ace…” started Sabo, before Koala popped up beside him
“Holy shit you’re being so freaking hot with the Captain, Ace!”
“Yes that.” finished Sabo, pointing at Koala
 
Ace stared a bit stunned. This wasn’t the first time someone told him he was
being really sexy or seductive and charming but it wasn’t something he really
controlled either – it just, kinda flowed out of him. He followed how he felt
and acted accordingly. No wonder most of the school thought he was a giant
slut.
“H-Huh. Well, at least I’m not being embarrassing.” replied Ace, frowning. Then
he looked up towards the main doors
“Oh! He’s going outside”
Sabo gave him a slight push towards the kitchen’s back door “Go! Take a small
break!”
“But I-“
“Here, take this”
Ace turned to see Sanji passing a cigarette to him through the kitchen window
“And bring him another drink outside.” Instructed Sanji as Ace took the
cigarette “It’ll make him happier to see you.”
“Also –“ started Koala, walking up to Ace and undoing the top buttons of his
dress shirt and fixing Ace’s hair a little “There!”
Ace smiled brightly, he really had good friends! 
“Now go! He won’t be out there forever!”
 
Ace went out the back door and turned his head, seeing the Captain lighting up
a cigar as he leaned against the wall. ‘Fuck I’d do anything for that mouth to
be on mine’ mused Ace, walking up to him
“Can you spare a light?” asked Ace, holding out the cigarette. Ace wasn’t
usually a smoker, but he’ll make an exception here
The Captain grunted, handing the lighter over to Ace “You’re too young to smoke
that.”
“Ah ah, too young to buy it” corrected Ace, chuckling, he handed over the drink
to the Captain who took it confused as he took the lighter “I brought you this,
figured you’d need it”
Smoker snorted, taking a sip “No fucking kidding”
Ace quickly lit his cigarette and handed the lighter back to Smoker and leaned
against the wall besides him
“Isn’t he a fucking prick?”
“I knew he was bad from everything I’ve heard of him, but holy shit” replied
Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar. Ace watched mesmerised as the smoke
was soon after blown out of Smoker’s mouth
“Yeah, I’m surprised he’s still alive to be honest…well, not really. He’s an
amazing fighter.” noted Ace. He’d seen the mayor take out a few people single
handled
Smoker lifted a brow, looking at Ace “What? He is?”
 “Yeah, he was well-known in the Underground before he became Mayor, he’s very
fond of using very powerful Tasers, wouldn’t be surprised if he was packing
some tonight.”
When the Mayor was first appointed, they had gotten the full low-down from
Marco. The Mayor was a man who wasn’t afraid to leave bodies behind
Smoker frowned, turning to directly face Ace, taking another drag of his cigar.
He exhaled, blowing the smoke towards Ace “Brat. You listen and you listen
good, I’m going to ask you a question and I’m expecting an honest answer.”
Ace felt a thrill run through his body. Holy fuck, pray that he never gets
arrested by the Captain because he was going to just start taking off his
clothes. He smirked, leaning in close to the man
“Oh yeah? What’s that, old man.”  If I’m the brat – you’re the old man
“I was told that more or less every teenager in this town is in a gang – does
that include you?”
Ace paused for a moment.  Oh this is what he wanted. Izo’s earlier words
sounded in his head – he needed to be honest.
So Ace leaned in towards the Captain, looking up at him with a proud smirk
“Yes. I’m a proud member of the Whitebeard gang.”
The cards were now on the table.
 “You fucking kidding me, brat?”
Whoah, abort! Ace pulled back slightly
 “You told me to be honest with you, so I am.” Ace just waved his hand “I’d
show you my tattoo but I’d wrinkle my shirt”
“So this whole crap you’re doing here is an act? What’s your game, boy? What
are you trying to achieve by trying to cozy up with me?”
Man, the Captain sure was expecting a lot out of him
“There’s no act.” admitted Ace
There really wasn’t! Ace knew that this was probably the worst idea in the
world, but he couldn’t help himself!
“I’m just…drawn to you, that’s all. Also you have nothing to worry about – I’m
second division.”
“Second division? You?”
WHOAH waitaminute!! What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!
“Hey!” cried out Ace “The fuck is that supposed to mean? Oh-!”
Was someone listening? Well look at that – Law.
“Hey there Law! Came to escape the Mayor as well?”
Law coughed, walking towards the group
“Yeah…Guy’s a total wackjob”
Who the fuck was he kidding? Ace wasn’t dumb; he knew the kid had been there
for a while! No idea how long, but probably long enough
 “I know you heard everything. Don’t play dumb.”
 
 “Ah…well.”
Bingo.
 “Whatever, I’m not hiding it or anything. And Law already knew I was a
Whitebeard.” Then he turned to the Captain, running his finger down Smoker’s
lapel just needing to touch him. God he looked good in that suit. Ace really
wanted to take him out of it.
“You have nothing to worry about, Cap~tain.  I just like you, simple as that.”
Then Ace snuffed out his cigarette and smiled, turning around “Your food should
be just about ready, so finish up and come back inside!”
 
The minute Ace was inside; his face turned a dark red. ‘Oh my god!! I told the
Captain I liked him!’
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you told him you liked him!” declared Sabo, a huge
smile on his face. Oh god, Sabo is forever going to make fun of him!!
“You were listening?!” asked Ace, shocked
“Yep! There’s a window back there, we cracked it open!”
“We?” asked Ace, frowning
“Me, Koala and Sanji!” explained Sabo, grinning
“And they call me shameless” commented Sanji from the kitchen snickering
“OI!” snapped Ace, face still red. Sabo merely laughed
“You did great though! Anyone who doesn’t know you very well probably thought
you were totally in control of that conversation, it was really hot, I swear!”
“UUuuurrgghhhaaaahhhhh!” cried out Ace, running his hands through his hair
violently
“Seriously! Ace, listen to me! There’s just something about you that makes
whatever you do really sexy and it’s not forced, don’t worry, you didn’t look
lame at all!” explained Sabo, Ace appreciated him trying to comfort him – but
what if the Captain thought he was cheap now?!
“Food’s up!” cried Patty from the kitchen as all the plates started piling up
by the window. Ace sighed, grabbing a few orders
“Way to grab the Captain’s first!” teased Sabo, laughing, Ace flipped him off
 
They served everyone their food and carried on when suddenly five armed robbers
walked in
“You kidding me?” asked Sabo, despaired. Ace laughed
“I told you! I told you this happened a lot. Oh man, they’re dealing with Koala
first”
Sabo and Ace watched the exchange between Koala and the robber – waiting for
their cue. The moment Koala’s leg rose into a high kick, both Sabo and Ace
grabbed their serving trays and jumped down to the main level
If there was something that Ace loved – is that he loved a good fight. He loved
the rush and the thrill of hearing bones crack when he landed a hit, loved
overpowering his adversary and loved coming out victoriously. This is why he
was perfect for the Second Division.  Second Division’s job is not infiltration
or information gathering – it’s for clean-up and intimidation. Ace had beaten
more information out of people than anyone other of the commanders because he
was good at it. Also people talk fast when your fist is on fire.
The fight soon ended with Sanji kicking the last robber in the throat but Ace
didn’t miss the look of utter shock in the Captain’s face. Ace couldn’t help
the smirk growing on his face
‘Teach you to underestimate me, Captain’ 
“You guys wanna help me take the trash out?” asked Koala, not even fazed by the
fight at all. Ace couldn’t help but smile; he totally understood why Sabo was
in love with her.
“Have the cops been called?” asked Sabo, picking up the first unconscious guy
and throwing him on the sidewalk
“Yep! Should be here any second” replied Koala, holding the door open as both
Sabo and Ace started throwing the robbers outside
 
“Well look it here! Didn’t know you were serving tonight!”
Ace smiled as officer Bellemere walked in. Ace loved this woman. She was tough
as nails but had a heart of gold. Honestly he had avoided her like the plague
before he got to know her because he knew he couldn’t charm his way out of
anything with her – but once Luffy became friends with her daughter Nami, he
was forced to get to know Bellemere and was pleasantly surprised! She was very
warm and kind and sympathetic to his and Luffy’s situation. She also understood
why it was so important for her to not notify social services of their living
conditions. Ace could handle it – granted Bellemere didn’t like the fact that
Ace, who himself was a minor, was basically raising another minor, but she
understood why it was important that they stayed together.
“So, heard you schmoozing to the captain”
Ace blinked, looking at Bellemere who had a proud smirk on her face. Ace
snorted
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’m not schmoozing!”
“He’s pathetically flirting” quipped Koala from the hostess stand, snickering
“O-Oi!” Ace turned completely red, mortified
Bellemere snorted, trying to hide her laugh “Oh man”
“You all need to shut up!” snapped Ace, running off the kitchen, hearing them
all laugh behind him.
Ace quickly made his way to the kitchen and absentmindedly started to prepare a
drink.
“Bunch of fucking dicks” muttered Ace, working away at his drink. He blinked,
looking down. Aww fuck! He just made another glass of Whiskey! 
Ace sighed, taking the glass and bringing it to the table – he might as well
now that he made it
 
As Ace walked up the table, he heard the Captain groan and state “I need a
drink.”
Holy shit this is so perfect!
Ace put a full glass of whiskey in front of the Captain, smirking “I figured
you’d need this.”
Smoker looked at the drink surprised and at the same time – happily. Then he
turned to look at Ace, his face clearly in awe that Ace seemed to know exactly
what he wanted. A second later, the Captain looked like he wanted to ask Ace
something but before he could – the Mayor cut in
“Little fox! You’re sure you don’t want a job with me, I’m sure we could find
something for you to do”
Ace had to force himself to keep smiling. There was no way in fucking hell he
would ever work for that lunatic!
“No thank you, Mayor Eneru! I’m loyal to Pops and I’ve told you that before. If
you want me, you’re going to have to convince him~!”
Eneru snorted, taking the glass of cider that Sabo was giving him
“I’m not that foolish.”
Guess he wasn’t that big of an idiot.
Then he turned towards Sabo
“And you, little raccoon! I was very impressed! Where did you learn to fight?”
Ace frowned sharply. He wasn’t a fan of the nickname Eneru gave Sabo. Sabo was
a bit sensitive about his burn marks. Thankfully, Ace didn’t think Sabo caught
on.
“Ace and I grew up together, so we learned to fight together.” explained Sabo,
refilling everyone’s drinks
“Aren’t little slum boys the best” started Eneru, grinning
Ew.
 “The little bug as well, I was surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so
incredibly violent. I like her.”
Here’s to hoping Koala never heard that.
Eneru quickly downed his drink and stood up
“Alright, that’s enough fun for one night” he then put back his sandals
“Satori, you handle the bill, and I’ll be waiting in the car” and then he just
walked out
 
Ace rolled his eyes. Glad to see the mayor was a rude asshole as usual
“What a fucking jackass” blurted out Smoker, his face extremely red as he
pounded a fist into the table “This entire fucking night was a farce”
Ace paused as he started to clear out the table. He wasn’t expecting the
Captain to be that open about his dislike of the Mayor.
“I wouldn’t take it to heart if I was you, Captain” started Sanji, as he helped
Ace and Sabo clear the plates – Koala coming in with a cart for the dishes
“He’s always like this with his guests. He also called this morning at like 5am
to make the reservation”
Ace’s sighed, putting the plates away and quietly letting the conversation
float around him as he kept working on emptying the table – until the Captain
spoke
 “It was the only thing I enjoyed of this entire night.” admitted Smoker,
lifting his glass of whiskey to toast Sanji “Honestly, who would of thought
that Red Leg Zeff would open up such a nice restaurant.”
WHAT?! Ace turned to look at the Captain shocked. How did he figure that out?
Nobody figured that out! Either you knew because you knew Zeff or someone told
you! Nobody figured it out!
 “R-Red Leg Zeff? As in the former gang leader?! I thought he disappeared!”
exclaimed Tashigi, shocked
“He did. He lost his leg in an accident and wound up here and opened a
restaurant. Heard he adopted a young boy, I’m assuming it’s you” stated Smoker,
taking a sip of his whiskey
“You apparently know a lot.”
Ace at that moment had to commend Sanji on not striking the Captain here and
there – Sanji was a lot like him and Luffy. They both had important things to
hide and they weren’t going to let anyone tear their lives apart because they
knew too much.
“I’m the chief of police, it’s my job. And don’t worry, Zeff’s crimes were
rather minor and I feel like losing a leg is enough punishment for any crimes
he would have committed. As far as I’m concerned, he’s done his time.” 
explained Smoker, leaning back in his seat “Also, I recognized your fighting
style when you kicked the shit out of that guy. That was Zeff’s technique all
over.”
 
Ace exhaled. Okay, that’s good. He then turned and wheeled away the cart of
dishes with Sabo, Sanji quickly following suit. Once they got in the back,
Sanji quickly bolted into Zeff’s office, probably to tell him that the Captain
was aware of who he was.
“That Captain of yours…” trailed off Sabo, looking at Ace worriedly as they
gave the cart to the dishwashers. Ace knew exactly what he meant. He knew too
much about too much. How was this even possible?
“Hey, did Dragon know anything?” asked Ace as they walked back to the dressing
area.
“Hmm, not much. But he said that Ivankov said that the Captain looked familiar
but couldn’t quite remember why. But Dragon said that he’s convinced that
Smoker isn’t his birth family name. That it’s a name he adopted when he entered
the military academy at 14, since it’s his mother’s maiden name and there’s no
record of a ‘Chase Smoker’ before that.” explained Sabo, looking towards the
back door as he watched Koala go outside
 
“Hi! I just wanted to thank the two of you for tonight, you guys were great”
Sabo and Ace blinked, looking towards the voice and then up. Holy shit! Ace
knew the Donquixote brothers were extremely tall – and you could tell when he
was seated, but seeing Rosinante Donquixote standing in front of you was on
intimidating experience! Ace could only imagine how it was with the clown
makeup and the giant feather coat
“Ah, it’s no problem” started Sabo, smiling “I hope you all enjoyed dinner”
“Yeah it was great!” stated Bepo, grinning. Ace noted that Law stayed quiet –
he was probably exhausted at this point.
“We’ll see you guys at school tomorrow” stated Ace, and then he looked up to
Cora “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr.Trafalgar! I hope my little brother and
your sons continue to get along.”
Sabo nodded, looking at Law “And if he causes any trouble, feel free to let us
know!”
Ace couldn’t help but smile when he caught the small blush and the small smile
on Law’s face, who quickly shook his head and frowned
“Noted.”
“Alright, we’ll be going, get home safe!” stated Cora as he left with the two
others.
 
“C’mon, let’s go outside” suggested Ace, making Sabo grin as they both walked
out – only to meet Koala already there on her cell
“Did all the info patch through okay?” asked Koala, waving at Sabo and Ace as
they walked out. What?
“Talking to Hack?” asked Sabo, stretching his arms
“Yeah, he said he got everything, a-okay!” said Koala with a big smile on her
face, doing the okay sign with her hand
“Okay, we’ll just need to remove it all before they pack up the chair” said
Sabo, stretching a bit to the side
Ace frowned sharply “You bugged his lounge chair, didn’t you?”
Koala and Sabo grinned brightly “Did you honestly think we’d miss this chance?”
Ace laughed “No, not at all!” Then Sabo frowned
“Ace. Why did he call me a ‘raccoon’?”
Ace paused, looking down, then sighed, closing his eyes and circled his own
left eye with his finger. He could feel Sabo getting pissed without even seeing
him
“THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE!” cried out Sabo, punching the wall, making a hole.
Ace sighed, patting Sabo on the back
“Guy’s a massive dick, don’t sweat it. C’mon, let’s get paid and get out of
here”
 
When they went back inside, Ace saw that everyone had left the Mayor’s table.
Ace sighed; he did want to see the Captain before he left. Then he blinked,
spotting something on the table at the Captain’s seat. Ace briskly ran up to
the table and looked at what seemed to be a tiny envelope with the Police
department’s seal on it. He opened the envelope and smiled brightly as he saw
what was inside
“Guys! They cops left us like, 100$ tip each!” Ace frowned, noticing a note
inside, he pulled it out and read it out loud
“This is for you because I was told that the Mayor doesn’t tip. Goa City Police
Department” Ace could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. He wasn’t
dumb, they probably all chipped in, but it still made him happy that they
thought of this.
“Aww, that’s kinda of really nice of them” remarked Sabo as he pulled the
equipment off the lounge chair and handed it to Koala who stuck it down her
shirt.
“I have your money” stated Sanji as he walked up to the ground and handed them
all a small envelope with the nights wages “Thank you again for doing this last
minute, guys – especially you Koala! Feel free to come back anytime! I’ll make
you the most delicious meal you’ve ever had!”
Koala merely giggled, taking the envelope and sticking it also down her shirt.
Ace frowned – how convenient that has to be!
 ‘Shit, think of all the snacks I could put in there!’
Ace took his money and added the tip as well. He smiled, relieved. Winter was
coming up and Luffy really needed a new winter coat, this was going to help a
lot. Suddenly another envelope was stacked over his own – Ace blinked,
surprised
“Here. I know you’re using that money for Luffy, so I want to pay my share as
well.” stated Sabo, grinning. Ace sputtered, taking Sabo envelope and handing
it back over
“Dude, no.”
Sabo put his hand up, refusing it
“This isn’t up for debate, Ace! You’re not the only one that has to take care
of Luffy and it’s the least I can do since I can’t stay with you guys anymore!
Take my damn money or I’ll shove it down your pants!”
Ace sighed and frowned, putting the two envelopes together. He knew he wasn’t
going to win this and since it was Sabo giving the money, he knew he could
accept it.
“Alright Mom and Dad, if you’re done fighting over who loves Luffy more, how
about we get changed and get out of here? I have a 9am class and I would like
to sleep before it begins” teased Koala, pulling on both of their shirts.
Ace blinked, looking at his watch – it was 10pm. If he started walking, he’d
probably get home around 12pm and if all goes well, hopefully he’ll be in bed
1am. It would be nice to grab at least a good 4 hours of sleep.
All three of them quickly got changed and thanked Zeff for the night and headed
out. But not before though Sanji handed them prepared meals – saying that they
should use them for their lunches tomorrow and that he had made an extra one
for Luffy. Ace smiled – Luffy really had great friends!
They stepped out of the Barratie. The restaurant would stay open for another
two hours but their job was done. After 9pm, they didn’t take any more
customers, so Koala wasn’t needed as a hostess either.
 
“About time.”
Ace jumped, turning to look at the Captain who was leaning on the corner,
smoking another cigar.
“Can I help you officer?” asked Ace sing-songly, but genuinely wondering why
the Captain was still there
“I’m giving you a ride home. All of you. It’s too late for you all to be
walking home.” stated Smoker, snuffing out his cigar and gesturing towards his
car.
Koala blinked, pointing to herself “Oh, no need sir, I live on Baltigo drive –
it’s really close to here”
Smoker shook his head “No, you’re coming as well. I don’t need to find out that
you got attacked when I could have just driven you home. Granted, I don’t doubt
your abilities, but I don’t need someone to call the cops to break up a fight.”
Koala giggled, going up to the car “Oh my, sounds like the Captain doesn’t like
his paperwork!”
Smoker snorted, unlocking the doors “You got that right. C’mon, both of you”
“You came here in a police cruiser?” teased Ace. Smoker rolled his eyes
“I had to go home to get a fucking suit but then I went back to the office.
There was no point for me to go grab my own car. I’ll just grab my car in the
morning” explained Smoker, opening the back doors
“Guess where you two are sitting”
Sabo gasped theatrically, dramatically getting into the back seat
“I knew I’d always wind up in the back of a police cruiser with you! My parents
were right about you!”
Ace laughed, sliding into the back with Sabo, closing the door. He lowered the
pitch of his voice
“Hey baby, I make life interesting, you knew that when you got involved with a
guy like me!” 
Koala laughed from the front seat as Sabo laughed as well, Ace joining in. The
Captain smiled, rolling his eyes
“Alright, now where do you live…Sabo, was it?”
Sabo paused for a moment, biting his lip
“Um…High Town?”
Smoker’s head shot up, and then he turned to look at Sabo through the suspect
transport enclosure
“What? Did I hear that right?”
“Yeah!” started Ace, putting his arm around Sabo “Sabo’s here is blue blooded!
But I made him better”
Sabo laughed, bending forward as he clutched his stomach
“Alright, can’t say I was expected that” mumbled Smoker as he started to drive.
 
They brought Koala home to her apartment soon enough. Ace smiled at Smoker
patiently waited as Koala and Sabo exchanged their goodnights at the door and
shared a goodnight kiss. Ace loved that his brother had found someone so great
for him. Sabo truly deserved the best in Ace’s eyes. A little tiny part of him
was bothered when he first met her – considering the crush Ace harboured on
Sabo when they were kids, but he knew better now. She was just amazing.
When Sabo got back in the car, Smoker turned around again
“High Town? Seriously?”
Sabo sheepishly nodded and shrugged “I can’t help where I’m born, can I?”
“Glad you’re better” muttered Smoker as he pulled out and went back on the
road. Sabo and Ace both laughed
Not long after they approached High Town District. To keep the ‘trash’ out as
they say, the entire district was surrounded by a giant stone wall with only
one road leading to the only entrance. Smoker drove up to the entrance and
frowned
“I’m assuming the doors don’t open automatically?”
Sabo sighed
“Let me out?”
Smoker lifted a brow but opened his door and quickly opened Sabo’s door. Sabo
stepped out and walked up to the small black monitor and typed in a code and
the gate started to open. Sabo quickly got back in the car, as Smoker did and
they drove in
“What the fuck – what if there was an emergency?!”
Sabo sighed “There’s a talk button on the monitor, so you could talk to the
person raising the gate and tell them to let you in” explained Sabo, frowning
“Also keep driving, my house is the big one at the very end of the district –
you can’t miss it”
True as Sabo said, once they crossed High Town, there was nothing in the back
but a giant mansion that was also surrounded by a gate. The gate opened as soon
as the car approached, making Sabo frown sharply
“Aww fuck, they notified my parents I was coming” grumbled Sabo, sinking into
his seat
“Your parents didn’t know you were out?!” asked Smoker from the front seat as
he drove up to the front door
“No, they knew, but I was hoping to discreetly come home” explained Sabo as he
groaned, watching both of his parents and Stelly scrambling outside and towards
the car. Smoker had barely time to park before Sabo’s mother rushed to the
Captain’s door as he opened it
 
“Officer, whatever it is that you think my son did, it’s probably that piece of
trash who set him up!” cried out Sabo’s mother, pointing at Ace
“Heeyy! That isn’t very nice, Jackie!” replied Ace through the opened door,
insulted
“My name isn’t Jackie!” screeched Sabo’s mother, pointing at Ace and stomping
her foot
“Whatever Jackie!”
Smoker lifted a brow at the whole scene, getting out of the car and going to
open the door for Sabo, who stepped out, looking discouraged
“Listen officer” started Outlook III, putting his arm around Smoker’s shoulder,
who shrugged it off
“Captain.” replied Smoker, beyond not amused
“My apologies, Captain. Look, how much would you like for you to make this
whole incident just disappear” started Outlook III, pulling out his checkbook
“We all know that the true culprit in all of this is clearly that dirty
criminal in the back of the car, so we wouldn’t want to ruin my son’s bright
future with horrible lies, would we?”
Ace could feel his stomach swirling at the look of pure rage on the Captain’s
face
“One – don’t you ever try to bribe me again.” Started Smoker, taking the check
book and throwing it back at Outlook III, “Two – I was merely driving your son
home because we were both at the Baratie tonight and I didn’t want him trying
to get home alone. He didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m also driving Ace home,
so before you jump to conclusions next time and slander a minor’s name, you
might want to take a deep breath before assume anything.”
“Also I told you to stop calling Ace a criminal!” barked Sabo, pissed off “And
also, stop accusing Ace of getting me involved in crimes! ”
Outlook III sputtered, pointing at the house
 “SABO! You go inside right now!”
And then he turned to the Captain, moving closer
“Ah, my apologies, you must understand how as a parent we worry!”
Smoker glared at the man “Get. Out. Of. My. Face.”
Sabo snickered, waving goodbye at Ace who waved back happily and openly much at
the dismay of Sabo’s parents, then he turned his sights towards Stelly
“HEY STELLY! How ya doing?! Still rocking that bowl cut I see!”
“Don’t talk to Stelly!” screeched Sabo’s mother, grabbing Stelly and dragging
him inside as Ace smirked, sitting back in the car and closing the door.
 
Ace frowned, leaning back in the seat, arms crossed fuming. He hated Sabo’s
parents. Some parents they were anyways! Sabo had been a runaway for five years
until they got their hooks back into him! They had literally adopted another
child to replace him – but they worry about him? Fuck that!
Smoker soon got back into the car and turned to drive out of High Town.
“You two sure got a Romeo and Juliet thing going on”
Ace snorted “Imagine how they’d be if we were dating”
“Why do they hate you so much?” asked Smoker as he drove out of High Town
“Wait, before you answer that.”
Smoker then pulled over and parked the car. He quickly got out and opened Ace’s
door “I’m not a taxi service, get in the front”
Ace smiled, getting out and getting into the passenger seat and quickly
buckling in
“Sabo ran away from home when he was 5” started Ace, leaning back in his seat
after buckling up “And he found me and we quickly became best friends. It was
five years later until his parents found him and that was only because his dad
happen to be in the Gate district when me and Sabo and Luffy were running away
from a guy chasing us and he spotted Sabo. After that he sent the fucking cops
to go find us and threatened to have our asses sent to juvie if Sabo didn’t go
with him – so Sabo went.”
Smoker paused for a moment, and then he lifted a brow “As a ‘fucking cop’, I
have to ask - Why would you have gone to juvie?”
Ace grimaced, chuckling slightly “We maaayy have just dined and dashed when he
saw us.”
Smoker snorted, driving through Gate district but then he frowned “Wait a
minute, Sabo was living with you at the time? How did his parents not find him
then? The city isn’t that big”
“They don’t leave High Town unless they need to. So, that’s why” explained Ace
They remained quiet for a while as Smoker drove to Corvo district. Smoker went
right back to the path that he let Ace off at last night and pulled over
“Thank you, Captain! Much appreciated as always!” stated Ace as he opened the
door and got out, surprised to see the Captain getting out as well
 
“Oi! What are you doing?”
“Walking you to the door.”
“Hey!” Oh shit no no no! “There’s no need for that”
“I insist.”
“Hey! No seriously! Someone’s going to steal your cruiser!” Oh shit oh shit oh
shit!
“Let them fucking try and I’ll track them down and beat them on it.”
‘This was the worst time to get turned on’ mused Ace, and then shook his head,
trying to concentrate on what’s important
“Yo seriously, the old bag is going to lose her shit if I bring a cop to the
door!” cried out Ace. This was bad! 
“I’m not done talking to you.” stated Smoker seriously. Ace knew there was no
arguing
“Okay, how about this, you don’t walk me directly to my door, but the path does
lead into the forest and we can walk there?” offered Ace
“Fine. I don’t have much to say anyways.” stated Smoker as they started walking
down the path
“I wanted to say that I owe a correction to my earlier behavior.”
Ace blinked, not sure how to take that
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t believe you when you said you were Second Division. After I saw you
take those guys out – things are all getting much clearer. I will not
underestimate you again.” stated Smoker, frowning “Let me see it.”
Ace merely smirked, shrugging off his button up and took off his t-shirt. He
turned around and showed his back tattoo to the Captain and then turned around
smirking “Satisfied or you want me to take off more?”
“You have your own name misspelled on your arm?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Tell me why a bright kid like you is wasting himself in a gang like
Whitebeards”
“Again, I have my reasons.”
“Your brothers are also in the gang?”
“Nope! It’s just me, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Listen brat.” started Smoker, stopping Ace as he turned to face him “You don’t
have a rap sheet and I don’t understand why you’re so determined to get one.
One of these days, you’re going to get caught – and Bellemere told me you’re
raising your little brother, who the hell is going to do that if you get thrown
in the slammer?”
Ace blinked slowly, staring at the Captain. On one hand – he was flattered that
the Captain was worrying so much about him but on the other hand – who the fuck
does he get off-?!
Ace’s smirk grew on his face; he leaned into the Captain, his finger pressing
into his chest, his voice sunk low once again
“What makes you think I’m going to get caught?”
Smoker pulled back, straightening up, clearly pissed at the insinuations
“Are you implying I won’t be able to catch you?”
“Well, no other cop has – I’ve been running in gangs for nearly five years now
and doing other things before and like you said – I have no rap sheet.”
It was now Smoker’s turn to lean into Ace. Ace could practically see the smoke
come off of him as he was seething mad but it only made the fire in Ace burn
“Listen to me, Brat and you listen good. You will fuck up. And when you do,
I’ll be there and I will personally throw your ass in the slammer when I do.”
Ace smirked, leaning in even closer, pressing their chests together as Smoker
looked down at him, eyes burning  as Ace ran a hand down the Captain’s chest
“How did you know I like it rough?”
Smoker quickly shoved him away, face red
“Piss off! I will catch your scrawny ass in the act if it’s the last thing I
do! Don’t underestimate me!”
Ace chuckled, picking up his shirts off the ground and started to walk towards
the house
 “I would never! Goodnight Cap~tain!”
“I’m watching you, Portgas!” barked Smoker as Ace kept walking
“Hope you like the view of my ass!” replied Ace, knowing he was pushing it, but
just could not help himself by now
“I have better things to do than look at your ass!!”
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Captain!” replied Ace, over his shoulder with a
big smirk
“I better not see your face tomorrow!”
Ace snorted, trying hard not to laugh – he didn’t think he’d get that much
under the Captain’s skin. Ace could hear the Captain stomping away, now blazing
mad. Once he knew the Captain was out of sight, he started to laugh, pleased
with himself
 
“Hey, who was the yelling guy?”
Ace looked up and saw that Luffy was sitting on the roof of the house
“Hey! It’s way late! You should be in bed!” chided Ace who quickly climbed up
the side of the house, joining Luffy on the roof
“I was waiting for you!” stated Luffy, rocking in place “So who was that yelly
guy?”
“That Luffy, is Captain Chase Smoker, the current chief of Police – and I don’t
think he likes me very much” admitted Ace
Luffy though shook his head “Really? I think Smokey likes you, probably why he
got so mad when you told him you were in a gang.”
Ace frowned, how long had Luffy been listening for?
“I also think you like him a lot.”
Ace sighed – there was no point in lying to Luffy “Yeah…I kinda do, Luffy”
“That’s nice” said Luffy, grinning “I’m glad you found someone that you like.”
Ace then shifted, sitting closer to his brother “So, how come you’ve been
waiting up for me?”
Luffy then smiled brightly, surprising Ace – what could be making Luffy so
happy?
“I met someone new today and I really like him too! I stayed up because I
wanted to tell you all about him!”
“Oh yeah? Tell me all about him”
Ace sighed, smiling softly as Luffy started babbling away about his day.
Something tells him he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either
 
Chapter End Notes
     HMM, I WONDER WHO LUFFY IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT
     Ahh notes! We’re FINALLY DONE THE FIRST DAY! I swear, after this,
     we’re skipping days, weeks and stuff, don’t worry, we’re not doing 14
     chapters for every single day, we’ll be here forever!
***** – CORAZON – What Subbing Group Did These Shitty Subs? (You missed a few
lines!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Aren’t brand new days fun? Okay, we’re Friday now, so we skipped a
     few – but let’s go!
     Remember! Between « » means they’re speaking a different language!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
A clock had never so taunted him
Cora was practically vibrating with how excited he was for sushi tonight! He
had been looking forward to this for so long! While his recovery, he wasn’t
really allowed to leave the house much unless it was for hospital check-ups
(Cora forever felt guilty about making his boys do groceries and errands but he
had no choice!)
Also Cora had big news for Bepo and Law, so he was super excited! He wasn’t
excited about the fact that he had to go right back to work after dinner – but
it wasn’t that big of a deal. The Captain had actually been very flexible with
Cora’s work hours, allowing him to be with the boys in the morning and
evenings, and asking for Cora to work Friday night and weekends during the day
was a nice trade-off.
Bepo and Law could handle themselves alone in the house – he knew that much.
And if anything were to happen, Law would call him. Okay, Bepo would, Law
maybe.
 
“Here’s the other part of the report, Rosinante.” 
Cora looked up from his monitor and smiles brightly – taking the report from
Wiper.
“Thank you! I really needed that to finish that incident report!”
Cora made a point to be extra friendly towards Wiper because frankly the man’s
intensity scared him. He had met the man the following day of work after the
dinner with the …Mayor and felt awful when he was told that the man in front of
him was a Shandian. Even if he was a really intense person, Cora couldn’t help
but think he looks really cool with his facial tattoos and the way his hair was
shaved and styled!
“No problem, if you need anything else, let me know.” remarked Wiper before he
went to go sit at his own desk
Man he was so cool!
 
Cora went back to typing the report. Honestly all this office work was starting
to bore him a little bit – but Cora just kept telling himself that it’s because
he just wasn’t used to it yet. He needed to remind himself that he won’t be
doing field work again. If he was alone with nobody depending on him – he would
take the risk, but with Bepo and Law, he couldn’t do that to them.  Cora
sighed; he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. He easily adapted to
undercover missions and it thrilled him to be playing a double life, but that
part of his life was over. Cora needed to be the mild mannered police officer –
his boys depended on it.
 
“TRAFALGAR! Stop vibrating the entire office!”
 
Cora yelped, jumping out of his seat and knocked his knees on the desk, making
him faceplant into the desk, swearing
He could hear Bellemere laughing at him from the side. Damn he hated being a
total klutz
“I swear between you and Tashigi, we’ll have more accident reports than any
other district” stated the Captain as Cora turned his head, groaning, as he
looked at him
 
The Captain had been in an odd mood since the dinner. Bellemere teased the hell
out of his the next day when he came in because Ace had been their server, but
Smoker seemed less embarrassed than Cora figured he’d be and more … frustrated
with the youth? If Cora didn’t know any better, a confrontation happened
between the two – but one thing was clear, Smoker was doing more patrols in the
evenings.
As if he was looking for something to happen – but he wasn’t sure.
 
“Aww stop teasing him!” replied Bellemere, leaning back into her chair “Rosi’s
klutziness is adorable!”
Cora groaned, blushing “That isn’t helping!”
“What are you so excited for? I could hear your legs shaking under your desk”
asked Smoker, lifting a brow. Cora had to admit, seeing him now without a cigar
in his mouth made him look naked
“I’m going out for sushi tonight with my boys! I’m really excited, I hadn’t had
good sushi in ages!” explained Cora, smiling brightly
“Foxfire, right?” asked Bellemere “Because the place is run by a Japanese
family that moved here a few years back, so it’s the legit thing. I remembered
how much of a snob you and Sengoku get about your Japanese food.”
Smoker frowned and looked at Cora for a moment, confused
“It always baffles me when I hear that you were raised by freakingSengoku.Who
knew that man was even raising a kid”
Bellemere laughed “Want to hear an even better one?”
Smoker frowned more, glaring at Bellemere “Not from you!”
“You know Garp, right?”
“Garp D. Monkey? Who the hell in the Marines doesn’t know that man?” grunted
Smoker, not happy to see where this was going
“Well Ace and Luffy are his grandsons”
Smoker’s jaw dropped as he looked at Bellemere in utter disbelief “WHAT?!”
Bellemere burst out laughing at the Captain’s reaction while Cora merely
frowned. Those poor kids
“I didn’t even know Garp had kids to begin with?! How does he have grandkids?!”
asked Smoker
Bellemere’s expression grew serious “His son was also part of the World
Government forces. He defected though, so his name was stripped from the
records. All I know is that one day as a baby, Luffy was brought to Windmill
District and Ace was in Corvo. So, I don’t know more than that and Nami told me
that Luffy thinks that he doesn’t even have parents. Nojiko told me that Ace
gets in a really shitty mood when people ask him about his parents, so I don’t
know anything else”
 
“Like, really shitty. It’s weird to see Ace like that considering how friendly
he acts”
Cora blinked, surprised at the new voice and then smiled brightly “Nojiko!”
Nojiko smiled, waving at Cora “Hello Rosinante!”
Bellemere frowned, lifting a brow “Why are you here so early?”
“Heading to work and my last period on Day 2 is a free period” explained Nojiko
“So I decided to stop by.”
Cora smiled – he really liked Nojiko! She was very level headed and
responsible, Cora personally hoped that he could get the two families together
for dinner sometimes, he feels like she would be a good person for Bepo and Law
to have in their lives
“Rosi, shouldn’t you get going?” asked Bellemere, snapping Cora out of his
thoughts
“Oh! I still have a bit, Law and Bepo joined clubs” explained Cora
Bellemere looked at Cora shocked “What?I knew about Bepo because he and Nami
are in the same club, but Law?”
Cora laughed, he couldn’t blame Bellemere for thinking that “Yeah, he suddenly
wanted to do Kendo!”
Bellemere’s expression drew serious “…doesn’t that ring any concerns with you?”
Cora blinked, surprised “What do you mean? Kendo’s a great sport.”
“I don’t think he’s doing it for sportsmanship reasons, Rosi.” stated
Bellemere. Cora frowned, where was she getting with this?
“Zoro Roronoa’s in that team and I saw them go at it yesterday” stated Nojiko
“Law’s picking it up really fast too, Mr Brook’s really impressed with him
–Also  I overheard Zoro and Law talking about practicing more over at Zoro’s
house.”
“Zoro? Who’s Zoro?” asked Cora, starting to get frustrated. He felt like he was
missing something important
“Wait – Zoro as in Mihawk Dracule’s adopted son?” asked the Captain, eyes
narrowing. Apparently he was catching on to something too
Cora’s eyes shot open. Mihawk Dracule?!
“As in the greatest swordsman in the world Mihawk Dracule? Like the CEO of
Dracule interprises?! He lives here?” cried out Cora, surprised
Smoker nodded, putting a cigar in his mouth “Also very good friends with
Shanks, head of the Red Hair gang”
Cora was starting to slightly panic. What the hell was Law getting himself
involved in?
“Whoah…what…Law wouldn’t do anything to get himself in big trouble! He
wouldn’t! Not after everything!” stated Cora, he needed to calm down
Nojiko merely chuckled “Nami is good friends with Zoro, there’s nothing to
worry about Rosinante. Also, I see Law talking with Nami and her friends a lot,
especially Luffy. I think it’s more they both have something in common. Nami
goes over to Zoro’s house a lot too”
Bellemere chuckled “Nojiko’s right. Besides, Mihawk’s barely home because of
work anyways. Nami said that she thinks she once spotted him and that’s it, and
she and Zoro have been friends for 3 years now”
Cora exhaled, calming down a little bit. Good, good. Law was fine
Bellemere laughed, rolling her chair to pat Cora on the back “You’re such a
mother hen! I’m just worried because Law might want to learn how to swordfight
so he could defend himself in case anything happens! That’s all”
Cora paused – actually that would make sense! But it also broke his heart; it
wasn’t Law’s job to defend himself! It was Cora’s job to protect him!
Cora shook his head “He shouldn’t feel the need to protect himself though”
Smoker shrugged “Are you sure he wants to protect himself? That’s not the
impression I got from him the other night. ”
Cora blinked “What do you mean by that?”
“It might be nothing, but my gut feeling is that he’s not out to protect
himself. From the small conversation I had with him and his interactions at the
restaurant, I don’t think it’s himself he wants to protect. But you’ll figure
it out” stated Smoker as he went back to his office, closing the door
“…what if his gut feeling is wrong?” asked Cora quietly, worried
 
“His gut feeling is neverwrong” stated Tashigi from her desk, smiling
peacefully
Cora felt reassured
 
Soon enough Cora went to get changed, saying his goodbyes to everyone he would
miss before he came back and quickly drove to school. Bepo and Law were waiting
at the front entrance. Cora could see Law talking with the boy he recognized
from detention and some other people. Cora parked the car and got out, walking
towards the group
“Law! Bepo! You ready to go?” asked Cora happily, waving slightly
“Cora! Yay! I’m so hungry!” stated Bepo smiling
Before Law could say anything, Luffy moved in front of Law and right in front
of Cora
“WHOAH! Mister you’re so tall! You’re like that old man that Ace likes so
much!”
Cora frowned slightly – there’s someone in town as tall as he is?But then he
smiled back at Luffy
“Hello! You must be Luffy”
Luffy nodded, sticking out his hand “Yeah! I’m Luffy, how did you know? Are you
Rosinante? Like the horse?”
Cora sighed, fuck that book to hell,and shook Luffy’s hand “Yes, I’m Rosinante”
“I like him! He’s my favourite character in the book so far!” explained Luffy,
grinning
Cora smiled back; this kid’s smile was infectious! “Haha, glad to hear!”
“C’mon Cora, let’s go, I’m hungry.” stated Law, grabbing Cora’s arm, but then
he frowned, looking at what Cora was wearing, grabbing Cora’s sleeve
“…You still have that candy corn monstrosity?”
“HEY! I love this shirt!” stated Cora, insulted
“Law. Saturday?” asked a kid in the back that Cora didn’t recognize
Law turned to the guy, nodding “Right” then he turned to Cora “Do you mind if I
go to Zoro’s house on Saturday? He had things he wants to show me”
Cora blinked, and looked at Zoro. So this was Zoro Roronoa! …This kid was a
high schooler?!
“Uh sure? That should be fine” replied Cora, trying to relax
Zoro smiled a little and nodded while they walked to the car, Luffy waving at
them as the group waved back
They got in the car and Cora started to drive towards the sushi place
 
 
“…so…what are you going to do at Zoro’s place?”
Law blinked, looking up from his phone. Cora could see that he had a map up
“Uh, Zoro thinks that I’d work better with a longer sword. So we’re going to
see if a nodachi would be better for me” explained Law, ticking away at his map
“It looks like you can just walk there, Law! There’s a path through the forest
that takes you right to the house, but Shashi and Penguin said to be careful in
that forest since it belongs to the estate and like, Perona put weird things in
the forest” stated Bepo from the back seat. Law laughed
“See you were faster than me with the map!”
Bepo grinned proudly “Your navigator at your service, Captain!”
Cora chuckled, looking at Bepo in the rear view mirror
“Are you going too?”
Bepo shook his head “No way, that place is creepy.”
Cora frowned “That place?”
Bepo nodded “Yeah, it’s like, this creepy old estate and like, it looks like
something out of a horror movie!”
“Wait! That really creepy mansion on Kuraigana drive?” asked Cora shocked
“That’s the Dracule estate?”
Law frowned sharply, turning to look at Cora “How did you know that was the
Dracule estate? I never said that name.”
Cora gritted his teeth “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
Law’s expression then softened “Wait…you knew and you’re still letting me go?”
Cora sighed, pulling into Foxfire Sushi’s parking lot “Nojiko vouched for Zoro
earlier today but I do trust you, you know. I don’t like it because Mihawk
Dracule is one scary son of a bitch, but his son seemed okay”
Law nodded, smiling “Thank you.”
Cora sighed, parking the car and opening the door “Just don’t make me regret
it, okay?”
Law merely laughed
 
They went into the restaurant and waited for a hostess to come collect them and
put them in a private room with tatami floors. Cora kneeled at the table as Law
and Bepo slipped their legs in the hole under the table.  Soon enough a waiter
walked in fully dressed in traditional garb. Cora blinked surprised – how the
hell do they have an actual geisha working here?!
“Konbanwa or good evening, my name is Izo and I’ll be serving you tonight”
Izo?! That’s a male’s name?
“I’m so excited!” declared Bepo, swaying back and forth with a menu in hand as
Cora ordered their drinks. Law lifted a brow
“Don’t you usually like some saké when you go to Japanese places?”
Cora nodded “Yeah, but I gotta go back to work after this, remember? So I’ll
drive you guys home and go back to the station.”
“Desk job?” asked Law as Izo returned with tea and cups for everyone. Pouring
each of them a cup and placing it in front of them.
“Mmm, sorta. I’ll have to answer calls if any of them come in.” explained Cora,
sipping on his tea. Law frowned
“I don’t like that.”
Cora sighed, he knew that Law wouldn’t
“I’m a cop, Law. I have to go on the field once in a while, and it’s probably
like, noise complaints.”
Law growled, shifting closer to Bepo. Cora groaned, he hated when Law did that
“The Captain said he wouldn’t send me out on dangerous calls, but I need to go
once in a while, it isn’t fair that it’s just me! Even the Captain does
patrols!”
Law sighed, cheeks a bit flushed as he sipped more tea. Cora knew that he
probably just realized he was overreacting and now was a little embarrassed, so
he’ll drop it
Izo returned to collect the food order and left once again, Cora gasped,
smiling brightly – that reminded him!
 
“Ah! I have some good news!”
Law and Bepo both blinked, staring at Cora, awaiting the news
“Sengoku is coming to visit next week!”
“No.” stated Law, frowning
Cora frowned back “What the hell do you mean, ‘no’?!”
“I don’t want that man in our house! I hate the World Government and all of
their agents!”
“I’m one of them!” stated Cora, gesturing to himself
“You’re my only exception!”
“Oh c’mon, Sengoku is a nice guy! He raised me and everything and he’s been
dying to meet the both of you!”
“Then where the hell has he been in the last year? Why the hell wasn’t he by
your bedside as you spend a year recovering from massive surgeries!” replied
Law, clearly pissed off
Cora paused, taken back. He was expecting Law to bring up the genocide but not
his recovery?
Cora sighed, smiling softly “I was fine, I asked him not to come and to just
concentrate on his work. He did call me many times a week to see how I was
doing, Law. He was halfway across the world, it’s not his fault.”
Law grumbled, taking another sip of tea. Cora reached out and ran his fingers
through Law’s hair, trying to calm him down.
“Remember that thing we talked about” stated Bepo, smirking and Law turned to
shove Bepo slightly, suddenly all embarrassed
“Shut up!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true!”  Replied Bepo, chuckling
“What’s this?” asked Cora, looking at the two of them, but Law shook his head
“It’s nothing, really.”
Izo then returned with the first few orders of food, placing them on the table
and Bepo instantly took a piece and started eating
“If you need anything, please let me know, I will come check in regularly”
 
«I just have a question – it’s rare to see a geisha outside of Japan, what are
you doing in Goa?»
Bepo and Law stared at Cora shocked
“You speak Japanese?!” asked Law, not sure what to do with this info
“Yes?” replied Cora. Whoops! Guess he never mentioned that
Izo chuckled, continuing in Japanese
«My mother and father live here – but I trained in Japan. My grandmother is an
okā-san of an okiya back in Japan but once my training was done, I came to join
my family here.»
“Don’t I go to school with you?” asked Law, squinting “Your voice is starting
to sound familiar.”
 
Izo laughed “Yeah! I’m one of Ace’s friends. My parents insist I’m in full
attire when I serve here since it makes the customers happy”
Law’s eyes widen, recognizing Izo which was making Cora frown. What was this
all about? Time to pretend he didn’t notice!
“Oh! We met Ace the other night, he was our server!” replied Cora, smiling. Izo
smiled back
“Isn’t he great? I must go get the rest of your plates” stated Izo as he got up
and left the room
“Who would have thought that Izo worked here!” stated Bepo as he kept eating.
Law frowned, taking a piece of sushi off of Bepo’s plate
 
“Guess the Whitebeards are everywhere”
 
Cora froze, turning towards Law and Bepo
“Wait – what?!”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Ace is in the Whitebeard gang. Second Division,
whatever the hell that means.” explained Law, piling on sushi on to his own
plate
Cora swallowed hard – it actually means a lot.
“Law…Second Division is like, the equivalent of the Diamante army.” explained
Cora, trying to muddle his head around the idea of Ace being in that division.
 Friendly, flirty Ace. Then again – his fighting skills sure were impressive.
Law blinked, surprised “Oh! That explains the Captain’s reaction.”
Cora lifted a brow “The Captain’s reaction?”
“Yeah, the Captain asked him what Ace’s game was after Ace told him he was a
Whitebeard, and Ace said he was Second Division so the Captain kinda relaxed.”
explained Law as he kept eating
“Well makes sense. Second Division doesn’t infiltrate to collect information or
anything, when they do it’s through violence! Usually they clean up messes –“
 
“Or makes them, depending on the mission”
Cora turned and looked at Izo shocked as he placed another plate down on the
table. Cora couldn’t ignore the smirk on Izo’s face
“Forgive me, I couldn’t help but overhear. And there’s really no reason to play
dumb, now is there, Corazon?”
Cora straightened out his back and then leaned back on his hand, eyes narrowing
slightly. He turned his chin upward and lifted a brow – he wasn’t going to be
intimidated by this child
“Oh?”
“Relax. The Whitebeards have no intention of starting up anything with you. If
anything, we’d like to extend our support if you need it, but we’re also aware
that you’re currently working as a police officer, so if you don’t mind, we’re
rather stay off your radar as much as possible” explained Izo as he smiled at
them “Also, as a professional - everything said here is confidential. You are a
very important guests and I can’t have you not trust me.”
Cora blinked, surprised but then Izo smirked “I would like to make on
correction though”
“Oh?”
“Ace isn’t just in the Second Division – he’s the Second Division commander.”
WHAT?!
“Ace?! The teenager that served us at the Baratie on Monday is the commander?
He’s a child! And why are you telling me all of this?” snapped Cora, getting
frustrated
Izo merely shrugged “Because we’re not hiding it. Ace being the commander isn’t
a secret or anything. And Pops decides on the commanders by merit – and Ace
deserved that post. You saw him fight at the restaurant; do you not think he
deserved it?”
Izo had a point.  But it was a bit hard for him to handle because Ace was so
close to Law’s age
“No, that’s true. You’re telling me an awful lot though.” explained Cora,
relaxing and putting a piece of sushi in his mouth
“Am I though?” stated Izo as he left the room
 
Cora blinked, watching Izo leave and somehow felt like he had just gotten
played.
“Bet he’s 16th Division” mumbled Cora, taking another sip of tea
“That was…intense, Cora! But you looked super cool and in control!” declared
Bepo, smiling brightly
“It’s weird to hear you talk when you’re in gang mode though” stated Law,
eating another piece of sushi
“Hahaha, I guess that’s true, huh” replied Cora chuckling
“Also, you never explained how you know Japanese” pointed out Law, pointing
with his chopsticks, Cora batted his hand away
“Don’t do that! It’s really rude! There’s no mystery behind it – I used to
spend my summer vacations as a kid in Japan. Sengoku was too busy to take care
of me so he’d have me go stay with his parents in Kyoto, that’s all.” Man that
brought back memories! He sure as hell didn’t miss the tiny buildings and the
tiny showers and the tiny doors though.
 
“I never knew that” mumbled Law, irritated
Cora blinked. I guess he hadn’t told Law much about himself. Granted, it’s not
like he could have when they were running away trying to find his cure and the
year spent in recovery was kinda of a mess too. Well shit, now he felt bad.
“I’m sorry; I guess I never really told much about myself to either of you,
have I?”
Bepo shrugged his shoulders, but still smiled “It’s okay! We figured you didn’t
want to talk about it, so we didn’t push”
Cora just felt like he got stabbed again. Did he make his boys feel unwelcomed?
Cora shook his head
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you two like this, it just, it isn’t a very
nice story. Especially not in the beginning. But, if you want to hear it, I’m
more than willing to tell you – but at home? The walls have ears here”
explained Cora, smiling softly. Hopefully this will help
Cora felt his heart melt when he saw Law smile
“Yeah, how about the three of us in general, just, tell everything.”
Cora smiled brightly – yes!
“Perfect! Tomorrow night?” offered Cora beyond happy
“Tomorrow!” agreed Bepo and Law together
“Alright, let’s finish up here so I can drive you two back home, okay?”
“Dibs on the last salmon roll!” cried Law, snatching it away from the plate as
Bepo tried to grab it
“Cora! Tell Law to stop stealing!”
Cora couldn’t be happier right now and hopefully the rest of his day would go
smoothly.
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     The whole Izo = geisha thing was legit like, a month’s worth of
     research! The biggest tip-off is the Shimada hairstyle and SO MUCH
     OTHER REASONS! BUT YEAH, Sengoku is coming to visit! So hold on to
     your hats, everyone! Next chapter – we’re back to Ace!
***** – ACE – Jaime Lannister’s Actions Make Sense Now (Out the Window You Go!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Wahh! Did my fic get recommended or something? There’s a sudden
     influx of all of you! Well welcome! For reasons that aren't
     important, no work for me today and the fic was ready so I decided
     why not? Enjoy the chapter!
     Heads up – the French isn’t between «- » because the recipient can’t
     understand it! But I put the translations in the end notes!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Over the river and through the woods; to grandmother’s house we go!”
Ace sang to himself as he scaled the massive stone wall. Thank god he got into
parkour years ago because this wall was a bitch!
Actually his parkour abilities is what made him so efficient in general – it’s
easy to run away from a dine and dash when they look for you down the street
and you scaled the wall instead
Once Ace was over the wall, he quickly jumped on the nearest rooftop and
started to follow them down to his location. Ace knew that if he was on the
ground, they would stop him immediately and kick him out because he wasn’t to
their standards. It’s just such fucking bullshit – but his end goal was worth
it.
Instead of scaling the house he needed, he instead jumped right back on the
wall, following it around the estate and jumped in the backyard. The beauty
about this place is that the owners felt the giant stone wall kept them safe
enough – so they didn’t bother with a security system. Idiots.
He navigated the over grown garden or the English style garden as people in
those shows say and soon found the balcony he was looking for – ah, his
promised one laid on that balcony. Ace looked at it a little longer – he could
see the door was open to the balcony so the person inside could hear him. He
backed up enough so that the resident of the room would be able to see him when
they went outside and he started to speak
“Baiser. Le mot est doux ! Je ne vois pas pourquoi votre lèvre ne l’ose!  S’il
la brûle déjà, que sera-ce la chose ? Ne vous en faites pas un épouvantement!
N’avez-vous pas tantôt, presque insensiblement! Quitté le badinage et glissé
sans alarmes! Du sourire au soupir, et du soupir aux larmes ! Glissez encore un
peu d’insensible façon! Des larmes au baiser il n’y a qu’un frisson!”
 
“Shut up! Are you seriously trying to wane poetry at me in French!”
 
Ace grinned brightly at he looked up at Sabo, waving both his arms
“Well, I was considering the traditional ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your
hair’ but I think my hair is longer than yours!” explained Ace as he started to
scale the wall up the balcony as he continued talking
“And also, that wasn’t poetry; it was Cyrano de Bergerac, thank you! Which is
an awesome play we’re studying in French class right now by the way! ”
Sabo chuckled, watching Ace climb up “You only had two French classes so far
and you’re already at the balcony scene?”
“I may have read it before because I really do love the play” admitted Ace,
getting onto the balcony “There’s this scene where he goes off insulting this
guy who tried to make fun of his nose and he destroys him!”
Sabo laughed, leading Ace into his room
“I’ll have to read it someday”
 
Ace was always amazed by Sabo’s room. With one glance of his room, you could
tell that he and Sabo were born in two completely different worlds. The room
was easily three maybe even four times bigger than his and Luffy’s room, with a
massive bed in the middle of the room with a tv hanged on the opposite wall.
Ace threw himself on Sabo’s bed, face first, letting himself sink in the
luxurious bedding
“Your booty call has arrived!” declared Ace proudly, closing his eyes
“My booty call? We’re having sex? Shit! I didn’t wear my nice underwear, you’ll
have to give me a moment to get changed!” teased Sabo, walking up to the bed
laughing
Ace sat up and purred, sinking back down in the pillow on his stomach, giving
Sabo bedroom eyes
“Your underwear doesn’t matter if I’m going to take them off anyways~”
Sabo let out a low whistle, laughing as he threw himself on top of Ace
“See! That’s exactly what we were telling you about on Monday! Ridiculously
sexy without you trying!”
Ace laughed, leaning back as Sabo rolled off of him to lie besides him
“That’s the kind of stuff you should do with the Captain”
Ace snorted “Pretty sure I blew my chance there. You should have seen how
pissed he was”
“Oh yeah” started Sabo, rolling his eyes “That’s why he’s patrolling the
streets at night now, because he wants you gone”
Ace blinked and then sighed “That’s just because he wants to catch me doing
something illegal to make his point”
“And you’re still bringing him coffee every morning and you know he’s not
throwing it away either.” noted Sabo, looking skeptical . Ace frowned, he hated
when Sabo might be right!
“Sabo”
“Ace.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing Sabo.” admitted Ace, looking frustrated. He had
never had feelings for someone like this before, it was all – overwhelming.
“I think you’re doing the right thing, honestly.  You’re being yourself.”
Pointed out Sabo, sitting up and ruffling Ace’s hair “And you’re so likable,
like a puppy”
Ace laughed, shoving Sabo slightly “Oh shut up, or I’ll slobber all over your
face and piss on the carpet!”
Sabo laughed and then turned and smiled fondly at Ace’s arm tattoo. Ace
blushed, the crossed out ‘S’ on his arm had been for Sabo – it was how he
signed his letters as a kid, so as a memento he had it tattooed with his name
on his arm – symbolizing that Sabo would always be with him on his adventures.
But you know, when he thought Sabo was dead.  Now it was just a little
embarrassing, but Sabo had been beyond touched with the gesture when he saw it
– so it was okay
 
“Oh, that reminds me, how come you were in a shit mood today at school? I never
got a chance to ask you”
Sabo sighed “Because I’m meeting my supposed fiancéetomorrow”
Ace gasped jokingly “Does Koala know?!”
Sabo snorted, shoving Ace again “Yeah, she knows, she’s pissed, I’m pissed, but
my family refused to acknowledge Koala even though we’ve been dating for nearly
four years now”
“Wait, didn’t you already have a fiancée? Sally something? Sari? Something?”
asked Ace, frowning
Sabo sighed “Yeah, she’s been given to Stelly since I’m apparently too ugly for
her now”
Ace snapped up, sitting up as he glared at Sabo “What?”
Sabo shrugged, pointing to his eye. Cool! He had taken the contact out!
“Yeah, apparently this is gross to look at and isn’t proper for a man of my
standing”
 
Ace paused for a moment, standing up and going towards the bedroom door
“I’m going to go kick your parent’s teeth in!!”
“ACE NO!” Sabo jumped off the bed and grabbed Ace around the waist, pulling him
back as Ace struggled to get to the door
“Acee!! Listen to me! I know you’re pissed, but it’s okay!”
“STELLY?! Fucking STELLY is considered more attractive than you?! The twit
looks like he fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!”
Sabo buried his face in Ace’s back and started to laugh making Ace calm down.
He just got so fucking mad when anyone insulted Sabo – especially about the
burn marks!
“Acceee! It’s okay! Let’s just chill on the bed and watch some movie on
Netflix, okay?” offered Sabo, pulling Ace back towards the bed “I’ll get snacks
and drinks and we’ll have a nice night as we were supposed to! It doesn’t
matter what they think – I know I look good! You tell me, Koala tells me, and
that’s all that matters”
“Your burn marks are fucking cool” mumbled Ace, letting himself be dragged to
the bed
Sabo laughed, gently pushing Ace back on the bed “Stay here, you! I’ll go get
the food”
“Take off your shirt! Show them that sexy bod!” teased Ace. Sabo rolled his
eyes and took off his t-shirt, throwing it at Ace
Ace laughed, catching the shirt and watched Sabo leave the room – making sure
to close the door.
 
Ace sighed. He wished that him coming over to Sabo’s place wasn’t such an
ordeal. He’d love to just come up to the door, knock, Sabo’s mother would open
the door, greet him inside and they would exchange pleasantries as they waited
for Sabo – or he’d be directed to go up to Sabo’s room. Instead whenever they
seem him – they call the cops and tried to have him arrested!
Once he was sitting on a bench downtown, eating a Popsicle and Sabo’s dad
called the freaking cops and tried to have him arrested!  Ace smiled, closing
his eyes as he remembered Smoker telling off Outlook III on Monday. God that
turned him on more than it should have. Even though Ace felt like he didn’t
know what he was doing – he knew that since the conversation near his house –
the Captain had gotten more…frustrated with him? Like he himself didn’t know
how to deal with him either. All of it was making everything so damn
complicated.
 
“Dreaming of your Chase?”
Ace opened his eyes and sat up, smirking “Now how did you know?”
“Because I’m psychic, duh” explained Sabo as he offered Ace a large platter of
cheese and crackers and fruits. Ace laughed taking the platter
“Normalpeople bring bowls of chips, Sabo”
Sabo rolled his eyes, sitting down besides Ace and taking his remote controls
off the nightstand and opened the tv
“Well this house doesn’t have normal people – they have freaking platters ready
in case someone important comes to visit – that they trash every freaking day
because they can’t possibly serve day old food to people”
“Uh, that sounds like a huge waste” noted Ace, frowning. He had spent a good
chunk of his life constantly scrapping buy for food or starving – hearing shit
like this pissed him off
“Which is exactly why I collect the food before they throw it out and go bring
it to shelters and such” explained Sabo, smiling “And tonight – you’re the
needy!”
Ace smiled brightly, stuffing pieces of fruits in his mouth as Sabo set
everything up
“So, what are we watching tonight?”
“Well, we could have continued Jojo, but Luffy just had to go off and be
social”
Sabo laughed “Damn that Luffy!”
“He promised he’d come next Friday” explained Ace “He had already made plans
with his gang, and he didn’t want to break it. But he felt awful; he said he’ll
swing by the café tomorrow.”
“Aww it’s fine, I like his little gang. They’re so good to him.” stated Sabo,
flipping through the movie options
“Ooh, The Road to El Dorado, let’s watch that!” said Ace, pointing at the TV as
he kept eating away at the platter
“Very nice choice!”
 
 
Ace opened his eyes and looked around the bedroom. He blinked, continuing the
chew the food in his mouth and turned to look at Sabo who was reading besides
him and then back at the TV – which was off
“Oh fuck! I did it again!”
Sabo blinked, putting down his book and looked at Ace, chuckling
“Ace, it’s okay! It’s not your fault”
“Urgh no, it’s not okay! This is so fucking annoying!” Ace groaned, rubbing his
face, trying to wake himself up more
“Did you notice that it mostly happens when you eat?”
What?!Holy shit, Sabo was right! He usually fell asleep during meals and he
fell asleep on the bench after having a snack when the captain found him and
just now, he was devouring the platter!
“Holy shit, I never realized!”
“It’s probably because it’s the only time you’re not like – on high alert. You
relax so your body is like ‘yay, we can shut down now’ and boom, you’re asleep”
explained Sabo, but then he glared at Ace
“Would also help if you were on the good meds and not the cheapest stuff on the
market. Seriously Ace.”
Ace sighed, frowning. Not this again! “They’re too expensive”
“I’ll pay for them” replied Sabo
“No way. I’m only taking your money if it’s for Luffy” stated Ace. He wasn’t
going to fold on this!
“Marco said that once Pops adopts me, I’ll be under his insurance plan, so I’ll
get them then, I swear. I just have to wait four more months.”
“Ace.” growled Sabo, taking the book and hitting Ace on the arm with it “Let me
help you, damnit! You’ve always been like this! For once in your life, accept
the help of someone else!”
“You’re not buying me meds, Sabo! Besides, wouldn’t it be illegal considering
you’re not narcoleptic?” pointed out Ace, taking another piece of cheese and
stuffing it in his mouth
“Ppfft, you think my parents got where they are today through legal means?
C’mon”
 
“Why is that piece of garbage in our house?!”
Both Sabo and Ace turned towards the sound of the voice and saw Stelly at the
door of Sabo’s bedroom. Fucking Stelly. If anyone was utter trash around here,
it was Stelly for sure; the guy has been a bane in Sabo’s life since Sabo’s
parents adopted him. Ace hated him because he was a piece of shit.
“Oh hey Stelly, how’s it going? We’re just watching a movie here, care to join
us?” asked Ace mockingly, he knew trouble was brewing
“Don’t lie to me!” cried Stelly “I know you’re trying to do disgusting things
to Sabo so you can weasel your way into our lives and then steal all of our
money like the trash you are!”
Ace paused and looked at Sabo as they’re sitting side by side on Sabo’s bed,
and then he whispered loudly to Sabo, making sure Stelly could hear
“Oh no, Sabo, he thinks this is what sex looks like – I think his school system
failed him bad”
Sabo burst out laughing, grabbing his stomach and hunched over
“I know what sex looks like!” screeched Stelly, turning purple from rage
“J-Just go away, Stelly!” said Sabo, trying to stop himself from laughing
“We’re not doing anything, we’re just watching a movie!”
“I’m calling the cops!” stated Stelly, taking out his cellphone
“Are you fucking serious?” Ace couldn’t believe this bullshit – he’s calling
the freaking cops?! Like father like son
“C’mon Stelly, don’t waste the police department’s time like that – Ace isn’t
doing anything!” replied Sabo, getting up
“Hello, police, I have to report a break-in and trespassing- “
“Stelly! Drop the call right now!” yelled Sabo, storming up to his adopted
brother
“Yes! The dirty criminal is in my brother’s room right now!”
“If it’s the Captain, tell him I’ll be waiting in my boxers” called out Ace,
knowing there was no stopping Stelly now
“You’re seriously calling the freaking cops?!” Sabo was going to destroy his
brother’s face and Ace knew it. At least it’ll be a fun show before his ass
gets dragged out by the cops
“Aha! They’re coming and they’re going to bring you to jail where you belong!”
stated Stelly victoriously as he ended the call
“It’s not trespassing or a break-in when you’re invited in, you fucking twit!”
screamed Sabo “I invited Ace over tonight!” 
“The cop is going to believe me over you!” declared Stelly “I’m going to say
you have Stokdome syndrome!”
“It’s Stockholm syndrome, jeez, and I never kidnapped Sabo? So he can’t have
that? And you call me uneducated” quipped Ace from the bed. He knew he should
probably be more worried – but he didn’t actually do anything wrong. Sabo did
invite him.  
“Shut up, you! I’m blocking the door so you can’t escape!”
“I came through the balcony, jackass”
Stelly stood there stunned until he ran out of the room, screaming for his
parents.

“Some door blocking! You suck!” yelled Ace as Stelly ran off
“I can’t believe he called the freaking cops!” cried Sabo, looking horrified
“Don’t worry, knowing the cops in town, they’re going to give Stelly shit –
but, I have a plan to make him look more like a jackass.”
Sabo smirked, instantly calming down as he looked at Ace “Oh?”
“He’s going to learn to not ruin our movie night”
Ace smirked – this was going to be fun
Chapter End Notes
     OH NO – I WONDER WHO THE COP IS THAT’S COMING TO ANSWER THE CALL!
     Well, /I/ know who it is, but you’ll all have to see!
     As promised! Translations!
     “What is it, when all’s said and done, a kiss? A deeper pledge, a
     more exacting promise, an avowal that wishes to confirm its rights, a
     rose-coloured dot on the ‘i’ of the verb ‘to like’: a secret for lips
     not ears, the infinity of a moment that makes a noise like a bee, a
     communion with the sweet taste of a flower a way to let the heart
     breathe a little more, and taste the soul at the borders of the
     lips!”
***** – CORAZON – REMINDER: You Can’t Adopt All Mistreated Kids (You’re Not
Batman!) *****
Chapter Notes
     AHHH so many of you seemed excited to know what cop was coming! But
     alas - it was already decided! SO I hope you enjoy the chapter
     anyways! I love when the character chapters intertwine!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
Cora huffed at his desk, arms crossed as he laid on them. He knows he should be
getting more reports in, but he was a little frustrated at the time. Cora
looked up and saw both the Captain and Tashigi getting their things ready to
leave. It was common for the two of them to leave together and arrive together.
It all made sense in Cora’s mind considering the two of them had worked as
partners for so long.
 
“What’s wrong, Rosinante? You look sad.”
Cora blinked and looked up at Tashigi – when did she move?! How was she now
directly in front of him?!
“A-Ah it’s nothing. Just, well, Law didn’t react well to me telling him that my
father is coming to visit” to start with
“Is he coming with the goat?” asked Smoker from the back, looking through his
briefcase, probably to make sure he had all the work he would do at home. Cora
was sure the man did nothing but work and smoke cigars
Cora chuckled “Probably, yeah. She’s a sweet thing, I swear”
“I still can’t believe he brings that thing everywhere. Didn’t he find it
abandoned somewhere once?” asked Smoker, closing his briefcase and putting on
his coat
“Are you really one to judge?” asked Tashigi sweetly, also putting on her coat
“Shut up.”
Huh?
“Oh, you have a pet too?” asked Cora curious
Smoker nodded, blushing slightly as he put a cigar in his mouth “Yeah, she’s an
old girl too. Have a good night, Trafalgar.”
Then the Captain turned to signal to Tashigi to get going and they both walked
out quickly, Tashigi tripping as she followed him as fast as she could. Smoker
caught her arm, lifting her up and fast took them both out the door.
 
Cora blinked – that was weird. But then he chuckled softly, the Captain was
probably embarrassed at showing a softer side to himself. He couldn’t help but
wonder who ‘the old girl’ was! Maybe the Captain had pictures of her in his
office? Shouldn’t be too hard to break into that office –
But then the phone rang
 
Cora frowned – A 911 call? Really? Right now as he was going to indulge in some
mischief?
Cora picked up the call, frowning – he hoped this wasn’t too bad
 
“Hello, Goa City Police, what’s your emergency?”
“Hello, police, I have to report a break-in and trespassing-“
“Oh? Are you in any immediate danger?” Cora frowned more, quickly tracing the
call – waitaminute. He was sure he saw a report about this very same address
done by the Captain earlier this week
“Stelly! Drop the call right now!”
 
Sabo?! Why did he just hear Sabo’s voice in the back?
 
“Yes! The dirty criminal is in my brother’s room right now!”
“If it’s the Captain, tell him I’ll be waiting in my boxers”
 
That was Ace  - that was definitely Ace! Waitaminute – was Ace the dirty
criminal in question? He was sure Sabo introduced Ace as his brother – why
would Ace be a criminal in this equation… unless he and Sabo weren’t actually
brothers by blood?
“Please remain calm sir, we’ll be sending an officer over right away.”
 
Cora quickly finished the call and pulled up the file from the Captain earlier
this week – and as he thought; the address matched
“That piece of shit Outlook III tried to bribe me when I tried to bring Sabo
(last name currently unknown/not certain it matches his parents) back to his
home. Apparently the jackass assumed that Sabo and Ace had gotten arrested.
Then Outlook III and his wife tried to accuse Ace of forcing Sabo to commit
crimes. Later I looked into it; Outlook III and his wife have tried on multiple
attempts to have Ace arrested on fraudulent crimes. After speaking with Ace
about it – Ace confirmed that Sabo’s family doesn’t like him at all. But If
Outlook III tries again that kind of shit with me around – He will get a swift
kick of Justice in the ass.”
Cora burst out laughing, amazed at the sheer lack of professionalism in the
report. Apparently it had been written up right after the incident so Cora
could imagine that the Captain had been peeved. But it oddly showed some warmth
– as if the Captain was personally offended at how Ace was portrayed by Sabo’s
family. Cora stood up, grabbing his police jacket and putting it on – he might
as well take this one -his curiosity was just too great right now.
 
Cora quickly punched the code to get into the gated community of High Town once
he got there. Technically he shouldn’t know this code – but the nobles of
society don’t seem to be too creative with their codes so when you know one of
them, you know all of them. Cora quickly drove to the mansion and buzzed for
entry. He sighed, waiting for someone to answer
 
“Who is this!?” screeched a voice from the intercom – Cora could feel how
annoyed she was
Pleasant
“This is Officer Trafalgar of the Goa City Police. We received a 911 call from
inside of the house concerning a break-in.”
There a pause before the voice broke through
“W-What?! Someone called the police?! Do you know who it was?”
“It was a young man.”
What kind of jackass calls the cops and doesn’t tell his parents?
“It must have been Stelly!”
“Ma’am, not to be rude, but please buzz me in. I have to go speak to him
because a call was made.”
“Ah. Yes, I suppose you do.”
Cora heard the gate unlock and drove up to the main doors – but before he had a
chance to get out of the car, he saw a young man run up to him
 
“Officer! Good thing you’re here! I’ve been keeping guard to make sure that the
criminal didn’t escape!”
Cora frowned, looking at the small boy, but then he smiled, wanting to appear
friendly “I see. I’m officer Trafalgar of the Goat City Police and your name
is?”
“My name is Stelly!”
“Your full name”
Stelly hmphed, crossing his arms
“Do you not know what estate this is? To think there’s someone in town who
doesn’t know us”
Cora frowned sharply, loomed over Stelly, instantly making him back up and
break his patronizing stance. Cora could tell he was afraid – good.
“Do you know what happens when little boys waste my time?”
“S-Stelly Asteraceae, sir”
“Good.” Asteraceae? Isn’t that some kind of flower family?
“Now, please explain to me why you called me over?”
“Well you see-!” started Stelly, leading Cora into the house. Cora looked
around quietly. Fancy place.  “I heard my brother talking with someone in his
room and when I looked in – I saw that a dirty criminal had broken in!”
 
Cora frowned – Chances are Sabo merely invited Ace over but kept it discreet
considering how his family doesn’t seem to approve of Ace and they were caught.
But calling the cops? Seriously? Yeah, he was dealing with this quick.
“And you said he’s still there?”
“Yes! I watched my brother’s door and it never opened!”
An older woman ran up to the two of them and then stopped, staring up at Cora
and gawked - shocked
“O-Officer. I- I had no idea someone had broken in! Stelly just explained to me
everything before you came in”
Well that’s rude. I know I’m tall, but no need to gawk
“It’s fine. Anyways, I need to go to the scene of the incident; can you show me
your brother’s room?”
Stelly nodded, enthusiastically leading Cora up the stairs. Man, this kid was
waaay too excited about this. Did he seriously think he was going to go in
there and handcuff Ace and drag his ass to jail or something?
“I can’t wait for you to go in there and handcuff the trash and drag him off to
jail where he belongs!”
Apparently yes
“Officer, my husband is gone for the night due to a business meeting! I cannot
believe someone broke into our house”
It’s not breaking in if you’re invited, you morons
 
Stelly then ran down the hall and pointing to the room at the end “This is it!
This is the room where the criminal’s in in!”
Cora nodded, trying hard to not roll his eyes. He tapped on the door gently
 
“This is Goa Police. I’m going to ask you to open this door.”
Cora waited a moment before the door opened – a shirtless Sabo at the door with
a wide grin on his face. Holy crap those looked like bad burns
“Oh, Officer Trafalgar, how can I help you tonight?”
But before Cora could answer, Stelly pushed his way through inside the room,
looking around
“Where is he?! Where did he go?!”
Sabo blinked slowly and looked around
“What are you talking about, Stelly?”
“The criminal! Where did you hide him?!” demanded Stelly as he looked under
Sabo’s bed
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Stell-…oh my god, Officer Trafalgar, I
am so so sorry my brother wasted your time like this!”
Cora blinked as Sabo turned and grabbed his arm
 
“Please please forgive him. We’ve told him time and time again that it’s not
okay to call the police and that he should come to me or my mother and father
first but you see, Officer Trafalgar, my brother has these delusions! He
imagines wild scenarios of us getting robbed or attacked or abducted and they
seem so real to him that he can’t help himself but to call the cops!”
“W-What?! That’s a lie! You’re lying!” screeched Stelly as he ran into the
bathroom attached to Sabo’s room and tore through it, looking for Ace
“HE WAS HERE!” screeched Stelly as he ran back into the door and threw the
curtains aside, looking over at the balcony “H-HE ESCAPED!”
“Please forgive him, Officer!” sobbed Sabo, pretending to cry in his hands
“He’s my little brother and we tried so hard to keep this out of public’s eye!
I can’t believe he would shame us like this!”
“Stelly! Is that true? Is there really nobody here?!” asked Stelly’s mother,
horrified as she turned to leave “I can’t believe this! I shall be in my room!”
“MOTHER! DON’T BELIEVE HIM!” then he turned towards Sabo, pointing at him
angrily “Where did he go?!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’ve been here all alone all night!”
stated Sabo smugly
“I heard you talking to someone!”
“Yes, I was on Skype talking with Koala.”
“I saw him! You’re out to make me look like a fool because I’m now engaged to
your former fiancée! You’re just mad that mother and father see me as the
better child!”
Wait fiancée!? He was barely 13?? But then again, this kind of garbage was
common among the nobles.
“Nooope. I don’t care at all about that; I never wanted to marry her in the
first place. But now you’re wasting Officer Trafalgar’s time, and that’s not
very nice.” explained Sabo as he tsk-tsk-ed with his finger
Cora didn’t miss the smirk Sabo threw his way
Stelly froze and turned towards Cora, walking up to his, his hands up
“I-I swear he was in here! He probably used his black magic to poof himself out
of the room! He has powers! He’s a witch! It’s how he seduced my brother into
running away with him years ago! Nobody in his right mind would leave a house
like this to leave in a trash h-“
“I also have a power.”interrupted Cora, walking up to Stelly, looming over him,
glaring down at the boy, arms slightly spread out to make himself look more
threatening 
“O-Oh?”
“When I snap my fingers – all useless noises stops.”
“W-What is that supposed to mean?”
Cora loudly snapped his fingers and then pointed at the boy
“Now you stop talking and get out of my face.”
“B-Bu”
“What did I just say? I said all useless noise, like the yapping of your mouth
- stops and I’m pretty sure I snapped my fingers”
Stelly eeped and then quickly slapped his hands over his mouth, running out of
the room. Cora glared at him as he ran out but then sighed; dropping the act
once the boy was out of the room. Cora then turned towards Sabo and closed the
door.
 
“Well, that was amazing” said Sabo, chuckling softly once Stelly was out of
sight “Can you teach me that trick? That little worm never shuts up!”
Cora chuckled and crossed his arms “Okay, where is he?”
“Ace? Why he’s in the closet” replied Sabo, pointing at the closet in the
corner of the room
“Really? After the way he was acting with the Captain at the dinner, I didn’t
think he was in the closet”
 
“OOOHHH!!!” screamed Ace, throwing the door open and pointing at Cora “OOOOH OH
MY GOD! That was a good one!”
Cora blinked, looking up and down at Ace but before he could say anything, Sabo
cut him off
“How come you’re in your boxers?”
“Oh” said Ace, looking down at himself in boxers. Are those SpongeBob boxers?
“It was really hot in there so I took off my clothes”
“Pfft I figured”
“Is getting undressed a hobby of yours?” asked Cora chuckling as Ace collected
his clothes in the closet
“I just get really hot easily, so yanno.”
“Ace has ridiculously high body heat” noted Sabo as Ace walked up to Cora and
took his hand. Holy shit – this kid was an oven!
“Wow! Yeah, you’re really hot”
“Haha why thank you!” Walked into that one.
“You should be heading home though, pretty sure that little bastard is going to
come back” noted Cora, pointing towards the door
“Yeah, what a shitty way to end movie night though. Sorry for wasting your
time, Officer Trafalgar.”
Cora shook his head “We can’t pick family.”
“Sure we can!” pipped up Ace, putting on his shorts “I picked Sabo”
Cora blinked and laughed – well that just explained it all “Alright, you know
what I mean”
Ace quickly threw on his tank top and then walked up to Sabo giving him a hug
“I should get going anyways. Got a hot date tomorrow”
 
Whoah WHAT?
 
“With the Captain?!” blurted out Cora, shocked. Both Sabo and Ace looked at him
stunned
“WHAT? Have you heard something I haven’t?! Because if so – please tell me!”
begged Ace, grabbing the lapels of Cora’s coat
Cora blushed, embarrassed at his outburst
“A-Ah. No, um, I got ahead of myself there.”
Ace sighed sadly, letting go of Cora’s coat
“Ahh it’s okay.”
“Man, you’re really hung up on him, aren’t you?”
Ace smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Clearly this was something the kid was
struggling with – his heart went out for him. The Captain wasn’t exactly an
easy man to seduce.
 
“Your hot date is with Stefan, right?” asked Sabo, diverting the topic. Who’s
Stefan?
“Yep! We’re going to the groomers at 9:30, and then we’ll go play in the dog
park for a while and then we’re going to go relax in the pool since it’s going
to be a hot one tomorrow.” explained Ace happily
Oh a dog!
“Ahh, you have a puppy, that’s fun!” Cora had been considering getting a pet,
but he wasn’t sure what his boys would want – or even if they would want one
honestly
“Actually he’s Pops’ Sealyham terrier! I have a dog at my place but Pochie is
like, Dadan’s and she thinks spoiling a dog like that is kinda dumb, but Pops
lets me indulge in it!” explained Ace happily
Cora slightly frowned…Who’s Pops? Wait, that thing Smoker said during their
meeting on Monday about the sons … and then what Izo said
“Pops…as in Newgate Edward?” asked Cora cautiously
“Yeah! Pops!” confirmed Ace, grinning
Cora had seen many gang members talk about their leader with pride, with fear,
with respect, with hatred but not with this much fondness. Ace clearly adored
his leader – how can one man inspire so much adoration from his subordinates?
 
“So I assume you know that Ace is a Whitebeard with that question?” asked Sabo,
sing-songly as he sat on his bed. Was everyone trying to read him in this town?
“Yeah, I found out today.” stated Cora, frowning
“Oh yeah? That’s cool!” stated Ace happily. Izo was right – Ace wasn’t even
trying to hide it.
 Sabo lifted a brow at Ace, then grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ace. Ace
caught the pillow with an ‘oof’ and threw it back at Sabo
“What the hell was that for?”
“Captain Daydreaming Penalty!” stated Sabo, pointing at Ace as they both
started to laught. It was moments like these that made it really hard for Cora
to imagine them as anything else but kids. How could Ace be a Commander in the
Whitebeard gang?
 
“Officer Trafalgar? Is there a reason you’re still here?”
Cora frowned, turning towards the voice on the other side of the closed door.
Man, that woman had an irritating voice! Cora then turned around and blinked,
gawking – where did Ace go?!
“Out the window.” stated Sabo, leaning back in his bed, finishing up Cora’s
thought
“Wow, he’s like a cat”
Sabo chuckled “Yeah, he’s secretly my familiar, didn’t you know?”
“I thought he was the witch?”
Sabo smirked “Oh, I see you remembered.”
 
“Officer Trafalgar, I’m coming in!” stated Sabo’s mother, opening the door and
looked at the two of them in the room and gasped “SABO! Why are you shirtless
still?! Cover those horrible scars!”
Sabo frowned sharply and started to look around and grabbed a discarded t-
shirt, slipping it on. Cora could see why the poor kid attached himself to
other people than his family- they were assholes!
“Officer Trafalgar – is there any way we can make this incident just –
disappear? My husband said he’d pay any price”
Cora frowned sharply. Of course. The bitch went to call her husband while she
was gone.
“I don’t want your money. And this incident can’t go away. The police was
called – a report has to be made” explained Cora, annoyed that he even had to
explain this
“Officer– I’m sure something can be arranged”
 “No.”
“Officer, I don’t think you understand who we are” hissed out Sabo’s mother.
That’s it!
“No. I don’t think you understand who I am” growled Cora “I’m an officer of the
Law and I will not have someone attempt to bribe me and this is your family’s
second time in the last week attempting to bribe an office of the law! It will
not be tolerated a third time! The only thing I am forgiving you for this is
attempted bribe but it will be noted and it will not be accepted!”
Cora was furious; he stormed out of the room and down the stairs, leaving as
fast as could. He hadn’t wanted to beat someone that bad in so long – he was so
insulted! And his heart broke for Sabo – but thankfully the kid had clearly
good people in his life. Cora knew Sabo was going to escape this one day and
that’s what mattered.
 
Cora went back to the office and retold the tale to Bellemere who found the
entire altercation hilarious but completely understood why Cora had been so
angry. Saying that the Captain was going to love hearing about this one when he
came in tomorrow evening.
But when it finally became quitting time at 3am and Wiper walked in to start
his shift, Cora was ecstatic. He quickly drove home and had never been so happy
to walk into his home. Cora was surprised to see the television was still on
but smiled when he saw both Law and Bepo asleep on the couch.
Cora looked around and saw that apparently the two had decided to marathon
Marvel movies. Cora leaned over, running a hair through Law’s hair. Even though
the boy was getting bigger and bigger every day, it was odd to not see him as
that sick little boy. But it was truly wonderful. Cora was particularly
surprised that Law’s skin pigmentation returned to normal and only if you got
really close can you see where it’s slightly discoloured. Cora was really glad
– not because he minded the discolouration but Law didn’t need the constant
reminder had it been too obvious, not because of how it looked but because of
how horribly people treated him because of it.
Nevertheless, Law was healthy now – and that’s what mattered.
Law stirred and opened his eyes, jumping slightly when he spotted Cora there.
He stood up slightly and turned, looking around
“Wha…What time is it?”
Cora smiled softly
“Like, nearly 4am. Looks like you two fell asleep watching movies.”
Law nodded, rubbing his eyes
“Yeah…Cora, listen…I’m sorry about how I acted…that wasn’t okay. He’s like your
dad and stuff and Bepo pointed out that if someone had said the same stuff
about you, I would have gotten beyond mad.”
Cora blinked, surprised, but then he shook his head
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you like
that. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to come visit so soon.”
Law was silent for a moment, and then he frowned
“Why doesn’t he want to visit you anyways? …Is it because of me?”
Cora’s heart shattered at that moment. He hated when Law blamed himself like
that. Cora shook his head
“No, nothing like that. It’s more because of me – I think he’s still mad that I
lied to him and almost got killed in the process. I think he finally got over
it now.” explained Cora, still playing in Law’s hair
“That’s dumb. He should be happy you’re alive.”
Cora chuckled
“I guess you’re right – you should head to bed though. I’ll carry Bepo, you
have a busy day tomorrow with Zoro. And in the morning, I have a good story for
you”
Law nodded, smiling softly as he got up. Cora shifted and picked up Bepo,
carrying him princess style. Oof, kid wasn’t light!
“My room, okay?”
Cora nodded, following Law up the stairs and put Bepo in Law’s bed – thankfully
both boys were already in pjs. Law got into his bed and settled in but before
Cora could leave the room
 
“Oh, we opened your laptop to check something on IMDB and we forgot to close it
– I heard Skype boop, so I think someone tried to talk to you.”
Cora blinked – that was unusual.
“Ah, maybe it’s Sengoku, I’ll go check it out, thanks Law. Goodnight, I love
you!”
In the darkness, Cora could hear Law chuckle softly
“Love you too, Cora”
Cora smiled to himself as he went downstairs and to the living room where his
laptop was waiting for him at the small table in the living room. He quickly
looked at it – noticing that indeed, the Skype icon was orange but when he
clicked on it – he quickly recoiled. This can’t be happening!
 
*** D.DQ would like to add you on Skype
 
Hi reiichihachi46, I'd like to add you as a contact. ***]
Hello little brother
 
Chapter End Notes
     MAN HAVE I BEEN WAITING TO POST THIS CHAPTER! SO many of you asking
     about Doffy! Well, here it is!
***** – ACE- Why Can’t This Be Like The Intro of 101 Dalmatians? (We Both Have
Dogs!) *****
Chapter Notes
     DID YOU GUYS THINK WE’D GET INTO DOFFY RIGHT AWAY? Nope! You’re all
     going to have to wait!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace was pretty sure this milk had gotten bad
 
Or was getting bad? He wasn’t sure - bottom line is that he’s also pretty sure
these cereals were stale as shit.
 
Maybe he should stop eating them?
 
Ace shrugged and kept eating the cereal, leaning on the counter in the tiny
kitchen of his home. He stretched his neck slightly, trying to work out the
small kinks. Not that sneaking in and out of Sabo’s home had been trouble – but
rather the stress of it all that had gotten to him. Still can’t believe that
piece of garbage Stelly!
 
 
“What’s that face for? Is the milk bad?”
 
Ace blinked and looked down at Luffy who apparently came into the kitchen while
he was thinking. Luffy started to forage through their barely filled fridge –
looking for something to eat. Fuck, which meant he probably should do groceries
today too.
 
The cold air from the fridge did feel nice on his body though. It was stupid
hot today so Ace was just in his boxers.
 
“Naw, some annoying stuff happened last night”
 
Luffy frowned, pulling out a pack of baloney and started to eat the individual
slices
 
“I thought you hung out with Sabo last night?”
 
“I did! But then freaking Stelly caught us and called the damn cops. Thankfully
it was Officer Trafalgar that came”
 
Luffy frowned, looking at Ace in disbelief
 
“Torao is a cop?”
 
Ace paused – confused but then it clicked in
 
“No, his dad, you dingus! Why would Law be a cop, he’s like 12”
 
Luffy huffed, blowing up his cheeks – Luffy did always get pissed when Ace
highlighted their age difference. And it was hilarious every time
 
 
“A cop?! Why were you involved with a cop?! Ace! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE
INVOLVED WITH COPS!”
 
Ace turned and looked confused at the screeching Dadan and then he rolled his
eyes. Relax, you old bat
 
“I was hanging out with Sabo and his stupid adopted brother called the cops on
me – what the hell was I supposed to do?!”
 
“Not hang out with Sabo at his house! It isn’t like before when Sabo lived
here, Ace! There are new cops in town and we don’t know what they’re like!”
 
“It’s fine! The cop was this really cool guy! Besides, he thought the whole
thing was total bullshit, we hung out and talked for a while after.”
 
“You hung out with a cop?!” This would be a bad time to tell her about my crush
on the police chief
 
“Well sorta, we just talked after. I can take care of myself, Dadan!”
 
Dadan frowned deeply, lowering her voice
 
“Ace. Please. You’re so close”
 
Ace sighed. He knew that Dadan was really only doing it for his own good but
fuck, it got really suffocating after a while. He isn’t a dumb kid picking
fights in the slums with anybody who would talk shit about ‘Roger’s kid’
anymore. Okay, he probably still would beat up anybody who said awful shit like
that – but it’s not like he’s going around asking anymore!
 
“I know I’m close, but it’s not my fault that Sabo’s family are like, total
psychos! And besides, his parents tried to bribe the new police chief the other
night and he got super pissed and threw the check book back in Outlook III’s
face and man, you should have seen it Dadan! It was so fucking funny! Man, that
Captain is so awesome!”
 
Luffy snorted, hiding his face. Goddamnit Luffy! Stop! You’ll give me away!
 
“…Ace…why are you blushing?”
 
FUCK
 
“N-Nothing! I’m not! Nope! ISN’T THE WEATHER NICE TODAY?”
 
“…Ace…what are you not telling me?!” demanded Dadan, getting mad
 
“Nothing!”
 
“Ace has a crush on the Chief of police.” stated Luffy, sticking another piece
of baloney in his mouth
 
OH MY GOD
 
“LUFFY! I can’t beli- LUFFY HAS A CRUSH ON AN EX-MEMBER OF THE DONQUIXOTE
GANG!”
 
“HEY!”
 
Take that!
 
“W-WHAT?! NO! BOTH OF YOU! I refuse! Or I’ll tell Garp!” yelped Dadan, beyond
overwhelmed with everything going on right now
 
“No! No no! Don’t tell Garp! Don’t tell him any of that!” pleaded Ace
 
Dadan sighed, crossing her arms
 
“The old bastard would come around if I did – but both of you, seriously! Stay
out of trouble! We can’t have the cops sniffing around!”
 
“Okay.” replied Luffy and Ace automatically. So annoying!
 
“Also, get crushes on normal people! Not cops and ex-scary as hell gang
members!”
 
“Oye, I didn’t pick who I like, okay? Besides, he’s like, waaaay older than me.
Not even sure he’ll give me a chance.”
 
Dadan paused for a moment, staring at Ace horrified, and then shook her head.
 
“Stay out of trouble!”
 
Ace groaned but then smiled when Pochie trotted into the room
 
“I will, I will. Won’t I, Pochie!”
 
Ace stuck his hand out – signaling to Pochie to come see him and started to rub
the shiba inu’s head when he pressed himself against Ace’s leg
 
“Aren’t you going to a dog groomer today? Are you bringing Pochie?”asked Luffy
as he kept eating the boloney
 
“Naw, Dadan thinks those places are stupid and a waste of money.”
 
“Those places ARE stupid and a waste of money” shot back Dadan, preparing
herself a cup of coffee
 
“Just me and good old Stefan. Then we’re going to hit the dog park for a bit
before I bring him back. Are you going to be home for supper or hanging out
with Zoro?”
 
“I’m going over to Usopp’s today! Me, Usopp and Chopper are going to go bug
hunting! We invited Nami, Vivi and Sanji, but they said no. Nami said that her
and Vivi are going to shopping with Sanji and we could join them at the mall
after if we want”
 
Ace frowned – that’s weird.
 
“What about Zoro?”
 
“Zoro and Torao are hanging out today at his house. Zoro told me I could come
if I wanna, but they’re going to practice sword fighting so I figured I’d leave
them alone.”
 
“Oh yeah?”
 
“But I did tell Zoro about the mall plan! So I might see him and Torao
tonight!”
 
Ace had to admit that it was kinda sweet when Luffy would get a little more
enthusiastic when the prospect of seeing Law came up – it was odd to think that
they were strangers a week ago. Then again – so was the Captain, so who was he
to talk?
 
“That sounds fun” Ace threw a quick look at the kitchen clock – shit, he had to
go! “Alright, I gotta bounce if I’m going to be on time for Stefan’s
appointment. You keep yourself out of trouble, okay?”
 
“I will! Also! Guess what! You know that house on the edge of the forest?”
 
Ace frowned sharply. That house had been abandoned for years. Ace made sure of
that. The forest of Corvo surrounded the area of Goa – but if you crossed the
forest, you could reach the other end of Goa. So Ace had claimed the entire
forest as his territory so nobody wanted to live near it. So Ace needed that
house abandoned.
 
“Yeah, what about it?”
 
“Someone lives there now!”
 
Shit. Now something else he had to deal with. Whatever, he’ll scare the tenants
out – won’t be the first time
 
“Good to know.” said Ace, putting his bowl in the sink “Alright, I’m out. See
you later, Luffy”
 
“Bye Ace!”
 
 
 
Ace made his way to the Whitebeard mansion with no time to spare and brought
Stefan to his grooming appointment. It was moments like this that he wished he
could drive – but you need a legal identity with that and the fact that he was
on cheap meds for his Narcolepsy helped absolutely nothing. Oh well, Marco
promised that he’d finally get the good shit once he was under Pop’s insurance.
Just a few more months.
 
 
Ace made his way to the dog park with Stefan and smiled brightly. There was
just something about dogs that made Ace really happy. Probably they’re
unwavering enthusiasm in general. Ace bent down and undid Stefan’s leash – he
knew the other wouldn’t run away. Stefan was an old dog. He was already pushing
14 which was the usually limit for his breed but he was a happy thing. But
because of his age, he was very wary of strangers and it took him a while to
warm up and didn’t always want to play with other dogs. So aside from other
dogs coming to see him – there was little no chance of Stefan running off.
 
They played catch for a bit, Ace throwing a small stick and crouching down and
waiting for Stefan to bring it back. But suddenly Stefan stopped midway from
bringing it back and dropped the stick, looking to the side – something
catching his attention. He yipped loudly and then broke out into a down the
hill towards the rest of the park. Ace gasped, quickly getting up and running
after the dog.
 
Once down the hill, he looked around, trying to locate Stefan. Ace was so
confused – where the hell did Stefan go?! What suddenly caused him to do this?!
 
 
“Who let you here all alone?”
 
Ace turned and gawked, shocked – it was the Captain! With Stefan!
 
The Captain was crouched down, rubbing Stefan’s ears as Stefan had his paws up
on Smoker’s knees, keeping himself up. This was so weird – he didn’t know the
Captain?! Why was Stefan so friendly with him?!
 
 
“I…I see you found my dog.” stuttered out Ace, but then he kicked himself for
stuttering like an idiot
 
“Portgas. Of course it’s you.”
 
“Well…Ah, Stefan just…got away from me. Actually, I’m pretty surprised! He
usually doesn’t like new people that much!”
 
“Hm. Is that so. Well, he has gotten old.”
 
But before Ace could say anything, a gorgeous German Shepard trotted up to them
and dropped a tennis ball on the ground besides them. Smoker smiled softly
(making Ace’s heart stop) and rubbed the German Shepard behind the ear as
Stefan quietly watched
 
“Good girl, well done.”
 
“Is she yours?” asked Ace quietly, not wanting to break the moment, but
curiosity overwhelming him
 
Smoker nodded, rubbing Stefan’s fur once more before he stood up “Yep, this is
Justice. She’s an old police dog that I officially adopted after she retired.
She was my partner for a long time”
 
Ace watched as Justice sat, straight and ready. There was no way of denying
that she had been a police dog. Ace smiled
 
“Nice to see you have a soft spot, Captain.”
 
Smoker snorted, petting Justice
 
“I’ve always had a soft spot for dogs.”
 
Stefan trotted back to Ace, wagging his tail happily and then turned around and
went back to Smoker, who petted him again
 
“Why do I keep running into you, Brat? It’s my day off, yet here you are.”
 
Ace can’t say he minded at all! Seeing the Captain in white track pants and an
unzipped hoodie and nothing else wasn’t making him really happy
 
“Oye! Stefan and I have had this date for weeks now! You’re the one who just
moved here! The better question is – why do you keep finding me?”
 
Smoker snorted. Ace noticed the distinctive lack of cigar in his mouth. It made
the Captain’s mouth look ridiculously empty in his opinion – but if the Captain
had a soft spot for dogs, he wouldn’t smoke around them so it made sense.
 
“Don’t flatter yourself; this is the closest dog park from my house. I always
take her here after we do our jog.”
 
Well that explains why the Captain was sweaty like that. God it took everything
he had to not lick those beads of sweat running along Smoker’s abs.
Shitfuckshit, he never wanted to be sweat so much in his life.
 
“How convenient! Me too! Well, closes from Pop’s house.” explained Ace, rocking
on his heels.
 
“Clearly I picked the wrong neighbourhood to live in.” stated Smoker,
deadpanned – Ace was about to react but then he noticed the small curl at the
corner of his lips. Oh son of a bitch, he was teasing him!
 
Ace broke out into a big smile and playfully punched the Captain’s arm, who
merely chuckled
 
“I almost lost it, you know!”
 
“I know, hence why I did it.”
 
Was this a good sign?!
 
“Do you like it here at least? Like Goa?”  Ace just wanted his heart to calm
down – it was beating in his chest so hard for now
 
Smoker shrugged “It’s fine. Too many gangs in my opinion, but it’s not the
first time I’ve lived here.”
 
Ace stared at Smoker shocked. What?! He was nottold that!
 
“You look surprised, guess your Marco failed to tell you that, or did he not
know?”
 
Wait what?!
 
“How did yo-“
 
“Of course I know about Marco and his information network. I figured you got
the full profile on me the next day after I brought you home. But I also know
how nearly impossible it is to get any real information on me.”
 
Ace felt like the ground was disappearing before him. How could he possibly
know all of that?!
 
“Any gang worth their salt does a full workup on all the cops in town. So don’t
be surprised that I know. I’ve been in this gang business for a very long time.
But yes, I used to spend my summers in Goa as a kid. Haven’t been back since I
was a teenager though. Hasn’t changed that much”
 
“But…I…When I explained the districts to you?”
 
“You explained to me what happened in Gray Terminal. You said it happened 7
years ago, I haven’t been back to Goa for nearly 15 years, so I didn’t know
what happened there.”
 
Ace frowned. He wasn’t getting one-uped here! Ace huffed, putting his hands on
his hips
 
“And here I was going to offer to be your special tour guide!”
 
Smoker paused, surprised and then laughed. The laughter made the butterflies in
Ace’s stomach flutter even harder. This whole crush thing made him feel really
pathetic. Honestly he wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.
 
“No thanks kid, I don’t need one.” But then the Captain paused “You also don’t
need to bring me coffee every morning.”
 
“I didn’t bring you one today!” note Ace proudly - but that was because Tashigi
informed him that the Captain was off this morning, otherwise he would have
 
“Heh, cute. But seriously. You have better things to do than bring me coffee,
it’s a pointless waste of your time”
 
“Is it though? I get to see Makino when I get the coffee, I get a nice long
morning run, I get to see all the wonderful people at the police station and I
get to bring you something that makes you happy. How is that a waste of my
time?”
 
Smoker frowned, eyes narrowing
 
“You’d be a good politician”
 
Ace laughed, picking up Stefan
 
“I don’t think I’m crooked enough for that! But I’ll accept the compliment
nevertheless.”
 
“Heh.” The Captain then snorted, chuckling a bit to himself “So I heard you
were a hardened criminal last night?”
 
Ace paused. What was he talking about – OH! OH GOD.
 
“Noooo! Oh god, you know! Who told you?!”
 
“I’m the Chief of Police, so of course I get all the reports. Also it was
particularly flagged to me because I dealt with that piece of shit family on
Monday with you.”
 
“Piece of shit family minus Sabo!”
 
“Here I was sure Sabo was part of your family.”
 
Ace smiled brightly – why was this perfect man a cop?!
 
“You would be correct!”
 
“Brat. Why do you-“ and then Smoker paused, shaking his head “Nevermind.
Anyways, I have to get going, Justice needs her rest, she’s not as young as she
used to be”
 
No! What did you want to say?! Ace frowned – this is the most they’ve ever
talked normally!
 
“I’ll walk with you out of the park” announced Ace, smiling as he started to
walk near the exit with Smoker and Justice
 
“Have you always lived in Loguetown aside from your summer’s here?”
 
“Yep. Born and raised.”
 
“Do you miss it?”
 
“Hmm, not really. My only remaining family there is my aunt.”
 
“Are you close with her?”
 
“Lived with her, actually, until I joined the army. I helped her run her shop.”
 
“Ooh right! You were a Marine! Must have been fun traveling the world.”
 
“It was – until it wasn’t.”
 
“Did you get to keep the uniform? Bet you look really hot in it”
 
Smoker paused and turned to look at Ace, glaring
 
“Don’t you think I’m a little too old for you?”
 
“My parents were over 30 years apart, Captain, so no!”
 
Ace smiled at the slight flush on the Captain’s face – did he really think that
would work or something? He couldn’t care less of the 14 years apart they had.
It meant nothing to him. He liked the Captain because of who he was!
 
“You’re nuts kid.”
 
Ace smirked – that wasn’t a no.
 
“I’m almost 18, Captain.”
 
 “Almost. As in ‘not legal’.”
 
“I’m not hearing no”
 
“And I’m not saying yes.” replied Smoker, stopping. He then reached into his
pocket and pulled out a leather container and pulled out a cigar, quickly
lighting it, took a huff and exhaled, holding it downwind and away from
Justice. Yeah, the Captain looked amazing when he smoked; it looked just right
on him. Or maybe that was the crush talking – that bastard needs to shut up!
 
“You’re heading that way now.” pointed out Smoker, pointing towards the path
that leads to the Whitebeard house
 
“Am I? I thought you were inviting me over?” teased Ace
 
“Pfft, no thank you. You better go give the old man his dog back before he
thinks you stole it.”
 
Ace laughed – Pops knew that Ace would always bring Stefan back because he
himself wanted to live at the house. Bringing Stefan to the Dadan house would
just be plain old abusive!
 
Waitaminute
 
“How did you know Stefan was Pop’s dog? I called him mine!”
 
Smoker merely smirked, slowly exhaling and then put the cigar back in his mouth
 
“I know more than you think”
 
And then he walked away down the path.
 
Ace knew he should probably run after him, demand an explanation. But for some
reason, his entire body just froze.
 
Maybe he was the one underestimating the other all along.
 
Chapter End Notes
     BLESS YOU ODA FOR GIVING US ROGER’S AGE FINALLY! At the time of
     death, he was 55 and Rouge looked really young when you see her, so
     I’m ballparking her in her early 20’s! Next week – we’re going back
     to Law!
***** – LAW – This Is An Addam’s Family Remake, Right? *****
Chapter Notes
     Time to go have fun with Zoro!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Do you want to bring snacks?”
 
Law blinked, looking up from his scrambled eggs, staring at Cora confused.
 
“No. I think we’ll be fine. And isn’t it the host’s job to provide snacks?”
 
Bepo wisely remained quiet, watching them both as Cora, who was half dressed,
looked around the kitchen for something. He seemed rather agitated this morning
– more than usual.
 
“Maybe a nice bottle of wine? For the parents?”
 
Law sighed. The Japanese upbringing was becoming more and more obvious as time
went by. Now that he thought about it – Cora always did try to bring gifts when
the Donquixote gang went to visit any of their associates and affiliates.
Doflamingo would always stop him – but now knowing how Cora was raised, it made
sense
 
“His dad is like, never home apparently. Cora, seriously! I don’t need to bring
anything!”
 
“Yes, you do! This is your first time going over to someone’s house since you
moved here and you’re bringing a gift, goddamnit!” Cora frowned, looking
around, but then he smiled brightly, grabbing his coat
 
“Oh! I’ll run down to the store and grab a little something and I’ll come right
back!”
 
“Cora stop! It’s okay! Zoro doesn’t want presents!” argued Law, discouraged.
There was no convincing him, was there?
 
 
“Why don’t you guys leave a little early and Law could just walk there from the
station? Also you’re not wearing pants, Cora, I don’t think you can go to the
store right now” offered Bepo, eating a piece of toast

Both Cora and Law paused, looking at Bepo. And then Cora broke into a bright
smile
 
“AH! Bepo! Brilliant! You’re brilliant!” Law sighed in relief – he didn’t want
to bring a gift and frankly didn’t see the real point, but if it made Cora feel
better, it’s okay.
 
“Nothing too expensive though! Aside from Zoro, I think his sister might be
home? So I don’t see why bringing over a gift is even that important.”
 
“Because it’s polite!” stated Cora, as he restarted making himself a lunch. Law
watched Cora put everything together, cutting himself whenever he cut any fruit
or vegetables, and then knocked into every cabinet, banged his head on the
freezer door that he left open and Law sighed. When he was a doctor – he was
sure Cora would be his best patient
 
“Did I tell you guys what happened last night? I answered a call and-“
 
“Cora!”
 
“It was nothing bad! Just a break and enter, anyways, as I was saying - ”
continued Cora as Law stood up and grabbed the first aid kit and started to
bandage up Cora’s hands “It was at Sabo’s house!”
 
Law blinked “Sabo? Like Luffy’s brother?” then Law frowned
 
“Did something happen to Luffy?!”
 
Where did this panic come from?!
 
Cora chuckled softly, shaking his head “No, no, apparently the three aren’t
biological brothers. Well, I don’t know about Ace and Luffy, but they’re not
related to Sabo by blood. Sabo actually lives in High Town! But anyways, yeah,
Sabo’s little brother called the cops because Ace was hanging out with Sabo!
Apparently Sabo’s family hates him or something!”
 
Law frowned – why would they hate Ace? Well, him being in the Whitebeard gang
can’t have helped the situation
 
“But everything was okay?” asked Bepo, enthralled in the story
 
“Yeah, I just scared the shit out of the little brother – that family is a
raging pack of assholes! On Monday, Outlook III, Sabo’s dad, tried to bribe the
Captain! “
 
Law was stunned – what kind of idiot tried to bribe Captain Smoker?!
 
“Sabo’s so nice though” noted Bepo frowning “He saw Sashi and Penguin
struggling with their physics homework at the library and like, sat down and
helped them out! Apparently people often see him and that girl that was at the
restaurant walking around town! Apparently she’s Sabo’s girlfriend!”
 
“Sabo’s great” agreed Cora “But his family’s shit”
 
“Did you charge them?”
 
“No, should have though.  One for falsely reporting a crime; since Sabo invited
Ace over, he didn’t break and enter. The other charge would be because the mom
tried to bribe me as well. But I just needed to get the hell out of that
place.”
 
“Surprised you didn’t take Sabo with you” noted Law, smirking
 
Law was actually genuinely surprised
 
Cora laughed “I almost did! But he seemed okay. Also, I don’t think Sabo’s
going to stay at that house once the school year’s done. I wouldn’t be
surprised if he and Ace get an apartment together or something. Or he moves in
with his girlfriend”
 
 
Cora then turned and looked at the clock “Ah! We have to get going! Or we’ll be
late!”
 
Law nodded and quickly finished his eggs. He didn’t want to admit it – but he
was actually pretty excited about this. He and Zoro both had rather rough
personalities, so in his mind, it was a miracle that they got along but they
weirdly worked. And Zoro had promised him fights with actual blades – which is
what he was really excited for. But he wasn’t going to tell Cora that.
 
Law quickly got ready and met Cora at the door as they headed out. Once they
got to a store – it took some convincing, but Cora finally relented and agreed
that a small fruit basket with a small box of chocolates inside was enough.
 
Cora drove them both to the police station but Law turned down the invitation
to come in. He was already running late. The walk to the manor was actually
pretty nice. Law had his headphones on, blasting music, the weather was cool
enough.  It was a nice, open area with really nice houses and beautiful
landscaping until…it wasn’t.
 
Slowly and surely everything started to look more and more gloomy. Law frowned
wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him or was the area really looked
this…decrepit. Law looked down again at the instructions Bepo had written out
for him. Apparently he had to cut through the park in front of him and through
the forest – which would lead him to the front gate of the manor.
 
No fucking way!
 
With the rusted park equipment, the dead trees, the heavy fog (where did that
even come from!? It was sunny a minute ago!) This park was right out of a
horror flick!
 
Which made Law want to go through it even more
 
Law shrugged, walking through the park. So far so good! There was nothing
particularly weird, except - was that a doll buried upside down?!
 
Law frowned – is this what Bepo meant?
 
The more Law walked through the forest; he found more and more doll body parts
sticking out of the ground. Law took out his phone and started to snap a few
pics of them. It kinda looked like really fucked up zombies – which was
actually super cool. He always had a thing for horror movies, weirdly enough
considering his personal history, but Bepo and Cora didn’t particularly like
them.  Law had never met this Perona, but if she’s the girl with the hearse,
well then that’s actually kinda cool. Morbid as shit, but still kinda cool.
 
 
Law finally reached the main gate and rung the doorbell. He jumped slightly
when he heard the loud, low chimes and looked around for a speaker with a bat
on it that was cackling to life
 
“Who’s there?”
 
“It’s Law”
 
Law soon heard the buzzing and the loud unclenching of the gate’s lock. He
opened the gate and suddenly two Rottweilers charged up to him, barking loudly.
Law frowned, seizing himself up for the dogs attacking, worst comes to worst,
he was gonna throw the gift basket at them but suddenly they stopped as a voice
called out
 
 
“Lord Zombie Sparkles! Duke Undead Rainbow! Heel!”
 
 Law blinked and then lifted a brow “What the fuck where those names?”

Zoro shrugged, jogging up to Law “I don’t know. Perona named them. Like she
fucking names everything around here. Wait until you see the cats.”
 
Law’s interest perked up as he petted the now docile Rottweilers “Oh yeah, you
have a cat?”
 
“I wish it was one cat” remarked Zoro as he led Law to his house “Sorry about
that, I didn’t know they were outside unchained until I buzzed you in and
Perona happen to mention it.”
 
Law chuckled slightly. He always liked cats. Law’s actually been feeding strays
he’s being seeing in the neighbourhood, he was hoping that Cora never found
out. It was kinda embarrassing.
 
“What’s with the gift basket?” asked Zoro as he opened the door, letting Law in
 
“My dad made me bring it” replied Law as he looked around in awe – this house
was fucking amazing! Oh a cat! Law bent down to pet the white cat for a moment.
 
“Ah. That’s Fantasma by the way. Say thanks to your dad then.” teased Zoro. Law
rolled his eyes and handed the basket over to him as he started to take off his
shoes
 
“We’ll spar in the practice room, so you can keep those on. I have to mop the
floor afterwards anyways, and you’ll get better traction in those” explained
Zoro
 
Law nodded and put back his shoes. Zoro then signaled Law to follow him to the
kitchen where he dropped off the fruit basket (and Law petted two more cats
apparently named Prizrak and Multo) and then he led Law downstairs. Once the
door at the end of the long creepy staircase was opened, Law was blown away by
the massive sparring room.
 
 
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.”
 
“The old man is the best swordsman in the world. This is actually just one of
his sparring grounds. When you get good enough, I’ll take you to the outdoor
once. The old man once made me fight in a hail storm, it was amazing!”
 
Law could see clearly that Zoro really idolized Mihawk. He found it slightly
odd though that he didn’t call the man that took him in and raised him ‘dad’,
but it was none of his business, really.
 
Zoro then went up to a giant sliding door and slid it open, revealing many
different sized Japanese swords
 
“I called Mihawk and asked him what he thought would be best for you, and he
told me to give you this one.” Zoro pulled out a nodachi and handed it over to
Law and Law took it
 
It was weird how right it felt in his hands
 
There was just something about the length and the weight and everything that
just felt right!
 
“It’s it great when a sword feels just right, isn’t it?” asked Zoro, himself
proud
 
“Yeah, wanna get started? I’m really pumped now”
 
Zoro smirked as he grabbed three Katanas that were on a bench and proceed to
unsheathe all three, putting one in his mouth – what the hell?!
 
“You fucking kidding me?”
 
“You wanted us to fight for real, this is us fighting for real – I do the
Santoryu fighting style – you still up for this?”

Law smirked “You damn right I am”
 
 
Law didn’t think he ever got his ass handed to him so bad in his life before.
Okay, that wasn’t particularly true – but he was bleeding. Not enough to merit
a hospital visit though. Okay, that was a lie, but he could stitch himself up –
so he was fine.
 
Zoro laughed as he handed him a bottle of water as Law kept stitching up the
cut on his shoulder while sitting in the bathroom. He was thankful that it was
only the tip of the sword that nicked him and not the full blade because holy
shit.
 
“You did really well for someone who just started sword fighting” noted Zoro as
he watched Law fix himself up “Not your first time, is it?”
 
“I did a bit before, yeah. But not much. We already had a sword guy and it
seemed they didn’t need another one.”
 
“You were in a gang previously, weren’t you?”
 
Law paused his stitching, and nodded slowly “Yeah. I’m out of it though.
Permanently.”
 
Zoro nodded, taking a chug of his – beer?! He’s drinking beer? Zoro blinked at
Law’s reaction
 
“Oh, did you want a beer too?”
 
Yeah. He kinda did – but Cora would fucking kill him
 
“Naw, I’m good. Thanks for offering though”
 
 
“Hey! Bonehead! How come we have this pretty fruit basket in the kitchen?”
 
Law blinked, looking at the intruder in the bathroom. Did she seriously just
walk into the bathroom that her brother was currently occupying?! The door was
closed?!
 
“He brought it.” said Zoro, gesturing to Law with his thumb
 
“Ah…Yeah, my dad insisted considering it was my first time coming over.”
replied Law – was this Perona? Honestly – she kinda looked what he expected her
to look.  Her eyes narrowed as she gave him the one over, she honestly looked
confused
 
“Who is this? How come it’s not one of your usual dopey friends? Since when do
you upgrade?”
 
Dopey friends? Oye!
 
“Name’s Law Trafalgar.”
 
Perona paused, looking over him again
 
“I like your dark vibe. You know, I’ve been out on the lookout for a boyfriend
– I think you might be exactly the type I’m looking for. I’m going to have to
do some work though – your wardrobe needs to be much darker, maybe some cuffs,
some chains, maybe ruffles, we’ll work around it”
 
The fuck?!
 
“No thanks. I’m not even remotely interested.” replied Law, deadpanned
 
“What?! You’re turning me down?”
 
“Yes. Yes I am.” continued Law as he finished up his stitches – she was
starting to get on his nerves, talking about him like he’s some of doll she can
dress up!
 
“You can’t do that!”
 
“I just did.”
 
“Law. Luffy and the others are still at the mall; want to go meet up with them?
Escape her?” offered Zoro, grinning
 
Law smirked back, pleased with the offer “Sure, let me just put my shirt back
on, and we can head out”
 
“You’re ignoring me now?!”
 
“Want to do this again sometimes?” asked Zoro as Law put back his shirt and
walked out of the bathroom with Zoro. Law smirked, feeling the excitement grow
in him
 
“Absolutely, but next time – I’m going to bring my own blade”
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     OOOH LAW, YOU GOTTA GET IN TROUBLE AT HOOOME! But first - the mall!
***** – ACE – The Rule Says No Running Up the Escalator! Nothing About the
Balcony! *****
Chapter Notes
     And we’re at the mall! Slightly longer chapter this week! I hope you
     all enjoy it!
     Pairings inside
     SaboxKoala
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Ahh, the AC is so nice here”
 
Ace opened up his arms, allowing the AC to cover him. He didn’t originally mean
to come to the mall, but when the idea was pitched – he didn’t oppose to it.
Especially considering Teach was coming over soon and frankly the guy gave him
the creeps. Especially when he got drunk, because then he couldn’t keep his
fucking hands to himself and keep slurring on and on about how if he ever
started his own gang – he’d want Ace as his right hand.
 
Urgh gross
 
But Ace never really mentioned this to any of the guys because he didn’t want
to stir up shit. But he took every chance he got to bail when the other
arrived.
 
“Can I have a sip, Izo?” asked Ace, grinning as Izo held his bubble tea closer
to himself, eyes narrowing
 
“I can’t believe you already drank all of yours!”
 
“I was thiiirsstty” whined Ace, giving Izo puppy eyes. Izo rolled his eyes and
handed the cup over as Ace took a sip. Had it been Luffy or Sabo, he would have
drunk the whole damn thing to be an ass, but he’ll be nice with Izo. The other
did give him good advice
 
“Oye, Ace, did you know your brother’s here?”
 
Ace blinked, turning towards Thatch who was looking at the upper level. Well
shit! There was Luffy! It looked like the whole gang was there – including Law.
Ace frowned sharply. Personally he had no issues with Law – but knowing that
Luffy was harboring a small crush on the guy kinda changed that. Honestly it
wasn’t Law as a person that put him on edge – it was the kid’s baggage.
 
Of course Ace wasn’t judging him on the fact that he had been in a gang, it was
more of the fact of which gang and that nobody ever left the Donquixote gang,
unless they were in a casket. So chances are that the blonde pink freak was
going to eventually show his face and Ace worried that Luffy would get hurt in
the process. But when Ace tried to talk to Luffy about it, Luffy just claimed
that he would personally punch ‘Mingo in the face.
 
Ace sighed, his brother was something special.
 
Ace then straightened up, surprised as he instead looked down
 
 
“Oh! The Captain!”
 
“Are you kidding me?!” asked Marco, looking up from his phone, his own bubble
tea in hand “You’re kidding – no. I’m not going to believe that once again, you
two have run into each other!”
 
Before Ace could say anything, Haruta went up to the edge of the railing and
looked down as well
 
“No, Ace is right – he’s right there! And he just came out of Victoria’s Secret
with a super-hot girl! Whoah! No fair!”
 
 
Ace could feel his blood go cold as he stared at the scene on the first floor
 
Haruta was right – this gorgeous woman with a fantastic body had just walked
out of Victoria’s Secret and handed the bag over to the Captain to carry, who
rolled his eyes. Who the fuck was she?! The Captain had never mentioned
anything about a girlfriend?! The fuck was this?! Then again – he had never
actually asked the Captain if he was seeing anybody or if he had a steady
girlfriend or even if he was into men!           Holy shit, Ace couldn’t deal
with this – he felt like he was going to fucking vomit. And that was bad –
because he’d do it on them, down below
 
“Well look at that, Black Cage Hina – I knew she’d come down eventually.”
 
Ace lifted his head and tore his eyes away from the couple and at Marco. He had
heard that name before – OH! That one! The man abuser!
 
“That’s Black Cage Hina?”
 
Marco lifted a brow at Ace as Thatch and Izo looked over the side to check Hina
out
 
“How come you know about her?”
 
“She was brought up at the dinner – everyone at the table, well, the cops I
mean, all knew her.”
 
Marco nodded, looking back down “She doesn’t look like much, but the woman is
known for her cruel streak. She and the Captain were renowned for their
interrogation sessions since they always left with the information they needed.
Both her and the Captain entered the military academy around the same time.
She’s younger than he is, but was bumped ahead due to her potential and
intelligence. The two were often seen together as well. They joined the army
around the same time; I’m a little surprised she didn’t step down when he did.
But I expected her to come visit here and there”
 
“Marco – you fucking told me he didn’t have a girlfriend! You fucking told me!”
 
Ace knew that he was being unreasonable right now. And that it was dumb of him
to get so mad – but he was so fucking mad!
 
Marco frowned, glaring at Ace, making the other back down
 
“He doesn’t. There has never been any indication of them ever dating! So you
need to relax, Ace”
 
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” snapped back Ace – he was beyond help now.
Marco didn’t know shit about the Captain and he wasn’t willing to take any
risks right now – he was too invested
 
But then Ace looked back and the couple was now gone, so he turned to Thatch
 
“Where did they go?!”
 
Thatch blinked, surprised and not sure how to handle the scene, but knew better
than to not give Ace the info he wanted

“Uh, more to the left, they just carried on.”
 
Izo frowned sharply as Ace moved down to the next balcony area and then he
backed up, crouching slightly
 
“Ace…Ace, what the hell are you doing?”
 
And started to run
 
“ACE NO!” cried out Izo
 
But It was too late
 
He needed to hear it straight out of the horse’s mouth. 
 
So Ace jumped
 
 
He landed right in front of Smoker and Hina who both instantly jumped back. Ace
groaned slightly, knowing his knees didn’t appreciate the jump but this was
worth it damnit! He straightened up and smiled brightly at the Captain
 
“Hi Captain! Fancy meeting you here!”
 
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT
YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”
 
Then the Captain whapped him behind the head and grabbed his shirt, pulling him
forward, pointing at his face
 
“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!”

“YEAH! GIVE HIM HELL, HE DESERVES IT!”
 
Fucking Marco! The Captain didn’t need to be encouraged right now!
 
“I…I just…” This was not the time to trip on your words, Portgas!! Now was the
time to be cool!
 
“You just what?”
 
 
“You must be Ace.”
 
Ace, rubbing the back of his head where the Captain whapped him, turned
instantly to look surprised at Hina, who looked at him beyond amused as Smoker
let him go
 
“Ah. I understand now.”
 
The Captain frowned sharply, looking at Hina pissed
 
“What the hell are you talking about, woman?!”
 
“You’re sure making a big deal about him jumping off the balcony. If anything,
it was rather impressive. But it would make sense if this is the famous Ace.”
 
Ace was so confused right now – how did she know about him?
 
“Hina” warned the Captain, almost growling. Man, if Ace thought he knew how to
get under the Captain’s skin – this woman must have a PHD in the topic
 
“Nothing.  Just some things Tashigi has told me. I don’t see why you’re holding
back, he’s exactly your ty-“
 
“Shut up NOW!” bellowed Smoker, beyond pissed off now as Ace merely watched
quietly – what was that? She was about to say type, wasn’t she?!
 
“And stop talking to Tashigi about me!”
 
“Well, maybe Hina wouldn’t need to ask Chase’s only other friend about him, if
Chase wasn’t such a grumpy asshole who didn’t keep his oldest and one of the
few people on this planet who can tolerate his bad attitude, out of the loop
when he moved away so Hina has to resort to other means to get the information
she wants.”
 
“I hate when you do that.” growled Smoker, but then he turned towards Ace who
remained perfectly quiet “Brat. What did you want?”
 
“To know who she is?” offered Ace meekly, now he felt super dumb. He literally
jumped a story down to see who a girl was
 
“I am Hina. One of the few people in the world who can tolerate this man.
Clearly so can you because you’re practically throwing yourself at him.” But
then Hina leaned in, grabbing Ace’s chin, looking over him carefully
 
“You are a very gorgeous thing, aren’t you. My, I would love to play with you;
I bet you’re absolutely lovely when you reach your limit”
 
Ace could feel his blood go ice cold, yet he couldn’t move. This woman was
terrifying!
 
“Chase! Why are you being stupid? If you won’t play with him, I will.”
 
Smoker growled, walking up to them and pushing Ace away from Hina’s grasp. Ace
blinked a few time, surprised as he held on to Smoker’s arm
 
“Leave the brat alone, nobody deserves for you to get your evil claws in them –
especially not this brat. On that note – what the hell are you planning with
Tashigi?”
 
Hina shrugged “Men are toys. Women are not.”
 
Smoker rolled his eyes and looked towards Ace. Ace’s entire body froze as he
still held on to the arm, looking at the Captain confused
 
“Why are you still holding on to me?”
 
“Umm…well…ah”
 
Hina crosser her arms, looking over the scene with an unimpressed look on her
face
 
“Why don’t you just fuck him and get it out of your system?”
 
“Okay, that’s it, what the hell has gotten into you?! We’re leaving. My shift’s
about to start anyways.”
And then Smoker turned to Ace, frowning “Don’t you ever do something that
irresponsible again, you hear me?! You could have broken your legs!”
 
“If you do that again, Daddy will spank you.”
 
“HINA, SHUT UP!” Ace chuckled, Smoker was beyond red right now, turned and
grabbed Hina by the forearm, trying to force her out of the mall – Hina merely
laughed, following along
 
Ace stood there stunned – not sure what exactly just took place, but one
thing’s for sure, he felt completely humiliated.
 
He could never face the Captain again. The man was in a completely different
universe than he was. Was he truly over his head? The man surrounded himself
with captivating and powerful people and Ace just felt…dumb.
 
 
“I can’t believe you did something so fucking dumb!”
 
Ace turned his head and looked at his friend walking up to him.  He really
wasn’t in the mood right now for one of Marco’s lectures. Before Marco had a
chance to say anything else, Izo put his hand on Marco’s shoulder, signalling
him to stop
 
“Are you okay, Ace? You seem…frazzled.” Asked Izo quietly
 
Ace frowned; he didn’t know how to word how he was feeling. Marco sighed
 
“I was going to tell you to stay as far away from Hina as possible” started
Marco “She has the ability to lock down people and make them shut down. That’s
why they call her ‘black cage’.”
 
Ace shook his head; he didn’t want to be in the mall anymore. Frankly, he just
wanted to go home and crash –but he couldn’t. Jozu had gotten him a nice
construction gig for tonight and it was good money.
 
“I need to go. I have that job Jozu got me.”
 
“Ace?” asked Thatch worryingly, frowning slightly
 
Ace forced himself to smile brightly “I’m fine! Seriously! I think I just
knocked the wind out of me a bit, that’s all!”
 
“If you say so Ace.” replied Haruta, but like the others, his face clearly said
he wasn’t buying it
 
 
 
Ace waved goodbye and high tailed it out of the mall. He immediately started to
run. Ace wasn’t sure where he was even going, but he knew he needed to talk to
someone.  It was times like this that frustrated him the most – he always felt
like he couldn’t be vulnerable around anyone because he’d appear weak. Usually
he didn’t care, but now…
 
Ace stopped running when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out
and quickly answered it, not bothering to look at who was calling
 
“What?!”
 
“Where are you?”
 
Sabo!
 
“Why are you asking?”
 
“I was told to come find you.”
 
Oh what the hell! They had sent Sabo after him?!
 
“You can tell Marco to mind his own fucking business”
 
“Marco? Marco didn’t tell me shit – it was Luffy. He said he saw you at the
mall talking with ‘Smokey’ and when he left; you looked kinda upset and left
the mall in a hurry. So he asked me to come see you.”
 
Well that’s beyond embarrassing!
 
“Well, Luffy can mind his own business!”
 
“Ace. Oh!”
 
And then the call disconnected. Ace looked at his phone pissed off, he
considered for a moment calling back, but he really didn’t feel like it right
now. Great, Luffy saw him make a total ass out of himself, that’s fantastic
 
 
“You should have told me you were just outside!”
 
Ace blinked, looking up at Sabo who was holding open the door. Ace turned his
head and looked. Shit! He ran to the café!
The Revolutionary Army ran an old fashioned café that served pretty much as
their base. Not only did it serve drinks and food, but there was also a large
discussion area where they could talk and share ideas. It was like the old
salons that Ace had read about in his French literature classes. All the
members of the army were expected to work the café, so Sabo and Koala usually
took the weekend shifts. Ace really liked the uniform there, so did Sabo since
he got to wear his top hat. Ace thought he looked really good with a dress
shirt and the waistcoat – but Sabo was always a sharp dresser.
 
“…I didn’t realize I ran here.”
 
Sabo chuckled, dramatically gesturing to himself
 
“You just wanted to see me, deep down in your heart. Now c’mon. Come inside and
let’s talk.”
 
 
Ace sighed a little bit in relief. Sabo he could trust. Ace went inside the
café, Sabo following suite. He walked past the counter, where a confused Koala
lifted a brow as Sabo grabbed Ace’s hand, leading him towards the back. Koala
grinned, leaning over the counter towards the pair
 
“Remember the rule, Sabo! If you cheat on me with Ace, I get to watch!”
 
Ace blinked and then burst out laughing as Sabo followed suit. Sabo
dramatically groaned

“You weren’t supposed to mention the threesome until I talked to him first!”
 
“Oops!”
 
“Oh my god, you two” replied Ace, chuckling. Coming here was a good idea! Ace
just wished he had thought of it.  Sabo smiled back at him and led him to the
discussion room and unlocked a door on the side. Ace frowned – he was sure that
door was just decorative! But sure enough, it opened and Ace was led down some
stairs into a large room, filled with desks and chairs and charts and maps
 
Holy shit, was this their true headquarters?!
 
“Uh…not to criticize your decisions, but should you really bring me down here?”
 
Sabo chuckled, opening up the fridge down there and handing Ace a bottle of
Japanese canned coffee drinks. God he loved those!
 
“It’s fine. I am the Chief of Staff and 2nd in command; I think I can bring
anyone I want down here.”
 
Ace did a low whistle as he followed Sabo to some couched and sat down, opening
his drink
 
“Fancy title, there, mister”
 
“Thank you, I earned it. Now, what the hell happened?”
 
Ace groaned, he wasn’t going to make it
 
“So…I was at the mall and I saw the Captain with this super hot girl and I
kinda…lost it.”
 
“Lost it? Like you got pissed? I don’t blame you! Who was she anyways? I
thought you told me Marco said he was single.”
 
Good old Sabo, got it right away
 
“Well, he isn’t married. But I’m starting to think that the Captain controls
all the information released about himself. Did you know he used to spend his
summers in Goa as a kid?! Like, how did Marco not know that?”
 
Sabo frowned, lifting a brow
 
“You’re deflecting.”
 
Son of a bitch, Sabo
 
“So, yeah, I lost my shit at Marco, who told me to calm down”
 
“Like that doesn’t piss you off even more”
 
“Holy shit, thank you.  So I decided to get the info I needed straight from the
Captain. So well, I jumped down.”
 
“From the 2nd to the 1rst?”
 
“Yeah”
 
“Oh that’s an easy jump; we used to do much higher back in the forest”
 
“Sabo, you’re like, thank you, you’re perfect, stay you”
 
Sabo chuckled
 
“Bet Marco gave you shit”
 
“No, the Captain did! He started yelling at me saying what I did was dangerous
and whapped me on the head!”
 
Sabo was silent for a moment, and then lifted his brow
 
“He hit you hard?”
 
“No, no, just a whap.  Barely felt it, but it caught me off guard.”
 
“Okay, so he yelled at you and reacted harshly because you might have gotten
hurt?”
 
“Yeah”
 
“Go on.”
 
“So anyways, he asked me why I jumped and I couldn’t come up with anything
suave or cool to say, but then Hina was like ‘oh you must be the infamous Ace’
and my mind just – gave up.”
 
“Wait, Hina? That’s the girl’s name. Oh man, was she the girl they were talking
about at the supper? The one that uses guys as chairs?”
 
“Yeah! That’s her – anyways, she’s scary as hell and like, she kept making
weird comments. Like, I’m his type? And that he should just play with me or
fuck me to get it out of his system, but he would get mad at every comment, so
I don’t know. He probably thinks I’m super lame now.”
 
Ace couldn’t even look at Sabo anymore. He just looked at down at the hardwood
floor, hoping it would swallow him whole
 
“…Ace…I think he likes you.”
 
“What?!”
 
 If Sabo was just saying that to make him feel better, he was going to lose his
shit! Ace looked up to glare at Sabo, who already had his hands up defensively
 
“Okay, just, stay with me here. She’s his friend, right? She’s teasing him
about you, telling him to just sleep with you or do something and he got mad,
right?”
 
“Yeah…following you so far”
 
“Ace, what if he was pissed because he was embarrassed that she was saying all
that stuff. Like, if someone went up to the Captain while you’re giving him
coffee or something and was like ‘hey Ace, why don’t you…I don’t know…take off
his pants and suck him off right now’, how would you react?”
 
“I would murder that person.”
 
“Exactly!” pointed out Sabo, enthusiastically “So, put yourself in the
Captain’s shoes”
 
“Holy shit.”
 
The Captain maybe liked him? Maybe the Captain liked him! Ace’s mind was
whirling, could this actually be possible? Honestly from the beginning, Ace
never thought of this possibility – so what now?
 
“So, you gonna make a move, Little Red Riding Hood?”
 
Ace blinked at Sabo, and then he frowned and looked down – goddamnit, he was
entirely red again
 
“I don’t know…what if we’re wrong?”
 
 
“Wrong about what?”
 
Ace and Sabo both turned towards Koala who just walked into the room
 
“Sorry to disturb you boys, but my shift is done and I needed the homework I
left here” explained Koala as she pointed to a series of books on the end of
the couch
 
“Koala. Be our neutral judge.”
 
Koala walked towards them serious, as she nodded
 
“I am here.”
 
“Okay, if you meet a guy at the mall, and his friend keeps making comments
about how you’re just the guy’s type, that he should sleep with you and get it
out of their system and etc, does that tell you that the guy you met at the
mall is into you?”
 
“Oh yeah, absolutely.” exclaimed Koala, Ace became even redder
 
“And best next move?”
 
“Make a move!” replied Koala, grinning “Is this about the Captain? Oh my god,
Ace, you need to make a move!”
 
“What kind of move?” asked Ace, a little overwhelmed. If the Captain rejects
him, he doesn’t know if he’ll take it well
 
“Kiss him! Start simple though, like, give him space, do it slowly enough that
he can bail if he wants to, but fast enough that the intention is clear”
explained Koala happily as she picked up her books
 
“But…what if he rejects me?”
 
“Then you accept it and move on. But Ace, if you never make a move - who will?
Are you going to get jealous at every person you see him with because you never
had the nerve to make a move?”
 
“Too late~” teased Sabo, grinning.
 
“Oye! I wasn’t jealous! I…just wanted to know who she was.”
 
Both Koala and Sabo looked at Ace, unimpressed
 
“Okay, okay! I’ll…make a move, I guess.”
 
Easier said than done though. Ace didn’t want to live through heartbreak like
that
 
“Good! Now let’s all get something to eat for supper, shall we? There’s a great
stir-fry place nearby and since Ace is all mopey, I’ll pay to put a lovely
smile back on his face”
 
What? No!
 
“Wait, you don’t need to, I have cash”
 
Koala shook her head “No, no, I insist! I need to butter up to my future in-
laws”
 
Sabo and Ace laughed as Koala grabbed Ace’s arm and lead him out
 
“Aww Koala, I’ll always accept you first as my sister-in-law”
 
“Good! Tell that to the bitch meeting Sabo tonight!”
 
“I told you – I’m not going to marry her!”
 
The minute they get outside – Ace sees the Captain go by in his police cruiser
and he could feel his heart rush to his throat
 
Ace couldn’t do this anymore.
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     OKAY! Will Ace finally make a move in the next chapter? If so – How
     will the Captain react? Well, I guess I know,you’ll all have to wait
     because next week we’re back at Law! Also, heads up – I’m at a
     convention next weekend, chapter should still be up on time, if not,
     it will just be a little later in the same spand-ish of time! The
     chapter is already written so it would just take me a few moments to
     upload it!
***** – LAW – Everybody Come & Play, Throw Every Care Away – (This Is How It
Works In Teen Movies, Right?) *****
Chapter Notes
     I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY! I drove hours back home from the con
     and unpacked and fell asleep! So I just woke up and posted it right
     away - MY BAD!
     SO, something is FINALLY going to start happening with one of our
     pairings! So let's get started!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Did anyone ever tell you that you run like a fugitive?”
Law scoffed, laughing softly as he walked towards the mall with Zoro. It had
been a real challenge to escape Perona who tried very hard to keep getting
Law’s attention as they tried to escape. Even though the ride in the hearse had
been really tempting – she was starting to creep him out. (It could also have
to do with the fact that Law just wasn’t used to girls so aggressively pursuing
him)
“Well maybe I was one.” Now that Law thought about it though, he had been a
fugitive – twice!
“Heh. Would explain a lot about you, actually.” noted Zoro, stretching out his
neck
“What’s that supposed to mean? I told you I was in a gang before.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t say you were a fugitive.”
 “Yeah, I was. Because when I left them, they came after me.” Well – more like
Cora had kidnapped him, but those were details
“Are they still coming after you?” Shit. Law was hoping he wouldn’t ask that
“Probably.” admitted Law, sighing – he was enjoying hanging out Luffy and the
others, but he guessed that was the end of that
Zoro merely smirked; Law could see the fire burning in his eyes
“I hope they’re strong – that sounds like fun”
Guess he was wrong!
Waitaminute, something was off here
“Zoro. Isn’t the mall that way?”
 
They soon arrived to the mall (after many mishaps). Law looked around – he
thinks he’s been here maybe once? Him and Bepo needed new clothes, so Cora had
given them his credit card and both boys went off. But Law couldn’t stand
leaving Cora alone for too long while he was recovering from his surgeries so
the trip lasted maybe 45 minutes in total. Cora had asked them if they had even
bought anything period. The idea of idling in a mall seemed so foreign to him
now.
“Nami said that they’re on the top floor.”
Law nodded, following Zoro to the escalators. Soon enough, as he went up, he
could hear all the voices around him slowly drift away with only Luffy’s loud,
enthusiastic voice filtering through. Law blushed furiously, completely
embarrassed as how his mind had singled out Luffy’s voice like that
“TORAO!”
Law blinked and suddenly he had an arm full of Luffy who had jumped into his
arms and hugged him. But then Law instantly winced, slightly pushing Luffy off
of him as he held on to his wounded shoulder – right fuck!
He had been so focused on Luffy that he completely forgot about his new
stitches!
“Oye, Luffy, careful! You might pop his stitches!” berated Zoro to a confused
Luffy
Luffy frowned
“Stitches? Why do you have stitches?”
 
“Let me guess – you two fought with actual swords.” offered Nami, frowning,
hands on her hips – she looked so much like her mother when she did that
“Well how the hell do you expect him to learn how to fight with swords – if he
doesn’t fight with sword?” argued Zoro, miffed at being reprimanded
“It’s alright Nami. Zoro offered and I said yes, I’m much at fault here as he
is” explained Law
“Oh yeah? How is Rosi gonna take that?” asked Nami, lifting a brow as she
crossed her arms at her chest
OH FUCK!
“Rosi? Who’s Rosi? Is he a another new student at our school?” asked Vivi from
the side, smiling gleefully
“Rosi is Law’s dad. He’s a cop with my mom.” explained Nami
Luffy smiled brightly
“And he’s like – super tall!”
“Oooh, you mean that giant blonde man that comes every day!” noted Usopp
“Yeah, that’s Cora.” confirmed Law, wanting the conversation to end – it was
weird to talk about Cora like that. Honestly, he didn’t find Cora that tall –
yes, he was tall compared to most people, but his brother was much taller.
 
“Cora? Why do you call him Cora?” asked Vivi, blinking “I thought his name was
Rosi?”
Nami frowned slightly, looking away. She knew why. Shit! He knew he was going
to slip one day – he didn’t think I’d be so soon
“It’s…ah.”
“Is it like a nickname?” offered Chopper, Law blinked, he hadn’t noticed the
boy there
“Yes. Like a nickname.”
“Oh cool! Nicknames are fun! What does Cora stand for?” asked Vivi – Law wanted
her to stop asking questions, but she was too damn nice for him to tell her off
God this was so embarrassing
“…Corazon. But, it was because that’s the name I was given when I first met
him, and it kinda stuck. Rosi’s also a nickname, his name is Rosinante.”
“That makes sense, it sounds really sweet!” added Vivi, but then she turned to
everyone “Are you all excited about the homecoming dance on Friday?”
“Do we have to go?” asked Usopp, sighing
Law blinked, he had completely forgotten about the dance. Honestly he had no
intention of going anyways. Dances in general sounded lame – he’d rather go
check out the book shop at the training hospital on Friday.
Vivi frowned
“Of course we do! It’s going to be loads of fun and it’s my last time to go to
a school dance with everyone” noted Vivi, a little sadly
Law lifted a brow – what did that mean?
“Vivi has to return to her own country when the semester’s over.” explained
Nami a little sadly, seemingly had noticed Law’s confused expression. Vivi
smiled, taking Nami’s hand
“That’s why I want to make as many fun memories with you all before I go!”
Wait.
Are they?
“Ahh my sweet Nami, my sweet Vivi, it breaks my heart to see the two of you so
sad!”
“I guess it doesn’t take much to hurt you” quipped Zoro, rolling his eyes
Sanji growled
“I’m going to break you in half, Moss Head!”
“Bring it, you shitty cook!”
“I think I hear Ace yelling”
 
They all turned to look at Luffy who looked a bit distressed. Law frowned
sharply – he didn’t like that look on Luffy. Luffy ran to the side of the
railing and looked down
“What are they yelling about?” asked Vivi, trying to look over the railing
“I think Ace is yelling at Marco for some reason?” frowned Sanji, also trying
to listen in
“Did Ace just jump down?!” screeched Usopp, shocked. Luffy laughed
“Ace jumps off our house all the time, he’ll be fine!”
 
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT
YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”
Luffy laughed even harder, clutching his stomach as he pointed down
“AHAHAHA Smokey’s punishing Ace!”
Law’s jaw dropped – what the hell was Ace doing?! All Law could see is Smoker
yelling at Ace as this woman in a tank top and small shorts stood besides them
– but it seems she would say something and piss off the Captain
Who was that woman?
Sanji chuckled slightly as he looked down
“What’s that expressions about fools in love?”
“In love?” asked Vivi, curiosity compelling her to ask
“Yeah! That’s Smokey! The guy I told you Ace has a big crush on!”
Everyone looked at Luffy stunned and then they all looked down, over the
balcony – checking out Ace’s beau
“My, he isn’t a little man, isn’t he?” noted Vivi, making Nami laugh
“No, not at all – he’s a nice guy though, he’s just, really gruff”
“You met him?” asked Chopper, standing on the tip of his toes to get a better
view of the scene
“Yeah, he’s the new police chief” explained Nami
“WHAT?” replied Usopp, Vivi and Chopper, shocked. Zoro merely laughed
“Ace is ridiculously into him” noted Sanji, smiling as he leaned over the
railing “Considering how we’re so used to seeing Ace, it’s actually pretty
cute.”
“Jealous?” asked Zoro, smirking
“What the hell are you implying?!” yelled Sanji, getting ready to fight Zoro
 
Law couldn’t take his eyes off Luffy
Slowly as the scene went on, Luffy was laughing and smiling less and less and
his expression was growing more and more serious. Law hadn’t been paying
attention to the scene much – but this was concerning him
“Is everything okay?” asked Law – not quite sure what possessed him to even
ask. Luffy shook his head but sighed
“Something’s wrong. Ace isn’t…being himself.” started Luffy, frowning even more
“That woman looks scary.”
Law looked over and frowned sharply –Now that he really looked at her – He
recognized her! That’s Black Cage Hina! Cora told him about her – she’s a
specialist in interrogations! After she was brought up at the dinner – Cora
managed to find a picture of her to show him and Bepo!
“She is. That woman is renowned for being terrifying.”
“She is awfully beautiful though!” noted Sanji, grinning
“Ace isn’t okay.” stated Luffy, frowning
“Do you want to go see him?” asked Law but Luffy shook his head
“Ace gets super mad and embarrassed when I worry about him” explained Luffy,
taking out his cellphone and started dialing “So if I go down there, he’ll beat
me up or yell at me, I have a better idea!”
 Soon enough; he had the phone to his ear
 
“Sabo! Are you busy right now?”
Sabo?
“Well, Ace just got yelled at by Smokey and this scary lady made him feel
uncomfortable and now Ace doesn’t look okay”
Luffy leaned over the railing, looking down, trying to see Ace
“He’s leaving the mall! I don’t know where he’s going, but he brushed off his
Whitebeard friends!”
Luffy then smiled brightly
“You’ll go find him? Okay! Thanks Sabo! I knew I could count on you!”
Law felt almost blinded by the huge smile Luffy currently had on his face
There was a pause, and  then Luffy laughed
“Hi Koala! Yeah I’ll come join you guys! You’ll text me where you’re eating?
Okay!” then Luffy paused and looked at Law
“Can I bring a friend?”
Law blinked, surprised – why was Luffy looking at him? Probbaly because he was
just standing there
“Okay! I’ll see you then!”
Luffy smiled brightly at Law as he hung up
“Do you plans for supper, Torao?”
 
Law stared at Luffy stunned. He had many friends around him, he was literally
all here with them – but Luffy asked him?!
“No?”
“Do you want to come have supper with me and my brothers?”
 Was this happening? Law could feel his heart yammering madly in his chest
“…Wouldn’t I be intruding?”
“No! Koala’s going to be there too!” noted Luffy, smiling brightly – Law
frowned and then he blushed. He had no good reason to refuse
“Okay. F-Fine.”
Law then turned and noticed that everyone had been watching them, smiles on
their faces. As Law looked at them, they all turned away, pretending they
hadn’t been listening all along
Was this a fucking prank?!
“Oye. Is something going on?” asked Law, frowning sharply – Luffy merely looked
at him confused
“What are you talking about, Torao?”
“…How come you asked me when –“and then Law gestured slightly to Luffy’s group
of friends – who all kept looking away as Law looked at them, whistling
innocently
“Because I want to know you better!” replied Luffy, smiling brightly
 
Law’s the one that’s going to need a new heart at the end of this
 
Chapter End Notes
     Annnnd there you have it! Next week is Ace's chapter but, that's
     because he's at the dinner!
***** – ACE – I Didn’t Think ‘Weak In The Knees’ Was Actually A Thing *****
Chapter Notes
     THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY BIG CHAPTER!
     Soooo much happens in this chapter, but it's one many of you have
     been waiting for! Also a bunch of "new" characters!
     SIDE PAIRINGS!
     Sabo x Koala
     Hina x Tashigi
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Table for 5, please! And can it be in an isolated corner?”
Ace frowned, turning to look at Koala – confused as the waitress led them to
their seat
“Huh?”
“I invited Luffy too! And Luffy said he’s bringing a friend”
Ace blinked, and then he turned red – Shit! Luffy had seen what went down in
the mall! But knowing Luffy, he probably wasn’t going to bring it up. But maybe
the friend? Luffy had been with his entire gang, Ace couldn’t wrap his head
around Luffy just bringing one of his friends if he had the option to bring all
of them.
Who could Luffy possibly invite over everyone else?
“Ah! I see Luffy, I’ll wave him over!”
 
“Hi guys!! Man! What’s this place? Is it new?”
 
And there was Law Trafalgar, standing behind Luffy, looking out of place
“Yes! It opened just recently! It’s a make your own stir fry place! So
basically, you grab a bowl and then you pick what ingredient and meat you want
and they charge you per weight – but don’t worry about the payment, I got this
tonight” explained Koala happily
“Eeerr…Koala, I don’t think you realize how much Luffy eats. Or Ace eats.”
noted Sabo, worried – but Koala merely laughed
“What is with you guys? Please! Let me treat you all, you as well, Law!”
Ace noted that Law stiffened when his name was mentioned. They all sat down as
the waitress took their drink order.
“So Luffy!  You could have brought more friends if you wanted to you know! I’m
not that mean” said Koala, smiling brightly
“Koala, you can’t be that generous! You don’t need to kiss up that much, Luffy
already adores you” hissed Sabo, making Ace laugh
Luffy shook his head and grinned brightly, throwing his arm around Law’s
shoulder
“I wanted to bring Torao though! That way he can probably meet you guys!”
Ace blinked, then he lifted a brow – they had all met? But then again, it was
always under weird circumstances – and he hadn’t told Luffy who he served that
night he worked at the Baratie.
Koala smiled, saluting Law
“That’s a good idea! Hello! I’m Koala, last name not important, I’m currently
majoring in social studies at Goa University and I’m also Sabo’s long-term
girlfriend”
“You have an odd accent; you’re not from here, are you?” noted Law, frowning
slightly
Koala laughed
“You got me!  I’m from a small town called Foolshoot; I guess I couldn’t hide
the hick in me, huh?”
Law’s frown tightened a bit – as if he wasn’t buying it. But then he shrugged
“Am I any better with my accent?”
“Italian, right?” asked Sabo, taking a sip of his drink. Ace blinked, he didn’t
even notice that the waitress had stopped by!
“Yeah. Originally, but I haven’t lived there since I was a kid.” Law then
frowned again, frustration clearly welling up in him
 
“Okay. You know what? I’m feeling really played right now!”
 
Ace blinked at Law’s outburst. Technically, it made sense that he would get
mad.  Law was aware that they all at least knew enough about each other.
“And this is why I asked for an isolated corner. How about we go prepare our
bowls and openly talk, shall we? We’ll keep it to a minimum because we are
still among others, but at least clear the air?” suggested Koala as she stood
up, but before she walked away, she smiled warmly at Law
“Also Law, please don’t think we’re here to play you, we’re really not. We just
want to get to know you better and this is the perfect chance to. I know how
hard it is to suffer hardships and then be expected to just carry on as normal.
We’re your friends, don’t worry.”
Law’s face instantly changed from one of anger to one of surprised. As if he
had almost become docile. Ace blinked, surprised – and frankly a little scared
at how well Koala handled the whole situation.
 
They quickly got their food ready and then went back to the table and sat down.
“Okay, so this is what I suggest – we all clear the air. Poor Law got dropped
into this town and most of us know each other’s secrets, but he doesn’t – but
we know a lot about you. So what I suggest, Law, how about you ask us any
questions you want and we just answer? But we also get to ask you things”
Ace frowned sharply – this could be bad.
“Ace though has the right to remain quiet about one thing.” stated Sabo,
without missing a beat – bless you, beautiful Sabo
“About his dad, right?” asked Luffy, munching on the rice that was left on the
table while they were gone
Goddamnit Luffy!
“Well now I want to ask about his dad.” stated Law, slightly smirking – you
dick!
“Forget it.” stated Ace, frowning “But everything else is okay.”
Law paused, musing this over
“Fine. First question – how much do you guys know about me?”
“Well, you’re from Flevance.  Only survivor of the genocide that happened
there, you then wound up joining the Donquixote gang, ran with them for a few
years and then you and the Corazon escaped together. You managed to get your
hands on the only cure for the White Lead Disease but it almost cost you both
your lives. So now you’re technically hiding from Doflamingo here.” explained
Koala, reading through her phone
“Okay, yeah, that’s the gist of it. Wait, how do youknow all of this?”
 
“I’m an information broker for the Revolutionary Army.”
 
Ace saw Law’s eyes pop open in shock
“The Revolutionary Army?!”
Sabo nodded
“Yeah, both me and Koala are in it – it’s how we met.”
“What’s your position?” asked Law, Ace could see that he’s still trying to wrap
his head around the idea
“Chief of Staff and Second in Command.”
“What?!”
Ace laughed
“I told you he wasn’t in a gang!”
“You guys are…” started Law, but then he whispered “Terrorists?”
Sabo and Koala shrugged
“I guess you can call us that”
“Also Luffy’s dad is Dragon” pointed out Ace, gesturing to Luffy with his thumb
“As in the Dragon?!” Law then turned to look at Luffy, who looked back at Law
and smiled
“I never met him though!” stated Luffy as he kept eating the rice “I only found
out he’s my dad last week.”
 
“Okay, question for you Law” started Sabo “What now? Like what do you plan to
do now that you’ve escaped the Donquixote gang?”
Law paused; Ace could see he was thinking it over
 “I want to just…live. I plan on attending medical school. My parents owned a
hospital and I used to be in a private Academy for Medicine back in Flevance,
so being a doctor is my endgame, but I would like to personally concentrate on
surgery.”
Oh my god!
Koala, Sabo and Ace just starred at Law stunned for a moment, before they
turned to Luffy, smiling brightly
“Well done, Luffy!”
“A doctor! That’s like, the dream!”
“You picked very well, Luffy!”
Luffy tipped his head, staring at them confused
“Huh? What do you guys mean?”
Law was completely red, sitting in his charm, stunned – Ace couldn’t help but
laugh
 
The food soon came and the conversation continued on a more pleasant note. Law
seemed to have relaxed – quickly understanding that the people around him meant
no harm. But Ace still felt a bit uneasy.
“How did you guys get involved with the Army anyways?” asked Law as he stuck a
shrimp in his mouth
“Dragon saved my life.” stated Sabo, slightly touching the burn mark on his
face “I couldn’t take living in High Town anymore and I tried to run away. Long
story short, you’re apparently not supposed to cut off a Celestial Dragon, even
if you are 10 years old. So I was convinced I was dead and Dragon came out of
nowhere and saved me. And after that, he came to visit me nearly every day
while I was recovering and I soon realized that his and mine ideals were the
same – so I joined.”
“I’m a former slave.” stated Koala plainly, as if she was talking about the
weather, making Law stop and stare at Koala, shocked. Ace continued eating –
this wasn’t new information to him
“I was kidnapped when I was around 8 years old and brought to the holy island
of Mariejois to be a slave there. When Tiger Fisher set the city on fire, I
escaped with many of the other slaves and we held shelter in an island away
from Mariejois. But a little while later, I was given to the Sun Pirates to be
brought back to Foolshoot. Which they did - and I’m forever thankful for them
to this day. But…things didn’t end well for the Sun Pirates after, and I felt
really responsible. And after that whole ordeal, I just wanted to help people
and stop things like this from happening. So, I met the right people and now
here I am!”
“Wait…I heard that slaves of Mariejois have a-“started Law, but then stopped.
Ace could tell that Law felt he was crossing a line
“You mean the brand? I did have it – but now it’s the Sun Pirate’s brand.”
explained Koala proudly
Ace smiled into his drink. He loved how Koala was so proud of being an honorary
member of an actualpirate crew!
 
Law mused this information over, and then pointed one by one to Ace, Sabo and
Luffy
“How come you guys say you’re brothers? Ace said not to talk about his Dad, but
Luffy’s dad is Dragon. Sabo said he’s from High Town, so I don’t get how the
three of you are brothers. If you were all adopted in the same household like
me and Bepo, I’d get it but-“
“We’re not brothers by blood – we’re brothers in spirit!” explained Luffy
happily
Ace chuckled “My mom died in childbirth. So since I had no living relatives,
this guy who knew my dad took me and dumped me at this woman’s house and asked
her to raise me. Fast-forward 10 years later, the same guy comes and dumps his
7 year old grandson at the same place. That’s how me and Luffy wound up living
together. But no, we don’t share any blood. Well, not that I know of anyways.”
“I ran away from home when I was 5 and met Ace and we started to live together
after a bit. We were inseparable since that day.” added Sabo, grinning
“And then we swore over cups of saké that no matter where life takes us – we’ll
always be brothers!” finished Luffy, smiling brightly
Law blinked, and then he smiled a bit
“Oh, well now it makes sense. Because genetically, I couldn’t figure out how
the hell the three of you were related. ”
“It’s because I’m white, isn’t it?” faked whined Sabo, making everyone at the
table laugh
 
Soon enough they finished their food and Koala went up to pay. Ace tried
multiple times to give her some money – but she refused.  Sabo soon had to
leave so Koala offered to drive him home. Apparently she was allowed to borrow
Hack’s car. Ace was sure she just wanted to be absolutely sure Sabo’s parents
didn’t refuse to acknowledge her. Thankfully they never called the cops on her.
Luffy insisted on walking Law home. Ace sighed – he’s kinda embarrassed now.
His brother worked faster than he did with his crush – but Ace felt like he was
going absolutely nowhere with his. Regardless of what Sabo said!
 
Ace made his way down the street, heading toward Jozu’s shop. Construction had
started near since his store and Jozu had asked the guys if they needed a hand.
They had said yes – but it would only be for labour. Only the trained
professionals were allowed any of the planning but Ace was fine with that. He
caught on quick and hard labour gave him a happy buzz
“Oh, there he is. Ace, over here!”
Ace grinned, jogging up to Jozu who was talking to a scruffy blond man
“This is Ace, the kid I was telling you about. Ace, this is Paulie. He’s with
the Galley-La company and he’s gonna be your boss for tonight.”
“Hey, I’m Ace, nice to meet you!”
“Same, you ready to work hard, kid?”
Ace nodded
“Just tell me what to do, and I’m all yours!”
 
“So are you planning on becoming a foreman, Ace? Or just going to keep up with
construction work?”
Ace blinked, mulling it over. He had already been hard at work for a few hours
now and had gotten rather comfortable with the other workers
“You know what, Kaku, I never thought of it.”
Actually – he hasn’t really thought of what the hell he was going to do after
high school. Well – he did. In the sense of he knew he wasn’t going for any
post-secondary education. He figured he’d just continue being a Whitebeard.
Huh. I guess he would need a job or something
“Well, if you ever want to join us full-time, we do apprenticeships and
honestly, I don’t see Iceburg not taking you in.” added Paulie “You do good
work, kid.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!”
“Wait – do you go to Goa High?” asked Kaku, passing Ace the wheelbarrow full of
concrete blocks
“Yeah? Why?”
“I heard a wild rumour – is it true that a guy called Franky is teaching there
now? Blue hair? Really loud? Wears usually a speedo?”
Before Ace could even answer – Lucci had approached them. The man hasn’t said a
damn word since Ace arrived and frankly kinda creeped him out
“Uh yeah, he’s my metal works class teacher, the guy’s pretty cool.” replied
Ace, confused
“Watch out around him! He’s a crook!”
“YO WHAT THE HELL, THAT PIGEON OVER THERE JUST TALKED!”
What the fuck was going on?!
The pigeon came and landed on Lucci’s shoulder, making the other smirk while
the other workers merely chuckled, used to it
“Oooh you’re a ventriloquist! Man that’s cool!”
“Haha, yeah.  Lucci’s really skilled at it – isn’t he? The bird’s name is
Hattori” stated Kaku, laughing
“Alright guys! Enough chit-chat, back to work!” called out Paulie from the back
as he walked by with some lumber
 
Work continued on for another hour or so, Ace quickly getting lost in his work
as the cars drove by him. It was easily past midnight at this point, but night
work was always so nice and calm, but the quiet was getting to him – so Ace was
singing softly to himself as he worked
“-Then you walked in and my heart went …’boom’”
Ace gawked at the squad car that just passed him, eyes locking with the driver.
It was -!
“Chase?”
 
“Is something wrong, Ace?” asked Paulie, noticing Ace’s shocked expression on
his face, but before Ace could reply the squad car pulled over and the Captain
came out and walked up to Paulie
“Until what time is that one working?” asked Smoker, gesturing to Ace who
looked dumbstruck
“Umm” started Paulie, looking at his watch “He’s got like, 10 minutes or so to
go. Is there a problem, officer?”
Smoker shook his head slightly, lighting the cigar he just stuck in his mouth
“No, nothing like that. I just know him, so I’ll drive him home.” And then
Smoker turned, looking at Ace, giving him the opening to turn him down
“Y-yeah. A ride home would be…great”
“Good. I’ll be waiting in the car.” replied Smoker, making his way to his squad
car and quickly getting in and closing the door.
Ace blinked. That was…different?
“What was that all about?” asked Lulu, walking up to Ace and Paulie
Ace smirked
“He’s my boyfriend”
“Oh you wish!” stated Hattori before flying back to Lucci
“HEY!”
 
10 minutes had never gone by so slowly
Soon after, Paulie handed him over the envelope, but before Ace was able to
leave, Paulie spoke up
“I was serious about the offer if you’re interested. Even part-time. You’ll
have to get yourself a social security number, but once you got that – we’ll
officially take you in. I don’t see the boss refusing you.”
“Thank you! Honestly, it sounds great”
“Also, do you mind if we contact you in case we ever need an extra hand? Ever
since we relocated here, business has been booming, let me tell you! And not
that Jozu isn’t a nice guy or anything, but he’s probably the scariest
jewellery store owner ever and I’d rather not have to always go through him
every time I need you.”
Ace laughed – Jozu had that effect on people. He was just really intense! He
cuts you a gorgeous rock though if you need one. Aside from his fully diamond
encrusted protective vest and armour, he did handle all the jewellery for the
Whitebeards. Jozu and his wife owned a very successful jewellery store!
“Absolutely! Don’t even hesitate.”
 
Ace ran up to the squad car and quickly got into the passenger seat. He smiled
sheepishly at the Captain, quickly buckling up
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting, you really didn’t have to offer me a ride
like that, but I do really appreciate it.”
Smoker blinked, looking at Ace as if he had been distracted completely in his
thoughts
“Why are you being so polite?”
Because I’m nervous, damnit!
“…Why are you smoking two cigars at once?”
“Because I can.”
“Fair enough!”
Smoker sighed, starting up the car and started to drive
 
They rode in silence for a while, until Smoker spoke up
“Listen. I wanted to apologize. What Hina said…was completely out of line. It’s
not like her usually to be like that, she was trying to purposely set me off
and it pisses me off that you were the victim in all of this. It’s not okay.”
Ace blinked, surprised to hear all of that
“…Was it…Was it true though?”
Smoker paused, frowning
“…What part? She said a lot.”
“The part about me being your type?”
Ace smiled as Smoker blushed, chocking on his cigars and then coughing to try
and hide it
“Goddamnit Hina!” he hissed as Ace laughed
“It’s very flattering to hear though” noted Ace, wanting to diffuse the tension
“Ngh, can we not talk about it”
Ace sighed, but then he fake whined
“But I want to talk about it!”
Smoker snorted, slightly shoving Ace on the arm
“Shut up or I’ll make you walk home”
“You wouldn’t – I’ll call the station and tell Tashigi what you did!”
“Too bad she’s not there – she’s babysitting Hina tonight.”
Ace snorted
“A woman like that needs a babysitter?”
“Fuck, she needs a whole battalion to make sure she doesn’t screw some poor
bastard up. But she insisted on going out bar hopping with Tashigi.”
Ace blinked, and then he lifted a brow
“What…is going on between those two?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. Hina is pursuing her, but she’s in for a nasty
surprise. Tashigi is one brilliant woman at her job – but is how can I put
this…Stupid in the affairs of people.”
Ace laughed
“She won’t have a damn clue she’s being hit on, right?”
“Yep. That, right there. She won’t even have a damn clue. Hina will try to
charm the pants of Tashigi, but she will never realize it.”
“Aww that’s a little sad too, maybe Tashigi likes her back and she’ll think
that Hina isn’t interested because she isn’t catching on to Hina’s hints.”
Smoker paused, exhaling for a moment, and then he frowned
“I never thought of that. She never really showed any interest in dating at
all.”
Ace chuckled slightly
“Well, neither did I until recently”
Smoker sighed; Ace could tell he wanted him to drop the topic. Ace smiled sadly
to himself. He might as well, honestly. He was getting frustrated with hitting
so many dead ends. Maybe he should just give up?
It wasn’t as if the Captain was going anywhere and Ace did enjoy his company.
Maybe they could just be friends? Ace was starting to get afraid that if he
pushed too much – he’d push the Captain out of his life. Damn, he wishes he
actually knew how to seduce someone!
 
Soon enough they got to the path that lead to Ace’s house. Ace opened the car
door and quickly walked over the Captain’s car door, only to back up as the
other opened it
“Walking me to the door again?”
“Will I get to see the door this time?”
Ace paused, and then he sighed, smiling sheepishly
“It’s kinda a really embarrassing house. It’s all falling apart and shit.”
Smoker raised a brown
“You think I’d judge you for where you live?”
“No, more like I’d be afraid that I’d raise concerns and you’d have my family
investigated by social services or something. I’d like to keep my family
intact, if possible.”
Ace had no idea why he was suddenly babbling all of this!
Smoker paused again, slowly taking a deep drag from his cigars and exhaled
“Had I just met you – probably, yeah, I would have. But, I have the feeling
that you’ve got the situation handled.”
Ace smiled brightly, and then he turned around
“Well, are you coming? I’m just dying to show you the shack.”
Smoker laughed – causing more butterflies to go wild in Ace’s stomach
 
They walked a bit in silence; Ace’s eyes kept darting at the Captain. He looked
like the other time when he had something to say, but he looked like he wasn’t
sure how. Maybe he can help.
“A penny for your thoughts? You look like you want to ask me something”
Smoker sighed
“Yeah, you busy next weekend?”
Ace blinked – surprised at the question
“Um, I have the Homecoming dance on Friday night, but that’s about it, really.
I’ve got no jobs lined up.”
Smoker grunted slightly, Ace’s stomach was going wild with anticipation – what
was this about?
“I’m going out of town” started Smoker
Eh?
“But Justice doesn’t handle long distances very well, and I think for her sake,
it would be easier for her just to stay home. Especially considering we just
moved here – so I was wondering if-“
“Oh hell yeah I’ll take care of her!” cut in Ace, grinning brightly – he loved
taking care of dogs so much!  Shit he’d blow off the dance if it meant more dog
time!
Smoker blinked, and then he laughed softly
“It’s only from Saturday morning to Sunday night. I’ll give you the keys to my
place – but I swear to god, Portgas. No funny business. You feed her, take her
out for walks and to do her business and make sure she’s fine. That’s it.”
Ace fake whined
“But I wanted to look through your stuff to see a photo of you as a kid! I want
to know what your hair colour used to be!”
“It was always this colour.”
“What? No way! That’s cool!”
“So, you’ll do it? I’ll pay you.”
Ace shook his head
“Nonsense, just stock up the fridge and we’re even. I use my money mostly for
food anyways.”
“Fine, we have a deal.”
 
A few steps later, they had reached the house and Ace groaned – he didn’t
remember it looking that shitty this morning.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding”
Ace whined, looking at the Captain
“I didn’t pick this place!”
Smoker chuckled softly, ruffling up Ace’s hair
“Don’t worry – I’ve seen much worst on tour.”
Ace paused, looking at Smoker
“Thank you for walking me to my door – you really didn’t have to.”
“Why are you being so polite again?”
“Because I’m really nervous.”
“Why are you nervous?”
Time to go for it! Damn Koala, you better not have led me wrong!
Ace put his hand on Smoker’s arm, making the other blink, looking at Ace
confused. Ace extended his feet, standing on the tip of his toes as he slowly
made his way up. He could feel Smoker’s eyes on him, his body tensing up as Ace
got closer and closer. And then, he gave a small peck on Smoker’s cheek,
quickly pulling back
“Goodnight, Captain.” said Ace, smiling as he backed up and turned around,
feeling himself go completely red and ready to go inside the house,  not
wanting to look at Smoker’s face
 
“Wait.”
Ace turned around, saw the Captain stub out his cigars on a tree trunk, and
quickly walked up to Ace, grabbing his face.
Ace froze – was he going to punch him??
“This is how you give a goodnight kiss”
Ace could literally feel his knees buckling as the Captain kissed him right on
his mouth. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to melt within the touch as he
kissed back.
This had to be a dream – a very elaborate dream.
The Smoker’s smell overwhelmed him in that moment and then suddenly it was
gone.
Ace blinked, surprised as the Captain pulled back and took a step back – it
thrilled Ace to see his flushed cheeks.
Yeah, he was gay
“Goodnight, Portgas.” stated the Captain as he started to walk away
“Goodnight” replied Ace dreamingly, but then he snapped out of it
No! It wasn’t ending like this!
 
“Wait, stop!” cried out Ace, making the Captain turn around. Ace ran up to
Smoker, throwing his arms around Smoker’s neck, kissing him hard. Smoker easily
caught Ace, turning around and pushing him up against a tree as he kissed back
with the same intensity. Usually Ace would joke that he didn’t want tree bark
in his ass – but this was beyond not the time. Ace could feel the Captain’s
hand on the small of his back, pulling him in closer. Good thing the Captain
was holding him up because Ace couldn’t feel his legs anymore. He could feel
Smoker’s teeth slightly nip his lips between breaths as they kept kissing. Ace
pushed his tongue into the other’s mouth, thrilled that he could finally do so.
He trailed his hand down Smoker’s chest, taking the time to feel the strong
muscles under the straining shirt. Ace purred softly into the kiss as the
Captain’s other hand was in his hair, pulling him in closer, deepening the kiss
and then -
And then the Captain pushed him off?!
“I shouldn’t be doing this!” cried out the Captain, rubbing his face
Excuse me what? Oh fuck no!
“No! You can’t just say that! Not after we just made out against a tree!”
“No, I mean – I’m not being paid to be making out right now! I’m on the clock!”
hissed back Smoker, his face entirely red
Oh.
“…Maybe I’m drowning and need artificial respiration?”
“You’re drowning in the middle of a forest?”
Ace laughed, realizing how absurd his suggestion was once the Captain
highlighted it. Smoker sighed, smiling softly at Ace’s laughter boomed through
the forest
“Maybe I’m just that talented!”
“Portgas.”
Ace stopped laughing, walking up to the Captain
“Look. I just…I want to know…where this is going…if it’s going anywhere?” asked
Ace, struggling to find the words
“…I like you. A lot.” admitted Smoker, looking to the side, completely
embarrassed “But, you’re young and –“
“Do you really think someone who makes me live in that shack is really finicky
about legal matters?”
“You make an excellent point”
“Nobody’s going to call the cops. And if they did – it would be weird since
you’re the Captain”
Ace thought he would never get over the sound of Smoker’s laugh
“Also, like I said, many times before, I’m turning 18 next year”
“Yeah in what, November?”
“No, January 1rst.”
Smoker blinked, looking at Ace stunned – as if he didn’t know what to say
“So literally in-“
“Like 3 months, yeah. Also my parents are dead, so who’s going to press charges
anyways? Dadan? Please, you’d have to bring her dead body in a bodybag to the
police station for her to ever go there.”
“Ace, if we do this, we have to keep this private. You can’t announce it; act
upon it in public, change your Facebook status – none of it! Dates will have to
be in private locations or if we’re out in public, then we just act like
friends!”
Ace heart was about to stop – he was actually going to be dating the Captain!
Maybe he should stop calling him the Captain in his head? Chase. He was going
to be dating Chase! He couldn’t wait to tell S- Oh wait – shit!
“I can’t keep secrets from my brothers though. That’s the only thing. We swore
on that years ago.”
Smoker frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then nodded
“Three.”
“Huh?”
“You can only tell three people.”
Ace smiled, that was one more than he had brothers!
“Tell them what~?” asked Ace, singsong-ly, wanting to hear it come out of
Smoker’s mouth
“…That we’re seeing each other?” offered Smoker, a little confused
Ace grinned brightly at Smoker; he swore if this was an anime, he’d have
flowers floating by his head with how happy he felt
“Yeah we are!”
Smoker laughed, shaking his head and then he leaned down and kissed the top of
Ace’s hair
“Goodnight Ace. We’ll talk about this more another time.”
“Give me your phone!” suggested Ace, sticking out his hand “I’ll give you my
number!”
Smoker grunted, taking out his phone and handing it over to Ace after he
unlocked it and Ace quickly added his number to Smoker’s contacts – the little
numbers he had.
He did though frown slightly at the entry which the name was simply ‘.’
“There! Just shoot me a text and I’ll add you to mine. And we can hammer out
all the details, about this and me taking care of Justice.”
Smoker blushed slightly as he stared at Ace’s number in his phone, smiling
before the closed it and stuck it back in his pocket
“I need to get back to the station. They’re going to wonder where I am.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”
Smoker blinked, raising a brow
“Why?”
“To bring you your coffee”
“Ace, you don’t need – there’s no arguing with you is there? But seriously, I’m
not going to be in tomorrow morning.”
“Nope, not all. So Monday morning then! Goodnight, Chase!”
Smoker froze slightly at hearing his name, and then relaxed, smiling as he
shook his head as he stuck a new cigar in his mouth, lighting it as he walked
away
“Goodnight, Ace”
 
Ace watched as Smoker walked out of his sight and then threw his arms out in
the air
“YES!”
He felt like he was on top of the world! He was so excited to tell Luffy and
Sabo and-
Oh.
Oh SHIT!
Who the hell would be the third person?!
FUCK!
Chapter End Notes
     OH HO HOHO WHO WILL BE THE THIRD PERSON??
     Well, I know, BUT WHO WILL IT BEEE??
     Also next week - you guys wanted an update on Doffy right? RUH ROH
***** -CORAZON- It Is My Role As A Parent To Embarrass You So Deal With It!
(That Isn’t Foreshadowing At All!) *****
Chapter Notes
     So I have a super busy weekend ahead of me (cries deadlines and
     social events) so to make sure I don't forget to update the fic, I'll
     do it now!
     Warning - a lot of canon information is going to be regurgitated in
     this chapter, I have no choice, they're sharing information but I
     tried to keep it a minimum!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Wow, you guys ordered pizza? How did Law ever agree to that?”
 
Bepo, Shachi and Penguin looked up behind the couch stunned – apparently they
hadn’t noticed Cora coming in as they had been too distracted with whatever
game they were playing on the PS4
“Oh, he texted me saying he wasn’t coming over for supper, so we decided why
the hell not! Otherwise we wouldn’t have.” explained Bepo
“Yeah, like, Law wouldn’t have forbidden us or something, but we would have
felt bad, you know – do you want a slice, Mr.Cora?” asked Shachi, holding up
the box. Cora chuckled, waving the box away
“Naw, it’s fine, thank you though.”
“Cora doesn’t like bread, so pizza’s a no-go for him” explained Bepo, taking
another box off the coffee table and holding up for Cora “Chicken bites?”
“That” started Cora, taking one from the box “I will take. So where’s Law if
he’s not here with you guys?”
He better not be in trouble!
“Umm, he said Luffy invited him out for supper but that’s the only details I
got”
What?
“Uh…what? Like, Luffy invited just him?”
Whoah. Was Law on a date?
Penguin put down the PS4 controller on the coffee table and stared at the rest
of them, shocked
“Guys – what if Law’s on a date?”
Oh good! Someone else brought it up!
“What? With Luffy? No way! I haven’t seen Luffy even remotely look interested
in dating anyone!” pointed out Shachi, leaning in
“Wait! That might actually be possible! He’s always looking for Law and hanging
around him as much as possible!” added Bepo
“Whoah, so you guys are saying there’s a remote possibility that Law and Luffy
are dating? And Law didn’t tell me? Or Bepo?”
He better not be – or Cora’s going to let him have it! Like, yeah, Law was
allowed a private life – but dating?! He at least gets to know if Law is dating
someone!!
“Hmm, you’re right, that doesn’t sound like Law” remarked Shachi, leaning back
on the couch, his hand on his chin
“Oh! Law’s coming up the walkway now!”
Cora turned around and watched as Law walked up to the walkway slowly, chatting
with Luffy who seemed to be complimenting the house. Cora walked up to the
window, tucking himself to the side and hiding behind the curtain – watching
the scene unfold
“Man, I wish I knew what they were saying!”
Cora blinked, when did Shachi get there behind him?
“Oooh man, this looks like a date – you think they’re gonna kiss?” added
Penguin from between Cora’s legs. Cora frowned; he didn’t know how he felt
about Lawkissing Luffy.  Or anyone really!
“Guys! Shut up! Stop distracting Cora! He can’t read their lips otherwise!”
whined Bepo, who was now also behind with the two others
Oh yeah, he was really good at that!
“Umm, Luffy’s just going on about how nice the house is so far. Saying how he’s
so lucky to live in such a nice place.”
“Yeah, Luffy lives in the crappiest section of town, so I’m not surprised”
noted Bepo. Cora nodded, not looking away from the two
“Law’s thanking him for inviting him to dinner”
Wow, Law looks really nervous
“Luffy’s telling him that he’s happy that Law came, and he was glad that he
finally met his brothers and Koala.”
Supper with the family?! Are they dating?!
“Law’s saying that he would reciprocate but his family is a bunch of nosy
bastards who can’t mind their own da- SHIT! Law saw us! We’re compromised!
Soldiers down!”
All four of them moved away from the window – Cora started to laugh when he
recalled the pissed off face that Law just did. Then he smirked
Oh, he had an idea.
Cora giddily skipped to the light switch by the door and grinned brightly at
the three teenagers
“Wanna piss off Law even more?”
All four of them giggled as Cora started to open and close the light switch,
snickering as they heard Law burst the front door open
 
“You’re seriously flickering the fucking porch lights?! How old are you?!”
All four of them stared at Law for a moment in silence before they burst out
laughing – making Law turn scarlet, completely embarrassed
“You’re all a bunch of freaking assholes!”
Shachi and Penguin both pulled Law into a side hug, Law in-between the two
“Aww, don’t be like that! We should be pissed at you! Secretly dating Luffy”
Cora watched as Law’s eyes widen considerably as he looked completely shocked
“I’m…I’m not dating Luffy? Why do you think I’m dating Luffy?”
Huh?!
“Uh, the dinner date with his family?” pointed out Shachi
“I didn’t know that’s what it was when he invited me!”
“He walked you to your door!” exclaimed Penguin
“He wanted to see where I lived!”
Cora couldn’t freaking believe this – Law probably wasn’t aware that he and
Luffy were courting each other!
 
“Why are you laughing?”
Cora snorted, trying to hold in his laughter, shit, he didn’t realize he had
been laughing!
“I’m sorry! It’s just; you’re so so smart Law, but also sometimes, so so dumb”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” yelled Law, obviously really mad now, but Cora
lifted his hands and shook his head
“It’s nothing, truly. Luffy seems like a nice kid, that’s all.”
Cora knew that arguing with Law right now was beyond pointless.  Law huffed,
frowning as he glared at Cora. Penguing and Shachi laughed, putting on their
shoes at the door
“We’re going to head out! Bepo said you guys had important stuff to talk about
tonight, so we won’t hold you up – but Law! Tomorrow! Movies! Don’t forget!”
Law nodded, Cora could see that he was cooling down somewhat. One thing about
Law is that he never stayed mad for very long unless you did something pretty
bad – then he can hold a grudge like no other.
“You guys don’t have to go!” Cora felt bad, he felt like he was kicking them
out!  But Shachi and Penguin waved him off
“No, no, it’s okay! We need to get going since we have homework and unlike Law
and Bepo, we’re not big nerds that got it done on Friday night” teased Penguin,
making Law flip him off
Shachi and Penguin quickly left and Law turned to Cora, looking a bit tired
“Do you mind if we get changed before we start the chat, Cora? I have a feeling
that this chat is going to be a long one”
Cora smiled softly and nodded – getting changed would be a good idea.
 
Soon enough they had all gotten changed into their pyjamas and Cora had fixed
them all a tea to drink. He knew he didn’t want to go in excruciating details,
but the boys needed to at least hear the key points. Cora sat on the coffee
table, facing the two boys on the couch. He was leaned forward, his hands on
his face. Cora really hoped they wouldn’t think of him differently after this
“Okay. So, I guess I should start with the beginning. So, I was born on the
island of Mariejois and-“
Cora could feel his throat sink in his stomach as he watched Bepo and Law’s
eyes bulge out of their heads
“You were a slave?! I call bullshit! I’ve seen you naked and you don’t have the
mark!” accused Law, looking annoyed
Cora blinked, oh. He never thought they would go right to slave
“Oh, no, I wasn’t a slave. We had slaves though. I think? I don’t know, I was
really young and thought they were just nice people who helped me when I got
caught in stuff.”
“Cora…that means…you’re a-!” started Bepo, Cora knew it sunk in
“You’re a Celestial Dragon?!” finished Law, shocked as well
“Well, I was! But I was really small when I stopped being one though!”
“How does one stop being a Celestial Dragon?” asked Bepo quietly, confused by
the whole thing
“Well, my parents decided they wanted to live like regular people. They told me
once; we are all born as humans so we should live as thus. But the minute you
leave Mariejois for good – you’re stripped of everything and you can’t come
back.” explained Cora, just speaking of his parents was causing Cora to choke
up a little bit – he could feel his voice cracking slightly. Deep down, he
truly wishes they could have met Law and Bepo, knowing them – they would have
loved both the boys.
“Cora…Are you okay?” asked Law quietly. Cora shook his head, smiling softly
“Sorry, talking about my parents get a bit hard at times. Anyways, so we left
Mariejois. Personally I was too young to really remember much aside from my
weird outfit and my weird hairdo but we moved to a nice house inland, not sure
where originally and things were good for a small while but when people caught
on to whom we used to be – they got violent.”
The colour in Law and Bepo’s faces drained, they clearly could tell where the
tale was going
“How…How bad, Cora?”
“Well. We were chased out of the house and went into hiding. But, soon enough,
we would be caught and would have to run more. I went days without food, got
almost beaten to death over a stolen loaf of bread –“
“Is that why you don’t like bread?” asked Law
“Haha, yeah, I kinda lost the taste for it. But honestly, I ate out of
trashcans for a few years. And then my mother died from the shitty conditions
we lived in. After that, we were caught by the town’s people and they tortured
us until we escaped. One day, Doffy ran off, he came back soon after with a gun
and he killed our father, cut off his head and tried to take it back to
Mariejois apparently to be let back in.”
“So…that’s what he meant…about killing another family member.” mused Law
“Wait wait, how old are you in all of this?” asked Bepo, Cora could hear the
fear in Bepo’s voice “And how are you able to talk about this so casually?!”
“A lot of counselling. Umm, 8? Yeah, I was 8.”
“I thought there was only two years between you and Doflamingo?”
“There is!”
“He killed his own father at 10?!”
“Yeah, I think he met Trebol and Vergo when he ran off and they planted ideas
in his head, but I’m not sure, Doffy has always been um, susceptible, I guess
you can say. But I don’t know, because I ran away.”
“Is that when you met Sengoku?” asked Bepo as he sipped some tea
“Yeah! That’s exactly when! Due to the violent disturbances, the World
Government sent agents to see what was going on in the town I was in – and
that’s when Sengoku found me wondering around, crying my eyes out.”
“Weren’t you scared of being caught again?” pointed out Law, frowning
“Honestly? I was so lost and scared that I don’t even think I processed that
idea. I just needed to gone from there, from him. So I ran.”
Law frowned, looking down. Cora sighed softly, smiling a bit.
“I never realized how alike we were”
Cora blinked, surprised to hear that
“What do you mean? You lived through a genocide!”
“Yeah, I was being persecuted for my illness – you for where you were born. You
can’t convince me that your parents weren’t as kind as you. Basically these
people decided to attack someone, children to boot, who were born in a
different rank of life and because those people treated them like shit, they
decided to punish your family that did nothing wrong.”
Cora smiled softly and shrugged
“I have tried my entire life to truly understand why people would do such a
thing. But sometimes when you’re in pain, you lash out.”
“So, after that, what happened?” asked Bepo, looking at Cora, excited to hear
more. Cora chuckled
“Well, Sengoku took me back to the main base of the World Government; got the
full story out of me as much as possible and then he agreed to take me in as
his ward. Not even a year later, he officially adopted me. At first I was kept
at the base with him, I had some, ah trauma to work through with many
counsellors. But soon enough, once I was officially adopted, he enrolled me in
school and I would spend my summers in Japan with his parents. Aside from that,
I enrolled in the World Government forces once I was done high school, did my
training, served as a soldier, did my time and then I got assigned my mission
to take down Doffy about a year before Law showed up.”
“Honestly the fact that you’re fluent in Japanese in hilarious because you’re
as white as you could possibly be.” pointed out Law, making Cora laugh
“Yeah believe me! My nickname was ‘Ooki Gaijin’ in Japan, I know! So, that’s
basically it for me? Unless you guys have questions?”
“I can’t believe you were born a Celestial Dragon, Cora! That’s insane!”
“And now it makes sense why Doflamingo is the way he is. But, how did you-?”
Turn out the way you did?Cora could hear the end of the question without Law
even saying it
“Well, people lashed out against me because of what other people did to them.
So I could have continued the cycle of abuse and gone off to hurt people myself
– but I didn’t want to. I can never forget how it hurt to be hung outside of a
window as arrows flew past my head. I could never forget how it felt for adults
to be kicking and beating the shit out of me. Why would I want to inflict that
kind of pain on someone else? I wanted to help people – which is why I enlisted
in the first place.”
Law nodded, accepting the answer and frowning a bit to himself. Cora leaned
forward, putting his hand on Law’s arm –
“You’re not him, Law. You weren’t and you will never be either.”
“Yeah, because of you.”
Cora chuckled softly, shaking his head
“No, because you’re a good person, regardless.” Then Cora turned to Bepo and
smiled
“How about you, Bepo? What’s your big story?”
Bepo blinked, surprised to have been asked, but then he smiled
“Okay! Well, I was born in a place called Zou and-“
 
After Bepo had finished his story, Cora smiled as how comfortable the air in
the room was. This had been a good idea. Now he felt completely awful that he
had to ruin it.
“So, now that the air’s been cleared –“
“I feel like I spent all day doing that”
Cora blinked, oh yeah!
“How was your day at Zoro’s?”
“Oh! It was great actually! Until his sister asked me out while I was stitching
my- Uh, I mean. Shit.”
Cora saw red
“Stitching your what?! Why were you stitching yourself up?!”
“Well, uh, it’s not that bad! And I fixed it myself!”
“Let me see it!”
“Cora it’s okay, it’s”
“LET ME SEE IT!”
Law sighed and removed his shirt, looking to the side as the stitches stood out
on Law’s shoulder, still red and swollen
Oh my god-Cora knewwhat caused a wound like that!
“…Law. You’re going to tell me the truth now. Were you and Zoro fighting with
actual swords?”
Law paused for a moment, rolling his tongue in his cheeks before he sighed,
slightly nodding his head down
“Yes”
“And why the hell did you think that was a good idea?!”
“Because at one point, bokkens don’t get you ready for the real thing!”
“And at one point do you think you’ll need to actually use a sword?!”
“Because I’m better with a sword and I’m crappy with guns!”
“Why would you need any of that? Law! You don’t need to worry about being
protected! That’s my job! I’m supposed to protect you and Bepo!”
 
“Then who the hell is going to protect you?! I will not have you die on me
again, Cora!  I won’t!”
 
Cora paused, slightly pulling back
The Captain had been right. Law wasn’t concerned about his own safety – it was
Cora’s that he was concerned with! Cora didn’t know how to handle that at all,
his heart sunk
“Law.” started Cora, speaking in a soft voice “I’m not in danger”
“But you will be!” replied Law, Cora could see the desperation on Law’s face
and it broke his heart. Bepo stayed quiet during the exchange.
“Law. Listen – Doffy doesn’t want me. He wants you.”
“How do you even know that for sure?!”
“Because he friended me on skype last night and told me to give you this.”
Cora stood up as Law’s jaw gaped and he walked over to his briefcase and pulled
out the papers he had printed and walked back to the couch and handed them over
to Law
“He friended you on skype?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“It was that skype message you told me about. It was his friend request.”
“And you accepted?”
“Of course I did! I wasn’t passing up a chance to keep an eye on Doffy, I’m not
an idiot!”
Law huffed, looking through the papers and frowned sharply
“These are nothing but fucking music notes! What does this even mean?”
“I don’t know. All he said was ‘Give this to Law for me. It reminded me of him’
and pictures of music sheets and then he logged off. I was going to try and
find something who can read music to tell me what’s the song, but I haven’t had
the ch-“
“I’ll do it.” cut off Law, looking at the music notes “The teacher in charge of
my club is a world class musician. I’m sure that not only could he play this –
but he’ll be the best bet to recognizing this song.”
Cora frowned, and then he sighed, sitting down on the coffee table, feeling
dejected
“Monday is like, too long. The stress is going to kill me.”
Law sighed “Hey, at least we now have some sort of lead about Doflamingo. It’s
better than just wondering when the hell he’s going to pull something”
“I guess that’s true.”
It was just really annoying, it felt like –
“It just feels like he’s toying with you guys”
Cora blinked , looking at Bepo that had been quiet for a bit. Shit. Cora was
used to himself being in danger, even Law but not Bepo!
“Bepo. If you don’t want to get involved with any of this, I’m sure
arrangements could be m-“
“No! We’re a family, Cora! I want to stay with you guys!” cried out Bepo
desperately. Cora smiled warmly
“Yeah, we’re a family. But, be careful, okay?”
Bepo smiled proudly
“I got this, Cora! I’m a black belt remember!”
Cora smiled fondly and leaned forward to hug both Law and Bepo tightly, he
loved them both so much
“Ow! Cora! My shoulder!”
Oh right – he had to kill this one first
Cora pulled back slightly and glared at Law
“Next time you feel like playing with sharp things – mind letting me know
first? I don’t want you worrying in secret!”
Law frowned sharply
“You kept Doflamingo’s skype message a secret all day!”
“You had plans! I didn’t want to bring it up at breakfast and ruin your day!”
“Okay. New deal – if you get any messages from Doflamingo, you show them to me
ASAP!”
“On the condition that you’re not sleeping.”
“Condition revoked if it’s urgent?”
“Deal. If I get any more messages from Doflamingo, I let you know ASAP and show
it to you unless you’re sleeping and if you are, I wake you up if it’s urgent
only. Because knowing my brother, he’s going to say completely absurd shit to
make me mad.”
“And you involve Bepo!” added Law, pointing to Bepo
“And Bepo is involved.”
“Okay, deal.” replied Law as he stuck out his hand. Cora chuckled, Law allowed
so little amount of people to actually touch his hands.
“Deal.” Then Cora smiled brightly “Now, how about you guys tell me about your
days!”
“Before that, I want to buy a nodachi. My own nodachi.”
Cora sighed, he knew this was coming
“Fine. We can do that.”
“What seriously?!” replied Law shocked “I figured I’d have to fight you on
this!”
“Truth be told, the threat is real now and if you’re going to be doing it,
you’ll do it properly. But we’ll set something up with Tashigi okay? I want you
to buy a great one if you’re going to have one.”
Law smiled brightly
“Thank you, Cora!”
Cora just hoped that Law would never need to actually use it
 
Chapter End Notes
     So there you have it! Yeah, I could have gone into more details about
     Bepo but we still know so little about him?? I'm hoping we get more
     into him down the line (because I'm bias) but who knows?
     Next week - we're back to Ace and we'll see who are his three people
     he picks! (and the consequences of that!)
***** – ACE – Remind Me To Never To Piss You Off (Women Are Scary!) *****
Chapter Notes
     AND IT WILL FINALLY BE REVEALED WHO THE THIRD PERSON IS!!
     Not much to say this week, I'm going out tomorrow night after work,
     so posting it slightly early because otherwise it'll be late!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“I’m glad you could all join me here this morning”
“You’re being awful friendly for a server, sir.”
Ace gave Sabo a dirty look as he chuckled which made Luffy laugh brightly.
Usually, he’d do anything for his brothers, anything at all, but right now, he
wanted to strangle them both
“I’m trying to be serious! I have to tell you guys this now while the dinner is
empty!”
Dadan thankfully was in the front with Makino – when the two became tight he’d
never know, but he was able to wrangle both Luffy and Sabo free from their
obligations this morning so that he could tell them the big news. He wanted to
text Sabo originally, but he felt this was news he needed to announce in
person. Makino had asked him to work the morning serving shift and he wasn’t
going to say no to Makino!
“Alright, alright, no more kidding around. What’s up, Ace? You seem so serious
this morning.”
Ace smirked, putting his hands on his hips
“Koala’s advice worked!”
Sabo blinked slowly, trying to figure out what the hell that even meant, but
then his eyes went wide as his jaw went slack
“What? No way! Seriously?”
Luffy looked at both of his brothers, utterly confused
“Tell me what happened!”
“Well, last night as I was working a job for the Galley-La company, Chase
offered me a ride home. And then –“
“Wow, you call him Chase now? You move fast, Ace” teased Sabo with a low
whistle. Ace growled, kicking he booth on the side that Sabo was sitting –
making the other laugh
“Who’s Chase?” asked Luffy, Ace could tell that he was already getting bored.
Might as well keep it short and sweet for this one – he’ll elaborate more for
Sabo later
“Captain Smoker.”
“Oh Smokey!”
Oh god Luffy
“So anyways, we kissed, now we’re going out, the end.”
 
“Like, for real? Like, he’s your boyfriend?”
Ace grimaced; he wasn’t sure how Smoker felt about being called his boyfriend
“Ah…we’re dating for now.”
Sabo nodded
“That makes sense, and I’m assuming this is to be kept low-key?”
“I can only tell three people.”
Sabo paused, frowning
“Rather specific number.”
“Yeah, but considering his job and everything-“
“No, it makes sense. Aside from us, who else are you telling?”
Ace sighed, taking a seat besides Sabo
“Yeah, see, that was my main issue last night. Since you guys were a given, but
I have to tell someone who won’t need to report it to someone else, you know?”
“So, no Marco is what you’re saying.”
Ace smiled awkwardly. Sabo thankfully caught on.
“So, what are you going to do about your third?”
Ace sighed, leaning his face in his hand
“I’m going to tell Pops. But Pops alone. So now I have to figure out how the
hell can I go talk to Pops without Marco around and without Marco figuring out
that I’m trying to talk to Pops without him.”
Sabo frowned, leaning back in the booth
“Hmm, maybe text Newgate?”
Ace shook his head
“All texts and calls are redirected to Marco’s phone. He’s really on top of
everything.”
“Is it that big of a deal if Marco and Pops knew?”
“Sabo, it’s the only thing he asked of me.” admitted Ace. If this thing between
him and the Captain was going to happen, he needed to be good.
“No, I completely understand.”
 
“Ace! A table just walked in, do you mind taking them?” asked Makino from the
counter, Ace stood up
“Sure, I got this!”
Ace quickly went up to the table at the other end of the restaurant, apparently
they wanted peace and quiet today too
“Good morning, welcome to Patty’s Bar, can I start you with something to drink
– oh!”
 
Lo and behold, there sitting in front of him was none other than Smoker,
Tashigi and Hina. But Tashigi and Hina looked completely wrecked
“…I’m guessing coffee, right?”
Smoker snorted, trying not to laugh as Tashigi and Hina both glared at him
“Yes, coffee for everyone.” confirmed Smoker, unable to stop smirking
“Oh, this is why you-“ started Ace, but then trailed off. Smoker had texted him
this morning to remind him not to bother bringing him coffee because he was
going out for breakfast anyways – Ace didn’t expect him to come here!
“Yeah, it’s why. I figured you’ve had me on a steady consumption of this
place’s coffee; I might as well try out the place myself. And these two need
grease.”
Tashigi groaned, laying her head on the table. Hina looked a little better, but
Ace wasn’t sure – she was wearing massive sunglasses and had her hair tied in a
meticulous messy bun as she rocked a pristine white romper. Ace thought that
Izo was the only one who truly perfected that meticulous messy bun
“Hey wait, you’re that boy.” started Hina, pointing to Ace. Apparently she had
just noticed him and then she turned to Smoker, pointing at Ace
“Look, it’s that boy you like.”
Smoker frowned, eyes narrowing at Hina
“Thank you, Hina. Everyone here is aware of that information.”
Ace blinked, surprised and straightened up. He couldn’t help the smile that was
growing on his face at the Captain so bluntly admitting that
Hina paused, frowning slightly
“Hina’s confused. He knows?”
“How could he have not after your display yesterday?!” growled Smoker,
obviously pissed
“Haha, that was my masterpiece.”
 “I should have left your drunk ass outside last night.”
“Hina would have broken in. Don’t care about your windows.”
“Wait, how does Ace know? Wait, Captain, you know too?!”
Ace blinked at Tashigi, who looked at both of them shocked. Smoker frowned
“Did you seriously think I hadn’t realized that I liked the boy? Do you think
I’m a child or some- Hina. Shut up.”
Hina sat there and chuckled. Apparently she enjoyed annoying the Captain
“I’ll go get your coffees!” and Ace turned to go grab them all a cup of coffee
 
“Ace wait.”
Ace paused and turned around, looking at the group
“Is this a wait like last time or-?”
Smoker laughed, making butterflies flutter in Ace’s stomach
“No, nothing like that, but I figure with two out of three here, I might as
well”
“Ah-!”
“Tashigi, Hina. As of last night, Ace and I are seeing each other. I expect you
both to be discreetabout this.”
“O-Oh! Congratulations!” said Tashigi, smiling
“Wow, you finally took my advice, you stubborn old mule.” replied Hina, then
she turned to Ace
“Coffee.”
“On it!” replied Ace as he ran off, smiling. He couldn’t believe that Smoker
had told them!
 
Ace quickly brought them coffee and breakfast to his own brothers. Slowly and
surely, the place started to fill up which kept Ace too busy to really spend
any time with Smoker. During his shift thought, while at the dress up counter,
his phone vibrated. He looked at it and he frowned sharply. Oh god no.
“What’s that face for?”
Ace turned around and was face to face with the Captain
“Chase! I ah, just got a pic of the tux I’m wearing for the Homecoming dance.”
“It’s ugly?”
“It’s really boring looking.”
“So it’s probably a very nice looking suit and you’ll look great in it, not
like a peacock desperate to be noticed.”
Ace gasped, looking at the Captain shocked
“Please sir, with my preference to orange; I am very much a traffic cone!”
Smoker laughed again making Ace smile as he leaned in slightly. Not enough to
touch the Captain, but enough to feel his body heat
“Did you tell your three people?”
“Actually, I told two out of three just before you did. My brothers are in the
booth over there!”
Smoker craned his neck slightly and looked over
“Ah, yes, I see Sabo. Assuming the other one is Luffy?”
“Yeah, that’s them, do you want to meet them?” asked Ace, a little hopeful, it
would be nice for everyone to meet everyone
“Actually Ace, do you mind if we borrow him for a moment? I’d like to have a
chat alone with him. And Luffy.”
Ace blinked, when did Sabo get here?!
“Actually this is perfect, because we’d like to steal Ace for a moment
ourselves. We spoke to the woman in charge – she said it was fine if we held up
Ace for a moment.”
Hina?! Ace blinked, shocked – he didn’t even hear her come up behind him!
Ace whimpered “Sabo…Please, don’t scare him away”
Smoker frowned, raising a brow as Sabo chuckled
“Perfect! So we agree!” and then Sabo smirked as he grabbed Smoker’s arm and
dragged him away to the booth with Luffy
Oh god
“Come along.” ordered Hina as she walked back to her booth, Ace quietly
following, as he kept looking back towards the booth.
 
Once Ace got to the booth, he sat across from Hina and Tashigi. Tashigi
blinked, looking surprised
“What’s going on?”
“We’re going to give Ace the talk.”
“If you’re talking about the birds and the bees, I know how it works” quipped
Ace, trying to hide the nervousness building up in him
Hina glared at Ace
“Shut up. You know what I mean. What’s your intentions with Chase?”
Ace blinked slowly – he can’t say he was expecting this from the friends of his
adult boyfriend…lover? Crush? Eh
“I like him?” offered Ace weakly, not sure what to answer
“I told you Ace had no ulterior motives” said Tashigi, gesturing to Ace “He’s
so genuine and honest and straightforward. Aside from being in the Whitebeard
gang, he’s a really good kid”
Hina frowned
“I’m not taking any chances. I will not have Chase’s heart be broken again
because some fool decides to jump into this so quick. They only met a few weeks
ago.”
Ace blinked, taken aback. The Captain’s heart had been broken?
“Do you mind me asking why the relationship ended?” That’s it, Portgas, be cool
Hina lifted a brow
“The man couldn’t handle how devoted Chase was to his work.”
Oh!
Ace smiled brightly
“I admire Chase’s work ethics a lot, actually! People often accuse me of having
too full of schedule and I’ve always been attracted to hard workers!”
Hina and Tashigi both looked at Ace stunned, before Tashigi giggled a bit
“I told you, Hina!”
Hina hmphed, crossing her arms over her chest
“You better not hurt him, boy.  Chase hasn’t even bothered seeing anyone in
almost ten years after the last few fiascos. He’s an adult and his job is his
priority, not your childish whims. You hurt him – I will hurt you.“
Ace nodded, keeping his expression serious. He wanted them to know that he was
serious about the Captain, and didn’t want to hurt him at all
“It will never be my intention to hurt him, I swear. And I understand that his
job is important.”
“You don’t understand the severity. Chase has literally always wanted to be in
law enforcement, fighting for justice, you don’t know what he sacrifi-!”
 
“That’s enough, Hina.”
Ace turned around to see that Smoker had returned to the booth. Ace stood up to
let Smoker have his seat back where he just plopped down
“My brothers run you hard?” teased Ace, but knowing Sabo – yikes!
“Never knew a boy that looked so nice could be so terrifying.”
“Yeah my brothers are special, aren’t they?”
“Special’s one way of putting it.” And then Smoker turned to Hina, gesturing to
Ace “Are you done threatening the kid? So he can go back to his job?”
Hina hmphed again
“Well, if Chase is going to be an ass about Hina being concerned for her dear
friend, Hina supposes that she is.”
“Stop that.”
“I’ll get you all a refill, okay?” offered Ace, smiling at the table as he
walked away with the three coffee cups, sighing in relief
 
Smoker and his group left soon afterwards, leaving Ace a rather generous tip as
well as Tashigi and Hina leaving their cell numbers. Ace wasn’t sure what to
make of that, but added the numbers in his phone just in case.
Sabo and Luffy also left soon after – Sabo having to work a shift at the café
and Luffy as usual having plans for the day (But Ace made him swear he’d be
home for supper because he had homework and Ace knew that Luffy wouldn’t have
it done already and that way Ace can check it)
Around noon Makino didn’t need Ace’s help anymore with her usual staff coming
in. She thanked him profusely and paid him a fair sum. Ace always tried to
refuse the money since it was Makino, but Makino insisted. She refused to have
Ace work for free – but this time she had not only money for him, she handed
him a sealed coffee thermos
“Makino, I-!”
“Since you come get coffee every day for the Captain, I figured this would be
more useful for you and easier to run with.”
“I...Er.”
“That was him, wasn’t it? I can tell how much you like him”
Ace blinked, looking at Makino stunned as he turned bright red. He wanted to
tell her, he wanted to tell her so bad!
“I…Yeah, I really do.”
Makino smiled brightly, putting her hand on Ace’s arm
“Good news, Ace. It looks like he likes you too!”
Ace could only smile warmly at her; he wishes he could have told her the truth
But now he had to go tell his third person
 
Ace quickly made his way to the Whitebeard mansion
Marco had told him to come over for the suit fitting, thankfully because they
had so many members; they had a whole storeroom filled with different suits in
different sizes. Ace was always so baffled that they had a massive collection
of well-tailored suits that were exactly his size. When Ace had asked about it
– Marco had shrugged it off, saying that Whitebeard had acquired that
collection from an old friend of his when he passed that happened to be Ace’s
exact built and that he didn’t know the details. Ace always found that fishy.
But if Marco was caught up fixing everyone up with suits – that means he
wouldn’t be with Pops!
Ace quickly entered the house, trying to be as nonchalant and quiet as
possible. He picked up the happy Stefan and took him to Whitebeard’s office. He
knocked on the door quickly, waiting for the signal to come in
Once he got it, Ace entered the room and found Whitebeard at his computer,
typing away god knows what – but thankfully, he was alone
“If you’re looking for Marco, he’s in the closet room” informed Newgate, still
typing away as he smiled fondly at Ace
Ace shook his head, scratching Stefan behind the ear
“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you alone about something. Like, Marco can’t
know alone”
Newgate blinked, pausing for a moment as he closed his laptop’s lid, gesturing
to the seat in front of him
“This sounds serious, my boy. Not thinking about leaving us, are you?”
Ace barked a laugh, shaking his head – he would never!
“No way, Pops! You know I’m here for you for life! No, it’s just, something
happened, and I was asked to keep it extremely quiet. And I can only tell three
people about it – a”
“Awfully specific number, I’m assuming Chase Smoker is behind it” noted Newgate
as he took a sip of his glass of rum
Ace gapped, shocked
“How did you-!”
“I’m not a fool, boy. You said that you can’t tell Marco and you have to keep
it extremely discreet, so I can only assume it’s a relationship and you’ve only
ever pursued the Captain. So I’m assuming that the two of you are seeing each
other now?”
Ace grinned, nodding
“Yeah, but, it all happened last night! So I haven’t been keeping it a secret
or anything for long! I spoke to my brothers this morning, so now I wanted to
tell you.”
Newgate was quiet for a moment, his expression serious, but then he broke out
into a laugh
“I’m not surprised you cracked that hard egg.  It’s a little hard to resist
your charm, Ace. But you are aware of the implications of dating an officer of
the law, aren’t you?”
Ace nodded “I am, but I’m not going to share any privy information with him and
I doubt he will with me anyways.”
Newgate snorted, laughing again as he put down his drink
“Well, that’s for sure. Well, as long as you’re aware of that, you have my
blessings, boy. But when can you tell Marco? He isn’t going to be happy when he
finds out you kept this a secret.”
“My birthday! When I turn 18. That way it won’t be illegal anymore.”
Newgate nodded “Alright, well, you better go join Marco in the closet room, you
need a tux for your dance. Get going, son, or he’s going to get impatient”
“Will do Pops, and thanks!”
Newgate smiled warmly as he reopened his laptop
“Anything for my sons.”
 
“Where the hell have you been?”
Ace wasn’t surprised that Marco was in a foul mood. Marco was big on
punctuality and as it stood, Ace was a half hour later with no explanation –
thankfully, he had planned this, having Stefan still in his arms
“Sorry, I got distracted by this little guy!”
Marco blinked, staring at Stefan and then frowned sharply
“You have been in the freaking house for this past half hour?”
 “Yeah, ask Rakuyo, I saw him coming in”
Marco glared for a moment longer, and then he sighed, grabbing a suit bag and
handing it over to Ace
“Here’s the suit that matches Hancock’s dress. Put it on and see how it fits.”
Ace took the suit bag and went into the small dressing room inside the room to
get changed. Usually he didn’t care and would strip in front of Marco, but he
was feeling bad about keeping a secret and wanted to hide a little bit
“Where’s everyone else?”
“You’re a half hour late, Ace. Everyone else is done.”
“Even Izo? He usually takes a while to pick an outfit! And he and Thatch
usually like to match for funsies!”
“Izo isn’t coming. His parents need him to work that night. Important
reservation.”
Ace frowned sharply – that was weird. Usually Izo loved any occasion to doll
himself up, to think he agreed to work that night. Urgh, this suit was so
boring!
“Also, I have something I need to tell you since I don’t think you know about
it.”
Ace froze as he started to button up the shirt – did Marco already know?!
“About what?”
“Your brother’s massive fuck up”
“WHAT?!”
Ace stuck his head out of the curtain, looking at Marco shocked
“Yeah, on Friday, Luffy was messing around his friends and they threw him too
hard and he fell into the girl’s changeroom and guess who was getting changed?”
“Oh god, who was it?”
“Hancock and her sisters.”
“Did he see-!”
“Oh yeah, he saw, and they fucking lost it. A fight broke out and then it was
dragged outside where Luffy had to fight off Sandersonia and Marigold. But
during the fight, I don’t know the details since no men were allowed – but
Luffy did something and the fight was called off.”
“Hancock would never just call off a fight!”
Ace was at a loss, whatever the hell could have Luffy done?!
“He didn’t tell you about it, I assume?”
“No, but he sure as hell going to hear it from me tonight!”
Goddamnit Luffy!!
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     AND TADA! Only one of you actually had it right! But pretty much most
     of your guesses where things I long considered, but in the end, he
     has to tell his boss!
     Next week, we're going to find out exactly what is that song Doffy
     gave Cora for Law!
***** – LAW – I Seem To Have Found Myself In A Musical (And I’m The Only One
Who Doesn’t Know The Songs) *****
Chapter Notes
     I came close to naming this chapter 'Law's Very Exciting Day At
     School' but alas! Here we go! (I'll post a link to the song in the
     end notes!)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“You’re not going to forget to talk to your teacher, right?”
Law frowned sharply. He understood that Cora was just stressed out right now.
There could be so much hidden in this song and time was probably of an essence
– but to insinuate that he wouldn’t freaking remember to ask?!
“I won’t forget, Cora! Stop thinking I will!”
“Text me right away? Let me know? Call me?” whined Cora
Law sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaned over and hugged Cora, who sat
there stunned
“Stop worrying so much, Cora. I’m fine. We’re fine.”
Law could feel Cora melting into the hug. He felt bad, he should have known
that Cora would be stressing about this that bad. Bepo came from the back seat
and hugged them both
“We got this, Cora! You just go to work and let us do the job for you!”
exclaimed Bepo, determined
Cora smiled but Law could see that he was a bit embarrassed
“Alright, I’ll try to relax a bit, but Law, honestly – right away?”
Law nodded “I’ll try to find him this morning”
“Thank you”
 
“Do you think Mister Brook is in the music room?” asked Bepo as he and Law
walked down the hallway at a quick pace, thankfully the school was still empty
“I hope he is, because otherwise I don’t know where else to look!”
They both quickly made their way to the music room. The music room was in a
rather isolated wing of the school with woodshop and metal works. Law turned
the handle of the door and was pleasantly surprised to see that the door was
unlocked. He and Bepo poked their head inside and were happy to see the
familiar figure at his piano, playing away
“Brook! Do you have a minute?” asked Law as he walked in, approaching his
teacher
Brook blinked, turning to look at the two of them, never stopping to play his
piano
“Law! Bepo! Yohoho! How can I help the two of you this morning?”
Law stuck his hand inside the hoodie he was wearing and pulled out the folded
pictures
“This is going to sound weird, but bear with me. This man sent my dad these
music notes, saying that this was a song for me and we just want to know what
song it is and I felt you’d be my best chance to figure it out.”
Brook blinked, taking the notes and looking at them carefully
“Hmm, this song seems familiar to me. Let me see if I can refresh my memory as
I play it.”
Brook started to play the song. Law frowned sharply; the song meant absolutely
nothing to him so far!
 
“You say - the price of my love’s not a price that you’re willing to pay! You
cry! In your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by – Why so sad?
Remember we made an arrangement when you went away and now you’re making me
maaaaaad”
Law and Bepo turned towards the new person who had just entered the room
singing, shocked – was he wearing a speedo?!
“Ah Franky!” said Brook as he stopped playing  “I welcome your accompaniment! I
was right, this is song is You’ll Be Back from the musical Hamilton. Law, not
to pry, but this is a rather disturbing song to send to someone out of
context.”
Law frowned sharply “Do you have the lyrics somewhere?”
Brook stood up and made his way to the computer in back of the room, quickly
looking the lyrics up and printed Law a copy.
“Here you are, boy. Law…You’re not in any trouble, are you?”
Law didn’t know what to say as he took the lyrics from Brook. Bepo quickly took
the printout from Law, reading through the lyrics
“Law, we gotta tell Cora like now. This song is super creepy. I can’t believe
he’d send you this song”
“Whoah dudes, you mean some guy sent you that? Call the cops, man; whoever that
is doesn’t have his head on straight and this could be dangerous.”
“It works out because young Law here’s father is a police officer!”
“Oh really? Well that’s suuuuper!”
“Thank you, Brook, it’s really appreciated.” replied Law, reading through the
lyrics again. He was starting to feel super sick to his stomach
“Ah! No problem! But Law, Zoro told me that you two were going to practice
sword fighting at his home, how did you handle the Nodachi?”
Law blinked, he had forgotten about that (his shoulder sure didn’t though)
“Oh, it handled great! I’m going to go get my own”
“Good, good. Law, may I pry once more? Is the swordfighting because of this
man?” asked Brook, gesturing to the music notes
Law stayed silent for a moment. As much as possible – he would like to keep
this all on the down-low, but if his sword fighting teacher knew that he was
serious about it…
“Yeah, it’s because of him. I have people I need to protect from this man.”
Brook smiled softly and nodded determined
“Yohoho! Alright! I shall do my best to teach you more!”
Franky folded his arms against his chest, frowning
“I hate when kids have to fight like this.”
Law shrugged
“What do you want? It’s our reality.”
“You be careful, okay? And don’t try to fight this alone; this school is full
of people who are willing to help kids like you”
What did that mean?
“Understood. Thanks again, Brook.”
“Wait!”
Brook walked up to his massive collection of CDs and pulled one out and handed
it to Law
“This is the complete soundtrack of the musical. Maybe there are more hints in
here of what exactly this man is getting to. Borrow it for as long as you
want.”
Law nodded and took the cd and walked out with Bepo
Law couldn’t deny how glad he was that he had people willing to help him like
that
 
“Bleah, this song is so creepy, Law”
Law felt nauseous as he read the lyrics again. You belong to me?! You’ll be
back? Especially the end about killing his friends and family.Law quickly
dialed Cora, holding his cell up to his ear. He had found a quiet corner in the
school; thankfully classes hadn’t started yet so he had some give
“Law?! You got the answer?!”
Wow, not even a hello, Cora was stressed!
“Uh yeah, Cora, this song…it’s called “You’ll Be Back” it’s from the Hamilton
musical.”
Law could hear Cora typing away at his computer, probably looking it up like
Brook did.
“…Law…this is…”
“I know”
“I’m pulling you out of school and keeping you under house arrest, holy shit”
“Wait, Cora, no! I can’t stop living because of this! And he said to give it to
me, it doesn’t mean he’s coming now, it might just be a warning”
“Yeah, a warning that he’s not going to give up on you and if you don’t go back
to join the gang, he’s going to come here and kill people.”
“But what good is living under house arrest going to do?! He probably knows
where I live!”
“We don’t know that for sure! My IP is scrambled.”
What?!
“You scrambled the IP?!”
“Of course I did, I’m not an idiot! So is the phone line. I’m also unlisted as
well as my plates. The school has a false address as well. I took precautions,
Law.”
Law blinked, he didn’t know that Cora had put up precautions like that. But
then again, it did make sense; he was the second in command of the gang, so of
course he knew what Doflamingo would try
 “Cora, please. I don’t want to live scared.”
Cora sighed deeply, and then he groaned
“Fine. But, please, be careful!”
“I will, I will, also Brook lent me the whole soundtrack, so in case he draws
more inspiration from the musical.”
“Okay, perfect! We’ll listen to it tonight! Oh! Speaking of, I dropped off your
suits at the cleaners and we need to stop to pick them up tonight”
Huh?
“Suits? For what?”
“The school dance?”
“I’m not going to the dance!”
“Bepo said you were!”
Law frowned, turning towards Bepo who had his head down, looking sheepish
“I thought we were all going?”
Law glared at Bepo for a moment. He didn’t want to go to the dance! Since when
did he dance?! Then again…it might be fun…he did want to hang out with Penguin
and Shachi…and Luffy and the others will be there…
Law sighed
“Bepo’s right, we’re all going”
Bepo smiled brightly
“Okay good, we’ll pick up the suits tonight! Okay, it’s about time for you to
go to class, so I’ll talk to you tonight!”
“Okay, bye Cora.”
“Bye Cora!” added Bepo from the side, grinning
Law hung up and turned to Bepo, frowning
“I will not be dancing.”
“I wouldn’t want to either if I was you, you’ll be embarrassed compared to my
sick dance moves”
Law laughed, shoving Bepo’s arm slightly
“Oh shut up!”
 
Law made his way to homeroom and plopped down in his seat. He was already
exhausted from all the stress of this morning and now he had a creepy love song
from Doflamingo to deal with as well. On the bright side, by the look of the
cd, this is an award winning musical, so it could possibly mean that Doflamingo
heard it in passing and stored it away to use one day. Now that he thought
about it, Cora and Doflamingo often went to see Broadway shows, so it would
make sense that he’d know this song. He’d like to not imagine Doflamingo in his
pyjamas, sitting in front of a laptop, going through his iTunes collection,
desperately looking for the perfect song to send him – bleah!
“Torao? You okay?”
Law blinked, looking at Luffy who was leaning over, looking worried
“Did you eat some bad food? You’re not looking too good.”
Law shook his head
“I’m fine, just, yeah, I’m fine”
“I forgot to ask you on Saturday if you’re going to the dance on Friday!”
Law lifted a brow – was the dance the topic of the day or something?
“Yeah, apparently I am”
“Oh cool! Are you coming with your friends? We should all hang out together!”
Law merely nodded, he didn’t know what else to add, but then Luffy was quiet
for a moment. He turned to look at Zoro who gave him a stern look back. Law
noticed that Usopp and Chopper had stopped their conversation and were
listening in but not looking at them. Sanji remained looking to the front, but
the smile on his face was unmistakeable. Law also noticed that Vivi and Nami
had also stopped talking – as well as Bepo?!
“Ah Torao! After the dance, do you wanna come over to my place, to hang out?
Ace usually doesn’t come home after dances so they’ll be a spare bed and we can
watch movies and play video games and stuff!”
“I-! Me?”
Luffy blinked, confused
“Of course you, silly! I like spending time with you!”
Why the hell would Luffy want to spend time with him?! This didn’t make any
sense!
 
And in that moment, Cora’s words rung through his head
 
“I’m sorry! It’s just; you’re so so smart Law, but also sometimes, so so dumb”
 
Oh.
“Yeah, actually, I’d like that.”
Luffy’s smile in that moment was blinding
“Really? That’s great, Torao! I can’t wait!”
“Alright class, time for roll call”
Law straightened up in his seat as Luffy properly sat down in his seat – he
could feel his cheeks burning
 
“You said yes!” teased Bepo as they walked towards the cafeteria, Law’s pretty
sure he was going to die from lack of blood redistribution
“We’re just playing video games and watching movies!”
“Who is?”
Law turned even more red with Shachi and Penguin standing there
“Law got invited over to Luffy’s house after the dance and said yes”
“Whoah! So you guys are dating, right?”
“I wouldn’t go that far!” replied Law, making his way to the doctor’s office
for his daily dose of medication and boosters
“Well, do you like like him?” asked Shachi
“…I haven’t really thought about it.” admitted Law. Romance wasn’t exactly on
the agenda with all the crap going on
It was hard to think about romance when you were basically on the run. He isn’t
a main character in a YA novel!
“Dude, it’s really simple. Don’t think about it, just answer – do you want to
date Luffy?” asked Penguin, looking straight at Law
“I-“
Did he want to date Luffy? He had way too much baggage, and -
“No, no! Don’t think! Just answer!” replied Shachi, Bepo staring at Law. All
three of them grabbed Law, pushing his back to the doctor’s office’s door
“Do you want to date Luffy?”
“I-Yes! Yes, I want to date Luffy!”
And then the door opened all four of them fell back, hitting the ground with an
oomph! Law groaned, looking up after hitting the ground
Who the hell would just open the door like that?!
 And Law came face to face with a not amused Ace
“My, my, my. What an interesting conversation to come across. You and me are
going to have a little talk. With Sabo.”
Oh shit!
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And here we are! Law finally realized many things! Next week, well,
     we'll see what happens, but we're back to Ace!
     And here's the song!
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wgwkzdrkI
     Also I can't believe we're already at chapter 25!! I'm so shocked!
***** – ACE- I’m Sorry To Say My Brother Comes With An Instruction Manual With
Warnings (And We’re Not Nice) *****
Chapter Notes
     Some development for both main pairings in this one! Busy chapter
     honestly, actually most of the next chapters will all be busy, so get
     ready for it!
     EDIT: I corrected a mistake pointed out by Mysterious L! Thank you
     very much!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
"So right after, Dr.Kureha chased me off, saying I was ‘disturbing her office’
or some crap and I haven’t been able to grab Law and talk to him ever since!
The little bastard has been avoiding me!”
Ace let the Captain’s chuckle at his predicament roll over him. He still
couldn’t believe it – here he was, sitting in Smoker’s office, drinking coffee
while his…boyfriend(?) checked a bunch of the paper work. Today when he went to
deliver the morning coffee, Smoker had apparently given the instruction that he
be brought into the office. Ace couldn’t help but feel stupid happy that he was
able to be in the Captain’s space like this – even if he couldn’t stay long at
all
“Do you have to talk to him?” asked Smoker, signing a few documents, barely
looking up – god he looked cranky as hell when he was concentrating
“Well duh. Sabo and Luffy spoke to you, Hina and Tashigi spoke to me, it’s
like, the laws of life.”
“Sabo is a terrifying individual.” stated Smoker, flipping a folder open and
looking through it“Well that too! I want to know what the hell he said to you
because I don’t see it being any different, actually”
“It’s going to be worse”
Ace frowned, eyes narrowing
“What do you mean by that?”
“Considering how much the two of you dote over Luffy? It’s going to be worse.
Because it’s not a brother threatening someone to not hurt another brother
here, it’s like Luffy’s parents who are threatening the guy who wants to go out
with their kid. So it’s going to be worse.”
Ace wished he could deny that, but he really couldn’t. He himself often joked
that he’s basically Luffy’s dad anyways. Sabo’s though, is the mom.
“Does it bother you to date a guy with a kid?” teased Ace, smirking
Smoker snorted, rolling his eyes
“Oh shut up.”
Smoker then stood up, gesturing Ace to get up as well as he grabbed the folders
on his desk
“C’mon, you need to get to school and I need to redistribute these to my
staff.”
Ace nodded, but before he could leave the room, Smoker leaned over and planted
a small peck on Ace’s lips, making Ace blush furiously
“But I thought that-!”
“We’re in private, aren’t we?” argued Smoker, smirking slightly
Ace smirked, if Smoker thought he would keep the upper hand, he’s dead wrong
 
They both walked out of the office as Smoker started redistributing the folders
to all the cops. A moment later, Officer Trafalgar walked in, stretching his
arms as he made his way to his desk – well tried to, he ran into another desk
first
“Aw shit, if he’s here, that means that Law’s already at school.”
Cora looked up at hearing Law’s name and then his eyes narrowed
“Why aren’t you at school?”
“No homeroom for seniors today since we’re setting up the dance. So Marco’s
picking me up a little later after he finishes the supply run for the dance
committee.”
Cora nodded; satisfied with the answer, but then he frowned sharply, pointing
to Ace
“Why did Law tell Bepo that he had to keep avoiding you at school?”
Ace blinked, surprised that Cora knew that
“Because I’m going to threaten him?”
Cora’s expression dropped considerably. Ace could see he was getting royally
pissed; he should probably ease the tension with an explanation  
“He likes my brother and wants to date him! It’s in my rights to threaten him!”
“Ace, why are you telling a cop you want to threaten someone, his own son to
start with?” asked Smoker casually, not surprised at what was doing on
“Eh? Oh. I guess that’s dumb.”
Shit!
“Law wants to date Luffy? You sure about this?” asked Cora, his tone
considerably more neutral than it was a minute ago. Ace frowned slightly – he
knew when someone was trying to get information out of him
“Yeah. Heard it straight out of his own mouth.”
Cora paused for a moment, and then snorted, before he laughed
“Oh my god, took him long enough to figure it out!”
 
“Did I hear that right? Law likes Luffy?”
Ace blinked, he didn’t see Bellemere there
“Yeah, and Luffy likes him back. The two dopes have been courting each other
and have no freaking idea.”
“I was right! That’s exactly it! It’s really funny, it’s been hard to not just
laugh in Law’s face all the time.” added Cora, grinning
Bellemere snorted
“Seems Law has a type then”
Cora blinked, confused
“What do you mean?”
Bellemere smirked, shaking her head as she picked up the folders on the desk
and walked away with them
“You’ll figure it out, Rosi”
Ace frowned slightly. What did she mean by that? But then he looked at Cora for
a moment – jovial, friendly, trusting, warm hearted Officer Tra- OH!
Well shit
Now that he thought about it – most of Law’s friends were also kinda clowns
too. Huh.
Bet Law hasn’t even realized it yet
 
“Remember that I need you to come to my house tomorrow morning at 600 hours
sharp. Not a second late because that’s when we leave and if we get hit by the
morning traffic, Hina will personally gut you.”
“Yes, I will!” exclaimed Hina from Tashigi’s desk, apparently the other had
decided to spend the day at the police station, sitting beside Tashigi – but
Hina seemed to be doing work on her phone more than anything. Smoker did tell
him that Hina had a rather high military rank when they were texting this week,
so he assumed she had emails and shit to answer
“How come he’s coming over?” asked Cora, starting the file that Smoker gave him
“Dog sitting.” answer Smoker, waving his hand to disregard the line of
questioning
“Oh! You have a dog! That’s cute.”
“Yep! And I’ll be taking care of her all weekend after the dance!”
“That’s right, the dance is tonight! Do you have a date, Ace?” asked Bellemere
as she returned, coffee in hand
“Yeah, Hancock, as usual.”
“I thought Sabo was joking when he said you were in the closet?!” exclaimed
Cora, jaw slacked as he dropped the file on the ground
 Ace burst out laughing, clutching his stomach
“Oh my god, he was! I swear! Naw, Hancock and I always go together because
we’re usually elected King and Queen of the dance. So she wants us to at least
match. Hence why I always wind up going with her – but honestly, we don’t
actually spend more time than we need to together at the dance.”
“Oh wow, look at you, mister popular, Homecoming and Prom King” teased Hina,
not even looking up from her phone – well, Ace hoped she was teasing
“You’re one to talk, you won all those stupid things back in high school.”
noted Smoker, frowning
Ace blinked – he didn’t realize they went to high school together
“You’re just jealous that you’re a big grump and nobody voted for you for
anything.”
“Oh yes, because wearing a dainty crown and dancing with a dolled up girl is my
dream in life, Hina you know me so well”
Ace snorted, putting his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing
“But she isn’t wrong, you are rather popular, Ace” noted Bellemere
“It’s because people think I’m hot and I’m not a jerk. But they also think I
slept with nearly the entire school too though. Apparently last week I slept
with the whole football team and the volleyball team.”
“That sounds exhausting” noted Cora, frowning to himself as he held up the
files he just dropped, making Bellemere laugh
Ace laughed along, he always liked the atmosphere in the police station
“Ace, you should probably get going. You said Marco would pick you up at 8:45.”
Ace blinked, but then looked down at his watch – shit! Marco was just about to
come up and he had told him that he wasn’t pulling in to the police station
parking lot and Ace had better be ready on the side of the road of he was
leaving his ass there!
“Thank you, Chase! Shit! Bye everyone!” replied Ace as he turned and ran out
Once out the door, he realized what he said. Ace groaned, he hoped it wouldn’t
cause any trouble.
 
Ace quickly made it to the sidewalk as Marco turned the corner and pulled over,
letting Ace into the car. Once he opened the door, he couldn’t help but burst
out laughing
“The car is filled with balloons!”
“Yeah, that’s what they really needed someone to pick up.” explained Marco as
Ace buckled himself in among all the balloons
Marco frowned slightly, quiet for a moment before he spoke up again
“You’re getting awfully cozy at the police station.”
“Naw, I just got there late today” Fuck he hated lying to Marco
“Funny. Pretty sure I saw Luffy on the city bus this morning at the usual
time.”
FUCK.
“Got held up at Makino’s. She had a bit of a rush and I stepped in to help
out.”
Marco nodded
“You’ve been fidgety lately. What are you hiding?”
Ace froze. He knew this would happen!
“Ah…well…I…I didn’t want…No, I did want, more like, I didn’t know how to tell
you but ah…I’m dogsitting this weekend.”
Marco frowned sharply and then raised a brow
“Yoi, why the hell did you keep that a secret?!”
“Because it’s the Captain’s dog?”
Marco paused shocked
“How the fuck did you manage that?!”
“I’m really good at weaseling my way into things?” offered Ace, hoping it was
enough
“For how long?”
“Until Sunday night.”
Marco paused for a moment and then burst out laughing
“I cannot believe you were able to pull that off, Portgas! Might have to switch
you division if you’re able to smuggle yourself into places like that!”
Ace weakly laughed with him
“Naw, I like where I am now!”
“Well good for you, if he trusts you, that’s a good sign.”
Ace smiled genuinely then, glad to hear that come out of Marco’s mouth
“But for the love of everything out there, can you get me some goddamn reliable
Intel on the guy?”
 Ace could only laugh
 
“So, Hancock wants you to be at the gate of her house at 7pm.”
“Dance starts at 7pm. She lives across town!” whined Ace as he walked down the
hall.
The day was finally over and he once again, hadn’t been able to talk to Law.
Well, he can’t run at the dance!
“Only losers show up at the dance when it first starts!” exclaimed Izo, a big
grin on his face
Ace frowned
“You can’t say shit to me! You’re not even going! You’re going to work! And
also, losers get the best food because they get to the snack table first!”
“I still can’t believe you’re not going, Izo.” noted Thatch, looking
disappointed. Ace lifted a brow at that – it was true that Izo and Thatch were
rather tight, but Thatch looked really disappointed
“I’m sorry, business calls. This is a very important client apparently and my
parents want to give them the absolute best.” explained Izo, himself looking
disappointed
 
“Oh my god, is that a legit pompadour?!”
The group turned around at the sound of the voice and Ace was surprised to see
Cora coming up to them, dragging along Law with Bepo following them, confused
“Yeah man!” boasted Thatch proudly as Cora, Ace could only describe as
fangirling, fangirled over the pompadour
Then Cora turned and shoved Law towards Ace
“Here. It’s a rite of passage.”
Law looked at Cora, the utter look of betrayal on his face
“Face your problems, Law!”
Ace smirked brightly as he grabbed Law’s shoulder with a big smile on his face
“Wow isn’t that great!”
 
“Oooh you finally caught him!”
Ace grinned when he saw Sabo walk up, grinning brightly
“His dad gave him to us!”
“Ohh! Mister Trafalgar, how nice of you!”
Cora snorted
“Make it quick, will you? He has to get ready for the dance tonight.”
“Got it!”
 
“Also Ace? Subtle as a train wreck this morning.”
 
Ace froze, eyes wide – Shit! He knew! But then he smirked
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Officer”
Sabo lifted a brow at Ace as Ace shook his head, both of them putting their
arms around Law’s shoulders and brought him around the corner, to the side of
the school
 
Law frowned sharply as he leaned his back against the wall, accepting the worst
“Okay. So, you know why we’re doing this, right?”
“You’re going to tell me to stay the hell away from your brother, aren’t you?”
Both Ace and Sabo blinked – confused
“What? No? Luffy’s the one who’s latched on to you, we couldn’t get rid of you
if we tried”
Law blinked, looking confused
Ace chuckled
“Basically it’s this – if you and Luffy do choose to get more involved than you
are now” started Sabo, frowning “You won’t be able to detach him from your
issues.”
“Huh?”
Ace sighed; guess he’ll have to up-front about this
“Look, we’re not dumb. We realize that you have a shitton of baggage. So do we,
that’s nothing new. But yours is going to come after you. So –“
“So stay the hell away from Luffy so that he doesn’t get involved.”
“What no? Let me finish my damn sentences! You won’t be able to not get Luffy
involved, so be ready for that!”
“What?”
“He already told me that if ‘mingo goes after you that he’s going to punch him
in the face”
“…His name is Doflamingo”
“Yeah, well, Luffy calls him ‘Mingo” snapped Ace
“But” continued Sabo, holding up his finger “If he gets really hurt or worst
because of his involvement with you” then Sabo slammed his fist into the stone
wall besides Law’s head. Law’s eyes widen considerably at the hole Sabo had
just made
“We’re not going to be very happy.”
Ace saw Law visibly swallow hard
“But, we also know that Luffy is going to jump head-first into trouble, so
just, call-us, we’re really good at making sure Luffy doesn’t wind up dead.”
continued Ace, then he frowned sharply
“Or we’re going to re-arrange that pretty little face of yours and make you
fucking wish that you were finished off back then, you understand me?”
Law nodded “Yeah, I got it. So…you guys are fine with me and Luffy
doing…whatever?”
“Um, depends on the whatever!” exclaimed Sabo, clearly riled up at the
suggestion
Oh my god, Sabo
“He means date, you doofus” replied Ace, rolling his eyes. Sabo could be such a
mother hen
“Yeah, for now! Maybe he moves fast!” hissed back Sabo, gesturing to Law
“Do you really think Luffy actually knows how any of that shit works”
“Well, this one’s in medicine, if anybody can show him how it works; it’s going
to be this one!”
 
“Uh, I’m still right here, guys.”
 
Both Sabo and Ace blinked, looking at Law who was still against the wall, but
now his face was completely red
“No funny business on my bed tonight!” exclaimed Ace, narrowing his eyes
“Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”
“Luffy invited him over for god knows what reason. Nothing sets the mood like
Dadan yelling at you”
“What are you talking about, it’s why I was over all the time, it just got me
going real good”
“Oh my god ew” replied Ace, shoving Sabo’s shoulder
“…Who’s Dadan?” asked Law, frowning slightly. Ace could tell he really wanted
to leave but curiosity was getting the better of him
“Oh you’ll see! But don’t worry about us concerning Luffy, we have no issues
with you whatsoever.”
“Just remember” started Sabo in a sweet sing-song voice as he punched another
hole in the wall “Don’t forget to inform us if ghosts are coming after you. And
if you hurt him emotionally, they will find you ripped apart, understood?”
“Understood!”
Man, The Captain was right, Sabo was terrifying
 
“I look like a fucking nerd.”
Ace frowned, looking at himself in the mirror. A fucking black suit with a
royal blue dress shirt but it was so damn plain looking! Yellow polka dots
would make it much better!
“You actually look really nice, Ace” noted Izo as he walked up. Ace stood there
stunned, Izo was in full outfit right now – everything on him looked more
expensive than his entire house!
“Whoah, you weren’t kidding about special guest!”
Izo shrugged, making the hair decorations jangle in Izo’s hair
“Yeah, apparently some very high placed military man, he’s Japanese so he
wanted a taste from home – so my parents told him they would provide”
Ace snorted
“Wow, they sent the wrong fucking person, didn’t they?! No wonder you had no
issues skipping the dance!”
Izo smirked
“As if I was going to pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity”
 
“Alright guys, let’s get going! We’re going to drop off Ace’s sorry ass at the
Kuja house and when we’ll drop off Izo and head to the dance” explained Thatch
as he offered his arm for Izo to hold – Izo graciously took it
Ace groaned, got, he was going to miss all the good food!
 
Chapter End Notes
     and that's it! We're finally heading to the dance woo! Also with the
     next chapter I'll see if I can post refs of what the characters are
     wearing as much as possible so you guys can have a better visual! I
     hope you enjoyed this chapter!
***** – CORA – Family Feud Is Supposed To Be a Fun Game! (Goddamnit!) *****
Chapter Notes
     So I’m sick, so I can’t go to work, so you guys get the chapter a few
     hours earlier than usual! (Since I’m going to go sleep after I post
     it!)
     New characters in this chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! (Also one OC,
     but don’t worry, they won’t have an important role, it’s just to
     start up something)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Soo, how bad was it?”
Cora had expected Law to be angry at him, yell at him, anything showing anger
really, but instead he merely sighed and got into the car and sat down.
“It was…okay I guess?”
Cora frowned sharply, turning around and staring right at Law
“What did they do to you?!”
Angry? Yes. Upset? Yes. Smug? Yes – but not passive!
Law blinked and then frowned
“I’m fine, Cora. I just, I figured they’d tell me to leave his brother alone or
something – instead they warned me about him and stuff”
Cora raised a brow, starting up the car as he soon started to pull out of the
parking lot
“Oh my god, Luffy came with a warning?” asked Bepo from the back, surprised
Law stood up straight and pointed to Bepo
“Yeah! That! It was like, a disclaimer!”
Cora smiled and sighed, first hurdle covered
“So, you guys excited about tonight?”
“I guess” replied Law, looking to the side, pretending not to be interested
“Don’t let Law fool you, he stressed all night last night packing his overnight
bag for his sleepover”
“Bepo!” scolded Law, now clearly embarrassed
“I’m sorry!” replied Bepo, feeling bad
Cora started to laugh, typically Law, figured he was raising a tsundere
“Are you sure you guys don’t need a ride back to Luffy’s?” offered Cora, a
little worried.
After he had agreed to let Law sleep over that the Captain told him that Luffy
lived in the Corvo district. Not that he was worried about Law keeping himself
safe – it’s more like he didn’t want Law to get himself in any trouble
“You can’t give me a ride, Cora. You’re with Sengoku tonight.”
Cora couldn’t miss the venom in Law’s voice if he even tried.
“Ahh, we could still swing by and bring you!” offered Cora carefully, knowing
very well what the answer will be
“No. I’ll meet him tomorrow.” replied Law dryly, looking out the window. Cora
appreciated how Law was trying to not be hostile
“I’m excited to meet him tonight!” said Bepo in the back, obviously trying to
diffuse the tension “It’s really nice that you got the night off, Cora!”
“Well sorta” started Cora, chuckling softly “After I drop you guys off at home
and get you all ready, I’ll head off after a bit to get to the airport for 8pm
to pick him up and then we’ll go out for supper, he said he already made
reservations somewhere”
“Then you’re going home?” asked Law, still looking out the window, pretending
not to care
“Not quite, we’re going to pick up Bepo if you want?” offered Cora, looking at
Bepo with the rear view mirror
“Yeah? That would be great!”
Cora sighed in relief; thank god Bepo was here to diffuse the tension
 
 Law and Bepo ate their supper quickly before they started to get ready. Cora
couldn’t help himself from smiling as he watched the boys get ready. Fiddling
with dress shirt buttons, styling their hair, ironing their pants, polishing
their shoes and soon enough, both were ready to go
“So we’ll listen to the cds tomorrow again, okay? Sengoku can help us out as
well.”
Cora could hear Law grunt as he was fixing up his cuffs
“Only because we don’t have two and a half hours to listen to the musical now.”
“If you guys want to listen to it again before the dance, feel free, okay?”
“No way, Cora, we’re doing this as a team!” added Bepo, tying up his laces
“Also both Law and I put it on our iPods”
“I think I have it memorized by now honestly. I think it’s just really that
song and Doflamingo just wants to mess with us and make us listen to a nearly
three hour long musical to find nothing substantial over again.” replied Law,
checking himself out in the mirror
That does sound like Doffy. Urgh
“You two are sure you’re fine getting to the dance yourselves?”
Cora felt bad that he couldn’t wait it out, but he didn’t want to make the
Captain cover for him longer than he needed to. It was bad enough that Tashigi
was covering his night portion of his shift. Even though she said she was fine
with it because she’ll be sleeping in the car tomorrow anyways – whatever the
hell that meant
“Yeah, Penguin’s brother is going to pick us up and bring us all over to the
dance, so we’re fine, Cora. Go to work.” replied Law, fixing his hair one more
time in the mirror
Cora froze for a moment
He had to resist
He had to
FUCK IT!
Cora quickly whipped out his phone and started to take a bunch of pictures of
Bepo and Law in their suits
“Damnit Cora!” yelped Law, surprised, Bepo just laughed and starting posing
“It’s your first school dance! I’m going to make memories, damnit!” cried Cora
as he kept taking pictures
“You’re so lame, Cora!”
“Like I care how cool you think I am” replied Cora as he kept taking pictures.
He chuckled softly because even though Law was whining, he was staying pretty
still so that Coracould take pictures!
When Cora had a satisfying amount of pictures, he soon left himself. Recently
he noticed that they didn’t really have any pictures around the house and it
was something he’s always wanted. 
 
When he got to the police station, he found a woman, leaning against the wall,
arms crossed. She was a middle aged woman with almost white blonde hair tied
into a loose bun behind her head. She was a sturdy looking woman, wearing a
plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Also, she looked really annoyed. Cora raised a
brow and approached her, trying to appear as friendly as possible
“Can I help you? I’m a police officer!”
The woman blinked, surprised, stubbing out the cigar Cora hadn’t noticed she
was smoking
“Do you mind doing me a small favour?”
Cora frowned slightly – asking for favours at a police station usually wasn’t a
good thing. The woman clearly picked up on the vibe and waved her hand,
dismissing it
“I wanted to see the Captain to give him this letter. It’s concerning the small
service he’s going to tomorrow, but Chase still won’t see me. Every time I ask
to see him, apparently he’s on patrol. But he’s the goddamn Chief of Police,
who the hell patrols that much?! So clearly he’s being a giant baby and he’s
avoiding me!”
Cora blinked, not sure what to make of all of this
“He actually patrols a lot.”
The women paused, looking back at him surprised and then she burst out laughing
“Of course he goes above and beyond, man he hasn’t changed. Anyways, can you
give that to him for me when you see him? Say it’s from Eleanor. Also tell him
to grow the fuck up and contact me.”
“I am not telling my boss to grow the fuck up!” cried out Cora as he took the
letter
Eleanor merely laughed, patting Cora on the shoulder
“You’re a good man, mister gentle giant! If you ever need a drink, come down to
the Gate’s Pub, I’ll serve you a glass of my grade-A rum for free!”
Cora merely chuckled, taking the letter
“I might take you up on that!”
 
“Is the Captain in?”
“No” replied Tashigi, looking up from her monitor – what the hell was she
already doing here?! And with Hina?!
“What do you need with that grump, anyways?” asked Hina, still working on her
phone
“Oh, because this woman gave me to this to give to him”
“A woman? Got her name?” asked Bellemere from her own desk – Cora could see the
curiosity welling up in her
“Eleanor?”
“Oooh, man, she still hasn’t reached the Captain?”
“Is that woman still at it? Shouldn’t she have given up by now?” added Hina,
rolling her eyes
 
“Who still hasn’t reached me?”
Cora blinked, surprised as the Captain came in from the back, frowning at the
scene in front of him
“Uh, a woman called Eleanor? She gave me this letter to give to you and told
you it was about the small service you’re attending?”
Smoker glared at Cora for a moment before taking the letter, opening it,
rolling his eyes, crumbling up the letter and throwing it in the trash can.
Then he turned to Tashigi
Goddamnit now he wanted to steal it from the trash can!
“Remind me that we need to pick up two dozen lilies at the flower shop near the
cemetery tomorrow.”
“Roger that!”
“I’m assuming she bought those for the service?” asked Hina
 
“So, I’m not going to remind you that you probably should contact your sister.
And if you hurry, you could probably catch up to her.”
Cora stared at Bellemere stunned – that was the Captain’s sister?!
“You’re right, you probably shouldn’t remind me and mind your own business”
replied the Captain, almost growling as he stormed back to his office.
Yikes!There clearly was some drama there!
 
Once Smoker re-emerged from the office, Cora thanked him profusely for covering
for him. The Captain shrugged and said it was no big deal and soon packed up
and left, dragging Hina out with him.
It was weird to finally have had the chance to meet Black Cage Hina. She was as
intimidating as he imagined her to be but also he was surprised at how much and
often she picked on the Captain. He had never imagined their relationship to be
so incredibly affectionate in that odd sense. Also he didn’t expect her to hit
so incredibly hard on Tashigi.
Cora sat at his desk and let his mind wonder as he filled in more reports.
Honestly the Captain had been acting weird all week. Ace was now going into his
office when the morning coffee was delivered and Cora hadn’t missed when Ace
called Smoker by his first name. But then again, Western sensibilities tell him
it shouldn’t be considered a big deal, but it rang weird to him. Nobody called
Smoker by his first name. Except Hina did here and there, but generally
everyone called him by his family name, so Ace’s switch was an odd one. But,
Ace had played dumb which tells Cora that if something was going on, that they
had to keep it quiet, so he won’t pry. But he did want Ace to be careful about
it.
 
“Excited to see your dad?”
Cora blinked, looking at Bellemere surprised – that was a rather dark que- OH!
“Oh, you mean Sengoku? Yeah! I am!”
Bellemere blinked, and then Cora could tell that she felt a little bad
“Was that presumptuous? You don’t call him dad, do you?”
Cora waved it off, chuckling softly
“It’s okay, but no, but I didn’t even call my biological father ‘dad’ either,
he was Papa. Sengoku is Otousan”
Bellemere blinked, and then she chuckled
“That’s so Japanese, I thought the ‘san’ was like, mister”
“It’s formal, yeah, but do you seriously see me calling Sengoku ‘Daddy’?”
Bellemere screeched, chocking on spit as she started to laugh super hard
“Oh my god, I will freaking pay you to call him ‘Daddy’”
“I am not calling him Daddy”
 
“What are you guys talking about?!”
They both turned to a stunned Tashigi who was staring at them both, holding a
stack of folders
“I’m trying to convince Rosi to call Sengoku ‘Daddy’” explained Bellemere
Tashigi frowned sharply shocked
“Please do not do that!”
Both Cora and Bellemere only laughed harder
“Better! I’ll pay you 500$ to call Smoker ‘Daddy’” Bellemere offered, pointing
to Tashigi
“No! Never!” cried out Tashigi, bright red now
“Give me a grand and I’ll call Smoker ‘Daddy’” offered Cora, laughing
“No, better, we’ll give Ace a gran to call Smoker ‘Daddy’” replied Bellemere,
laughing
“I’ll call Smoker ‘Daddy’ for a grand” said Wiper, dropping the documents on
the desk and walking away  as everyone stared at him stunned–  then everyone
started to laugh even harder
 
Soon enough Cora was at the airport, waiting in a special reserved section. Of
course Sengoku traveled on his own plane, so he wouldn’t be landing with the
usual international flight. Thankfully even though Cora was now a cop – he
still had his World Government authorization and clearance so that he could
wait in their special lounge.
Cora had been downplaying it, but he was actually extremely nervous about
seeing Sengoku. They had barely spoken since the incident on Minion Island and
when they did, the conversations were short and curt.  Sengoku had been furious
with him and that much was obvious. It was a hard situation to be in because he
didn’t regret at all disobeying Sengoku to guarantee Law’s survival. So it
wasn’t that he could apologize and mean it. Cora didn’t feel like he did
anything wrong. But nether less, Law is alive and that’s all that mattered to
Cora, his own life be damned
Had he been killed and Law had survived, it would have made surviving
everything up to that point worth it.
Cora chuckled softly to himself, he wish he could have pinpointed the moment
where he truly started to love and care for Law so much, but it didn’t matter
What mattered is now
And the fucking plane landed while he daydreamed – fuck!
Cora stood up instantly and looked towards the door that opened and moments
later- Sengoku emerged from the tunnel with his goat in tow, making Cora
swallow hard
“A-ah! I-“
“It’s good to see you again, son”
Cora’s heart melted when he saw Sengoku smile and go up to him and hugged him
tight as Cora hugged back
“It’s good to see you!” replied Cora, smiling brightly “In English because?”
Sengoku snorted as Cora leaned over to take his luggage
“I have to practice to not address you only in Japanese; it would be rude to
your two sons and also-”
From the tunnel burst out one Garp D. Monkey
“Wow, what a heartwarming scene! It’s making me hungry though!”
“Garp is here?!” asked Cora, shocked
Sengoku rolled his eyes
“Yeah, the old coot decided to tag along when he found out I was coming here to
see his grandsons”
Cora snorted, biting his lip and trying not to laugh
Law avoided Sengoku but he’s going to be hit by hurricane Garp instead,
amazing!
Cora laughed softly, overwhelmed with how well things were going so far
“Ah! You don’t have to worry about the boys though! They both have a school
dance tonight! Law isn’t even coming home tonight”
Sengoku blinked, raising a brow
“He has a girlfriend and you’re being that lenient?”
“Wow good job, Rosinante! Never thought a son of yours would be a tom cat like
that!”
Cora frowned slightly and then he shook his head
“No, no, it’s just a friend.”
Cora didn’t mean to be so vague, but it wasn’t his place to out Law. If Law
wanted to tell Sengoku that he was interested in dating Luffy, that his call,
until then, it’s not for him to say. Also he didn’t feel like telling Garp that
he was sleeping over at Luffy’s today.  He should probably should send Law a
quick text though, juuuust to slightly warn him
“So the other one, Bepo was it?”
“He’ll be home! If you don’t mind, we can go pick him up after dinner”
“Absolutely not. It will be nice to meet him.”
 
“It’s odd to think that my little Rosinante is now the father of two teenage
boys.”
Cora chuckled softly; I guess it would be odd in context!
“I skipped the whole marriage and dating thing and went right to the part I
wanted!” teased Cora as they got into the car. Garp had got himself a taxi and
drove off to god knows where
Sengoku sighed, frowning softly
“I would like to see you married and settled down, Rosinante.”
Cora sighed slightly. He hated this conversation so so much! He didn’t want to
get married and settle down! Cora had never had any interest in dating or
relationships but it was much easier in his youth to blame it on wanting to
concentrate on his studies instead but now it was hard to blame it on something
else.
“I know, but I have my job and two kids to raise and with Doffy out there, you
know how irresponsible it would be for me to involve someone else into this
mess”
“First of all” started Sengoku as Cora started up the car and started to drive
them to his house. Cora groaned, he hated when Sengoku started any conversation
like that
“You need to stop calling Doflamingo ‘Doffy’. It’s an affectionate nickname and
you need to work on disassociating yourself with him.”
Cora winced – he knew he was going to be called out on that! But he couldn’t
help it. Doffy was Doffy
“Second of all, you can’t allow your relation with Doflamingo to stop you from
being happy.”
“I suppose you’re right, but I can’t help but worry, you know?”
Also I don’t care to, but whatever
“It’s a miracle you’re alive, Rosinante. I got copies of the charts; it took
them days of work just to get you stable again. You were riddled in bullet
holes, your heart was a complete mess, physically most of your bones were
broken, you had internal bleeding pretty much everyone possible and yet still
managed to pull through. I just don’t want you to waste your second chance at
life being afraid that Doflamingo might come after you.”
Cora was quiet. He didn’t know that Sengoku had asked to see copies of the
charts. I guess it made sense since he was in charge of the World Government
Forces and he was an agent, but still. This is all nice and well, but Sengoku
didn’t know Doffy like he did, he also didn’t know
“Otousan. He contacted me recently.”
“What?!”
“I’ll give you more details later, but yeah, he’s not far away and he will
never be either.”
Sengoku sighed
“Maybe one day, Rosinante.”
“Maybe, so, where’s this restaurant we’re going to?”
“It’s in town. Came highly recommended as the best Japanese food in town. Owned
by a well-know family who immigrated here years ago. The place is called
Foxfire’s”
Cora chuckled nervously
“I know that place, its great!”
Thankfully it’s the night of the school dance – so it’s not like he’ll be
working!
He’ll be at the school dance, right?
Right?
Shit.
Chapter End Notes
     And tada! We all know who’s going to be at the restaurant, next week
     we’re back to Ace and FINALLY at the actual dance!
***** – ACE – A Night to Remember (This Tux Is Too Baggy, Too Tight, It Makes
Me Look Weird.) *****
Chapter Notes
     FINALLY THE DANCE! FINALLY!
     So pairings in this story is like...all of them minus the adult
     pairings? But we have Franky and Robin? A LOT OF PAIRINGS, KIDS!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace was always kinda in awe at the Kuja estate
It wasn’t as big as the Whitebeard mansion but it had this very fancy, classy
vibe and everything about it screamed that people were not welcomed.
Which included Ace that was forced to wait outside by the main gates until
Hancock was ready
Not inside in the lounge, not at the door’s front entrance – not even at the
freaking door! At the goddamn front gate!
Ace groaned, honestly, he always agreed to be Hancock’s date because he tells
himself it’s easier down the line, but frankly, it was starting to annoy him.
Because even if they showed up together, they soon split the second they get
there, spend the dance with their separate group of friends, get together when
they’re named king and queen, do the damn dance and then split up again. Ace
would have liked to attend with an actual date! He loved to dance and the idea
to dance with someone he really liked just makes his heart flip flop
Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone!
Then he sighed, Smoker probably wasn’t the dancing type – he sure didn’t seem
like it. And it’s not like he could bring a grown man to a high school dance as
his date either.
 
"You better not be sighing because of me!”
Ace blinked, looking at Hancock who had apparently driven up and had opened the
door of her limo, signaling to Ace to get in
“No, no, just, despairing over love”
Hancock sighed herself, looking to the side as she blushed “I understand that”
Whoah what?!
Ace got into the limo, now noticing what she was wearing. It was a great dress!
Probably more fitting for a club than a school dance, but Hancock would never
not share her rocking body. It was a fitted royal blue long sleeved dress that
ended just slightly past her thighs. It had a high collar but a mesh plunging
neckline. Only way she could probably show cleavage and get away with it at
school. She was wearing it with her usual gold earrings and a pair of platform
heels. Ace had to admire her lack of giving a shit and insistence on still
wearing heels even though she towered over nearly every guy in school.
Including Ace himself
“Ace, I have something to ask you”
Ace blinked, he had hardly gotten seated and Hancock already had something for
him to do
“Yeah?”
“You know pretty much everyone in school, right?”
“Yeah? You want to know who someone is?”
Hancock blushed furiously and looked to the side, she looked – nervous?
“Yes. “
“Well, let me pull up the student directory and we can see if you can at least
find their picture”
The second Ace pulled out his cellphone and opened it – Hancock snatched it out
of his hands
“That’s him! That’s him!”
Ace frowned, confused
“Like…who?!”
“This! This man in your photo!” said Hancock, shoving the phone in Ace’s face,
pointing to his lockscreen
Which was a picture of Ace, Sabo and Luffy that they took at the amusement park
this summer
“Uh, I have bad news for you, Sabo is seeing someone.”
And Koala will fucking kick your ass if you try anything
Actually Hancock might be able to take her on
Whoah, that would be an intense fight actually!
 
“No! Not Sabo! I know Sabo, he’s in a few of my classes, this one! With the
small scar under his eye!”
Oh my god
“You mean Luffy?!”
“Is that his name? Luffy?”
“Like, kinda short, young looking, laughs and smiles all the time? Like-“ and
then Ace took his phone back, going through his pictures and pulled up a
picture of Luffy alone
“This guy?!”
“Yes! And I want that picture!”
Did he just enter the Twilight Zone?! Bizarro World!?
“You’re seriously talking about my little brother Luffy?!”
“He’s your little brother?!” Hancock exclaimed, shocked, but then she blushed
more, sighing happily at the picture as she retook Ace’s phone and sent herself
the picture
What is going on?!
“Didn’t you two…have a fight last week?”
“It was then I found out what kind of person he truly is – can you properly
introduce us?!”
Ace froze slightly not sure what to do here
Yes, he and Luffy had talked about the fight. Luffy had mentioned to Ace  that
yes, he had fought with the Boa sisters and that Hancock had cancelled the
fight midway and then Luffy merely left, not willing to stay and get into more
trouble – so what the fuck led to this scene in front of him?!
But now he was torn. Obviously Hancock seemed to have developed a crush on
Luffy, but Luffy has a crush on Law, Law seems to be crushing back and uuurgh,
this is turning into a wildly bad YA novel – go figure
On the other hand
“Sure, I’ll introduce you two at the dance. There’s no harm in you getting to
know him and for him to know more people”
“Ahh! Thank you, Ace!”
Tonight’s going to be a weird night, Ace just knew it
 
Ace walked into the dance with Hancock on his arm and her other gang members
following suite with her sisters. Hancock revelled in the attention as everyone
stopped and turned to look at her but Ace really just wanted to get to that
buffet table!
Soon enough, Ace was allowed to disperse and beelined right to the food – and
as he feared a good chunk of it was already gone
“Son of a bitch!”
“Man, if only I had a wonderful brother who would squirrel away food for his
stupid deprived brother who had to wait until much later to arrive so that his
date could make an entrance and if he didn’t have said brother would be left
with sad sad leftovers”
Ace turned around and smiled brightly, as Sabo was standing there, holding a
plate that had food piled on to it
“Sabo, Sabo, I fucking love you so much right now.”
“Is the night you two finally makeout?” asked Koala, holding onto Sabo’s arm,
smirking
Ace laughed, taking the plate of food and started to dig in. Koala and Sabo
looked really sharp right now! Sabo was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with a
dark purple waistcoat and black pants. Koala on the other hand was wearing a
strapless short ruffled dress that was Dark blue but the dress was layered and
it slowly faded into a dark purple
“You guys look awesome! It’s like the galaxy!”
Koala chuckled “Thank you! You look nice, weirdly tame for you though”
“It’s what happens when Ace has to match his date”
“Oh, that’s sad. You still look good though!”
“Thank you! Have you seen the others?” asked Ace, looking around. The dance was
pretty packed right now
“Luffy is right over there with his group of friends.” started Sabo, pointing
towards the familiar straw hat – typical of Sabo to know exactly where Luffy is
“Oh wow! Luffy looks great, did you do that?” asked Ace, surprised. Luffy was
wearing a dark red dress shirt with a thin black tie and black pants with a
nice leather belt and his usual sandals. No way to ever get him to abandon
those without a fight. Ace never bought him that outfit though – so where did
he get it?!
“Nope, apparently Sanji use to wear Luffy’s size years ago, so he dressed him.”
explained Sabo
Ace couldn’t help but smile, good old Sanji. Then he blinked, it seems Law and
his group had arrived as well and meshed with Luffy’s group
“Have you seen Marco and the others?” asked Ace, half looking around as he kept
eating. Once he was done eating (thankfully he rarely fell asleep standing up)
he was going to go dance up a storm, but honestly he was looking really forward
to tomorrow morning where he could see Smoker again and Justice!
Sabo frowned, probably noticing Ace’s lack of wanting to go look for Marco and
the others
“Avoiding?”
“Not particularly”
“Distracted?”
“Absolutely”
Sabo laughed, softly punching Ace’s arm
“You’re here to party!”
“Distracted over what?” asked Koala, looking at them both as she sipped her
punch. She frowned slightly, looking down at her glass and shrugged. Ace lifted
a brow – guess it tasted funny?
“I’m dogsitting this weekend!”
“Oooh that’s a fun distraction!” said Koala “Who’s dog?”
“The Captain’s!”
“Oh wow! Already babysitting your boyfriend’s dog? That’s impressive!”
Oh what the-!?
“Sabo! You told her?!”
Sabo groaned, slapping his hand on his face as Koala chuckled darkly
“No, but you just did!”
Oh sh-!
“Haha! I knew you two had started to secretly date! Way to keep your guard down
around me, sucker!”
“How the hell did you figure it out?!” whined Ace, shit, he fucked up!
“Oh, you went from mopey to super happy in like, a night. So I figured you took
my advice but couldn’t talk about it – so bam! Dating your bae.”
“Did you just call him bae?” asked Sabo, a little weirded out – Ace completely
understood, Smoker was a man in his 30’s, not a youth
“Well we need a code so that we’re able to talk about him!” explained Koala
“Ace’s girlfriend in Canada” suggested Sabo, smirking
“Oh wow, fuck you and your Avenue Q reference and well done” Ace felt like such
a moron right now. He really needed to be more careful. Today alone Officer
Trafalgar and Koala caught on and it’s only been a week!
“Alright, we’ll talk about this another time, now, let’s go dance!” suggested
Koala, bright smiles as she grabbed both of their hands. Ace laughed, pulling
back slightly
“Just let me get a drink, I’m super thirsty” said Ace as he grabbed a glass and
filled it to the rim, quickly chugging it down
“ACE! NO! YOU CAN’T CHUG THAT!” cried Koala, holding her hands up
“Why not?!” asked Sabo, confused
“Because someone spiked it!”
Oh shit
Ace blinked, looking at his now empty drink – wow, good job, Portgas!
“Ace, are you okay?” asked Sabo, cautious
“Yeah, yeah, just, pretty sure I’m going to be pretty buzzed by the end of the
night, let’s go dancing before it kicks in!”
 
Sabo, Koala and Ace soon tore up the dance floor. There was next to nothing Ace
loved more than dancing. Surrounding yourself with good people, great music,
closing your eyes and letting your body go with the rhythm. He was beyond
excited for the annual Halloween bash thrown by the Whitebeard gang because
this year Marco was letting him plan it – so it was going to be wild!
Soon enough, Luffy and his gang joined Sabo, Koala and Ace as they danced more.
Ace couldn’t help but admire how everyone looked so sharp tonight! All the guys
were in nice dress shirts and nice slacks, it looked like all of Luffy’s
friends had coordinated their looks to all wear the same thing but with
different dress shirt colours!  The girls in stunning dresses! Nami was wearing
a two layered dress that started dark blue and finished a light blue and Vivi’s
dress was the opposite, really making them a unit! It was just really great!
“C’mere” stated Ace as he pulled Sabo forward from the waist, pulling him
closer. Sabo chuckled low as he moved right up to Ace as the two of them
started to dance in sync. Ace tipped his head, close to Sabo’s ear
“I can’t believe Koala got me like that”
Sabo sighed
“She’s crafty like that, she suspected you right away from your happy sounding
tweets. But don’t take it to heart; Koala is extra sensitive to every slight
change to someone’s mood. She told me it was a skill she learned as a slave.”
“I guess, I still feel dumb. Officer Trafalgar caught on this morning as well.
All I did was accidentally call Chase by his first name”
“Ace. He’s a freaking World Government Spy! Of course he caught on”
“I guess”
Ace wasn’t buying it, he still felt dumb
“Seriously, relax! Otherwise you’re going to get caught.”
“Good point”
 
“Isn’t it a little early to makeout at the dance?”
Ace turned and looked at Marco and the others who had apparently found them
“Naw, this is how they have private conversations” pipped up Koala, who
apparently had started dancing with – Robin?!
“Oh! Miss Nico, you’re here?” asked Ace, surprised as he and Sabo pulled apart
slightly. Robin was wearing a simple long sleeved black dress that hugged every
curve just right
“Why yes, as a chaperone, my husband is here as well, I think he’s over there
chatting with Brook” explained Robin, pointing towards the two at the table
How is he still not wearing pants?!
“Oh cool!”
“That said, Sabo, Ace, Franky told me about your project in metalworks, he’s
really impressed with it!” said Robin, smiling
“Thanks! We’ve been working really hard on th-“
 
“Ace!”
 
Ace turned around and spotted Hancock staring right at him, arms crossed. She
looked beyond annoyed, standing there with her arms crossed
“Oh, shit, right, I had something to do”
Robin merely chuckled
“Go, she doesn’t look very happy right now”
 
Ace went up to Hancock, gesturing with his hand for her to come along. She
followed as he brought her right up to Luffy, who was just about to take a
drink – so Ace snatched it up and gave him a bottle of water
“No punch for you” and Ace quickly downed the punch
“Huh?! Why not?!” whined Luffy, opening the bottle of water and drinking it
“Because it’s spiked and you’re too young.” Technically so was Ace, but details
“Ahem!”
“Oh, even though you have already sorta met, Luffy, his Hancock Boa, Hancock,
this is Luffy D.Monkey, my little brother. Now make nice nice and be friends
and stuff.”
What the hell was that last part?
“Hello Luffy! I’m so happy to have finally properly met you!”
Luffy blinked slowly, confused about the whole ordeal. The idea of being
‘properly introduced’ was foreign to him
“But we already met?”
“So Luffy, do you have a date tonight? I could be your date if you need one!”
Heeeyy! If Hancock was that willing to switch dates, Ace could have been there
on time and worn the suit he wanted! This is bullshit!
“Aren’t you Ace’s date? That’s kinda mean.” replied Luffy, frowning
“It’s fine Luffy, she lacks all of the parts I like, minus her height.” Whoops!
That’s not something completely sober Ace would say – guess it was starting to
kick in
“If you weren’t Luffy’s brother, I’d smack you!” replied Hancock, not impressed
“Me being gay is probably the worst kept secret in the city, let’s be real”
Oooh boy, it was time to bounce from this situation
Law walked up to them, sipping on a glass of punch
“You know that’s –“
“Spiked? Yeah, I’m not going home so a drink won’t kill me.” replied Law,
clearly nursing his drink “And besides, I think Zoro already drank half of it
with Sanji.”
Ace blinked, looking around and he couldn’t see Sanji and Zoro anymore
“Where did they go anyways?”
“Out back. I saw them leave together, but they looked like they were about to
fight.”
“Hehe, nice.” replied Ace, chuckling
‘Fight’
Law raised a brow at him before he could say anything though, Luffy grabbed
Law’s arm
“Let’s go dance, Torao!”
“Me too, Luffy! I’ll come dance!” added Hancock, smiling brightly as she
followed Luffy as he was dragging Law to the dance floor
This was some fucked up shit
 
Soon enough they did the crowning of the King and Queen of homecoming. And as
expected Ace and Hancock won. They did their dance together and Ace found
himself back by the food table. Not eating, just leaning against the wall, and
watching the others enjoy themselves. Honestly crowds tired him out rather
easily. He liked to pretend they didn’t, but after a while, he found it
exhausting. The alcohol had definitely kicked in now and he was buzzed. Not
drunk, just buzzed enough that he knew that if he had a few more drinks he’d go
into drunk mode. Thankfully he wasn’t a bad drunk.
“Hey, you tired out?” asked Sabo, leaning against the wall besides him
“Naw, pleasantly buzzed, watching everyone enjoy themselves.” replied Ace with
an easy smile on his face
“All you can see is Luffy from here.” pointed out Sabo, with a grin
“It’s a good view, I like watching him enjoy himself, wells up the happy in
me.”
Sabo chuckled
“I completely understand that”
“I’m supposed to be at Chase’s house by 6am tomorrow morning. I don’t know how
I’ll make it, Sabo. Sober Ace could, Buzzed Ace isn’t so sure.”
“Well, Sober Sabo has an idea that Buzzed Ace might like.”
“Buzzed Ace is all ears.”
“Go tonight.”
Ace blinked slowly and then turned to look right at Sabo
“You, sir, might be a genius!”
“You already have an overnight bag in your locker, right? Instead of going to
the Whitebeards, go to Chase’s. It’s not like you’re falling down drunk or
anything, just buzzed.”
“And I’ll get to see Justice and Chase!”
“And that!”
“Are you going home tonight?” asked Ace, pointing to Sabo – why was he
pointing?!
Sabo grinned brightly
“Nope! I’m going to Koala’s, Hack is out for the night”
“Hehehehehe” Ace knew he sounded like an idiot right now, but he was happy for
his brother for getting some action
 
“What are you two laughing about?” asked Koala as she walked up to them
“You making Sabo a man tonight!” exclaimed Ace, grinning
Koala barked out a laugh, clutching her stomach
“Oh my god! I did that years ago, Ace. Please!”
Ace did a low whistle
“Well you two kids have fun! I’m going to bounce and start my dogsitting early
before this party goes to hell!”
“Have fun, Ace! Be sure to take lots of pictures of the dog!” said Koala,
smiling
“I’ll keep an eye out for Luffy until he leaves, okay?” stated Sabo, Ace curtly
nodded
“Thank you, Sabo. You are a very good co-parent. But one last thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t you think Coach Kyros and Dr. Kureha should be Kronk and Yzma for
Halloween?!”
“Ace, get out of here!”
 
Ace skipped out of the dance. He tried to wave at Marco to let him know he was
leaving but Marco didn’t see him. Meh, he’ll figure it out. He then went to his
locker and grabbed his back with his change of clothes and supplies. Sabo was
such a genius! He can’t be late if he’s already there!
Ace decided to take the backdoors to leave since it would be faster to get to
Chase’s through the football field, but the moment he stepped through the door
– he spotted something that blew his mind
There against the brick wall was Sanji splayed against the wall, long slender
legs loosely wrapped around Zoro’s waist as the two of them grinded against
each other. Sanji’s hands were buried deep into Zoro’s hair while Zoro’s hands
were holding up Sanji against the wall, one hand on Sanji’s waist and the other
was grabbing his ass. The two of them were hotly making out, mouths open,
devouring each other against the wall.
Ace merely chuckled, he fucking knew it. He pulled out his phone and took a
picture – in case the two of them wanted a souvenir! Oooh maybe for their
wedding montage! God, he was a genius! Ace then put away his phone away and ran
off across the football field – excited to get to Chase’s house and to start
his night
This was such a great idea!
Chapter End Notes
     RUH ROH
     What will happen now?!? Will Ace blow it?? Will Zoro and Sanji keep
     making out?!?
     YOU SHALL SEE! Well, Law's side of the story! Next week, kids!
***** – LAW – Now It All Makes Sense (You’re All Monkeys!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Now Law's side of the dance!
     Don't want to say much because there's already a lot going on!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“What’s this dance’s theme anyways?”
“Under the sea, I think?” said Bepo, looking around
They had gotten to the dance a little bit after 7pm, so early, but not early
enough to have to awkwardly stand around. Law had stashed his overnight bag in
his locker and told himself he’d come pick it up when he was leaving
“You nervous, Law?” asked Shachi, taking a glass of punch
“Why would I be nervous?”
Shit! Was he being that obvious?!
“Uh, because you’re spending the night at your crush’s place? You’re so lucky,
dude. That kind of shit won’t happen until like, college for us”
Law raised a brow, confused “Why not? Aside from your faces and personalities”
“RUDE!” cried all three of them at Law, making him laugh
“Because no girl’s parent is going to let a guy sleep over at her house! But
because it’s two dudes here, nobody will think twice” explained Penguin
Law was in awe at how dumb that explanation sounded
“That sounds dumb” replied Bepo
“But sadly true.  It’s like how Nami and Vivi can have allll the sleepovers
together they want and it probably looks totally innocent but they’re just
hooking up.” added Shachi, gesturing to the girls that just walked in
“So they are dating” said Law, watching the group walk in
***
Instantly, Luffy latched himself to Law, smiling brightly
“Are you excited about tonight, Torao?! Sabo said we can use his Netflix
account so we have tons of movies to pick from and Ace brought over the box of
games that we can play!”
Law blushed slightly, not sure how to handle the situation at hand
And his asshole friends who were just grinning at him
“Yeah, I’m excited”
“Hehe, awesome! Let’s go dance!”
 
Law had no intention to dance
But apparently Luffy had other plans for him that night
A few things had surprised him
Bepo wasn’t lying about the dance skills, he actually was an amazing dancer
And dancing was actually kinda fun
Not that he’d ever admit that
But soon enough, he was thirsty and had navigated to the buffet table. By now,
most of the food was gone and there was only the subpar pieces left. Law had
poured himself a drink and took a sip – instantly frowning
There was alcohol in this!
Law sniffed his drink a bit and frowned sharply
And cheap alcohol to boot!
Meh.
Zoro soon came to the table with Sanji, both of them pouring drinks for
themselves
“Heads up, there’s booze in there.” warned Law, nursing his own drink
“Good” replied Zoro, taking a huge gulp of his own drink as Sanji rolled his
eyes
“Can’t you go one evening without drinking?”
“Says the priss who drinks wine every night”
“Wine is complimentary to meals, you dumb oaf!”
“Whatever, bet you can’t even hold your liquor!”
“You want to bet!?”
 Annnd that was Law’s queue to bounce
 
Law somehow found himself dancing again with Luffy and his friends. He couldn’t
help but smile when he saw everyone enjoying themselves. They soon gravitated
towards Ace, Sabo and Koala, enjoying themselves until he saw Ace pull away
slightly to talk to Sabo
Well, he thinks they’re talking
Then Hancock pulled Ace away, making Law raise a brow. It was weird that they
were dates. Considering Law knew about Ace’s feelings for the Captain, he
didn’t think Ace’s sexuality was much of a secret? Oh well, maybe Ace was
looking for a beard. Weird he took the biggest man hater in school for it.
Law was knocked out of his thoughts when Zoro knocked his shoulder as he and
Sanji stormed past him, sniping at each other as they exited by the gym’s back
door. Weird. But then he went towards the buffet table, wanting a moment of
rest and spotted that the punch bowl was nearly empty
Uh
How much did these two drink?
Law was about to take another sip but then
“You know that’s –“
“Spiked? Yeah, I’m not going home so a drink won’t kill me.” replied Law as he
looked at Ace. His cheeks were a bit flushed. Law wasn’t sure if it was the
dancing or the booze
“And besides, I think Zoro already drank half of it with Sanji.”
Ace blinked, looking around
“Where did they go anyways?”
“Out back. I saw them leave together, but they looked like they were about to
fight.”
“Hehe, nice.” replied Ace, chuckling
Law raised a brow at him – what did that mean?But before he could ask, Luffy
came and grabbed his arm!
“Let’s go dance, Torao!”
“Me too, Luffy! I’ll come dance!” added Hancock, smiling brightly as she
followed Luffy as he was dragging Law to the dance floor
Law frowned – why was she following them?
Luffy shifted Law so that they were facing each other and restarted to dance
besides their friends
“Zoro and Sanji went outside, I think they’re gonna fight and they might be
pretty drunk”
Luffy laughed
“Oooh, we should go watch then! Their fights are always really cool!”
 
“Are those idiots starting trouble?” asked Nami, looking towards them in
disbelief, Vivi merely giggled
“Do not talk so familiarly with Luffy!” replied Hancock, cutting in
The fuck?!
“Luffy darling, you should face me so that we can dance better together!”
replied Hancock, turning Luffy around, who looked confused
“Uh, you can relax, I’m her girlfriend.” said Nami, pointing towards Vivi who
just waved “And also I can talk to Luffy all I want, he’s my friend!”
Hancock was about to say something but Luffy cut her off
“I can talk to Nami all I want! And anyone else too!”
Hancock fast closed her mouth
“Yeah” answered Law, wanting to change the subject “Sanji and Zoro went
outside, sniping at each other, pretty sure they’re drunk.”
“I knew the punch was spiked! I saw Bellamy holding a big paper bag with
bottles in it in the hallway!” stated Usopp
“Chopper! You can’t drink the punch, okay?” warned Nami, Chopper nodded
“Roger that!”
“Guys, did you hear” said Law, looking at Penguin, Shachi and Bepo
“Got it!”
 
Soon enough the King and Queen got announced and Law understood why they came
together. They probably knew that they were going to win. But after that, Law
saw Ace more and more remove himself from the crowd until he was finally
against the wall, talking with Sabo and Koala before he left the room
Law shrugged it off and kept enjoying his time. It was weird to finally have
more of a chance to be well – normal. Overall, he couldn’t say that it wasn’t a
nice normal ni-
 
“Let me in! My Grandsons are in there and I have a right to see them!”
“Excuse me,sir! The dance is for students only! If you’re here to pick up a
student, you must wait for them in the lobby and we can go get them for you!”
stated Connis, a teacher’s aid, trying to hold back the large man. Man, Law
felt super bad for her now
Law turned and saw Franky and Robin back up slightly, trying to blend into the
room and not be seen – what the hell?
“Have any of you seen Ace?!”
Law blinked, surprised to see a distraught Marco in front of him
Sabo quickly popped in between them, grabbing Luffy, pulling him away
“Wha-“
“CODE GRAMPS!” said Sabo as both he and Luffy dove under the buffet table
“What is going on?!” demanded Hancock, looking around, instantly hostile when
she saw the large man
“What the hell is code Gramps?!” said Law, but then he noticed his phone
vibrating. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked – a notification
reminder?! A message from Cora?!
 
Cora:
Beware of Hurricane Monkey
 
“What the fuck does that mean?!” said Law out loud, looking at his phone
confused
“YOU! Where are my grandsons!” yelled this large man as he charged up to Marco,
who merely stood firmed
“I have no idea.”
“Stop lying to me or I will pluck every hair off your head like feathers,
Phoenix!”
“Who the hell?”
“That’s Luffy and Ace’s grandfather.” whispered Nami in Law’s ear, making him
stand straight, surprised
“I’m telling you, I have no idea where the hell Ace is – I’ve been looking for
him myself. But his bag is gone from his locker.”
Ace is missing?
Law could have sworn he saw Ace a minute ago? Wait! He was with Sabo, and if
Sabo’s now under the tab-
Law quickly turned to look at the table, only to see Luffy’s arm sneaking out
from under the tablecloth, trying to grab a snack off the table
Garp’s suddenly turned around, eyeing in on the hand like a hawk and charged
towards the table, quickly grabbing underneath and pulling them both out
“You thought you could hide from me?!”
Garp had grabbed Luffy by the collar of his shirt and Sabo by the leg as he
dragged them both out. Law stared amazed that a man his age had such strength
“Waitaminute, what’s this guy’s full name?” asked Law, turning around to ask
Nami that as standing behind him
“Garp D. Monkey, why?”
Beware of Hurricane Monkey!
Apparently Cora was warning him about this hulk of a man, shit
 
“Waitaminute, you’re not Ace! You’re Sabo, aren’t you!? You’re supposed to be
dead?! Why aren’t you dead?!” asked Garp, surprised as he kept holding onto
Sabo’s leg, holding it up and folding Sabo into an odd position
“I got better! Now let me go!” demanded Sabo, trying to wiggle out of the
position
“Why is his man manhandling my Luffy!” asked Hancock, furious
Law frowned, he wasn’t sure if Sabo was overpowered or was holding back his
strength because Law couldn’t understand how Sabo hadn’t broken out of that
hold yet
“No! Where’s Ace?! You two are usually attached to the hip! Tell me where he
is!”
“No!”
“So you know where he is?! Tell me or I’ll give you a whooping!”
“No! I’m not telling you!”
“Let me go, Gramps!!” cried out Luffy, trying to wiggle out
Law frowned sharply, moving forward to intervene, but Koala walked past him,
pushing Law and Hancock slightly back
 
“Oye. Put my boyfriend down, now.”
All eyes turned towards Koala who looked furious, hands on her hips into fists
as she glared at Garp
Garp raised a brow
“Luffy has a girlfriend?”
“No! Sabo, you dolt! Now put him down! Now!” demanded Koala
Garp merely chuckled, smirking down at Koala
“Or what?”
Koala frowned even more as she stepped forward
Law knew shit was going to go down in a second
Without Garp having the time to realize it, Koala had gotten into his space,
landed a kick on Garp’s wrist, causing him to let go of Sabo, turned inside,
grabbed Garp’s collar and pulled him down to her height
“Or this. Now let Luffy go too – now!”
Garp looked at her stunned, but then his face split into a giant smile as he
started to laugh
“Damn! I’m really impressed, little lady! Ever think of joining the World
Government Marines? We’d love to have a tenacious little lady like you!”
“Fuck no!” spat out Koala as she stood on Sabo’s side as he got up
“Ace isn’t here” stated Sabo, looking right at Garp “He had a prior obligation
this weekend so he had to go.”
“What kind of prior obligation?” asked Garp, suspicious
Law frowned; he could see Marco and the other Whitebeards listening in
“Dogsitting” replied Sabo, shrugging his shoulders. Marco slapped his own
forehead
“Oh that’s right! But isn’t that tomorrow?” asked Marco, cutting in
“Yeah, but they’re leaving for Loguetown tomorrow morning at 6am, Ace wasn’t
sure he could get there in time, so I suggested he goes tonight instead. He
said he was going to tell you?”
Marco rolled his eyes really hard – Law was surprised they didn’t roll right
out of his head
“Fucking Portgas, he does this all the goddamn time! Okay, well that explains
that.”
 
“Why are you here anyways, Gramps?” asked Luffy, looking obviously put out
“Because my old pal Sengoku was coming down here to go see his son so I figured
I’d tag along and visit my grandsons!” explained Garp, grinning
Luffy whined loudly, looking to the side
“Why tonight though? I have plans!”
Law turned red as Luffy looked at him
“What?! Are you embarrassed of your old man?!” asked Garp, surprised
“Who the hell wouldn’t be! You crashed into here like a bull in heat, grabbed
two students and acted like a giant asshole!” replied Koala, clearly still
pissed. Law didn’t miss how much pride Sabo was beaming
Garp turned to Koala and sighed, the remorse clear
“Ahh you make a good point. Man Sabo, watch out for this one. She’s gonna run
your household for sure”
“Then I know I’m in good hands” replied Sabo, big smile on his face
“Anyways, Luffy, c’mon. I’ll give you a ride home, got a taxi waiting out
front”
“But I’m supposed to go home with Law tonight!” said Luffy, pointing to Law
Oh
F U C K
“Uh” started Law as Garp turned around to look right at him
“I don’t care, bring him too. C’mon! Move it!”
Luffy merely chuckled, grabbing Law’s hand and dragging him out of the dance
Law’s eyes met Bepo’s and the other’s as they merely watched him get dragged
off, pity in their eyes as Garp followed suit
 
Law quickly collected his bag and went towards the main doors, but before they
could, Luffy grabbed Law’s arm and stopped him
“My Gramps is a scary man and I don’t want him to scare you off, okay? I don’t
care what Gramps says. I decide things!” stated Luffy determined
Law blinked slowly, not sure what to make out of anything that Luffy just said
but nodded back at Luffy
“Okay. I’ve seen scarier anyways. You should see some of the weirdoes I was
with when I was with the Donquixote gang” teased Law, wanting to break the
tension
Luffy laughed, grabbing Law’s arm as they walked out of the school
“Oh yeah, like what?”
“This huge guy with a high pitch squealy voice”
Luffy’s laugh was making butterflies flutter in Law’s stomach so he just kept
going
“This guy who was always snotty and stuffed up and he got the snot everywhere”
“Hahaha gross!!”
 
“What the hell took you two so lo-“ Garp’s voice left him as he looked down,
noticing that Luffy had his arms wrapped around Law’s arm.
Law instantly tensed up when he saw Garp glared at him
“This is Torao” started Luffy “We’re going to have a small sleepover tonight in
my room”
Law blinked slowly, he could feel Luffy’s pulse with his chest being pressed
against Law’s arm
Luffy was…excited? Scared? Nervous? Bottom line – his heart was beating
extremely fast
What kind of relationship did Luffy have with his grandfather?
“Torao? That’s a weird ass name!”
Coming from a guy called Garp?!
“My name is Law Trafalgar. Luffy nicknamed me Torao.” simply replied Law,
following along as Luffy dragged him into the cab’s back seat
Garp got into the shotgun seat much to Law and clearly Luffy’s pleasure,
feeling Luffy’s pulse calm down a bit
“Corvo district, my good man!” said Garp as he buckled himself in. The cab
driver’s face went pale
“No way. I can drive you to edge of Grayline Terminal and that’s it, I am not
going to Corvo!”
Garp frowned sharply, turning towards the driver
“You are taking us to Corvo.” stated Garp
“No way! We’re not allowed! You can’t pay me enough to take me there!” replied
the cab driver
Law raised a brow. Was Corvo really that bad?
But as he said that, he saw a familiar car pull up
“Oh, Cora’s here.”
Luffy blinked, smiling brightly as he opened the cab door
“I want to go say hi!”
“Luffy wait!” said Law as he got out of the car, to chase after Luffy
 
Luffy ran up to the park car just as Cora was getting out of it – somehow
alone?
“Mister Rosisi!”
Cora blinked, laughing as Luffy ran up to him, all smiled
“Hey! I thought you two would be gone by now!”
“I figured you wouldn’t be alone.” pointed out Law
Cora sighed, scratching his head
“Ahh jetlag hit him pretty hard after dinner, so he went right to bed”
“Oh perfect! Sengoku’s kid! Hey, we’re going to need a ride” explained Garp as
he walked up to them carrying his suitcase and apparently tons of grocery bags?
Law didn’t miss how awkward Cora suddenly looked like
“A-Ah?”
“Stupid cab driver didn’t want to take me to Corvo like a freaking coward!”
Law then glared at Cora, suddenly remembering the text
“That’s what you meant-?!”
-when you sent that goddamn text?!
“Haha yeah, sorry, it was sudden, I was shocked myself.”
“You could have asked!”
Honestly! He knew how they were!
“I know, I know, I just didn’t expect it. Lack of foresight, won’t happen
twice.”
“So? Ride or not, Donquixote?!”
What the fuck did he just say?!
“Is it for you, Law?” asked Cora, looking directly and only at Law, grabbing
his arm to center him. Law nodded curtly; frankly he just wanted to be out of
this parking lot, the old man was lucky that Cora had grounded him then and
there
Cora smiled warmly
“I’ll gladly give you a ride – just let me pick up Bepo first, okay?”
“What the hell is a Bepo?” asked Garp, confused
“My brother!” snapped Law, getting irritated; it only made Cora and Luffy
chuckle
“Also Garp, please remember not to call me that name in public” sing-songed
Cora, trying to smile as nicely as he possibly could
“Oh crap – you’re right! I forgot”
Law blinked, it wasn’t malicious? Just…was he just an idiot?!
 
Bepo soon came outside and burst into laughter as he saw the group together.
They were soon herded into the car. Bepo, Luffy and Law sat in the back with
Luffy in the middle. Law couldn’t miss how Luffy kept pressing himself against
him to show something on his phone. Law couldn’t help but notice that Ace had a
ratty old flip phone while Luffy had a really nice up-to-date phone. Was Ace
responsible for the differences in their phones? Law also noticed that Luffy
always made a point to show Bepo as well as Law whatever he was looking at –
but he only pressed himself against Law
“So, these are the two boys you adopted!”
Cora grunted as he kept his eyes right on the road as he drove through town
“Seems Luffy has taken a liking to the moody one.”
Law glared at the back of Garp’s seat, not willing to get into any arguments
right now
Cora nodded again and Law smirked as Garp continued to go on and on about
whatever thought that crossed his mind
Cora was playing mute.
Cora had a tendency when he was dealing with someone unpleasant or he was
forced into a situation with someone he found unpleasant that he would limit
the things he would say or downright not talk to them.
Law blinked, surprised when his screen lit up – notifying him that he had a
message. He quickly checked it, surprised to see it was from Cora himself
 
Cora:
Sorry how awkward this has to be, it would have been better had this monkey not
shown up and ruined your night
 
Law smiled softly at the message – typical Cora, worried about him as usual
“Oye Luffy! Since when did you find out that Sabo wasn’t dead?!”
Luffy blinked, surprised
“Umm, this summer. He had amnesia after the accident and didn’t remember
anything, including us, but when he saw Ace’s billboards, it all came back to
him and he went to find us.”
“Huh, wonder how he survived that”
“He said Dragon saved him”
Suddenly the car stopped as both Cora and Garp turned around to look at Luffy
“Like, Dragon, head of the Revolutionary Army Dragon?!” asked Cora, absolutely
shocked
“That’s right; I forgot he settled around here, did you get to meet your
father, Luffy?”
 “Wait, what?! Luffy’s father is Dragon?!” squawked out Cora, shocked
“Your dad is a mega badass, Luffy?!” asked Bepo, also shocked
“Naw, I didn’t meet him.” replied Luffy, but then he frowned “I’m hungry.”
“A-Ah. Then we might as well get you home, yes.” said Cora as he restarted
driving towards their home
 
Cora soon enough dropped them off at the path that lead to Luffy’s home. Law
paused for a moment, holding his door open until he saw Garp go down the path.
He originally was waiting for Luffy as well, but Luffy was waiting on him. Law
turned bright red before he opened returned into the car to give Bepo a hug.
Cora chuckled softly before Law forced his way between the two seats and hugged
Cora the best he could as well
“Must be nervous, first time away from home since we moved here.” stated Cora,
smiling
“Nngh, just a little, it’s fine, I’m fine.” stated Law, burying his face in
Cora’s chest – what a shitty time for the anxiety to well up
“You’ll do just great, I believe in you Law. I love you and I’ll come pick you
up in the morning, okay?”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to have loads of fun. Luffy’s a good kid and you can tell he
really cares about you.”
“But-“
“You won’t fuck up. And even if you do, I have faith in you that you’ll be able
to fix it anyways.”
“How are-“
“Because I’ve seen you at your absolute worst and I still couldn’t hate you.
Not even a little bit.”
“But you’re you.”
“And I think Luffy and I are more alike than you think. Look! He’s waiting for
you.”
Law turned his head slightly and saw that Luffy was still standing there, at
the start of the path, drawing in the dirt with his finger. Law’s eyes widen
slightly, he figured that Luffy would have just walked away with Garp and he’d
catch up
“Shit! I didn’t think he was waiting!” said Law as he scrambled out of the hug
and grabbed his bag, trying to get out of the car quickly
“Relax, Law! It’s okay! We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Bye Law! Have a fun night and text me the deets!” replied Bepo, smiling
Law nodded, smiling slightly, the anxiety still kinda there and exited the car.
He waved at them as they drove away, not noticing that Luffy was right beside
him, waving as well
“Said your goodbyes?” asked Luffy, smiling brightly
“Uh…yeah.” said Law a little nervously. It was one hell of a long goodbye;
Luffy probably thought he was some sort of baby or something
“I like Mister Rosisi! And Bepo too! You have a really great family, Law, I can
see why you wanted to stay with them a little longer!” exclaimed Luffy as he
took Law’s hand, making the other blush furiously
“Yeah, they’re really great.” replied Law, beyond nervous now. Luffy was being
so touchy and grabby and he wasn’t use to this with people that weren’t Cora
and Bepo and he’s pretty sure he’s going to die at some point tonight
“Now c’mon! Let’s go to my place! Ace told me where he stashed snacks for us!
And you have to meet everyone before we can go to my room since Dadan told me
so!”
“Everyone?! How many people live here?!”
“Umm, like 20 people?” said Luffy as he pulled Law forward, towards the house
“20?!” exclaimed Law, shocked
“Yeah! You’ll see! We’re going to have loads of fun!”
“I…I hope so”
Maybe it wasn’t too late to call Cora back
Chapter End Notes
     Okay! So next chapter we're back to Cora! I hope you all enjoyed the
     dance!
***** – CORA – Someone Has The Makings of A Honeytrap (But I'm a Former Spy So
Screw You!) *****
Chapter Notes
     So here we are at the diner! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“I heard wonderful things about this place, Rosinante. I’m sure you’ll enjoy
it!” declared Sengoku as they walked in
Cora had hoped that Sengoku would have wanted to rest up at home first before
coming over, so that he could give a call to the place and tell them that if
Izo was working that hedidn’t want him to serve them– but nooo, Sengoku wanted
to come right away! Honestly Cora was baffled that they had no issues with him
bringing the goat! Daisy was a sweet thing though
“Konbawa, dear sirs, welcome to Foxfire’s” said an older woman. Cora blinked,
holy crap she was all decked out in an expensive kimono as she bowed to them.
Sengoku and Cora bowed slightly back
“Please, come this way” offered the woman as she led them to an isolate private
room “We are so happy that you have chosen to eat here, Kunrinsuru-san”
“It’s my pleasure, if this place holds up to its reputation; it will have been
worth it.” replied Sengoku as Cora desperately looked around
There was no sight of Izo so far!
“Rosinante! What’s wrong with you?” asked Sengoku, frowning
“A-Ah, this place sometimes has a geisha working, I was wondering if they were
in!” mumbled Cora quietly, hoping that the woman didn’t overhear
“They better be in!” replied Sengoku as they were led inside only to see Izo
kneeling beside the seat of honor. Cora stared at Izo in awe for a moment. Last
time they had been there, Izo was wearing the traditional garbs, now he was in
more ceremonial ones. The wealth of the outfit was apparent and the amount of
jewels and hair decorations was overwhelming
If Cora didn’t know that he was a freaking spy for the Whitebeards, he’d be
almost impressed
“Because I reserved her” finished Sengoku as he kneeled beside Izo, who
automatically poured Sengoku a cup of tea as Daisy settled in the back,
apparently an area with food and pillows had been prepared for her
“I-I see. Haha.” replied Cora as he sat across from Sengoku, kneeling as well
“Konbawa dear sirs. I’m very happy to spend this evening with you.” said Izo,
graceful in every movement he did
“Can you speak Japanese?” asked Sengoku, lifting a brow
«Of course I can, Kunrinsuru-san »
«Excellent, now I’m going to go to the bathroom and I’m hoping to have your
finest sake on the table when I return»
«Of course, Kunrinsuru-san »
Sengoku got up and left the room, quietly sliding the door shut. Cora instantly
sat up, pointing at Izo
 
“Listen and fucking listen good! Don’t you dare repeat a word of what is
discussed here tonight or I swear to god!”
“You think I’m afraid of you?!” asked Izo as he took a pistol out of his sleeve
“How about this – you fuck this up for me and I shoot your daddy dead!”
“Why the fuck do you have a gun?! You know I’m a fucking cop?!” snarled Cora,
furious but also shocked
How dare this tiny upstart?!
“You think I care?! I have freaking Sengoku as a client! I’m the best goddamn
shot in this country! Don’t mess with me! I will fuck him to get information if
I need to!”
Cora paused, frowning
Urgh gawd no he didn’t need that visual
“Ew, please don’t.”
Then Cora shook his head, regaining himself
“I can’t have you knowing secrets!” replied Cora
“Well then don’t say any secrets!” replied Izo, standing up, heading towards
the exit “Not my fault if clients babble private stuff.”
“Geisha’s are supposed to keep secrets!!” yelled Cora as Izo left the room
“That’s literally one of the rules!”
 
Izo soon returned with the sake, pouring a cup for Sengoku as Cora politely
declined, asking for a cup of tea instead.
“Look. How about this. If we talk about anything delicate and your overhear it?
That’s my bad. But if I purposely avoid all topics of the sort-“
“I can’t force you to talk about certain things.” replied Izo, rolling his
eyes, but then he smirked “Actually, pretty sure I can.”
“Izo!”
“Fine fine, I’ll be good. Yeesh, skipped the dance for this, you owe me at
least some juicy news.” replied Izo, rolling his eyes and mumbling under his
breath
Cora’s eyes narrowed at the ‘yare yare dawa’, as if he wouldn’t catch that!
Sengoku then walked in and kneeled back at his seat as Izo sat beside him, Cora
blinked, shocked as Izo went right back into his geisha mode
 
«You remind me of home, dear. Isn’t she beautiful? Rosinante, find yourself a
beautiful woman like this one. What’s your name anyways? »
Cora bit his lip, looking to the side
«No thanks »
«My name is Izo»
Sengoku frowned «Awfully masculine name»
«Well, he is a man» replied Cora nonchalantly, taking a sip of tea
«What?! You are?! »
Izo’s eyes narrowed slightly at Cora, clearly not impressed with him. Izo bowed
deeply at Sengoku
«I hope that doesn’t displease you»
Sengoku blinked and then laughed brightly
«Well I’ll be damned! Rosinante! How did you know?! »
«Mister Trafalgar here has been here before.» replied Izo as he handed the
menus over to Sengoku and Cora
«Also Izo here goes to school with Law and Bepo.» added Cora
«You’re in high school? So young and already a geisha?! » replied Sengoku,
shocked
«I worked very hard to achieve this honor earlier than most. » explained Izo
«Well, I’m highly impressed. But now I’m hungry, can we work on that? »
Izo nodded, smiling softly
«Of course »
 
It didn’t take long until the table was filled with options as they picked and
chose what they wanted. Cora gulped slightly; he could only imagine the bill at
the end of all of this as Izo played the shamisen besides Sengoku
«So, Doflamingo contacted you, huh?»
Cora noticed that Izo froze for a split second, almost missing a note, but
instantly relaxed and kept playing
«Can we discuss that at home? It’s hard to explain without the actually message
and what Law and Bepo found out afterwards.»
Sucker!
«Hmph, fine. Now you mentioned in our last email that there was something you
wanted to ask me?»
Cora stuck a piece of eel sushi in his mouth and sighed, guess it’s now or
never and he didn’t care if Izo overheard this one since he’d be surprised if
the Whitebeards weren’t already all over this
«I was picking up Law and Bepo the other day at school and I noticed something
particular. The secretary? Pretty sure I know her, I’m sure she’s a member of
CP9.»
Cora watched Sengoku carefully as he took a sip of his saké, not looking up at
Cora
«Is that so.»
«Also, I noticed that freaking Sakazuki Akainu is the goddamn principal of
Grand Line High. You cannot for a minute convince me that that ladder climbing
son of a bitch would drop out of the World Government marines to become a
freaking high school principal!»
Sengoku paused, looking up at Cora and frowned sharply
«What are you asking me, son?»
«I’m asking did you place them here? »
Izo paused slightly, surprised at the question
Cora knew what he was doing though. If Izo had this information, Whitebeard
would too. Cora didn’t trust Akainu for a goddamn second and if shit was going
down, he needed to know.
«I’m afraid you’re not privy to that information, Rosinante. »
«Excuse me?! » hissed Cora, shocked
«I moved you here, Rosinante, to keep you out of danger. And I know that if I
tell you, you’re going to get involved and I refuse to see you get hurt over
this.»
«I understand that! But to place agents in my city and not tell me?!»
Cora was beyond insulted now; he couldn’t even put it into words
«Because I know that if I had, you would have stuck your nose into it! I know
what I’m doing Rosinante and part of my job knowing who I should and shouldn’t
keep informed about certain things!»
«Are you saying you don’t trust me?!»
«After that stunt you pulled, can you blame me?! You were almost killed because
you decided to go against my direct orders!»
«Yes, to save Law’s life, which I did!»
«You also blew your mission doing it!»
«To save Law! So now you can’t trust me and you’re placing agents around the
city without telling me?! That’s great!»
“BAAAAHH”
They both turned to look at Daisy surprised as Sengoku growled, and quickly
stood up, fist clenched, looking furious
«I never said I placed agents. That is your assumption and yours alone. I’m
going to make a call, I’ll be right back.»
And then Sengoku left the room
 
Cora snarled, snapping his chopsticks in half and then he gasped, looking at
them in his hands
“Shit! Sorry! I’ll replace them, I-“
Of course he would break the expensive looking chopsticks, shit he’s a mess
right now
“Don’t worry about it.” replied Izo, taking them from Cora and holding them to
his lap “So, not complaining, but what happen to the whole ‘no secret talk’
thing?”
“Because I wanted you to be aware of it.”
“Eh?”
Cora groaned, running a hand through his hair
“Sakazuki…the fact that they placed him raises a lot of red flags. And the fact
that I’m not involved in it also tells me something important – that it
involves minors. I’ll arrest kids, I’ll beat up kids if I have to, but I will
never execute one. Kuzan is rather lenient towards children as well and I don’t
think Borsalino would either. But Sakazuki would, and the fact that he’s placed
in a high school of all places…Shit. I think their target is someone at your
school, so I want you and the others to be on guard. I don’t want some innocent
kid murdered for god knows what reason”
Izo paused for a moment, Cora saw his eyes widen in fear
“So he is after one of us! Pops suspected as much…but…shit. There’s so many of
us it could be too…” trailed off Izo, looking down as he held his hand over his
mouth – Cora couldn’t help but think it looked kinda cute with his sleeve over
his hand
Cora sighed, rubbing his face with his hands “I just…the kids here, you’re all
good kids in general, so the only thing I can think of is –“
Cora paused, jaw slack
Roger’s kid
It would be nearly 18 years now!
“Is what?” asked Izo quietly
“Roger’s kid.” replied Cora, quietly
“I thought that was just a rumour! They never found a pregnant woman or a
child!” pointed out Izo
“The World Government doesn’t think it’s a rumour at all, they had one woman
they suspected but then she disappeared, said to have died in childbirth but
they never found the baby.”
“You think the kid’s in Goa?”
“If they are, they better stay on their guard since the minute the kid turns
18, the Government can’t pursue them anymore, it would explain why so many high
ranking agents are in town.”
Izo curtly nodded “I’ll let Pops know, in case he knows who the kid is!”
“Thank you” replied Cora, smiling softly “And to think we started the evening
threatening each other”
Izo chuckled softly “I’m very glad you’re a good man”
Cora scratched his head “I just find it really dumb to attack kids for their
bloodline, you know?”
“Well, you would know, wouldn’t you?” noted Izo as he stood up “I’ll go get you
more chopsticks, Cora-san”
Cora blinked, blushing brightly. It always caught him off guard to be called
Cora by anyone else but Law and Bepo since it was so…affectionate
 
Sengoku returned a moment after and sat back down at the table
“Where did Izo go?”
“Ah, went to get more refreshments.”
“Hm. I made a reservation at the Goa Grand Hotel. You can bring me there
afterwards.”
What?!
“Otosan! You’re not serious.”
“I’m furious right now, Rosinante. I’ve never had you raise your voice to me
like that!”
“So you don’t want to see me?”
“I need some time to think.” stated Sengoku, taking a sip of sake
“Fine. But I’m picking you up bright and early in the morning so that Law
doesn’t know you ditched us for the night.” replied Cora, trying to keep his
voice stable
“What does that have to do with anything?” asked Sengoku, clearly irritated
“He already thinks ill of you because you haven’t visited in this past year.”
admitted Cora, accepting the chopsticks that Izo gave him as he walked back in,
but before he had a chance to sit down, Sengoku signaled to him
“I want the bill please.”
Izo nodded, leaving the room once more
“I needed time. You clearly disobeyed me and it almost led to you dying. The
last thing I wanted to see was the boy I spent nearly 20 years raising in a
hospital bed with machines beeping and being told that his body might reject
his new heart, riddled in bullet holes when all of this could have been avoided
had he just listened!”
“But Law would have died!” replied Cora sternly “He was dying in my arms! I
didn’t have the time or the luxury to wait for another day or two for you guys
to maybe get the cure! I needed to save him!”
“He wasn’t your responsibility, Rosinante!” said Sengoku, banging his fist on
the table
“And I wasn’t yours! And you still took me in and made me your responsibility!
As I did with Law!” snapped back Cora
Sengoku blinked, sitting back, surprised, then he chuckled, rubbing his temple
“I guess we’re much more alike than I thought. Fine, come get me early tomorrow
morning, I still have things to do and I feel we’d both if we spent the night
calming down.”
Izo soon returned and Sengoku stood up, taking the receipt as Daisy got up from
her spot and trotted up to her master
“I’ll pay for that. Rosinante, let’s go.” Then Sengoku stopped, turning towards
Izo “You were absolutely lovely, I will recommend this place to everyone and
anyone I can.”
Izo smiled, bowing “Thank you very much, sir.”
Cora got up, about to leave the room when Izo caught his wrist, carefully
slipping something in his hand
“In case you ever need it.” whispered Izo before turning around and going to
clean up the room
 
Once outside, Cora pulled out the piece of paper and was surprised to see a
phone number with the name Marco’s main # scribbled on top
Well I’ll be damned
 
Cora drove Sengoku and Daisy to the hotel and Sengoku in his turn promised to
be ready and at the door at 7am so that Cora could pick him up.
He sighed, looking at his watch, it was much too soon to go pick up Bepo, but
he didn’t want to be home alone right now. It was moments like these that Cora
really wished he had friends outside of work. Not knowing where else to go, he
drove to the police station. Cora figured he could get some work done if he was
just waiting anyways.
Cora carefully opened the door and walked into the station, instantly all eyes
were on him
“How come you’re here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Sengoku?” asked Bellemere
as she stood up, concern all over her face
“I…Yeah, that’s yeah, Tashigi if you want, you can take a huge break, I’ll keep
working until 9 or so.” replied Cora, dejected
“What happened?” asked Tashigi quietly
“I got into a huge fight with him and he’s spending the night at the hotel.”
replied Cora, a little embarrassed right now
“Was it worth it?” asked Bellemere in a soft voice
Cora blinked, confused
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I get into a fight with Nami or Nojiko, afterwards when we’ve both
cooled down, I ask them ‘was this worth it’. In the sense of, was getting this
angry worth the fight. If it wasn’t, we apologize and it’s over but it they say
it was worth it, this means to me that this is something very important to them
and I need to listen more and we need to calmly discuss it.”
Cora paused, mulling it over
Was it worth it? Of course it was!
“Of course, it was about Law, I-“
“No need to defend yourself, Rosi. If you feel it was worth it, keep that in
mind and remind yourself that it was when you see him next. If he’s not willing
to understand that it’s important to you, that’s not your fault”
Cora smiled brightly, his friends were the best!
“Thank you, Bellemere! I feel much better now”
Bellemere chuckled
“Anytime, Rosi”
 
Cora wasn’t sure how he wound up giving a ride to freaking Garp of all people –
or that he wound up driving to the freaking Corvo district. But it was for Law
and Luffy had been super cute with his nickname for him – why are the teenagers
in this town so cute?!
But Garp was rambling on and on about god know’s what, so Cora did the one
thing he got really good at when he was undercover
Pretending he was a mute
If he learned anything is that when hotheads are just blowing air like this –
they don’t actually want an answer or an input, they just want to talk. So Cora
learned that by nodding and grunting, he didn’t actually have to engage
Thank god
A part of him felt kinda bad, Garp wasn’t a bad person per say, but he was a
truly irritating one but he could clearly see that Law was getting beyond
irritated and was about to say something. This must be so awkward for Law. The
boy just wanted a night with his crush and he had been so excited about it and
now this awkward scene. At the red light, he stuck his hand in his pocket and
Cora typed up a fast text. Another skill he had learned while undercover
because if he couldn’t physically talk, he had to be able to communicate
somehow and writing things out on your phone was easily the best way! Thank god
he got the idea from that one anime years ago!
 
“He said Dragon saved him”
Cora hit the brakes instantly, shocked at what he just heard.
“Like, Dragon, head of the Revolutionary Army Dragon?!” asked Cora, absolutely
shocked
“That’s right; I forgot he settled around here, did you get to meet your
father, Luffy?”
WHAT?!Wait, Bellemeres had mentioned this – the Marine who defected was
Dragon!? Holy fucking shit! Was Luffy who the World Government was after? Not
Roger’s son as Cora first though?!
 “Wait, what?! Luffy’s father is Dragon?!” squawked out Cora, shocked
“Your dad is a mega badass, Luffy?!” asked Bepo, also shocked
Bepo no!
“Naw, I didn’t meet him.” replied Luffy, but then he frowned “I’m hungry.”
Cora blinked, Luffy was clearly trying to change the subject, and he might as
well help the poor kid out
“A-Ah. Then we might as well get you home, yes.” said Cora as he restarted
driving towards their home
 
Soon enough they got to the path leading to Luffy’s house. Cora frowned
slightly, a little frustrated that he couldn’t see the house from here. His
protective instincts were telling him to see the house before he let his kid
go, but damnit. He couldn’t justify it without embarrassing Law. Garp quickly
got out of the car with his bags of groceries, Bepo moving to let Luffy out as
well and sat back into the car. Law had stepped out but he soon blushed
furiously as he dove back into the car to give Bepo a hug.  Cora chuckled
softly before Law forced his way between the two seats and hugged him the best
he could as well
Oh of course! Why didn’t he think of this?
“Must be nervous, first time away from home since we moved here.” stated Cora,
smiling
“Nngh, just a little, it’s fine, I’m fine.” stated Law, burying his face in
Cora’s chest . Cora frowned slightly, looks like Law was having a slight panic
attack
 “You’ll do just great, I believe in you Law. I love you and I’ll come pick you
up in the morning, okay?”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to have loads of fun. Luffy’s a good kid and you can tell he
really cares about you.”
And he clearly did, it was so hard to miss how physically affectionate Luffy
had been with Law
“But-“
“You won’t fuck up. And even if you do, I have faith in you that you’ll be able
to fix it anyways.”
“How are-“
“Because I’ve seen you at your absolute worst and I still couldn’t hate you.
Not even a little bit.”
“But you’re you.”
Law really needed to stop making Cora this separate entity – separate from the
rest of the human race! Then Cora looked out the window and smiled
“And I think Luffy and I are more alike than you think. Look! He’s waiting for
you.”
Law turned his head slightly and saw that Luffy was still standing there, at
the start of the path, drawing in the dirt with his finger. Cora could see the
look of surprise on Law’s face
Please see your worth, Law
“Shit! I didn’t think he was waiting!” said Law as he scrambled out of the hug
and grabbed his bag, trying to get out of the car quickly
“Relax, Law! It’s okay! We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Bye Law! Have a fun night and text me the deets!” replied Bepo, smiling
Law nodded, smiling slightly, the anxiety still kinda there and exited the car.
Cora and Bepo waved back as they drove away. Cora’s heart ached slightly. He
hadn’t really been apart from Law like this overnight in ages but he knows that
Law will be fine and that’s all that mattered
 
“Sooo Bepo” started Cora as he kept driving out of Grayline Terminal
“Yeah?”
“How was the dance?”
“Oh! It was super fun until Garp showed up and started to threaten people and
things but Koala like, kicked his ass! She’s so cool! After that, the dance
kinda dissipated.  Also someone spiked the punch bowl.” explained Bepo
“What?! Did you have any?” asked Cora, he wasn’t mad, just annoyed that someone
had spiked the punch
“No way! I didn’t want my breath to smell like alcohol when I meet your dad!”
Cora winced slightly at the mention
“Uh, I gotta tell you something about that but you can’t tell Law!”
Bepo frowned sharply
“I don’t like keeping things from Law.”
“It’s not bad! I swear!  I just got into a big fight with Sengoku and now he’s
staying at a hotel tonight and I’ll pick him up early in the morning but I
don’t want Law to know!”
Bepo frowned again
“What did you guys fight about?”
Cora bit the inside of his cheek, a part of him wanted to disregard it but they
had agreed to be honest
“He’s…still mad I went against my orders.”
“But you saved Law’s life!”
“That’s what I said! But apparently it was a ‘breach of trust’”
“That’s total bullshit, Cora! You did the right thing! And if he doesn’t
forgive you other this, he’s a butt!”
Yeah, Bepo was right
“Yeah, yeah he is”
It had been worth it
 
Chapter End Notes
     Ooops, trouble in paradise, but alas, what can we do!
     Also I enjoy writing Izo and Cora together more than I ever thought I
     would? Go figure!
     Next week we're back to Ace and his tipsy ass! Also, I promised
     myself at 100k+ posted fic that I'd update my profile, so ah, that's
     there now! Please be kind with me!!
***** – ACE- If You Don’t Want To Be Associated With Comic Book Characters
Don’t Be Yourselves! *****
Chapter Notes
     Is this seriously chapter 31? Holy crap, I'm kinda surprised at
     myself!
     Anywho! Enjoy tipsy!Ace!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Why the fuck is it so complicated getting to this house?!”
Ace knew that it really wasn’t – but his motor memory made him walk towards the
Whitebeard mansion and not to the house across the park
God, he gets to play in the park with Justice tomorrow
Man is he lucky!
Ace finally got to the house and was about to ring the doorbell but then he
paused
What time was it anyways?
What if he disturbed the tenants inside?
What if he disturbed Justice? That wouldn’t be very nice.
He wouldn’t mind disturbing Hina though. Is she even staying here or is she
staying at Tashigi’s?
Urgh, too much thinking
 
“Why the hell are you just standing on my porch?”
Ace blinked, looking at Smoker that was standing there, shirtless, wearing
nothing but sweat pants, holding the door open, and looking not even a
slightest bit impressed with him
God, look at that – is that the beginning of his happy trail?!
ACE! CONCENTRATE!
“So, I had this idea, actually, this idea is Sober Sabo’s idea. Not mine, I had
no ideas”
Smoker frowned more, staring at Ace with scrutiny
“Are you drunk?”
“No! I’m tipsy and it isn’t my fault!” replied Ace, insulted – it really wasn’t
his fault! He just wanted juice! Juice!
“…it’s not your fault?”
“No! Someone spiked the punch and I didn’t realize it until I had downed a
whole glass in one second! I was thirsty! I had been dancing!”
Ace is pretty sure he didn’t need to mime all the actions he mentioned, but
apparently he still did it
“A glass got you drunk?”
“Hell no! I had to down another one when my brother tried to drink some! He’s
15! No drinking for him! He’s a growing boy!”
Smoker snorted, letting Ace into the house
“I said tomorrow morning”
“I know! But I was super afraid of coming late because I’d be sleeping this off
but Sabo then suggested that I just come tonight so that I’m already h-
Justice!”
Ace squealed when Justice trotted up to him. Ace instantly started to pet her,
thrilled out of his mind
“Are you excited! You and me all weekend!”
Smoker smiled fondly, rolling his eyes as he took Ace’s bag from him, setting
it on the table
“Guess I should give you a tour or should I just do it in the morning?”
“Morning please! Not sure how much I’ll retain!”
Ace looked around. It was a really nice house, actually. Didn’t really looked
lived-in, but considering that the Captain was always at work so it made sense
that his house didn’t look too lived in
Ace would change that, yes he would!
“I filled up the fridge and the two freezers full of food. So you should be
fine. Do you plan on staying here all weekend?”
Ace nodded
“Yeah, I have projects that I need to work on and you live pretty close to the
main branch of the library. Is that okay?”
Smoker nodded and then pointing down a flight of stairs
“I have a big library downstairs; feel free to use anything in there. Also I
left you an envelope on the table with emergency numbers and the wifi
password.”
“Bless you”
 
At that moment, Hina emerged from upstairs, wearing nothing but a towel, as she
came down the stairs, patting her hair along the way with another towel
“What is he doing here?”
Smoker grunted
“He didn’t want to be late”
“Hmph! This gorgeous view and it’s wasted on the both of you!” stated Hina,
gesturing to herself
Ace frowned
“Do you want me to take a picture and send it to someone who’ll appreciate it?”
he asked, pulling out his cellphone
Ace knew tons of guys who would love to see this! And Hina looked upset that
neither of them were enjoying the view
Smoker quickly closed the phone, putting his hand over it
“Not a good idea, brat. She is high ranking military personnel.”
“Oh okay! She just looked upset so I wanted to help”
Hina frowned, eyes narrowing and then pointed to Ace
“Is he drunk?”
“Nuh uh! I’m tipsy!” replied Ace frowning, god, people sometimes
“What’s the difference between tipsy and drunk for you?” asked Hina, crossing
her arms at her chest
“Tipsy Ace doesn’t shut up and Drunk Ace is really quiet and wants to make
out.” explained Ace, nodding along
“Do you want to make out now?” asked Hina, smirking
“Well, Chase is right beside me so duh, but I think that doesn’t really count
as the usual feeling, you know?”
Smoker coughed, blushing slightly
“Alright brat, I think it’s time for you to get some sleep.” stated Smoker,
looking to the side
Oh?
Was he upset?!
“Do you want to makeout?”
Smoker snorted
“Naw, naked Hina ruined the mood”
“Fuck you, Smoker!” replied Hina from the kitchen – when did she get over
there?!
Waitaminute! Oh my god!!
“HINA COME BACK!” cried Ace, waving his arms
A disgruntled Hina returned in the living room, holding a beer bottle
“What?”
“I just realized who you remind me of!”
“Oh god” groaned Smoker, pre-emptively rubbing his brow
“What.” asked an irritated Hina, awaiting the worst
“Veronica Lodge!! And Tashigi is Betty Cooper! But there’s no Archie!”
“…Ace what the fuck” stated Smoker, staring at Ace
“No no nono think about it! She’s a rich snooty bitch and Tashigi’s an
innocent, naïve, driven, hard working girl! But they’re hot on each other! Like
it should be! Oh my god, I should write for Archie comics!”
“…I’ll be leaving now.” stated Hina as she made her way to the stairs
“He’s not wrong about you being a rich snooty bitch” stated Smoker, smirking
“Fuck you, Smoker!” yelled Hina as she went up the stairs
 
Oooh there was Justice again! Ace grinned brightly as he crouched down to pet
Justice who was all over him. She was so friendly!
“Is Tashigi here too?” asked Ace, looking up at Smoker, and then smirked – wow,
what a great view!
“No, she’s covering Trafalgar’s shift tonight so that he could see his father.”
explained Smoker as he crouched down to pet Justice as well. Justice though was
revelling in the attention from both of them
“Is Mister Trafalgar’s dad as tall as he is or is he a tiny man?!” asked Ace,
very concerned
He knew Mister Trafalgar was very tall and that Doflamingo was very tall – but
where they all tall?!
“Oh, it’s Sengoku…A military guy. Trafalgar was adopted.”
“…Sengoku as in, head of the Marines ‘Sengoku’?” asked Ace looking at Smoker,
who frowned sharply
“How do you know that?”
“Gramps friends with him, so I met him a few times. I kicked his ankle once
because he tried to put me in a marine t-shirt when I was 6. But now that I
think of it, I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. I think Gramps is trying to
keep us apart.”
“Ah. Right, I forgot that Garp is your grandfather.”
Yo what?!
“Who told you that?!” asked Ace, panicked
“Bellemere.”
“Oh, oh okay then. Yeah, he’s my gramps.”
Smoker raised a brow
“Why did you panic?”
“Well, because you’re an ex-marine, so I figured you knew him or heard of him
and uh, well, he’s Garp. So I didn’t want you to think badly of me because of
my association with him.”
“Alright, I’ll give you that, that’s a legitimate fear” teased Smoker; Ace
chuckled as he kept petting Justice
“Heeey! That’s not nice!”
 “You should really get some sleep, Ace.” reminded Smoker
“I feel fine!” replied Ace more whiningly that he had intended
“Justice needs some sleep, and she won’t until you settle.” pointed out Smoker
Ace frowned; he didn’t want to keep Justice up!
“Okay, I’ll go sleep now. But I gotta change out of this dumb suit” replied
Ace, frowning
“You look very nice in that suit, Ace.” admitted Smoker, giving him the one
over “You know, before it was covered in dog hair”
“The dog hair adds character, my good man!”
“What kind of character?”
“One that plays with dogs”
Smoker frowned sharply before he laughed
“That made no sense, c’mon, let’s get you out of that” he said as he stood up,
gesturing to Ace to get up as well. Ace instantly put his hand the pants pocket
and took out his phone, throwing it in his bag
“Are you trying to undress me, sir? That’s very bold of you!”
“I’ll lend you a suit bag so that you can transport that back to Marco, I’m
assuming he’s going to have it dry cleaned.” replied Smoker, completely
ignoring Ace’s question as he helped Ace out of the blazer and started to
riffle through the pockets
“Heeeey, why you snooping?”
“To make sure your tipsy ass didn’t forget anything in the pockets”
“I didn’t put anything in them!” replied Ace, pouting as Smoker kept riffling
through the inner pocket and pulled out a piece of paper
“Is that so? Then what’s this?”
Ace blinked – he didn’t put anything in his pockets! He was sure of it! Oh
shit! Maybe Sabo slipped him something! Ace quickly took the note from Smoker
and opened it up and frowned
“This sir, seems to be a credit card receipt and I don’t own one of those fancy
things because I don’t have credit” pointed out Ace, grinning – he was correct!
He didn’t put anything in his pocket!
Smoker looked at the receipt for a moment and then his eyes shot open
 
“…can I keep this receipt?”
Ace frowned, what?
“Why?”
“Do you…Did you not notice who signed this?”
Ace frowned again, looking over the receipt
“This is a receipt for …booze. Looks like they bought fancy named rum.”
“No, Ace, the signature!” said Smoker, Ace lifted a brow, he seemed awfully
excited about it
“This says…”
Oh fuck no!
FUCK NO!
MARCO IS FUCKING DEAD!
“ROGER D.GOL?! SERIOUSLY!? I’M WEARING HIS FUCKING SUIT?! BLEAH!”
Smoker snatched the receipt out of Ace’s hand as Ace quickly stripped down to
his orange boxers with a blue Paisley design on them, throwing everything on
the floor and kicked it
“Curses! I’m fucking cursed!”
“So…I can keep this?”
Ace blinked, looking at Smoker confused, and then he narrowed his eyes
“Why do you want it so bad?”
“No reason.”
Wait – what if?
“Lies! Are you…a fan? A Roger fanboy?”
Smoker paused, looking a little guilty as he blushed, looking to the side
“I amfrom Loguetown.”
“Oh my god!”
“Don’t judge me! He’s like a…hometown notorious celebrity or something!”
“Oh my god, you fanboy over Roger! Where were you when he was executed?! You
fanboys always seem to remember exactly where you were!”
“…watching it in the town square as it was televised live.”
“Oh my god!!”
“Stop that! Go to bed!” growled Smoker, completely embarrassed as he pointed to
the couch
“But you’re a cop!”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t be intrigued by the man! Exactly, because I’m a cop! I
should know of all the great criminals!”
“Wow, weak defense there, Chase!” teased Ace, grinning – he didn’t know why
this was amusing him so much! Usually this kind of news would seriously piss
him off, but right now, he found it kinda endearing
 
“What are we embarrassing Chase about?” asked Hina as she walked back in, now
in a tank top and her underwear – Ace was surprised she was wearing boy shorts,
he always expected her to wear those weird lacy things
“He’s a Roger D Gol  fanboy!” stated Ace as he pointed to Smoker who was
completely embarrassed at this point
“Hahaha, you told him, Chase?! You loser, that’s not something you tell someone
unless you’re married to them already and they can’t escape!” replied Hina,
laughing
“I didn’t tell him! He had a signed receipt by Roger in his pocket!” explained
Smoker, pointing to Ace.
Hina blinked slowly, turning towards Ace
“Why did you have that?”
“Uh, I didn’t, the suit did, duh.”
“Where did you get Roger’s suit?” asked Hina again, then he felt her eyes on
him “Also why are you in boxers in the middle of the room?”
“I could ask you the same, underwear girl!” replied Ace, not wanting to answer
the question about the suit
“Answer the question about the suit.” stated Hina, frowning sharply – figured
that didn’t work with a military whatever the hell she is
“I don’t know. We just have lots of suits at the house and this one fit me.”
admitted Ace, wanting to drop the topic, he just gets so riled up whenever
Roger is mentioned and he didn’t need Chase to see that but his tongue felt
loose and now he felt like there was a chance that Chase wouldn’t care
Oh my god, maybe Chase wouldn’t care!
“So you had no idea?” stressed Hina, her face calm and hard to read
“No. I didn’t! Not until Chase pulled that out of my pocket now he can keep
it!”
“Good. You weren’t getting it back anyways” mumbled Smoker, still red as he
carefully placed the receipt in a small box on his bookcase
“You can keep the suit too! I don’t want it!” whined Ace, frowning as he
crossed his arm
“Shouldn’t all you gang kids worship Roger or something?” asked Hina, lifting a
brow
“No.” replied Ace curtly, not happy with the topic on hand
“Okay. Enough of this, Hina, hit the sack; I’ll go sleep myself after I put
this one to bed.”
“Not inviting him to your bed? He’s probably willing to do anything by now,
why, apparently when he’s drunk, he’s more affectionate” teased Hina, smirking
“No thanks. I have this thing where I enjoy both parties being sober when I
have sex, wild I know.”
Sex?! What?!
“That’s not what I meant, Chase, and you know it”
“We’re having sex?!” replied Ace, surprised, he wasn’t expecting this!  Shit!
He’s never had sex! What if he fucks up?! Was he ready for sex?! This was too
fast! Shit! Is this how adults did it?! Maybe experienced ones!? Fuck! FUCK!
“No, no we’re not” replied Smoker as he led Ace to the couch and sat him down,
Justice quickly plopped down on the couch besides Ace
“Oh hullo! Are we sharing a bed tonight? Won’t that make Chase mad? Are you
cheating on him with me?!” Ace asked Justice as he scratched her behind the ear
“She probably likes how warm you are.” answered Smoker, giving Ace a blanket
and a few pillows that Ace didn’t see where he got from
“What?! Someone else who just uses me for my body heat! Oh well, your cute,
I’ll accept it” said Ace, nodding
“Go to sleep, Ace.”
“Wait! I have…I have a question. Don’t think too much about it, okay?”
Guess there was no harm in asking?
“Bathroom is literally around the corner there.”
Good to know, but -!
“No, no, not that! It’s, I have a question for you, and I know it’s weird, but
please listen?”
Chase frowned, sitting down on the end of the couch, scratching Justice behind
the other ear
“Go ahead.”
“Let’s say, hypothetically, if Roger had a child.”
“You know the World Government thinks he did have a child, right?”
“Yeah, my Gramps told me” said Ace as he pulled the blanket over himself “But,
if he did have a child…What would you think of that?”
“Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
“I’d pity the child.”
“Pity?” asked Ace, surprised – he’s heard many things, but pity was never one
of them
“Yeah, having people talk shit about your dad your entire life, never having a
chance to meet him, people wanting you to be hurt or dead because of some
shitty probably false story they heard about their dad. I’d feel pity since
this kid would feel so much hate, for no real reason.  Fundamentally, the sins
of the father are not the sins of the child”
Ace nodded, smiling slightly to himself
“You’re a good man, Chase.”
Smoker sighed, ruffling Ace’s hair
“I try my best. Goodnight, Ace.”
“Goodnight.”
Ace watched as Smoker turned off the lights and headed upstairs, he waited a
few moments until he was sure Smoker was good and settled in his room and in
the absolute darkness of the room, he pulled Justice into a hug, and broke
down, crying into the warm fur, as quietly as he could.
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     If you're wondering where I got the fanboy thing, it's because Smoker
     is a fanboy, not in extreme though, but he does have a lot of respect
     for Roger, even in the canon! He goes to a bar called Gold Rogers, he
     purposely went to his execution and also he just had a really high
     regards for him (which is probably why he's so rough on pirates he
     thinks are 'cowards' compared to Roger) - so I wanted to integrate
     this here because I think it's super interesting - but he's also VERY
     embarrassed about it here!
     Next chapter is Law and Luffy's night!
***** –LAW- This Scene Needs An 80’s Ballad (But Nobody Can Have A Boom Box)
*****
Chapter Notes
     A little early this week! It's cold and I just want to curl up and
     read so I figured you guys might want to as well! Enjoy this chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Why do you have so many people living at your house?” hissed Law, digging
through his bag as he picked up clothes to get changed into
“Huh? I don’t know! It’s always been like this! I was the last one to join
here” explained Luffy as he started to strip off the suit and clumsily, but
carefully trying to fold every piece
“Here, I can do that.” said Law as he turned, grabbing the pieces and started
to properly fold the suit for Luffy
“Thanks! Sanji lent that to me and I don’t want him to get it back all
wrinkled!”
“He has to dry clean it anyways, Luffy, I don’t think it matters much.”
Luffy frowned slightly
“Really?! Because Nami told me that she’d fold it for me for 10$ a piece!”
Law stared blankly at Luffy – was Nami a con artist?
“It really doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, okay.” Then Luffy looked toward’s Law’s bag and made a surprised noise
“You brought wine? You don’t seem like the type! I thought you’d drink more
like whiskey or rum like Zoro does!”
Law frowned sharply, turning around – he hadn’t brought wi-! There was a bottle
of wine in his bag?!
“Oh what the he-!” Law went to his bag and pulled out the bottle of wine, it
looked like it had been tucked into his things so that it wouldn’t make any
noise – and a box of fancy chocolates?! Who would-
Cora!
“Urgh, my dad packed this for your family?” offered Law, holding both items,
are you serious, Cora?!
“Okay! Let’s get changed and hand them over! Dadan’s going to love you for it!”
“You sure? She seemed kinda super uncomfortable with me”
 
It had been – an experience
When he and Luffy first got to the house, they had already been in mass panic
because of Garp’s presence, apparently nobody had expected him?
So the household was already in full blown panic, tripping over themselves to
accommodate Garp that when Dadan had spotted Law and asked who he was and Law
told introduced himself – she had panicked again
Apparently being an ex-member of the Donquixote gang was a thing that was known
to her so she lost her shit before running off somewhere, saying they needed to
prepare
It was…unsettling
 
“Aww don’t worry about Dadan! She freaks out over anything!” reassured Luffy as
he quickly got changed into a simple t-shirt and ripped pair of jean shorts
Luffy then walked back and plopped down on the bed, looking at the ceiling
“Are you going to get changed?”
Law blinked, gathering up the rest of his clothes
“Uh, yeah, is there a bathroom nearby?”
“It’s back downstairs, but you can get changed here, it’s okay!”
Law frowned sharply at that idea
He didn’t mind at home, but here…here was different. Luckily most of the
pigmentation in his skin returned after he recovered from his disease but not
all of it, so there was marks all over his body, faint marks, you probably had
to get really close to see it, but it still made him really self-conscious. One
day, he wanted to cover his body with large tattoos to distract from the uneven
skin tone
“Ah…I’d rather go to the-”
“I’ll step out!” offered Luffy as he hopped off the bed and opened the window,
quickly climbing out
Law blinked, surprised as he ran up to the window, trying to see where Luffy
was, only to see his feet above his head
“I’ll meet you up there?” offered Law, relieved that Luffy was looking up at
the stars and then back down at Law, smiling – at least he didn’t seem mad
“Sure!”
 
Law quickly got changed into his favourite yellow hoodie and a pair of black
sweatpants and quickly joined Luffy on the roof. Luffy smiled brightly as Law
joined him, sitting down beside him.  Even if Luffy lived in a real shithole,
the view of stars was gorgeous out here
Luffy then suddenly stood up, walking towards the back of the house on the
roof, and then he made a loud happy noise
“Fire!”
Law stood up, panicking as he went to join Luffy, it did smell like a fire!
Wait
Was that a bonfire?!
“Ooooh!! We’re having a party! Ace is going to be so mad he missed this!”
Law’s stomach sunk, he wasn’t particularly in the mood to socialize right now
Luffy grinned brightly
“Let’s go steal some food and then go back and hide out! We’ll be left alone
since they’re gonna party until daybreak!”
Law blinked, that sounded great!
“And you could bring Dadan your things! She’ll be in a great mood now!”
Law sighed in relief that sounded much better
 
Law and Luffy went back inside to grab the wine and chocolates and made their
way to the backyard where the party was already going into full swing
The music was loud, people were dancing, singing but mostly they were eating.
It seemed that everyone was sitting around the bonfire. Low tables had been set
up and alcohol was freely being consumed among all of that.
Luffy pulled slightly on Law’s arm, tugging him towards Dadan and Garp who were
sitting in the middle of tables
“Hey guys!”
“Luffy! I was wondering when they hell you’re going to show up! See you brought
the moody kid!” pointed out Garp, taking a huge gulp of his drink
“My name is Law.” hissed Law, beyond done with Garp’s antics as he held out the
bottle of wine and the box of chocolates for Dadan
“This is for you, thank you for having me in your home.”
Dadan blinked, looking at Law shocked, not quite sure how to handle the
situation
“…What?”
“This is a gift for your hospitality” replied Law, trying to keep his face from
erupting in a full blush – this was so embarrassing!! She probably thought he
was an idiot! She’d probably laugh in his face, she’-
Is she tearing up!?
Dadan reached over and took the items looking at them in awe
“That is so nice of you!”
“I…Ah, it was my –“
“Sengoku’s kid probably set this up” interjected Garp “That kid’s always been
polite as hell, which is weird considering Sengoku raised him” 
“Sengoku?!” asked Dadan, shocked “What the hell does that old bastard have to
do with this sweet sweet boy?”
“Because Sengoku adopted a war orphan, who in turn, adopted this one” explained
Garp, pointing to Law
“Oh! What Sengoku is your grandfather?!” screeched Dadan in panic
“No! He’s not.” stated Law, firm “I don’t share family with Cora. Cora is the
only one I accept from that family.”
Not Sengoku and especiallynot Doflamingo!
“Is that so?” asked Garp, surprised
“Stop hassling the nice boy, Garp! He doesn’t have to accept anyone he doesn’t
want to as his family”
“Anyways, we’re gonna steal food now and go back to my room!” announced Luffy,
quickly changing the topic
“What?! You don’t want to spend time with me?!” asked Garp, insulted
“Nope! My time is Torao’s tonight! You can have me tomorrow!” stated Luffy as
he grabbed Law’s arm and pulled him towards the plates
 
Law sighed in relief, welcoming the distraction as Luffy handing him a plate.
He wasn’t particularly that hungry, but seeing all that food was kinda insane.
It would explain all the grocery bags that Garp was carrying
“How are you related to Dadan anyways?” asked Law as he and Luffy made their
way back to the house
“I’m not! Gramps just dumped me here as a kid because he was mad that I had met
Shanks.”
“Shanks? Wait, like Red-Hair Shanks?!” There was no way Luffy knew someone so
incredibly high profiles as Red-Hair Shanks, leader of one of the most
notorious gangs in the world!
“Yeah! That’s Shanks! He made base in Windmill district when I was a kid for
like, two years! I used to hang out with him every day!” explained Luffy
happily as he pulled down the ladder for them.
 Luffy gave Law his own plates of food and climbed up the latter, then brought
his hands down to grab the plates to bring them up
“Didn’t you go to school?”
“Naw, I was homeschooled until I was 7. There wasn’t any elementary schools in
the Windmill district at the time and also I didn’t have a legal guardians
except Garp, but he wasn’t really around, so yeah. When I started living here,
Ace would bring me to school, so that’s when I started going!”
Law frowned as he climbed up
“So who homeschooled you? Where did you even live if you didn’t have a legal
guardian?!”
“Makino! And they had a room for me at the community center!” exclaimed Luffy
happily as he put the plates in front of the tv that was set up in front of a
dresser (so Law knew right away that it usually wasn’t there) and then he dug
out snacks from a chest and brought them to the floor where he had put down the
plates
“Is that where you usually store food?”
“Naw, Ace puts things there that he doesn’t want to get stolen.”
Law frowned sharply
“You get robbed often?”
“Huh? Yeah, this place is filled with crooks, but don’t worry, we lock the
hatch at night so nobody can get in here.” explained Luffy happily as he put a
bunch of pillows and blankets on the ground near the plates
Law could feel his stomach drop. What kind of shitty life has Luffy led?
“So, Shanks huh?” asked Law, wanting to change the subject – and boy did it,
Luffy smiled brightly
“Yeah!  He’s so cool! This is actually his hat!” proudly announced Luffy,
pointing to the straw hat on his head “He told me that he’ll come collect it
when I make it out there with my own gang!”
Law blinked, settling down besides Luffy as Luffy started up the Wii U
“Your own gang? Ace told me you weren’t in any gangs?”
Luffy suddenly looked really guilty as he looked to the side
“Eeerr…”
“You’re kidding me! Which gang?”
“The Strawhat gang!”
Wait
What?!
“…I’m assuming you’re the leader?”
“Yep!” replied Luffy, handing Law the controller “Is Smash Brothers okay?”
“Yes. Are your friends all in this gang?”
“Yep! They’re my gang! I also want to recruit Franky, Robin and Brook! They’re
all super cool and awesome fighters!” explained Luffy as he started to devour
his food and somehow start the round at the same time?!
“Franky is a fighter? Miss Robin too?!”
“Yeah! Sabo told me!”
Law was kinda feeling a bit insulted at the idea that Luffy was playing ‘gang’
 
“So, what kind of ‘gang’ related activities have you and your friends done?”
“Umm, we took down Arlong’s gang, we beat up this weird guy who was trying to
kill Usopp’s girlfriend for her money, we beat up a bunch of crooked cops who
tried to hold Zoro hostage, well, I did, we beat up the guy who killed
Chopper’s dad and oh! This one gang tried to take over Sanji’s restaurant and
we beat them up too!”
Law stared at Luffy in shock – he wasn’t playing gang at all!
“Do you want to join my gang?” asked Luffy happily, with a big smile on his
face
Law shook his head, chuckling softly as he started to eat his own food between
playing
“No thanks, I promised Cora I wouldn’t join anymore gangs.”
“Aww that sucks, Zoro told me you were a really good fighter! But it’s okay! As
long as you don’t join another gang, okay?”
“How come Ace doesn’t know about this?”
Luffy frowned for a moment, looking guilty and sighed
“Let me show you something okay?” Luffy paused the round and got up, going to
Ace’s bed and he pulled back the sheets and sticking his hand inside the
mattress?!
“…A hole I guess?”
“Yup!” and then Luffy pulled out a bankbook and opened it, handing it over to
Law, who took it “I found this once while I was looking for hidden snacks, I
asked Nami what it was, and she said it was a bank book!”
“Holy shit, there’s almost 100 grand in there!” Law was totally in shock – why
did Ace have so much money…and under Marco’s name?! Why the fuck does Ace have
a joint account with Marco?!
“Yeah, I asked Sabo about it, and after a while Sabo caved and told me,
apparently Ace has been saving up that money for me, so when he’s gone, that I
could still take care of myself and if I want to go to school or buy a car or
anything, the money would be there for me.”
Law was stunned – that was so incredibly generous of Ace?! But what did that
have to do-
“Ace doesn’t want me to do anything that could get me in legal trouble. So he
said he would do it, so that I don’t have to. He works really hard so that I
don’t. I’m really excited for the day that Ace won’t have to worry about me
anymore! But I need to learn how to make it out in the world by myself, you
know? I can’t wait for the day that someone takes care of Ace for a change!”
 
Law watched as Luffy put the bankbook back inside the mattress and covered it
up
“So he didn’t want you joining a gang. And you did anyways?”
“Nope! He said ‘Luffy, don’t you ever dare join a gang!’ but he didn’t say
‘Luffy, don’t you ever dare start a gang!’” explained Luffy with a big grin on
his face as he sat back down and took his controller
Law followed suite as Luffy unpaused and they continued their battle
“So nobody’s related to Dadan? How come she’s raising you guys?”
“Because Gramps said he’d arrest everyone here if they didn’t raise Ace.”
Okay! Nobody should be this good using Pikachu! What the hell?! And Luffy
picked random, that’s not fair!
“So…they got threatened into raising you two?”
“Uh huh! That’s why Gramps always buys tons of food when he visits, kinda as a
weird thanks, I guess.”
Law frowned slightly; this was a lot to digest. Basically from what he
understood, Ace raised himself because by the sound of it, nobody actually
wanted to raise him. Then Ace in turn raised Luffy and is now doing everything
he can to make sure Luffy has a good life
Yeesh, hope Luffy gets Ace a father’s day card
 
“What happened to Ace’s dad by the way, I know he didn’t want to talk about
it?”
No harm in asking? Right?
“Oh, his dad got executed!”
Law slammed down on the pause button as fast as he could
WHAT?!
“Executed?! Was his dad a big time crook or something?!”
“Well yeah! He was Roger D. Gol!” then Luffy’s face went from a happy one to a
despairing one in a split second, Law could see the regret all over his face
“You didn’t hear that! Pretend you didn’t hear that”
“How can I possibly pretend I didn’t hear that?!”
“Please!! Ace will get so pissed if he found out I accidentally told someone!”
begged Luffy
“Fine. I won’t say anything.” replied Law sighing
Of course he wanted to prod the ever living daylight out of Luffy concerning
this information (Head out of the gutter, Trafalgar!) but he could see that
this was a huge source of anxiety for Luffy right now and he could only imagine
how much it was for Ace, so he’ll drop it
“Thank you, Torao!” replied Luffy, smiling brightly as he hugged Law and
quickly pecked his cheek – making Law turn dark red
“Why did you-?!” asked Law surprised, his hand touching where Luffy had kissed
him on the cheek
“Because that’s what you do when people you like make you happy?”
“Who told you this?”
“Makino!”
This name keeps coming up a lot
“What else did Makino say?”
“That I needed to be upfront and honest with you about how I feel!”
Law was going to die right here
Like an old cartoon, he could feel his heart ready to burst through his chest!
“O-Oh?”
“I really like you Torao, and every time I’m with you, I’m super happy! I’m so
happy you came tonight! I was really afraid you’d say no, which is weird
because I usually don’t feel like that! I’m really happy you came to our school
and we got to be friends!”
Oh,friends, right  - what the hell was he thinking?! He was an idiot!  Luffy
was friendly with everyone! Why would he think for a moment that he was
special?!
 
“Torao, can I kiss you?”
In that moment, Law’s heart completely stopped
“W-Wha?!”
“Sanji told me to always ask first, in case the person says no!”
“I-I-“
Goddamnit Trafalgar! Answer him!
“It’s okay if it’s no!”
“yES!”
Luffy blinked, surprised as Law wanted the ground to open up and swallow him
whole
Why did his voice have to crack nowof all times?!
Luffy chuckled as he took Law’s hand and slowly leaned in. Law could tell that
Luffy was a bit nervous from the grip Luffy had on his hand. Law’s heart was
pounding in his chest as he leaned in, meeting Luffy half way
And they kissed
It was short, just enough to feel each other’s lips. A small, chaste kiss
But Law felt like he was going to explode
Luffy smiled brightly, pulling down on the brim of his hat, trying to hide his
flushed cheeks
“I liked that!”
Law smiled sheepishly, his own face probably on fire right now
“Same”
“Whoah! It’s already that late?!” said Luffy, turning around and looking at the
clock on Ace’s side of the bed- Law isn’t surprised that only Ace had a clock
Huh – It was almost 2am, guess they talked longer than he thought
“Hey Torao?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” asked Luffy, smiling brightly, cheeks still
flushed as Luffy looked a little embarrassed but determined to go through with
this
“Sure” replied Law, realizing that was probably the lamest answer ever – but he
had to try to retain some dignity!
Luffy smiled brightly, throwing himself at Law, hugging him tight
“Yay! I’m so happy! And I don’t have to keep it a secret!”
Huh?
“Who’s keeping their relationship a secret?”
“Ace with Smo-! ACK! You heard nothing!” exclaimed Luffy as he slapped himself
in the face
No
Freaking
Way
“You are bad at this secret thing, aren’t you?” asked Law, chuckling softly
“Just a little! It just slips out! We should go to bed! Didn’t you say Mister
Rosisi was picking you up early tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I have to meet his…dad I guess.”
“Don’t like the guy?”
“Naw, and he’s a stinking marine and I hate them”
Luffy laughed brightly
“Marines suck!”
 
Law and Luffy then took turns using the bathroom and quickly went back
upstairs. Law pulled the comforter, or what the hell was left of it, off Ace’s
bed, getting ready to sleep in it
“Oh! Torao! Ace said it would be better if you slept in my bed! Since it’s
supposed to be really cold tonight and we don’t have heating!”
Law froze, shocked
Ace!?!
Why would you!?
Was he actually going to share a bed with his cr-boyfriend?!
Law swallowed loudly as he slid into the bed, nerves overwhelming him. Was he
really doing this?! There was no way he was really doing this!
“Goodnight, Torao, I’m so happy tonight was so awesome!”
Law smiled softly, his face unable to stop itself
“Goodnight Luffy, thank you for everything.”
Law was in awe at how fast Luffy fell asleep and somehow curled up against him.
Law also wasn’t sure how he would get any sleep tonight with his heart
exploding in his chest as it was right now. He felt like such a nerd getting so
worked up over a kiss
But it had meant so much to him for some reason
It wasn’t the first time someone had wanted to kiss him
When he was in elementary school – there was a stupid kissing game where the
girls kept trying to kiss all the boys. Law started carrying around a dead frog
to teach those girls a lesson
Baby 5 had asked to kiss him once – just so she would know what kissing a boy
was like. But he had threatened to kill her if she tried
This though, this was different. He had wanted the kiss and had gotten it
He couldn’t wait to te-!
Shit! He forgot to text Bepo!
Law send a quick text to Bepo, simply writing ‘We’re officially a couple now
and we kissed’
He really wish he knew a way to make that look less embarrassing, but right
now, his eyelids were getting heavy
Even if Bepo did reply, he’ll just tell him in the morning, right now, he just
wanted to sleep
One thing’s for sure, he wouldn’t get nightmares tonight
But Law wasn’t sure if he could sleep with how hard his heart was fluttering
 
Chapter End Notes
     Wow good job, Luffy, could you blow more secrets?!
     And voila! Both official pairings are together now! We're going right
     back to Ace next week, a now more sober Ace!
***** – ACE – When You Gotta Be The Voice of Reason (Friends Are Lucky I Care!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh beautiful Sunday morning and I'm at someone else's house too
     because Halloween party, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! Ace is up
     and things are gonna get solved!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“How come Ace is already here?”
“He didn’t want to be late, so he slept over”
“Oh that’s smart! How responsible of him!”
 
Ace groaned slightly, opening his eyes as he looked around the room, he was
sure he just heard Tashigi’s voice?
Where the hell was he?
 Oh!
 Yeah! He came over last night!
“About time.” said Smoker, standing over Ace as he still laid on the couch,
Justice still sleeping on top of him
“Good morning to you too, babe.” replied Ace as he started to pet Justice, who
happily wagged her tail at the attention
Smoker rolled his eyes as he took a glass of water off the coffee table in
front of the couch and offered it to Ace who took it
“How are you feeling?”
“M’not hungover if that’s what you’re asking, just groggy from sleep.” answered
Ace as he sat, up, shifting Justice slightly and took a sip of the water
Now, his mouth tasted disgusting, but that was his own fault
“You can use the bathroom to freshen up, I’ll give you a tour of the place
after and your breakfast is in the microwave.”
Ace blinked slowly as he grabbed his bag besides the couch
“You made me breakfast?”
“I didn’t know how you liked your eggs though, so I just did scrambled.”
“I can’t believe you made me breakfast!”
Ace’s heart welled up with joy. It was so dumb, but goddamnit, he was so
touched by the fact that Smoker had made him breakfast
“It’s just breakfast. I didn’t propose.”
“Well if you did now, I would say yes” teased Ace back, making Smoker roll his
eyes
Ace chuckled, standing up as he looked around
“I thought I heard Tashigi’s voice?”
“You did, she’s upstairs with Hina”
“Oooohh”
“They’re packing Hina’s shit! Shut up and go freshen up!”
 
Ace cackled as he went to the bathroom. He took out his small personal grooming
kit and took out his toothbrush and some toothpaste and started to brush his
teeth
Okay.
Sabo suggested he comes here early, which is why he’s here, good. He got here,
petted Justice a lot, okay
Wait, the suit? The suit, oh fuck! Yeah!
It all came back at once
Which included two things; one, apparently Smoker might not care if he was
Roger’s son and two…a picture?
Ace took out his phone from the bag and flipped it open, looking through the
pictures he took and his jaw dropped at the first one that came up
Oh shit
Oh wow actually, um, huh
Yo damn
Ace closed the pictures folder and quickly opened up the messenger and shot
Sanji a quick text, they needed to talk about this for sure
Then he went back to brushing his teeth, finishing up quickly and washing his
face real quick before slipping on the pair of sweat pants he brought along
 
When Ace left the bathroom, he saw the suitcases and duffle bags piled at the
door
“Are you guys about to leave?”
“Not quite” said Smoker as Hina and Tashigi stepped out, making Ace frown,
confused as he pointed at the pair leaving
“Hina wants to buy more smokes before we hit the road. So they’ll be gone for a
good 20 minutes.”
“Is buying smokes code for something?” teased Ace
“Oh shut up.” replied Smoker, making Ace laugh “Now c’mon, I have to show you
the house.”
“Lead the way!”
 
Ace completely underestimated this house. From the outside it looked like a
simple bungalow but holy crap
It had two bedrooms, an upstairs and downstairs office, a workshop, a huge
kitchen (apparently Smoker enjoyed cooking), a big ass yard (fenced off, of
course), three bathrooms (this part blew Ace’s mind the most) and a fully
finished basement that was made into what Ace is going to be calling the
library.
Smoker had clear instructions for him; he wasn’t allowed to snoop (not that it
really mattered considering Smoker had legit safes everywhere and Ace isn’t
enough of a douche to break them) and to basically stay out of his bedroom. He
was given all the important phone numbers and Smoker had apparently changed the
sheets in the guest room so that Ace could sleep there
And yes, the fridge and freezer was fully stocked
 
“Any questions?” asked Smoker as they went back to the living room
Well, Ace wanted to ask if he was allowed to faceplant in Smoker’s bed and
inhale just once but maybe right now wasn’t the time
“If there’s an emergency-“
“Call me, I’ll always have my phone on me.” replied Smoker, instantly
Ace looked up at Smoker; he hadn’t realized that they were right in front of
each other, Smoker’s arms slightly circling his waist as Ace’s did the same to
him. Ace could feel his heart beating hard in his chest as he kept looking up.
Smoker lowered his head as Ace’s raised his and the two shared a kiss for a
moment before pulling apart. Ace couldn’t stop the smile on his face
“Thank you, again, for taking care of Justice. She really didn’t handle the
original trip well and I didn’t want to stress her out.”
Ace smiled brightly “It’s my pleasure, truly. I couldn’t think of a better way
to spend the weekend.”
They both leaned into each other again, sharing another kiss. Ace sighed
happily as they softly kept kissing. He raised his arms slightly, lightly
cupping Smoker’s face, feeling the roughness of his stubble, enjoying every
second of it as he felt Smoker’s arms tighten around his waist. This was so
nice? He wasn’t used to things being so nice like this
 
“Ew how disgusting, someone pry them apart with a crowbar.”
Who the fuck?!
Ace and Smoker broke apart hastily at the comment, turning to look at Hina and
Tashigi who had just walked in
“Hina! You disturbed their moment!” replied Tashigi, slightly embarrassed
“Yeah Veronica!” snipped Ace, a little pissed, remembering what he said last
night
“Hey, don’t you start!” replied Hina, not impressed
“What’s this?” asked Tashigi, looking confused between the two of them
“Last night, his tipsy ass said that I was like Veronica Lodge and you were
like Betty Cooper!”
Tashigi blinked slowly, and then she gasped “Oh! You are! You are like Veronica
Lodge!”
Smoker snorted, trying to contain his laughter
“Excuse me?” asked Hina, looking a little insulted
“Oh course! You’re so confident, and smart, ambitious and so sharp! Also
beautiful and fashionable! Just like Veronica!” and then she chuckled softly “I
guess Betty would suit me well too!”
Hina blushed slightly, surprised at the answer
“Oh, but who would Archie be?” asked Tashigi, curious
“Nobody!” repeated Ace, waving his hand “Nobody fits that bill.”
“Oh good, I always thought he was a jerk stringing along those two girls! I’d
like to think we don’t have anyone like that in our circle of friends!”
“Alright, we should probably get going” said Smoker, picking up the bags
 
It took them not long at all to pack up the car. Ace quietly watched from the
porch with Justice, who was lying down beside him, moping. He was sure she knew
that her master was leaving.
While they did so, Ace looked through his phone frowning – why did so many
people text him last night?
Guess he should check Sabo’s first
 
Sabo:
GARP IS IN TOWN!! HE CRASHED THE DANCE!
 
“Oh god no”
“What’s wrong?” asked Smoker, frowning as he went up the stairs towards Ace
“Apparently Garp’s in town!”
“Yeah, that explains the face you made”
“Apparently he crashed the dance last night after I left?”
“Why do youknow that Garp D. Monkey’s in town? I didn’t know that and I’m
actually in the forces” asked Hina suspiciously
“Oh, Garp’s my gramps.” replied Ace with a nervous smile
Hina’s eyes widen considerably in shock as her mouth dropped
“WHAT!?” cried out Hina, beyond shocked “He has grandkids?!”
 “So why is he in town?” asked Smoker as he lit two cigars and put them both in
his mouth. Ace sighed happily as the smell waved through the air; he’s going to
start getting hard at the smell of cigars, isn’t he?
“Don’t know. Garp doesn’t exactly announce his arrival.” explained Ace
“Feel free to hide here as much as you’d like” offered Smoker, making Ace laugh
softly
“Very appreciated!”
Smoker smiled slightly, removing the cigars from his mouth and leaning down to
kiss Ace softly, surprising the other
“I thought-!”
“This is a sleepy neighbourhood. Nobody’s up at this hour.”
 “Alright Smoker, stop smooching with your boyfriend and get in the car!” said
Hina, pointing to the car as she and Tashigi got in.
Ace felt stupid happy about being called Smoker’s boyfriend, more than he cared
to admit
“Apparently I need to get going.”
“Boyfriend huh?” asked Ace with a shy smile
Smoker shrugged “Hmph, doesn’t bother me.”
“I’ll see you Sunday?” asked Ace with a big smile on his face, Smoker nodded
“Be good and I’ll bring you a present” said Smoker as he scratched Justice
behind the ear
“Oooh a souvenir!”
“I was talking to Justice, but I guess you too. But only if you’re good!”
Ace laughed, shoving slightly Smoker’s arm
“I’ll try my best, now get out of here before she gets pissed”
“She’s always pissed”
“Chase! Wait! I…I know what I’d want”
Was he really going to ask?!
Shit, here goes!
“What?”
“When you come back…Can we spend time together?”
You’re an idiot, Portgas!
Smoker blinked, seeming a little surprised that Ace asked. But then he smiled
softly
“Of course. We’ll spend more time together when I get back”
 
Ace watched them drive away and turned to Justice, smiling
“I have a few things to answer here and then we’ll go play?”
Justice wagged her tail, rubbing her face against Ace’s as he sat back down,
making him laugh as he checked his phone
“Okay, Marco just said the same thing but apparently he needs to talk to me
about something and it’s urgent. Guess we can go cross the park to go see him
later? You wanna do that?”
Ace laughed as she wagged her tail harder – guess she knew what ‘park’ meant!
“Hmm let’s see, text from Luffy, wonder how his night went? …WHAT?! LAW’S HIS
BOYFRIEND NOW?!”
Holy shit
Holy shit!
Luffy has a boyfriend?! Oh my god, his little brother was dating someone!
To think Luffy has a boyfriend at 15 and he only got his first one at 17
Then again, it wasn’t fair to compare, they were two different people and Ace
hadn’t actually met someone he liked enough to want to date until the Captain
anyways
Yeah, he wasn’t behind or anything
Was he?
Then his phone vibrated and Ace looked down – Sanji!
 
Sanji:
Is there any where I could meet you? Are you in town today?
 
Ace smiled, giving Sanji the address for Smoker’s house. Now, he couldn’t
invite Sanji in or anything, but he could meet him outside and they could go to
the park! Two birds, one stone!
 
Ace stretched out his arms, Sanji had agreed to meet him in 20 minutes so Ace
took advantage of that to take a shower. Man, taking a shower in a regular
shower, with privacy did absolute wonders to his body. He wished he had the
nerves to take advantage of said privacy, but he felt that getting off in his
boyfriend’s shower was a bit much.
He soon got out of the shower and quickly dried up as Justice excited the
bathroom with him. Ace felt bad, he knew she was currently stuck on him because
Justice knew her master was gone. Ace scratched behind the ear, letting her
know that her presence was appreciated. Ace quickly went downstairs and dug out
his usual pair of black shirts and a simple yellow short sleeve button up
shirt. He didn’t bother with a shirt underneath today and left it open. People
will just have to deal with his partial nudity. He then put on his usual beaded
necklace, his watch and his bracelet. Ace groaned slightly, he didn’t have room
for his usual hat in his bag, so he’d have to make do without today. But
thankfully he went to the dance with his combat boots, so he had those
available to him.
Ace then quickly ate the breakfast Smoker had made for him. It had very
generous portions and Smoker had prepared him a full pot of coffee. Clearly Ace
had found the One!
Just as he finished getting doing the dishes, he heard the doorbell ring
Ace frowned; it took much longer than that to get here from the Baratie?
Ace grabbed Justice’s leash and Justice ran to the door, wagging her tail
excitedly. He laughed, clipping on her leash and grabbed one of the many balls
by the door. Ace laughed again, Smoker clearly spoiled her rotten!
Ace opened the door to a very surprised Sanji – who instantly looked down at
Justice
“Hey! Thanks for meeting me! I’ll be out in a second!” said Ace as he sat down
to put on his boots as Sanji watched him carefully and petted Justice
“So…not to pry, but you’re not in the middle of something illegal here, are
you? Who’s house is this?”
Ace barked a laugh; of course everyone thought he was doing shady stuff!
“No, no, I’m dog sitting this little lady for the weekend, meet Justice!”
explained Ace, making Sanji smile as he kept petting Justice
“Ahh that explains it! Aren’t you a beautiful girl?” cooed Sanji as he crouched
down to keep petting Justice, who clearly revelled in the attention
“Do you mind if we walk her while we talk?”
Sanji shook his head, smiling
“Not at all”
 
“Sooo, not to pry, but isn’t that what you were wearing at the dance last
night?” asked Ace, smirking slightly. He clearly saw Sanji winced at the
mention of his clothes. He still had on the dress pants, belt and dress shirt
he was wearing yesterday, but it was now wrinkled and his tie was loosely
hanging around his neck.
“Ah, yeah, I didn’t go home last night” admitted Sanji as he sighed. He put his
finger in his mouth for a moment and then held it up, checking the direction of
the wind. Looking satisfied, he dug a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and
put one in his mouth, lighting it up
“Oh ho ho ho, big night for mister Blackleg?” teased Ace as Justice happily
trotted alongside the sidewalk besides them. Ace was glad that Sanji had made
sure that the wind wouldn’t blow smoke in Justice’s direction
Sanji flushed furiously, shaking his head
“No, no I didn’t - ! We didn’t! Urgh, you said you had something to show me?”
asked Sanji, clearly trying to deflect the question
Ace nodded, sticking his hand in his pocket, pulling out his phone
“So, last night, my tipsy ass snuck out and uh, I came across something
interesting and apparently decided it was a great idea to take a picture, so
here” explained Ace as he handed the phone over to Sanji who looked confused
And then he looked mortified
“Fuck! Shit! Fuckity shit fuck!” cried out Sanji
“Well, if you ask me, yeah, fucking is where that looked like where it was
heading”
“Did you-?!”
“No, not a single person has seen this photo but the two of us. Nobody. So,
it’s your call to decide what you’re going to do with it. You want to delete
it, go ahead. You want to keep it, go ahead, you want to send it to yourself,
that’s fine, just…I wanted it to be your decision.”
Sanji frowned slightly, thinking over his decision and Ace watched him press
buttons, not sure what Sanji decided to do and then Sanji handed over the
phone. Ace saw that the picture was now deleted
Sanji chewed quietly on his cigarette until he pulled it out of his mouth to
exhale
“I…sent it to myself. In case you want to know.”
Ace smiled, satisfied
“Soo…are you two?”
“No! No. We’re, I …I don’t…I don’t know. I just…I don’t think it’s a good
idea.” explained Sanji, frowning. Clearly this has been frustrating him for a
while
“Why not? I think you two are very good together and clearly you’re both really
into each other”
“It’s not that simple, Ace. I, I’m not someone who should be getting involved
with anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
Sanji plopped down on the nearby bench, looking honestly wrecked. Ace frowned
sharply, sitting down beside him as Justice trotted up to Sanji, nuzzling his
leg, knowing he was distressed
Man she’s a great dog!
“Can I tell you something, Ace? But you can’t tell anyone?”
Ace nodded, leaning forward, hands on his knees
“Of course you can, Sanji”
“I’m…more or less a fugitive. Except not? My…urgh, I don’t even know what to
call them, but they told me to leave and never come back and that I wasn’t
allowed to associate myself with the family name anymore. So, even though, I’m
free from them…I still feel like they’re this big shadow in my life and I’m
terrified of them one day coming back because they suddenly have a use for me.”
Ace stared at Sanji, shocked. Granted, yeah, he always knew that Zeff had
adopted Sanji, but he figured that Sanji was just an orphan? Not that he got
basically thrown out!
“How old were you?” asked Ace, quietly, wanting more info, but he didn’t want
to upset Sanji anymore than he currently was
“I was 8.”
Ace could feel the rage burning inside of him
“They kicked you out at 8!?”
Sanji nodded, sighing as he exhaled “My…’father’ had deemed me useless. So
yeah.”
“So…Why would it be a problem if you and Zoro dated? Like, how would this cause
a problem?”
Sanji was silent for a moment, and then he bit his lip
“If they decide that they need me for something and I’m not ‘available’…They
might try to kill him.”
 
Ace blinked slowly, trying to register what Sanji just said to him
“What? What kind of family is this?! Who are these people?!”
Sanji looked at Ace, clearly hesitant to admit this information
“You can’t tell anyone! Ever!”
“I won’t! I promise!” Ace could feel his arm hair rising, this was so nerve
wrecking!
“My birthname is Sanji Vinsmoke, royal prince of the Germa kingdom”
“Get the fuck out of town!” cried Ace, shocked as he stood up “No fucking way!”
Sanji just looked at Ace sadly. Shit, Ace now felt like a total ass. He hated
when people did that to him when they found out about Roger. Ace sat back down,
pulling Sanji into a sideways hug
“I’m sorry, I was just really surprised. I didn’t think you were from a royal
hitman princely legacy, Sanji”
Sanji sighed and smiled weakly
“Surprise?”
Ace then chuckled softly
“I didn’t realize we were so alike, Sanji.”
“Huh?”
Ace smiled softly, he owed Sanji at least this much for the bomb he just
dropped
“…Portgas isn’t my birth name. The reason I can’t get a social security number
is because of my actual birthname, so I’ve been going by my mother’s family
name since I was a kid.”
“What?” said Sanji, utterly surprised
“My birth name is Ace D. Gol”
Sanji stared at Ace, completely shocked, jaw lacked. He almost lost his
cigarette but reacted fast enough to catch it
“No…No way, you’re…How are you related to-?” asked Sanji, amazed
“I’m his son”
“You’re Roger D Gol’s son?!”
“Yeah”
“Did you…Didn’t he get executed over 18 years ago?! How is that-?”
“My mom was pregnant with me when he was executed.” explained Ace quietly “He
was aware of it though, because he picked out my name.”
“That’s…That’s incredible, Ace. But…I thought they were trying to execute all
the family members?”
“They are” replied Ace, smiling weakly
“Ace. You’re in danger!”
“Yeah, until I turn 18.”
Sanji smiled slightly at Ace
“I guess we are the same in some way.”
“Honestly Sanji? I wouldn’t stop yourself from being happy because of a
possibility. And it’s Zoro, I feel like Zoro’s got this if someone ever tried
to attack him. I think he’d enjoy it honestly”
Sanji laughed softly
“That brute? Probably” replied Sanji, smiling softly to himself
Ace smirked, elbowing Sanji softly
“You liiiike him”
“Shut up”
“You want to kiiiisss hi- oh wait, you did”
Sanji made an irking noise and softly shoved Ace’s arm as Ace laughed
“Shut up! You’re one to talk, crushing on the chief of police like that!”
“Hey man, that one isn’t a secret! And I think I’m doing pretty well
considering Justice is his dog”
Sanji paused, looking at the dog that had lain on the ground, enjoying the sun
“She’s -!”
“Yeah, she’s Captain dog! Justice is a retired police dog, so now she’s just
lovely”
Sanji nodded as he reached over to scratch the top of Justice’s head, which in
turn wagged her tail happily
“Want to keep walking around?”
“Sure”
 
“Sometimes Ace, I think you’re some sort of witch”
Ace blinked, confused at the comment
“I have heard many things thrown my way, but not witch – are you offering to
become my familiar?”
“It’s just, you have this ability that just loosens the tongue and makes me
spill out everything. I can’t seem to keep secrets around you”
Ace chuckled
“It’s because fundamentally I’m not in your main circle of friends, so it’s
easier to talk to me, like it would between coworkers and stuff” explained Ace,
not the first time he’s been told this
“I guess that’s true.”
“So, you gonna make a move?” asked Ace smirking, he was probably way too into
the idea of Zoro and Sanji dating to be honest, but it’s only because he
thought they’d be cute together!
“On Zoro? No, I don’t know. But not out of cowardice, I just think it would be
weird for us. Could you imagine? A big declaration of love to Zoro Roronoa of
all the goddamn people”
Ace chuckled, it actually sounded pretty funny
“Well, I wish the two of you luck. You seemed to enjoy each other verymuch the
other night”
Sanji rolled his eyes, taking another drag of his cigarette
“Be quiet. By the way, heard about Luffy?”
“Of course I heard about it.”
“And?”
“Honestly? It’s weird. He’s my little brother; the idea of him dating is just
so…alien to me”
“Especially to Law of all people, he’s such a serious, brooding person. But it
was super cute to see Luffy falling for him though.” said Sanji, smiling “And
it proved your point”
“My point? Which one, I make a-many points!”
Ace smiled, he liked when Sanji laughed
“The one about Luffy not caring if I was into men too”
“Oooh look at you, being able to admit you’re into men” teased Ace, making
Sanji roll his eye, well the visible one
“Oh shut up, it’s hard to deny it now. But it’s…a very selective thing.”
Ace laughed, he was feeling much better now, but then he noticed his watch
“Shit, I have to go to see Marco now”
“Begone Ace, I should head to the Baratie myself. The old man was fine with me
missing the morning rush, but he won’t be if I miss the lunch rush.”
“Alright, you take care, Sanji”
 
Ace crossed the park and soon entered the Whitebeard’s estate grounds from the
back and opened the back gate. He really hoped that Smoker wouldn’t mind him
bringing Justice to the Whitebeard mansion but it’s not like he was bringing
her inside?
Marco stood up from the large gazebo in the backyard; he closed the large
binder he had on his lap. Ace could only guess that he was balancing the books
or something
“You wanted to talk to me or something?”
“You brought his dog?” stated Marco, smiling as he went forward to pet her as
well
“Yeah, he lives across the park and I had to talk to Sanji for a bit so yeah”
“Saw him making out with Zoro too, huh”
Ace froze slightly – shit!
“Oh, so does everyone know?”
“Anyone who went out the back knows. But it’s not being discussed, I’ve kept an
eye on the usual gossiping sites on social media. Speaking of, nice picture you
took of you and Justice for your Instagram this morning, but did you have to
say ‘My girlfriend for the weekend’ as the caption?”
“We are in love and we’re going to elope, you can’t stop us!”
Marco snorted, rolling his eyes
“So, how come you wanted to meet in the garden?” asked Ace, looking around
“Izo came back from the restaurant with some rather alarming news.”
Ace frowned sharply
“What?”
“Apparently, our assumptions about Sakazuki were correct. He is still an agent
of the World Government. Not only that, apparently the secretary as well is an
agent of CP9. Rosinante told Izo that he highly suspects that they’re planted
here because they’re looking for someone, and he suspects it’s you.”
“Me?!”
“Well, Roger’s kid.”
Ace’s stomach sunk. No! Not now! Now when things were going so well!
“Why did Rosinante tell Izo that anyways?! Why would he even say stuff like
that?”
“The reason Izo skipped the dance last night is because Sengoku was a special
guest at the restaurant. Izo was hoping to get some sort of info from him but
got it from Rosinante instead who went with him.”
“Why was-“
Wait! Smoker told him this!
“Because Rosinante was adopted by Sengoku. Instead they got into a fight
because Sengoku refused to tell him why there were agents all over town, so
this was Rosinante’s deduction and it would make sense. They are planted at our
high school.”
Ace sat down on the bench, feeling the colour drain from his face. Holy crap,
they were after him
“What can I do?” he asked Marco meekly
Honestly Ace was really upset. Is that why Garp was in town? To warn him? Or
did he not know? Or did he know and didn’t say anything?!
“Honestly? Nothing. They have no way of proving that’s who you are, but who
have you told so far? We need to know exactly who knows so that way nobody else
can know.”
“Um, Garp, Luffy, Sabo, Dadan –“
“Just Dadan or everyone?”
“Just Dadan. Garp made sure of that”
“Good, continue.”
“You, Pops, Koala knows I think –“
“She’s an information broker though, she won’t reveal that one.”
“And Sanji, since I told him today.”
Marco frowned
“Why did you tell him?”
“Huge secret for a huge secret.”
Marco lifted a brow, clearly not understanding it, but shrugged, knowing Ace
wouldn’t tell him anyways
“And that’s it?”
“Yeah, unless Luffy blabbed to someone.”
“Think he would?”
Ace smiled meekly, shrugging his shoulders as Marco sighed, rolling his eyes
“Okay. Well, we’ll keep an eye on everything. Worst comes to worst, we’ll road
trip to Canada until you turn 18.”
Ace chuckled softly “Is that so? I demand to go to a sugar shack!”
“Of course you would. Also” started Marco, turning and grabbing a book he had
on the bench with him and handing it over to Ace
“This is for your report? I saw it in the library.”
Ace blinked, smiling as he took the book
“Thank you, Marco”
“It’s a book, Ace.”
“No, like, thank you. So much, for taking care of me like this.”
“Don’t even mention it” said Marco smiling “We’re a bit attached to you here,
so we’ll make sure to keep you around.”
Ace smiled brightly, he was lucky to have such a great gang but then Ace
frowned as he noticed something
“Why is Justice sitting so weirdly besides you?”
Justice was currently sitting perfectly straight besides Marco, pointing at him
with her muzzle
Marco frowned, looking at her for a moment and then shrugged
“Because she found drugs. That’s what police dogs do when they find drugs.”
Ace lifted a brow
“You packing?”
“Was, I just did my round. But I have a bit left on me, speaking of -” started
Marco as he dug in his pocket, pulling out an envelope
“No thanks, I told you I’m not into that shit”
Marco rolled his eyes, shaking the envelope slightly to tell Ace to take it
“It’s the layout of the building for the job this Sunday, or did you forget?”
Accused Marco as Ace took the envelope and ripped it open, scanning it over,
memorizing it quickly
“Me? Forget?” started Ace as he took out his lighter, smirking as he set the
content on fire “I would never forget”
Marco smile “Counting on you, Fire Fist”
Ace couldn’t even deny how excited he was
Chapter End Notes
     Annd that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed it and next week - well Cora
     has a son to pick up!
***** - CORA- I Must Have Been Horrible In A Past Life Or Something (WHY?!!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     A little earlier in the day than I usually post it but I figured why
     the hell not! I'm up and I have time!
     A03 isn't sending me emails for your comments for some reason! So if
     I'm late responding to them, that's why!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Cora yawned loudly as he drove up to the Goa Grand Hotel
He was exhausted!
Okay, maybe that bottle of wine he nursed until 3am was probably a very shitty
idea
But damnit! He was mad! And there was wine!
At least he didn’t cry all over Law this time
Not even a moment after he got there, he saw Sengoku go outside, Daisy
following as he carried his suitcase. Cora was always impressed that a man his
age still had all of his strength – same went for Garp actually
Cora quickly got out of the car, opening the trunk of the car
“Here, let me help you with that.”
Sengoku shook his head, putting the suitcase himself in the trunk
“I’m fine, Rosinante, I’m not that old”
“I’m being polite!” replied Cora with a little bit more whine in his voice that
he would have liked. Sengoku chuckled
“I know, I’m teasing.”
Cora sighed in relief; it seems that Sengoku had calmed down a bit, thank god.
He opened the back door, allowing Daisy to hop in, surprising Bepo who had been
napping in the back
“It’s a goat! Cora there’s a goat!” cried out Bepo, apparently really alarmed
“I told you he had a pet goat” replied Cora, surprised at Bepo’s reaction
“I know, but it’s a real goat!”
“Bepo…Have you never seen a goat before?”
Oh my god, could he?
“N-No! We didn’t have goats back home!”
Cora chuckled softly, petting daisy on the head
“She’s really nice, just watch your clothes.”
 
“Did that boy just call you ‘Cora’?”
Rosinante instantly froze, slightly forgetting about that
“N-Nope! You misheard! He said ‘aah’! As in ahh there’s a goat!”
Bepo nodded, carefully petting Daisy
“T-That’s right! I would never call…Ro-sinan-te that!”
Cora looked at Bepo in despair; they should have practice saying his name,
shit!
“I see.” replied Sengoku as he got in the passenger seat and buckled up. Cora
ran around the car and quickly got into the driver’s seat
“Oh! I’m Bepo by the way! It’s very nice to meet you, sir!” said Bepo, sticking
his hand out between the two seats, offering it to Sengoku who readily shook it
“Pleasure to meet you too, Bepo. Rather early in the morning for you, isn’t
it?”
“It’s okay! I wanted to come along to meet you, sir!”
Bepo had suggested he’d come along in the morning so that way it wouldn’t look
suspicious to Law if they hadn’t met previously to him coming home. Cora was
beyond relieved that Bepo was willing to keep the fight he had with Sengoku
quiet
“That’s rather kind of you. Rosinante, I won’t be able to spend the day at your
home because I have work to do today, but I will join you for supper.”
Cora nodded; he hadn’t expected him to stay at home anyways honestly. Sengoku
was an extraordinarily busy man. Cora didn’t think for one second that he would
take vacation time for him. If he was in Goa, it was because he had business
“That’s fine, I’m just happy to have you around for any of the time you have
available.”
Cora caught sight of Bepo in the back, who seemed to be frowning and glared
slightly in Sengoku’s direction. Apparently Bepo wasn’t too pleased that
Sengoku had work scheduled when he was supposed to be visiting his son.
“And I work! So it works out!” added Cora, trying to diffuse the tension
“So Bepo” started Sengoku, looking into the rear view mirror to look at Bepo
who smiled instantly, putting up a pleasant façade
“Yes?”
“Tell me how school is going for you”
Cora smiled brightly, an effort was being made!
 
“Wow, I was hoping it would look better in them morning.” commented Bepo,
looking around a bit horrified as they got to the path in front of Luffy’s
house. Nope, the Corvo district will always look the same, no matter what the
time of day
“A-Ah! Don’t worry! I’ll go get Law and be right back!”
“He’s with Garp’s grandson, isn’t he?” asked Sengoku, looking around as he
stepped out of the car – shit! Was he coming along?!
“A-Ah yes! I drove them here last night!” clarified Cora, a little nervously –
something was telling him to keep Sengoku away from the house
“Hmph, of course Garp would have a house in the middle of the blasted forest.
We’ll wait for you here.” said Sengoku as he got back inside the car
Cora nodded, and quickly started his trek down the path
 
Cora was more or less pleased. Minus that hiccup in the beginning, things were
going pretty smooth! But the biggest issue will always be Law. Law won’t
pretend to be nice to someone but Cora is hoping he’d be less…hostile? Oh god,
hopefully he had a good night and this won’t be an issue-…holy shit, this is a
dump
Cora stared in awe at the …house(?) that was in front of him. Was Law messing
with him?! There’s no way this is where he was – was it? Oh man, had he
known…he might not have let Law stay here…ah.
Cora sighed, running a hand through his hair. Alright, time to put the
prejudices aside and go grab his son.
He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Cora stood there for a moment
and raised a brow. He didn’t hear it ringing, so it’s probably broken. He
sighed, now knocking on the door, waiting for an answer
“Go away!”
Cora’s eyes shot wide open as he stared at the door – did he seriously just
hear that?! Cora knocked again, this time a little harder
“Hello, my name is Rosinante and I’m just here to pick up my son!”
“Nobody with that name lives here! Go away!”
Okay

What the fuck?!
“His name isn’t Rosinante, that’s my name! I want my son called Law!”
“Oh”
Cora blinked, surprised as he heard someone come down what sounds like a small
flight of stairs and unlock and unbolt…apparently many many locks and
deadbolts. Holy crap, how paranoid were these people?! Soon enough, the door
opened, revealing who Cora assumes was the voice yelling at him. So he stood up
straight, smiling brightly to make the person more confortable
“Ah! Good morning! Sorry for coming so early bu-“
“AAAHH YOU’RE A COP! WE’RE NOT CROOKS!”
And then the door was slammed in his face and he could hear all the locks being
reset
Oh right – he was in uniform. WAITAMINUTE!
“HEY! No! Give my son! Give me Law!” screamed Cora as he started to bang hard
on the door
“GO AWAY! YOU’RE A COP! NO COPS ALLOWED! GET OFF MY PROPERTY NOW!”
Cora growled and kicked the door as he kept banging it
“GIVE ME MY SON RIGHT NOW OR I’M SETTING THE FUCKING HOUSE ON FIRE!!”
“WE DON’T HAVE YOUR SON! YOU HAVE THE WRONG PLACE!”
“YOU OPENED THE GODDAMN DOOR WHEN I SAID I WAS HERE FOR LAW! DON’T LIE TO ME! I
WILL BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!”
“GO AWAY! OR I’LL – I’LL CALL THE POLICE!”
“I AM THE POLICE! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY SON!” yelled back Cora as he kept
beating at the door, he back up, getting ready to kick the handle in when
suddenly –
 
“Why the hell are you yelling?”
Cora looked up and saw Law and Luffy looking out the window, down at Cora
“She’s not letting me in!” whined Cora, pointing to the door
“Of course not, Mister Rosisi! Dadan hates cops!” explained Luffy, chuckling
“I’ll go tell her to open the door!” and then Luffy disappeared from the window
“Did you have a good night?” asked Cora, smiling; he could relax now that he
saw Law
“Uh…yeah” answered Law, turning a bright red
Huh?
But before Cora could ask, the door was opened in front of him; he was greeted
by a smiling Luffy with Dadan hiding in the back
“Come in Mister Rosisi! Dadan, say you’re sorry!”
Dadan looked to the side, clearly put off by the whole display
“I’m sorry, had I known that you were uncomfortable with cops, I would have
come in my civilian clothing. I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is Rosinante
Trafalgar, I’m Law’s father. ” explained Cora slightly bowing
Guess she doesn’t know that her…son (?) was dating the chief of police
He…also didn’t think she would be blushing?
“A-Ah, it’s fine. I’m sorry for my hasty reaction, um, Law is such a nice boy!”
Law soon entered in sight, carrying his bag and ready to go. But before he had
a chance to come outside, Luffy grabbed Law’s sleeved and pulled on it
slightly. Cora frowned a bit, trying to read Luffy’s lips to figure out what
was going on – but just as Luffy and Law started to lean into each other, Garp
came out of nowhere between them
“Rosinante! What are you doing here?”
“Picking up Law?” explained Cora, pointing to Law – were Law and Luffy just
about to kiss?! How dare this gorilla of a man disturb Law’s moment like that?!
“Oh yeah, the moody brat, good timing, I want to spend time with my grandson
but Luffy and the moody one were locked up in the attic all morning, not coming
out!”
Law once again flushed bright red, using his hat to hide his face as Luffy
merely chuckled besides him, clearly pleased
Okay, something is going on
“I…I see. Anyways, Law, we should get going, I have to head to the station.”
“Why are you in such a rush? The big grump isn’t in town. Apparently that’s why
Ace isn’t here”
“Doesn’t mean I should be late” replied Cora as Law came up to him at the door
Cora then grabbed Law, turning him around to face Dadan and Garp and put his
hand on Law’s head, forcing him into a slight bow
“Thank you so much for taking care of my son last night. I hope he wasn’t too
much trouble”
“Oh no! No trouble at all, he was a sweet boy!” replied Dadan, her cheeks still
flushed. Huh, guess Law made a good impression on her?
“Thank you for having me” answered Law curtly. Cora internally sighed, at least
he did it
Luffy soon came right up to Law, grinning
“I’ll walk with you guys!”
Cora blinked “Sure?”
“Great!” said Luffy as he instantly grabbed Law’s hand as they started to walk,
making Law blush even more
Okay, either Luffy was the biggest tease ever and Law was going to die or-
“Did you guys have a fun night?” asked Cora, casually, hoping that someone
spills the info
“Yeah! Guess what, mister Rosisi!”
“What?”
“Law’s my boyfriend now!”
Cora could literally feel the colour draining from his face. He could feel his
jaw dropping, his eyes widening – what?!
Law looked completely embarrassed. Like he wanted the ground to open up and
swallow him whole
So, it made him laugh
“What the hell is so funny?!” growled Law, trying to grasp the little dignity
he could
“How embarrassed you are!” replied Cora, pointing at Law, as he kept laughing
“So it’s okay?” asked Luffy, with a bright smile, making Cora pause. Was Luffy
asking for his permission?
Cora smiled softly
“Of course it’s okay. You have my full support.”
Law looked at Cora a little surprised and then looked down, smiling a bit
“This also explains why Bepo absolutely wanted to come along this morning”
noted Cora with a grin
“Ah! Yeah, I texted him the news last night.” explained Law, still embarrassed
“We’re going on a date next weekend!” happily announced Luffy
“Is that so? Just make sure that he’s home by 10pm, okay?” said Cora happily
“Will do!”
 
They finally arrived to the car; apparently both Bepo and Sengoku had gotten
out of the car and were quietly discussing something. Bepo was the first to
notice them and smiled brightly
“Oh! Law!”
Cora walked up to the car as Law and Luffy stopped, quietly talking to each and
then they kissed each softly and broke apart as Law went to the car and quickly
got inside as Luffy skipped back to his house
Bepo gasped loudly, getting back into the car as fast as possible to clearly
get all the details
Sengoku stayed outside, a slight frown on his face
“Your boy and Garp’s grandson are together?”
Cora nodded, about to open the door, but hesitated, in case Law wasn’t meant to
hear this conversation
“Yeah, it became official last night apparently.”
Sengoku frowned more, looking towards the house
“The Monkeys are nothing but trouble, you know, every single one of them.”
Cora frowned slightly – was this about Dragon?
“Luffy’s a really nice boy. He has been nothing but good to Law.”
Sengoku huffed, opening the door
“I suppose you’re right.” And he got inside the car
Cora’s eyes narrowed slightly once Sengoku got into the car. All this secrecy
was getting really annoying.
 
“Cora! There’s a freaking goat in this car!” said Law, shocked as he buckled
in, making Bepo laugh
“Her name is Daisy and she’s a very nice lady!” replied Cora, making boy the
boys in the back laugh
“They are calling you Cora.”
Cora froze slightly before he started the car, not willing to address what
Sengoku just said
“Yeah. We call him Cora. What’s the big deal?” asked Law, smirking as he
crossed his arms
Law no! Don’t be hostile!
“His name is Rosinante.” stressed Sengoku, glaring at Law with the rear-view
mirror
“I know his name. But I’ve always know him as Cora.”
“He isn’t part of that gang anymore and neither are you. So there’s no need to
use his code name.”
“We’re just used to it” offered Bepo quietly
“Well you shouldn’t. You should address him as Rosinante.” sternly stated
Sengoku
“I’m sorry” replied Bepo quietly, bowing his head in shame. Cora couldn’t miss
the anger in Law’s eyes
Cora gulped loudly – this is going to be so bad
“How about you don’t tell us how to talk to him? I have an issue taking orders
from someone who I barely know. So mind your own business.” said Law, crossing
his arms behind his back
 Sengoku was silent for a moment
“I see now why you developed such a distasteful habit like talking back,
Rosinante.”
“The fuck did you just say to him?!” yelled Law from the back, gripping the
seat in front of him to stick his head between the seats, to glare at Sengoku
“Excuse me?” asked Sengoku, insulted
“You are not allowed to talk like that about Cora or to him, you hear me?!”
Cora stared shocked at the scene that was in front of him as he kept driving.
He clearly needed to separate these two but honestly, he couldn’t deny how much
it warmed his heart that Law was so aggressively sticking up for him
“Law, it’s okay.” Cora said as gently as possible as he pulled over
“No! It’s not okay! This bastard comes out of freaking nowhere and think he can
tell us how to live our lives, how about he goes to fucking h-“
Cora shifted to pull Law’s head into a small hug as he nuzzled Law a bit,
trying to relax him the best he could in the position we were in
Law huffed
“Fine.”
“Thank you, Law.”
Law pulled back, getting back in his seat and crossed his arms, looking out the
window
Sengoku watched the whole ordeal silently and exhaled loudly
Cora sighed, restarting the car and kept driving, what a damn day already
 
When they got to the police station, Bepo and Law also got out of the car
“You guys sure you don’t want me to drive you home?”
Law shook his head
“Naw, Penguin and Shachi are waiting for us at the library so we can do our
homework together”
Cora smiled, nodding
“Alright, you boys have fun, okay?”
They both nodded and leaned in to give Cora a quick hug before breaking away
and walking towards the library. Bepo clearly was already egging Law for more
details concerning his change in status.
Cora couldn’t help but smile warmly at them, watching them walk away
“Perhaps I may have been too rough on you.”
Cora blinked, turning to Sengoku and Daisy who had stepped out
“Oh?”
“That boy was ready to assault me because I had spoken ill of you. If he cares
that much about you, clearly you’re doing something right.”
“They’re both great boys. But they’ve been through a lot.” reminded Cora
“I do not like that they call you ‘Cora’ though. That association with
Doflamingo needs to be stopped.”
Cora shook his head
“It makes them happy to call me that, so there’s no harm.” answered Cora “Will
you be fine getting to your meeting?”
Sengoku nodded
“Yes, I’m being picked up in a few moments. Go inside, Rosinante. I’ll be
fine.”
Cora nodded, turning around and going inside
He sighed loudly. Cora had hoped to at least smoke once before his shift
started
Then his phone beeped
Huh? A message
Skype?
 
D.D.Q.
Did you enjoy the musical? I figure you’ve listened to it a hundred times by
now!
 
Cora groaned loudly
Oh great
Chapter End Notes
     Alright! Next week we get Law's POV of this day and a little bit
     more, I hope you're all excited for it!
***** -LAW- If This Is Going To Be Our Married Life, I Want Out! (Why Is Your
Family And Mine Like This?) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh more of a short-ish chapter this week because I didn't want to do
     a play-by-play of every scene from last week, but I hope you enjoy it
     nonetheless!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
The weight on his chest was nice and comfortable mused Law
The spaghetti octopus limbs on the other hand-
“Luffy…You’re squishing me.” muttered Law, trying to get out of Luffy’s grip
“Naw, I’m trapping you.” mumbled Luffy, snuggling in closer
Oh right
Law’s eyes snapped open as he looked to the side. He wasn’t dreaming! There was
Luffy, wrapped tightly around him, limbs everywhere, clutching onto him in his
sleep. Law usually wasn’t a back sleeper – it was too much of a vulnerable
position, but here he was, on his back
And he didn’t have nightmares!
Law sighed in relief; it would have been so humiliating if he did. It didn’t
help that when he woke up from a nightmare, he’d usually have a panic attack
right after. Too many nights did Cora and Bepo stay up, merely sitting beside
him, talking to him gently as he went through the motions until the panic
attack settled down. But he was a miserable mess for the rest of the day – fuck
he hated having…urgh, he didn’t even want to say it.
 “C’mon Luffy! I need to go to the bathroom”
Luffy whined as he shifted, untangling himself from Law as he rolled on his
back
“You gotta unlock the door.” reminded Luffy as he fell right back asleep
Law smiled to himself. This was just really…domestic? Except that Law refused
to live in a shithole like this! He squandered in crappy places in the past,
but he didn’t want that anymore. When he’ll be a surgeon, he’ll able to afford
nice things. Him and his loved ones will never suffer like he has
Law gathered up his things, figuring that if he was heading to the bathroom, he
might as well get dressed. He had entertained the idea of taking a shower, but
uh, that had to be the shittiest shower he’s ever seen and it looked all gross
and rusted and no thank you. God, how is everyone in this house not sick?!
Law as quietly as he could, made his way down and to the bathroom. He quickly
went to the bathroom and got dressed. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he
took a moment to wander around the house, knowing that Luffy was still asleep.
By what he saw, the only person that had a bedroom to themselves was Dadan.
Everyone else slept basically wherever they could. Especially now, with
everyone passed out drunk in the living room
It was so gross.
There was drink cups and food everywhere!
Law had to resist the urge to start cleaning because it wasn’t his house but
man was this place making it hard for him.
A dog suddenly trotted up to him, making Law smile. He didn’t see a dog
yesterday! Law petted the dog softly for a moment, before the dog turned and
trotted off to the living room and started to eat the leftover food that was
scattered around the room on small plates
Yep, Law needed to leave this gross scene
 
Law climbed back into the attic and found a sleepy half-awake Luffy who
gestured to Law to get back into the bed. Law smiled, willing himself to go
back
“You got dressed?” asked Luffy sleepily as he clutched Law’s hoodie, pulling
him closer
“Yeah, my dad’s coming to pick me up around 8, so-“
“I like mister Rosisi” said Luffy with a sleepy smile. Shit, he was being too
cute, he was going to die
“I like him too.”
Luffy then smiled, leaning up to give Law a kiss, but Law put his hand in front
of Luffy’s mouth, making Luffy do a startled noise
“Not until you brush your teeth.” Law winced, mentally hoping that Luffy
wouldn’t be offended. Thankfully, Luffy merely chuckled, smiling
“Okay, I’ll go do that.”
Luffy then rolled to the side, getting up and padded across the room and slowly
left it. Law could still tell he was really sleepy, but was really touched that
Luffy wanted to kiss him so bad that he was still going to go brush his teeth
Law took the chance to go back to the food stash that Ace prepared for them,
hoping to at least find something for breakfast.  Bingo! He found two bottles
of juice (actual juice this time) and some poptarts. It wasn’t the most
nutritious food but it’ll do.
Luffy came back excitedly and threw himself on Law, hugging him tight
How Luffy got that enthusiastic in five minutes he’ll never know
Law laughed slightly, offering a poptart to Luffy who took a big bite out of
his, happily eating
Law would never admit how the weight of Luffy on his back was weirdly
comforting
“Did you sleep well?” asked Law as he started to eat his own pop-tart
Luffy shifted, sitting on the ground, but leaned on Law as they both ate
“Yeah! I slept great! I like how you’re just the right amount of warm, Ace is
way too hot”
Law raised a brow
“You sleep with Ace a lot?”
Law knows this shouldn’t bother him, but it kinda did
“Hmm, not that much, only when it’s way too cold in the winter, but Ace takes
out the really good blankets when it gets cold, so it’s not something we do a
lot. When we were kids though, we kinda just shared one big blanket! But one
day, Ace got these mattresses so we were finally able to have our own beds!”
Once again, Ace for Dad of the Year
 Luffy then shifted again, leaning in
“Can I?”
Law nodded nervously as the touch of them shared another kiss, a little longer
this time, both of them feeling rather brave. Law slightly opened his mouth
and-
 
“AAAHH YOU’RE A COP! WE’RE NOT CROOKS!”
 
They both instantly broke apart, looking around for the source of the screaming
“Who the-?!”
“Oh, it’s Dadan? Why is there a cop here?”
“GO AWAY! YOU’RE A COP! NO COPS ALLOWED! OFF MY PROPERTY NOW!”
Oh no – it couldn’t be
“GIVE ME MY SON RIGHT NOW OR I’M SETTING THE FUCKING HOUSE ON FIRE!!”
And it was
“WE DON’T HAVE YOUR SON! YOU HAVE THE WRONG PLACE!”
“YOU OPENED THE GODDAMN DOOR WHEN I SAID I WAS HERE FOR LAW! DON’T LIE TO ME! I
WILL BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!”
“GO AWAY! OR I’LL – I’LL CALL THE POLICE!”
And this was getting bad
Law stood up instantly, running up to the window, slamming it open and looking
out of it – and there Cora was, in full police uniform, beating on the front
door
“I AM THE POLICE! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY SON!”
“Why the hell are you yelling?” cried out Law, trying to get Cora’s attention.
Law sighed in relieve when he saw Cora instantly calm down once they locked
eyes
 “She’s not letting me in!”
“Of course not, Mister Rosisi! Dadan hates cops!” explained Luffy, chuckling.
Law blinked, he hadn’t noticed Luffy besides him “I’ll go tell her to open the
door!”
“Did you have a good night?”
The memories of last night suddenly flooded Law’s mind – yeah, he had a great
night!
“Uh…yeah”
Shit, he was blushing wasn’t he?!
 
Law watched as Cora was let in and turn back inside the room and grabbed his
bag and went down the hatch and down the stairs to where everyone had gathered
in the doorway.
Law was getting ready to join Cora as the door but he felt Luffy tug on his
sleeve, pulling him back. Law blinked, confused but was only greeted with
Luffy’s smiling face
“Thank you for coming, Torao!”
“I should thank you for inviting me”
“Do you have plans next weekend?”
“Not really” admitted Law, a little embarrassed
“Wanna go on a date? We can go to the movies!”
“Sure”
“Great!” replied Luffy, with a big smile on his face as he leaned in for
another kiss, Law leaning down to join him when suddenly they’re pushed apart
by Garp coming through between them
Was that on purpose!?
 
Law could not believe that Luffy just outright told Cora that they were dating!
He was ready to sit Cora down, quietly discuss it, prepare him, and give him
some wine, anything! Not just blurt it out!
But then again, it had also been rather painless?
Minus the part where Cora laughed at him, that is
But now he had to deal with this problem.
Like Law expected, Sengoku was a dick!
It was one thing to be an ass towards him; honestly, Law knew he probably
deserved it. He didn’t tolerate anyone being an ass to Bepo. But he would not
forgive anyone being an ass to Cora!
And this son of a bitch hit every one of his buttons in a span of 20 minutes
It goes without saying that he hated this man with a passion and wanted as
little as possible to do with him!
 
“Sooo…”started Bepo as they walked away, grinning from ear to ear “Give me all
the details!”
“There isn’t much to say” admitted Law honestly as they walked towards the
library “We talked while playing Smash Brothers and Luffy planted one on my
cheek, we talked more, he told me he liked me and wanted to be my boyfriend, I
reciprocated and then we kissed and made it official.”
Law frowned when he noticed how beyond unimpressed Bepo seemed with him at the
moment
“You’re like, the worst storyteller ever, Law.”
“What the hell do you want me to say?!”
“Some embellishing? Some roleplaying? Some details?” offered Bepo as Law shook
his head
“My life isn’t a Harlequin novel, Bepo”
“Well, it better start becoming one since you’re the only one in our group
dating so we’re going to get all the juicy news from you!”
Law rolled his eyes, making Bepo shove his arm and they both started to laugh
“So, what an ass that Sengoku, huh?”
“Yeesh, no kidding. Already he bailed on Cora last night because the two of
them got in a fight at the re- Oops!” Bepo instantly slapped his hand on his
mouth
“What?!” Law couldn’t believe it – he ditched Cora last night?! “Cora took the
night off for him! He’s going to have to work extra to make those hours up!”
“Yeah, but Cora asked me to keep it a secret because he knew that would piss
you off!”
“Of course it would piss me off! He ditched Cora! Like he ditched him this past
year!”
“Weirdly enough though, he was really nice when we talked early, he just seems
kinda strict.”
“Urgh, I don’t freaking like him at all.” growled Law, irritated at the topic
“Well duh, the guy’s a butt, but he is Cora’s dad. We’re gonna have to try to
be extra nice when we get home, okay? By the sound of it, he’s only going to be
there in the evening anyways.” explained Bepo as they walked up to the library
“Fine. But only for Cora. Not for that dick.”
 
“What dick?”
Law and Bepo blinked, startled from their conversation to see Penguin and
Shachi waiting for them at the top of the stairs
“Cora’s dad” answered Bepo as Law walked past them, done with the topic
“Oh yeah?  Guy’s a dick?” asked Shachi as they followed Law in, continuing the
blasted conversation
Great
“Yeah! Law almost fought him!” said Bepo making both Penguin and Shachi gasp
“No way! You almost punched an old man, Law?” asked Penguin, shocked
“The guy’s in his 50’s and a Marine, he could take a fucking punch.” hissed Law
“What did he do?” asked both Penguin and Shachi in unison
Where was the librarian telling them to shut up?
“He insulted Cora”
“Ooooh” both said Penguin and Shachi, as if it explained everything
 
“This is a library, gentlemen, you might want to keep your conversation about
Sengoku being a dick down”
Law blinked, surprised at the input from a total stranger until he saw Koala
sitting there, surrounded by books, with her binder open. By the looks of it,
she was also working on homework
“Oh hey Koala” greeted Law, walking up to the table “Unusual to see you without
Sabo.”
Koala giggled, pointing towards the bathroom with her pen
“He’s taking a call in the bathroom, he’s half this mess”
True to Koala’s words, he did see another binder open, opposite from her
“That’s Sabo’s girlfriend!” explained Bepo quietly – well, Bepo thought he was
being quiet
“She’s real?! I thought he just said that so nobody would know he was dating
Ace?”
“I told you he wasn’t dating Ace, you dolt!”
“Yes guys, I’m real! Sabo and Ace aren’t dating! Well, not without my
permission” said Koala, chuckling but then her expression got really serious
“So Sengoku, huh? Not every day the head of the World Government forces is in
our little city, is it?”
“He’s here to visit Cora.”
“Is he though?” asked Koala innocently, slightly tipping her head
Bepo frowned
“He’s not though. He told Cora that he had tons of work to do so that’s why he
can barely spend any time with Cora.”
“Now that sounds more like Sengoku. Any idea who’s he’s meeting today, do you?”
asked Koala innocently. Law’s eyes widen – she was trying to get information!
“A-Ah! No! He didn’t say, just that they were going to pick him up at the
station.” admitted Bepo
 
“He’s apparently meeting our esteemed principal.”
Sabo stated, coming up to the table. He then turned around and did a small wave
to the boys
“Is he now? Hmm, I’m going to need to call Marco about this. He already sent me
a message saying he needed to discuss something important with me.”
“Uh…is this cryptic for just me or everyone?” asked Penguin nervously
Koala laughed softly
“Don’t sweat it! It’s nothing important.”
Law’s eyes narrowed
“Is this something I need to know?”
Sabo shook his head
“No. But, if you could do us a favour?” asked Sabo
“Keep your ears open?” finished Koala sweetly – Law knew exactly what she was
implying
“Does this involve Luffy?”
“Not directly. Well, that’s not my hunch anyways. But indirectly yes.”
“Okay. Then I’ll do it.” Replied Law, doing a quick nod – both Koala and Sabo
grinned
“Thank you! Also, congratulations are in order! Apparently you and Luffy are
official now!” said Koala, grinning brightly. Law didn’t miss how Sabo huffed
his own congratulations. Law frowned. He thought he was okay with them?
Koala rolled her eyes, elbowing Sabo in the stomach
“Don’t mind him; he’s being a big baby since his little Luffy is now old enough
to be dating.”
“O-Oi!”
“W-wait, you and Luffy are now official?!” squeaked out Penguin, pointing to
Law, shocked
Oh crap right
“You didn’t tell us that?!” cried out Shachi, shocked as well
Law could feel his face burning up
He’s going to have to retell this story a million times, isn’t he?!
  
Chapter End Notes
     Next week we're going back to Ace! Is anyone else doing NaNo? Man!
     It's work to do it and a fanfic at the same time! Thankfully I was
     ahead enough with this one! Until next week!
***** -ACE- How Do People Have Affairs in Secret? (Please Let Me Know!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh a slightly turbulent chapter for Ace! I'm glad I finally got to
     ACTUALLY show some gang stuff!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
There was something satisfying in hearing a skull crack when you landed a
perfect hit
It was also satisfying to hear them screaming as they’re being burned at the
same time.
Ace stretched out his neck as he started to walk towards the guy he just
punched. The guy was clutching his burnt head, trying to crawl away. Ace wished
he had gotten his name
 “S-Stay back! Or I’ll-I’ll-!”

“You’ll what?” challenged Ace, smirking – this guy’s got nothing on him “Hey
man, I told you I’d leave you alone if you just hand over that client list. You
guys were warned to stay the hell off Whitebeard property and yet – here you
are! Not only distributing and selling on our property, you even had the galls
to try and steal our shipment! So now I’m going to break your fucking face.”
“Hey now, h-how about this! You leave us alone and I’ll…I’ll give you a cut of
the profits!” offered the guy as he kept trying to crawl away from Ace – but
Ace shattered his kneecap earlier, buddy wasn’t going too far
“Give me a cut of the profit? Did you hear that Thatch? Buddy here thinks he
can buy me off!”
“What an idiot!” replied Thatch as he threw one of the gang members in the
room, laughing
The mission was a simple one. Get in, get the client list, beat the living shit
out of the asshats, remove their shipment and burn the place down. So far, they
had gotten in, beaten the living shit out of the asshats, a bunch of the guys
are moving out the shipment as they beat the sit out of these guys and he
hasn’t quite gotten that list – but he was getting to it!
“C-Clark! What did you do to Clark?!” cried out the man in front of Ace. Ace
rolled his eyes, for a gang leader, the guy was kinda of a crybaby
“Just give me the client list and I’ll let you keep your other kneecap intact
and I won’t give severe burns to your friend over there”
“You can go to hell, Portgas!”
“That doesn’t sound like you giving me the client list?” said Ace, lifting up a
finger, lighting it on fire “I’ll give you until 5.”
“One”
“You can rot in hell, you piece of shit!”
“Two”
“I’ll never give you the list!”
“Three”
“Fuck you! Fuck you, you dirty whore!”
“Four”
“I don’t give a shit!”
“And five! Teach, my good man, hold him up, will you? Feel free to use those
sword brass knuckle things of yours, because it’s going to get hot in here! I’m
thinking castration? How about it?” Ace walked up to the man he guessed was
called Clark, drew his hand into a fist, pumped in a little more gasoline to
make the fire a little bigger, wounded up his arm, ready to punch and then –
“WAIT! Wait! Fine! Here it is! It’s all on this key! I swear!” said the gang
leader, throwing the USB key at Ace, who caught it
“Now, how do I know you’re not lying?”
“You can trust me!”
Like shit he could
“Marco?”
“Up here”
Both Ace and the gang leader looked up, seeing Marco sitting on top of a
support beam near the ceiling of the warehouse, typing away on his laptop. Ace
grinned, throwing him the USB key which Marco easily caught. He plugged it into
his laptop and nodded
“This is it, Ace.”
“Oh goodie”
“Fuck you, you piece of shit, I’m taking you down with me!” cried out the gang
leader, whipping out a gun, aiming it at Marco, but before he had a chance to
shoot, he got shot right in the wrist, making him scream out in pain and
dropped the gun. Another shot came in, going right through the man’s hand
“Did that fool seriously think that nobody was covering you?” asked Izo, from
another beam towards the back
“Apparently, alright Ace, wrap it up, throw these guys outside and light her
up. The shipment left already and they’re heading to our warehouse” instructed
Marco before he jumped down, landing gracefully in front of the gang leader
“And you. Listen to me and listen good, Carlos. I told you. I don’t want to see
your face in Goa ever again – or you will need a new one. Ace was playing nice
this time; he won’t place nice next time, understood?”
Carlos nodded his head quickly, as he started to cry, the gravity of the
situation finally dawning upon him
Marco merely smiled
“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”
Marco closed his laptop and signaled them all to leave the warehouse as Teach
and Thatch carried out Clark and Carlos
 
Moments later Ace stood there watching the building magnificently go up in
flames. He hoped the owners of these abandoned buildings at least had insurance
on them. But he had to admit, the building on fire during the sunset was really
a stunning sight.
 
They soon all drove away, heading back to the Whitebeard mansion usually for a
quick debrief, a shower and a celebratory meal, but Ace had to head back to
Smoker’s house. The man was coming home tonight and he was rather excited!
“What’s with you?”
Ace blinked, shaken out of his thoughts as he looked in Thatch’s direction –
but Thatch hadn’t been talking to him, he was talking to Izo who was frowning
at his phone.
“Hngh, seems my brother is coming over during the holidays.”
“Don’t you usually go to Japan for the holidays? So how come he’s coming here?”
asked Ace, curious
“Because you’re turning 18, I wanted to celebrate with you, so I asked if I
could stay behind, but apparently that’s code for ‘let’s move the party to Goa
instead’”
“Do you not like your brother or something?” asked Marco, looking at them in
the rear view mirror “You don’t talk about him a lot.”
“No, I like Kin. I do, he’s just very…duty bound?” explained Izo, sighing,
crossing his arms “He’s very old fashioned and he doesn’t approve of me moving
out at all. He thinks I should stay home and help support my parents.”
“What does your brother do in life anyways?” asked Thatch
Marco made a point by mentioning that Izo rarely talked about his family. It
was true, even though they made him constantly work at the restaurant they
owned
“He’s a fashion designer, actually. With a specialization in textiles. His
business partner designs the outfit and Kin makes them exist. Actually most of
my clothes is designed and made by them. Fabric prints and all”
“I was wondering how the hell you’d have such nice clothing like that in Goa.”
mused Ace out loud but honestly he was drifting, as much as he gets an
adrenaline kick from fighting, he gets sleepy afterwards – the fact that he was
narcoleptic didn’t help that at all either
“You nodding off Ace?” asked Izo with a bit of concern in his face – why was he
concerned? He always dozed off?
“Yeah, I’m gonna head right over to Chase’s place and get cleaned up there and
then take a nap. He should be home in about one hour anyways.”
“Didn’t you say Sunday night not evening?” asked Marco, not looking back
“Yeah, but he texted me saying that they were able to leave earlier than
expected.” explained Ace as they drove in to the Whitebeard Estate
“Hmm.” replied Marco as he pulled in, parking besides the main entrance “Then
we’ll let you go. You did great Ace, as usual. Get some rest, we have school
tomorrow.”
Ace yawned, nodding as he stretched his arms
“Roger that”
 
Ace walked into the house, yawning as he locked the door behind him. He was
instantly greeted by Justice who trotted up to him happily. Ace grinned from
ear to ear as he removed his modified glove, not wanting to get any gasoline on
Justice before he petted her
“Hey girl, were you good today while I was gone?”
Justice enthusiastically wagged her tail in response. Thankfully he had only
been gone a couple of hours, but he still felt bad leaving her alone all of
this time. Granted she was probably used to it with her workaholic owner.
Ace quickly let Justice out in the backyard for her to do her business as he
removed the other glove and stripped down to his boxers. He put the gloves away
in his special locked bag that he kept in his green duffle bag. Thankfully he
wasn’t carrying the gloves the day Smoker searched his bag. Ace took out of
small garbage bag and put the black shorts he had been wearing in it, not
wanting the smell of gasoline to get all over his clean clothes in the bag.
Once again he was thankful that he usually did all of his jobs wearing the bare
minimum. He had a lot less laundry to do. Ace pulled out some clean clothes and
let Justice back in, scratching her behind the ear as she nudged her head
against his leg
“Just going to have a quick shower, okay babe? Then we can cuddle all you
want.”
Justice responded happily as she followed Ace up to the shower. A part of him
considered using Smoker’s private shower in his room – but honestly he hadn’t
dared to go in Smoker’s room. Even during the tour, Smoker had merely pointed
to the door – saying it was his room, but it had been closed. Ace wouldn’t be
surprised if it was locked.
 
After his quick shower, Ace felt slightly better. He had put on a pair of jeans
and a thin red Henley shirt and settled on the couch. Not even a second later,
Justice jumped on top of him, laying down over him. Ace laughed, petting her
right away
“Guess you couldn’t wait huh? Maybe if I’m good and your master decides to keep
me around, we can do this more often”
Justice merely settled into Ace, gently nuzzling Ace’s collar bone as she
closed her eyes. Ace sighed happily. This was so nice and comfortable. He
didn’t want this weekend to end; hopefully he’ll be able to do this again
He hoped Smoker would keep him around for a bit
 
“Ace, wake up.”
Ace cracked an eye open, looking right into Smoker’s face as he loomed over
him. Ace’s widened his eyes, jumping up slightly, but was stopped by the weight
of Justice still on top of him. Now she was a bit annoyed that her nap was
disturbed
“Uh? What time is it?”
“It’s slightly past six.” answered Smoker, petting Justice to calm her down
“Oh, shit – have you been back long?” asked Ace sheepishly- damnit! He wanted
to greet Smoker at the door and show him how good to he did taking care of the
house – not having him walk in to Ace still sleeping on the couch!
“No, I just got home. I dropped Tashigi off first. Seems Justice is happy,
looks like you did good.”
“M’sorry I was asleep when you walked in.” admitted Ace
“Why? You’re Narcoleptic; I assume this won’t be the last time I find you
sleeping. It’s not as if you were doing a line of coke on my kitchen table.”
“Naw that was last night, ooh boy did Justice and I party! The whole town was
invited, you missed it.” teased Ace with a big grin on his face. Smoker merely
rolled his eyes
“Yes, absolutely. I truly believe that.”
“Did your trip go well?” asked Ace, sitting up a little more – Smoker probably
wanted his house back
Smoker grunted, looking a bit off to the side
“It’s a memorial we do for my mother every year since her death. It went as
well as it can.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Way to go, Portgas
“Relax.” started Smoker as he ruffled up Ace’s hair slightly “It’s been 18
years since we lost her.”
Ace smiled softly, leaning into the touch
Smoker paused for a moment, clearing his throat slightly as he looked to the
side
“I…Do you…Did you have supper yet?”
Ace blinked, looking at Smoker surprised. His heart made a small jump when he
saw that the other’s cheeks were slightly flushed
“No? I got back from a small outing and fell asleep…why?” teased Ace, he was
hoping that the other was going to order pizza or something and they could have
supper together! That would be great!
“Well…I was thinking…there’s this restaurant that the police department keeps
talking about and I’ve been meaning to try it out myself, so if you’d like, we
can go tonight and I can treat you…as a thank you…for taking care of Justice.”
Ace didn’t think that Smoker could possibly be as adorable as he was right now
Was he really nervous about asking himout?!
Ace blushed furiously in return, now unable to handle the situation
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. This is very last minute after all, and I
understand if would rather just go home, I can give you a ride ho-“started
Smoker as he turned, about to head out of the room
“Yes! Yes I want to!” replied Ace, pulling on Smoker’s sleeve, trying to stop
him as he scrambled off the couch, almost tripping on his own feet. Thankfully,
Smoker caught him, and Ace instead wound up in Smoker’s arms
“Ah, well, we can go now if you’d like.”
Ace smiled brightly, giving Smoker a small squeeze as they slightly pulled away
“Yes! I’m famished! Let’s go to this restaurant!”
“Justice. Guard the house.”
Ace couldn’t miss the small smile on Smoker’s face as they stepped out
 
“Sooo, what’s this place anyways?” asked Ace as Smoker drove them to the
restaurant. The ride had mostly been in a comfortable silence. Ace had
attempted to hold Smoker’s hand while they were driving but Smoker had grunted
and removed his hand. He quickly stated that it was because it wasn’t safe, not
that he didn’t want to – so Ace didn’t take it to heart.
“A Japanese place. I swear half my staff lives there.”
Ace lost all of the colour in his face
No
No way
“Do you mean Foxfire?” asked Ace nervously. Smoker raised a brow
“What’s that face for? Is the place bad?”
Ace shook his head – shit! He didn’t want to ruin the date!
“No…No..just, it’s ah, it’s owned by my friend’s family.” That says enough
without saying everything, right?
“Ah. I’ll ask for a private room then. That way nobody will be watching us.”
Ace smiled; surprised that Smoker hadn’t called the whole thing off
“Oooh a private room, huh?” teased Ace, smirking. Smoker rolled his eyes,
shoving Ace’s arm
“I will turn this car around, I swear.”
 
They soon arrived to Foxfire’s and of course, Izo’s mom recognized Ace right
away. Ace quickly asked his mother if Izo was working tonight, to which she had
replied no. Ace internally sighed in relief. If Izo saw them, he would
instantly know what was going on, and they didn’t need more people knowing.
Smoker and Ace soon settled in their private room. They ordered their drinks
and some appetizers and instantly relaxed
“So your friend isn’t working tonight?” asked Smoker, taking a sip of the tea
he ordered
“Nope! His mom said he was off for the night.” replied Ace happily, shifting to
be sitting closer to Smoker, he knew that he didn’t need to be so close to the
other man, but they did have a private room!
“Hm, what does he do here anyways? Chef? Server?”
Ace shook his head
“Ah, he does serve food, but honestly he’s the in-house geisha. So sometimes he
dances or plays music, all sorts of things.”
Smoker paused for a moment, eyeing Ace suspiciously
“Your friend is a geisha?”
“Yeah! Fully licensed and everything, whatever the hell that means.” explained
Ace, taking a gyoza and plopping it in his mouth “So, where’s Hina anyways?”
“She stayed in Loguetown. That’s where her house is, but she’s moving up here
soon.”
“For work?”
“No. She can work from anywhere. Hina just announced that she was moving here.
Apparently she met with a realtor and already has her eyes on a house.”
“Oh, that’s cool.”
Ace didn’t mind Hina per say – he just found her rather intense
“Also, I wanted to elaborate on something.” Started Smoker, but stopped when a
server came in with trays of food. God Ace was ready to dig into that!
“Oh yeah, what?” asked Ace as he started to gobble down all the sushi
“The Roger thing.”
Ace paused mid-bite, looking at Smoker surprised, but then he swallowed his
food.
Did Smoker change his mind concerning his answer?!
Was he going to take it back?! Saying he hated the son of Roger?!
“Oh?”
“I’m….” Smoker then turned bright red, looking to the side, embarrassed “I’m
not a fanboy! I have a logical explanation!”
Oh that!
Ace laughed, relieved
“Aww it’s okay!”
“No, no, listen. I- argh. I knew him. Before. Sorta.”
What?!
“He came over to my house once. My…father was throwing a massive party and a
lot of big names would usually show up. And he did. Roger. I think I was 12 or
13, I don’t remember. I do remember him getting piss ass drunk and was laughing
and singing loudly and was generally just yeah…but then, his arrest happened
and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This man, who had been a total party animal,
was actually the biggest Don in the world. So it confused me. When they
announced that he would executed in Loguetown, his birthplace, and that they
would drive him to his execution, parading their victory in catching him in an
open top car, that I needed to see him, to confirm that it was really the same
man. But the man I saw in that car – to this day I still can’t believe it was
the same drunk buffoon. He was so…proud. He had this noble air to him, a smirk
on his face as they drove him to his final destination. The pride he was
beaming as he waited for his last moments. Those final words of his, goading
the whole world into an era of crime.”
Ace listened in awe to Smoker’s story. He had heard his father describe in many
different ways – a devil, a monster, a dangerous blood thirsty monster – but
never like this, with so much humanity and awe.
“It utterly confused me and to this day, I think I just keep trying to piece it
all together. Who was Roger D. Gol truly? Was he the blood thirsty madman Don
that the stories make him out to be, the prideful man on the scaffold, or was
he truly the buffoon at my house? So I’m trying to figure it out I guess, so I
collect little things about him, like that receipt.” explained Smoker, taking a
piece of salmon sushi and eating it
Ace paused, mulling it all over
He really didn’t know how he felt about any of this, honestly
“Wow, that’s kinda really intense. Well, gladly keep the receipt.”
“You can have the suit though; I’m not taking someone’s clothes.”
“Yeah…I still need to ask Marco about that” growled Ace slightly
“What’s your issue with Roger anyways?” asked Smoker, taking another sip of tea
“You were a bit hostile with Hina.”
“I don’t know”
 Yes, he did.
“It’s just, all gang members are expected to worship Roger and it annoys me,
you know?”
 Because I’m his son and the world wants me dead because of it.
“I think I just don’t like being told what to think, you know?”
Please don’t hate me too if I ever have the courage to tell you
“Makes sense” replied Smoker as he kept eating, then Smoker turned to look at
him, frowning slightly “Ace?”
And everything went black
 
Ace snapped his head up, looking around as he rubbed his eyes – shit! He fell
asleep! Ace looked down and saw that his head was on a pillow, he looked at it
confused as he turned his head only to see Smoker checking through his phone
“Shit, I’m so sorry, was I out long?”
Smoker looked at him and shook his head, putting his phone away
“No, maybe 10 minutes. Thankfully I was able to catch you before you face
planted in your food.”
Ace laughed softly in relief, he was still pretty embarrassed though
“Well at least that’s good!”
“Your phone did ring though.”
“It did?” Ace put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it
open. It was a message from Izo?
Izo
My mother texted me that you’re on a date with the Captain?! You have SO much
explaining to do!
“Fuck!” cried out Ace – Izo’s mom, why?!
“What’s wrong?”
Ace gritted his teeth – a part of him wanted to hide it, but shit, he knew he’d
be in shit later if Smoker found out he had told someone else without his
consent, so he showed the Captain the text
“Ah.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry! Shit, what do I tell him?!”
“The truth.”
Wait what?!
 “But I thought you said three people?”
“Yes, announce it to three people, but if someone finds out, it’s pointless to
make up a lie to cover it up. I just want this to be discreet. I knew that if I
took you out there was a chance for us to be discovered, but I’m not a man that
enjoys hiding.” explained Smoker as he kept eating a piece of sushi, pushing
the platter towards Ace, encouraging him to eat more
“Oh. Okay, I’ll tell him the truth tomorrow.”
“Good. But just him, please don’t announce it to your group.”
“Okay!”
“And when you’re done eating, we can head out. Do you want to be brought home
or…do you want to spend another night at my place and I can drive you to school
on my way to work in the morning?”
Ace blushed furiously at the suggestion of another night – but he wasn’t stupid
enough to say no to that!
“Sure!
 
The drive back to the house was quiet as well. Ace couldn’t stop the
butterflies in his stomach from going nuts. He was going to spend another night
over! This time he wasn’t tipsy or anything! Maybe things would go a little
further this time around?!
They entered the house and were greeted enthusiastically by Justice who was
overjoyed at having both of them back home.
“Did you want to watch a movie or something?” offered Smoker as he took off his
boots and made his way to the kitchen, going through the cabinets and taking
himself out of a glass and pouring himself a drink
“Sure!” agreed Ace as he plopped himself on the couch after removing his own
boots, Justice quickly joining him on the couch as well
“Can I get you anything?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having!”
Smoker grunted in agreement as he brought the drinks to the living room as Ace
turned on the tv and started Netflix up
“Looking for anything in particular?” asked Smoker as Justice laid her head on
his lap
“Nope, just anything really”
 
They eventually settled on a documentary that they both wanted to watch, but
not even 20 minutes in, Ace and Smoker started to exchange small kisses. Ace
wasn’t sure who even started this, but honestly he was enjoying where he was
now!
Justice had long escaped the two on the couch, gone elsewhere. Ace was now laid
on his back, strewed on the couch, one hand in Smoker’s hair while the other on
his shoulder. Smoker’s hand had a good grip in Ace’s hair, slightly tugging at
times as his other hand lay on Ace’s hip. The two of them hungrily exchanged
kisses, slightly shifting their bodies to slowly rub against each other’s. Ace
groaned softly as Smoker’s tongue explored his mouth, telling himself to
breathe through his nose.
Suddenly he felt a cold nose on his cheek making him yip, jumping slightly.
Smoker only narrowly escaped having his tongue bit.
Ace blinked, turning to look at Justice who let out a small whine. Smoker sat
up, getting off the couch and went to the patio door as Justice quickly
followed along, needing to do her business
Guess that was the end of that
 
A few moments later, Smoker returned with Justice in tow who hopped back on the
couch, Ace had now sat up and chuckled as he petted Justice
“Sorry about that”
“Aww it’s fine!” replied Ace as he nuzzled Justice “She needed to go, it was
more important.”
“It’s getting late” pointed out Smoker “How about we hit the hay”
“Okay” replied Ace, getting off the couch
“Ah…Tonight…instead of the guest room, why don’t we just share my bed”
What!?
“Really?!”
“But no funny business!” warned Smoker, glaring as he pointed to Ace to make
his point “I work in the morning.”
“Scout’s honor!” swore Ace as he headed up the stairs
“Okay, go get ready and I’ll meet you up there in a moment.”
“Sure” agreed Ace a little curiously, wondering why Smoker was suddenly looking
at Justice who seemed to be trying to get his attention. Meh, it was probably
his imagination
“What is it, girl? Show me.”
Ace frowned as the voice reached his ear.
Urgh, this could be bad
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Uh oh-! Is this going to spell trouble for our duo? Guess you'll just
     have to wait and find out!
***** - CORA- This Has To Be Breaking So Many Laws (But It's For The Best I
Guess) *****
Chapter Notes
     Quickly solving the mystery of last chapter and much more progress on
     many things - enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
Cora frowned as he parked his car and started walking towards the station
It had been a rather…eventful weekend. Considering Law’s change in status and
the fight with Sengoku, tensed dinners, Sengoku had boarded his plane late
Sunday night and left, spending next to no time with Cora.
Honestly, he was used to it. Sengoku was the head of the World Government
Forces, the man was extremely busy but it was hard to miss how his lack of
presence had left a rather nasty taste in Bepo and Law’s mouths. Both boys had
verbally complained (Bepo with a lot more tact than Law) that Sengoku shouldn’t
have even bothered to come if he didn’t want to spend any time with Cora. But
Cora knew better. Especially now since his biggest fears had been confirmed –
Agents have been placed in Goa. And for probably a good reason too. He now had
to keep an eye on that and hopefully he can figure out who the intended target
was before anyone else.
And then there was Doffy’s message
Which basically just let to pointless chitchat about the musical, Cora tried to
get more info out of Doffy, but Doffy wasn’t having it at all.
Honestly it felt kinda nice to just chat with his brother again
No! Sengoku was right, he needed to separate it! Doffy was a threat! Not his
brother!
Cora sighed as he walked into the station, immediately catching a very
frustrated looking Smoker talking quietly with Tashigi who looked worried. Cora
narrowed his eyes slightly, watching their lips so he could grasp the
conversation as discreetly as possible
 “I was about to go upstairs when Justice signaled to me that there was a
problem. So I followed her and she gestured to Ace’s bag and made the signal
that there was a bomb inside.”
“A bomb?! Did you look through the bag?”
What the fuck was this?
“Hmph, no. But I did feel around a bit from the outside. The bag had a potent
smell of gasoline for sure and there seemed to be a locked bag within the bag,
but from what I could tell, it felt like metal gloves, but I wasn’t sure and I
didn’t want to start snooping through his shit. But I’m going to keep an eye on
this. Especially with the factory that went up in flames and the guys that were
picked up yesterday.”
“You think Ace did it?”
“I think the Whitebeards had something to do with it. But they’re not talking,
especially not the guys with the severe burn marks on them.”
Cora’s eyes widen considerably. Shit! This must be awkward for Smoker; he was
dating, well, Cora was sure of it anyways, a suspected arsonist.
 
“Oh Rosinante! When did you get in?”
Cora jumped slightly as Bellemere came behind him, making both Smoker and
Tashigi stop talking and turn towards Cora, who crashed into his desk in
consequence and fell over it
“I… I just got in! Sorry! Little distracted today!”
“Oh! Did you have a nice weekend with Sengoku?” asked Bellemere with a big
smile on her face
Shit, she probably saw him eavesdropping!
“Ahh, yeah, sorta”
“Law huh?”
“Hahaaha, how did you guess?”
“Well, we have work today! We have four guys that need to be interrogated”
“No. I’ll do it myself.” cut in Smoker, glaring
Cora swallowed visibly; shit the Captain was terrifying when he was like this
“They’re all yours, Captain if you want, but you just got back; don’t you want
to take it easy?”
“No.” said Smoker, putting a cigar in his mouth as he headed towards the
interrogation room “Bring ‘em in. I’ll crack them before noon.”
“Yeesh, he’s in a mood” commented Bellemere as Smoker left, and then she left
to go get the prisoner
Cora felt bad for those guys – they sure as hell were gonna get it!
 
Once actually at his desk, Cora pulled up the file of yesterday’s incident.
Apparently one of the warehouses by the dock of the East side of town went up
in flames yesterday afternoon. From what they could gather, four people were
taken in for questioning, but the rest of the gang was rounded up and sent
straight to Goa Pen. The injuries were mostly caused from battery and of
course, gunfire wounds. But the most suspicious of injuries of course was the
severe burns on a rather large number of the victims. Forensic noted that more
of the burns looked like it was done by a fist – so they highly suspect it’s
the Whitebeard 2nd Division Commander’s doing, the so called ‘Fire Fist’, but
because none of the captured men want to press charges, the police departments
hands are tied. 
Cora pulled back, shocked. Wasn’t the 2nd Division Commander…Ace?!
It wasn’t a bomb that Ace had in his bag! It was the device that makes him be
able to put his hands on fire! Holy shit! It was Ace! No wonder the Captain was
in a shitty ass mood!
 
“So from your face, you figured it out, huh?”
Cora looked up at Bellemere, who was standing behind Cora, offering him a cup
of coffee that Cora gladly took
“How come in the report it doesn’t name him?” asked Cora carefully
“It’s…a weird unwritten rule to not mention Ace’s name in anything.”
Cora frowned sharply, confused
“What?”
Bellemere sighed, reaching over to her desk and wheeled her chair over to
Cora’s desk and pointed to the monitor
“Try to look up Ace in the system.”
Cora nodded and quickly typed in the name ‘Ace D. Portgas’, and got nothing but
an a huge error message
“What the hell is this?!”
“That – is why we don’t write Ace’s name. It always shows up as a giant error
message. We think his name is monitored for whatever reason, so once the
initial report is written, someone or something looks it over, if it’s damning
towards Ace, error message. If Ace is merely involved or is the victim, no
error message. And also- “
Before Bellemere could finish her sentence, Cora’s phone at his desk started to
ring with ‘Number Unknown’ flashing. Cora gave a worried look to Bellemere
before picking up the phone
“Hello, G-“
“Why are you looking up Ace?!”
He knew that voice!
“Garp?!” replied Cora, shocked
“Rosinante? Why are you looking up my Grandson?”
“Curiosity, I wanted to see if he had any mischief on him” lied Cora as
Bellemere snorted besides him
“Well don’t. He’s clean as a whistle. Don’t you have anything better to do with
your time?”
“Sorry sir”
“Don’t do it again!” said Garp before sharply hanging up
Cora put the phone down and looked at Bellemere shocked
“And that’s why it only says Fire Fist even though we all know it’s Ace. Look
up ‘Devil of Corvo District’”
Cora hesitated for a moment, frowning at Bellemere
“Garp won’t call me pissed off again, will he?”
Bellemere laughed, gesturing to Cora to get on with it
“No, no, I swear.”
“So Garp has a code in for Ace? That’s kinda ingenious.”
“Yeah, and it’s done with the World Government system so we can’t override it
whatsoever.”
Once the results were loaded, Cora’s jaw dropped
“Holy shit, this rap sheet is the size of a phone book!”
Bellemere laughed
“Yeah, but it’s mostly for eat and runs and mugging. But this is also Ace, but
look at this one, this assault charge that was dropped here, look at the date.”
“This is…This is from 13 years ago? Ace must have been like, five?!”
“Yeah, he almost killed two grown men with a pipe. Ace is…He’s a good kid,
really, he is, but he was a very angry one when he was younger. He mellowed out
a bit once Luffy and Sabo joined him. But when Sabo was believed dead, Ace
changed. He suddenly became very responsible and polite and did everything to
keep his nose clean – until he became Fire Fist and started his own gang. Ace
is truly a good person, but…there’s a lot of anger deep inside of him and I
think Garp is trying to protect him from that, but in the end, it’s Ace who has
to deal with it. Garp can’t cover his ass forever and Ace is going to have to
eventually pay for the decisions he’d made.”
Cora frowned slightly, sadly looking towards the Captain’s office. This must be
so hard for him right now
“You also probably noticed that clearly things have taken off between the
Captain and Ace.”
Cora had to laugh at that, it wasn’t exactly discreet
“I think, I think the Captain will do a lot of good for Ace, and I also think
Ace will do a lot of good for the Captain. But I’m afraid that this – “said
Bellemere, gesturing to the long rap sheet on the computer “Might wind up being
both of their breaking points.”
“Yeah, it would make sense.”
Then Cora grunted, as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly pulled it
out only to see another goddamn message from Doffy
“Fucking hell…of all times.”
“Huh? Who’s it from?”
“My brother, gimme a sec – he’s asking me…about the goddamn weather.
Seriously?!”
“Wait, you’re skyping with Doflamingo?!”
 
“What?!”
Bellemere and Cora both looked at a shocked Smoker, who apparently had been
walking up to them
“Oh, you’re already done?”
“Yeah, they all sang. Apparently they had been selling in Whitebeard’s district
and had been told to stop and didn’t, so they were shut down.So, what the hell
is this about you skyping with Doflamingo Donquixote?”
“Uh yeah, he started sending me messages on skype. Usually they’re stupid and
he hasn’t really been answering any of my questions and the only thing he’s
done and send a creepy song to Law.”
“And you didn’t feel the goddamn need to mention any of this to us?!”
“I…er…”
“Ask him if he plans on visiting you.” suggested Smoker quickly as he lit up
the cigar in his mouth, clearly not giving a fuck right now
Cora blinked slowly, he never thought of that!
“…So…when am I expecting a visit from you…and send!”
The silence in the police station was incredibly tense as they waited for a
reply – and suddenly, one came in
DQQ
Not anytime soon. Too many government agents undercover sniffing around in Goa
right now. You know me, I like to be discreet.
 
“I fucking knew it!” growled Smoker, slamming his fist down on the desk “I saw
that bastard Akainu near the high school and there’s a couple of CP9 agents
pretending to be construction workers as well!”
Then Smoker turned towards Cora – if this was a cartoon, he’d have smoke coming
out of his ears as he glared at Cora
“Are you planted as well?!”
“No!”
“Did Sengoku tell you anything about this?!”
Cora frowned sharply
“Can I talk to you in your office?”
“Get in there now”
 
Cora quickly made his way into the office, Smoker, furious and following suite.
Once inside Smoker quickly locked the door and turned towards Cora, making him
feel like a threatened animal
“You are going to start talking.”
“Look. I asked Sengoku about the planted agents and he refused to tell me
anything! He said he couldn’t trust me anymore after I had disobeyed him last
time! I have no proof of anything, but I do have a theory. I think they’re
looking for someone.”
Smoker relaxed a bit, taking a long drag of his cigar as it sunk in
“Any idea who?”
“It’s…a bit of a stretch, but it would make sense.”
“Lay it on me.”
“Roger’s son”
Smoker paused, frowning
“You shitting me?”
“Look, it makes sense! There’s no other high profile ‘criminal’ on the roster
right now that would be in a high school! Everyone on the World Government Most
Wanted List is over 18, but Roger’s son! And the clock is ticking!”
“Roger’s son would have to be 18 already though! Roger was executed 19 years
ago in October; the statute of limitation has passed already.”
“No! See, there’s this theory! Do you know what island they thought Roger’s
wife was hiding on?”
“Baterilla. In the Caribbean’s. But they checked every pregnant woman there.
Nobody matched.”
“Ah! Wait! There’s this one woman though, she apparently was pregnant a really
long time! Like, really long! So once it was reported that to the World
Government that this woman had been pregnant for over a year, they had sent
troops to go get her, but the woman died at childbirth and it said in the
report that the child as well.”
“Am I missing something?”
“Yes! The child’s body was never recovered!” said Cora, a little too gleefully
for someone talking about a baby dying
“….So it all adds up. But what the hell is the baby doing here in Goa?!”
“I don’t know! But that’s what my theory is – that they’re looking for this
child!”
Cora watched carefully as Smoker muddled through all the new information he was
given before he spoke up again
“Shit, I think the Whitebeards think the same thing.”
Cora blinked, surprised “Oh? How come?”
“Ace asked me a funny question this weekend and brought up if Roger had a
child, how would I feel about this kid? It struck me as odd, but if the
Whitebeards are also looking for this kid, it would make sense.”
Cora frowned sharply “Weren’t they rivals?! Edward and Roger?”
Smoker scoffed, waving it off
“They were, but they were also drinking buddies. Besides, Edward wouldn’t put
the sins of the father on the child. He isn’t a man like that. ”
How did he know that?
Smoker groaned, running his hand in his hair
“Shit. That means the World Government Agents are here to murder a fucking kid.
This is exactly why I left the goddamn forces, shit like this.”
Then Smoker turned to Cora
“Trafalgar. I’ll need you to keep your eyes and ears open on this. See if you
can get any information about this from that brother of yours but if you come
across anything – you goddamn tell me, you hear? I’m not going to allow the
World Government to murder an innocent kid on my watch”
Cora stared at Smoker, completely stunned
“Are you saying you’re going to go against the World Government?”
“No. Not directly. I’m saying that this isn’t right, and I’m not going to stand
for it.”
Cora couldn’t help but smile – it was good to have an ally in his pocket
Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad
 
Chapter End Notes
     How does a first date sound?
***** –LAW– I Couldn’t Even Make This Up If I Tried (WHY?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm busy tonight so I was afraid I wouldn't have time to upload the
     chapter before I have to go out! So here it is early instead!
     No new pairings in this chapter, everything we've all seen before!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Oooh Law’s first date, how exciting”
Law’s eyes narrowed as he shot a dirty look to his group of friends. He didn’t
know why Shachi and Penguin insisted on coming over to help him get ready – he
was going to the goddamn movies not a wedding!
Getting Cora to leave him alone was also enough of a challenge! Bepo was fine
though, but he knew when to back off and was currently sitting on Law’s bed,
trying to help Law narrow down to one shirt.
“I like this one, it’s cool looking and it’s also warm, so you won’t be cold in
the theater.” said Bepo as he lifted up the yellow and black hoodie
“Yeah but Law wears that one a lot! Shouldn’t he wear something nicer for his
date?”
“He’s going on a date with Luffy! You really think Luffy isn’t going to be
dressed exactly the same as he usually is?!”
That was a good point
Law sighed, this week had been…weird. Not in a bad way, well, in a bad way when
Sengoku was here, because fuck that guy, but weird in a nice way afterwards. He
wasn’t sure how attached Luffy would get now that they were dating, but aside
from hellos and goodbyes and kisses here and there, they generally still stuck
with their own groups. Unless it was lunch time, then the two groups would eat
together. So this date would really just be the two of them, and Law wasn’t
exactly sure how he would handle that.
The other weird thing was…well.
Cora stuck his head inside the room and stayed silent for a moment
Cora had been rather distracted all week, seemingly weirdly preoccupied for
now. Law didn’t know what it was, but if anything, he seemed a bit more
rattled.
Honestly it was pissing Law off
“Cora! Do you think Law should wear this shirt or that shirt?” said Bepo,
holding up two shirts
“Huh? Oh, the hoodie, it’s a bit chilly outside and Law made the design in the
middle himself, so it could be a conversation topic with Luffy.”
“Oh, oh, Cora! Did you give Law ‘the talk’ yet?” asked Shachi, snickering.
Law turned bright red as he shoved the laughing Shachi
“Oh fuck off!”
“Oh please. With all of his medical training, pretty sure Law could teach me a
few things.”
Law coughed his blush lessening. Cora had a point; he knew how all of that
worked with much more knowledge than most people. And honestly, he thought it
was a little too early to think about it, who says that Luffy even wants to?
“But it’s like, a parental passage! Law needs to get ‘the talk’!” added
Penguin, grinning
“I already got ‘the talk’ from my parents.” snapped Law, fed up with the
conversation
The room instantly grew silent. Law sighed, he was afraid of this. As much as
he didn’t really want to talk about his parents…or even Lami, he didn’t want
people to walk on eggshells around him either. Especially not Cora.
“So, now that it’s resolved that Law knows what he’s doing, how about we let
him get ready, hmm? He’s going to be late.” offered Cora, smiling softly – at
least Cora didn’t look upset
“Ahh yeah, shit, sorry Law, didn’t mean for you to bring up stuff like that.”
said Penguin, scratching the back of his head
“Yeah man, we’re sorry” offered Shachi and Bepo together
Law sighed as he put on the hoodie “It’s fine. You guys didn’t know.”
“There Law! See! You look great!” exclaimed Bepo, grinning
“What movie are you guys seeing anyways?” asked Cora as he went in the room and
gave Law a couple of twenties
Law quietly took it and put the money in his wallet. He really wish Cora would
let him get a part-time job or something, asking for money was kinda
embarrassing
“There’s like, a samurai ninja flick at the theater that we agreed upon last
night”
“Oooh last night? What where you two doing?” teased Shachi, wolf-whistling
“Oh shut up! We were just texting!”
“Alright, enough harassing Law” said Cora as he took out his phone and snapped
a picture of Law “He really needs to get going”
“Says you!” accused Law, again with the goddamn pictures!
“I’m allowed! I’m your parent!”
Law chuckled, putting on his hat
 
Law exhaled and inhaled at the street corner. He didn’t want to admit how
nervous he was, but he was really nervous. It was just the movies!
Then again, it was his first date ever, so it made sense that he would be
nervous, but he never expected the knots he currently had in his stomach. Law
looked down at his phone for the millionth time he swears in the last few
minutes and stared at the picture that Bepo had sent him. It was the guys and
Cora, giving a thumbs up with the message ‘YOU CAN DO THIS!’ written
underneath. He just wish his nerves would settle a bit.
“Torao!” yelled Luffy as he ran up to Law, grinning ear to ear. Law blinked,
surprised to see Luffy in a nice pair of jeans and a white button up shirt
“Luffy – you look nice!” said Law, a little surprised. Luffy chuckled
“Nami and Vivi dressed me! They said there was no way that I was going on my
first date dressed like a slob” admitted Luffy as he took Law’s hand and
started to guide them to the theater
“Well, they did good.” admitted Law, really taking the time to look Luffy over.
The outfit made Luffy seem a little older, it was a bit weird, but it did suit
him.
“Are you excited about the movie?” asked Luffy
 “Um, yeah, it looked kinda cool when I looked up” said Law as nonchalantly as
he could. He didn’t want to admit it, but honestly he was beyond excited – The
Jamming Ninja vs The Nickel Samurai looked really cool!
Luffy grinned brightly at Law’s answer
“Great! I can’t wait to see it too!”
 
When they got to the theater, Law’s frowned sharply at the sight in front of
him. It was completely packed and the marquee said in big bold letters that
their movie was completely sold out! Shit! There was nothing else he wanted to
see either!
What the hell were they going to do now?!
“Hey guys!”
Law turned and was surprised to see Usopp standing there in a usher uniform
“Hey Usopp! Where you able to get them?”
“Yep! The Great Usopp has saved your date and got you two tickets to the sold-
out show of Jamming Ninja vs Nickel Samurai!” said Usopp, presenting them with
two tickets to the show
“You work here?” asked Law, surprised, he didn’t know that Luffy’s friends  had
part time jobs
“Yep! Only Friday nights and weekends during the day though! My nights are for
Kaya!” said Usopp all excited
Law lifted a brow
“Who’s Kaya?”
“My girlfriend!”
“Ah, right.”
Law had forgotten about this, actually he’s pretty sure this isn’t the first
time he had to be reminded of this fact
Law then blinked, surprised at what he saw. There was a big display, announcing
the sale of a commemorative coin celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the
theater. Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
SHIT!
Law wanted it –he wanted it bad. He didn’t even know when this thing started
for him, but he loved commemorative coins so much – but coin collecting was
so…lame. But he really did love it, shit. He had no way of getting his hands on
it without being seen and he wouldn’t be caught dead being a giant nerd on his
first date! Maybe he could get Cora to swing by and grab it some other time…
“What are you looking at? The commemorative coin? Yeah that thing is selling
like hot cakes! It comes with a nice display case too!”
Fuck! It might sell out! Shit!
“Oh! Torao! We better get going! The movie’s gonna start soon and I want
popcorn!”
Law nodded, letting Luffy drag him away as they went to the concession stand –
maybe he’ll say he’s going to the bathroom and sneak off and buy the coin?
Shit!
They went to the concession stand and Law took out his money
“I’ll pay for this since you got the food.” said Law, wanting to at least do
his share, Luffy grinned, nodding
“Sure! Let’s get the big extra pack!”
Law only nodded as they waited for their turn at the cash – and when it came,
he was surprised to see someone else he recognized
“You work here too?”
Chopper grinned brightly, nodding
“Sure do! Usopp and I got the jobs together!”
Law only nodded as Luffy ordered for them. Honestly Law was starting to get a
little annoyed. He was hoping to spend time alone with Luffy, and they kept
bumping into his friends. Had he known they were working here – he would have
suggested someplace else. On the other hand…it was nice of Usopp to grab the
tickets for them
“So how much?” asked Law, slightly dazed
“Don’t worry about it! I’m allowed free food here!”
Law blinked, surprised
“But I can pay?”
“It’s okay! Really! Have a great date, you guys!” assured Chopper with a big
smile on his face, Law blinked, stunned
“Oh…alright.”
 
“Wasn’t that great of Chopper?” asked Luffy as they settled into the rather
crowded theater – they got lucky and happen to find two seats together at a
good distance from the screen
“Yeah, it was” Law felt bad now that he had been annoyed at Luffy’s friends
being here. The movie soon started and Law’s nerves started to flare up. Was he
supposed to make a move? Did he need to make a move?
But then he felt Luffy’s hand go over his and Law flushed, looking at Luffy who
only smiled back.  Law couldn’t help but smile, this was nice
Halfway through the movie, engrossed as he was, Law had heard a funny noise. He
looked around slightly and then blinked, surprised
He didn’t know that people actually made out in movie theaters like that - !
Those two were really going at it too. But now that he had noticed that the
couple behind him were making out, it was really hard to ignore it now! If
anything, it was starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable. Law though
wasn’t sure if it was because he was kinda grossed out or because he was kinda
jealous and it was working him up. But bottom line, he kinda wanted it to stop.
“Zoro? Sanji? You guys are here too?” asked Luffy as he turned around, probably
to see what Law kept peeking at
No freaking way!
The couple making out broke apart and sure enough – it was Zoro and Sanji!
“O-Oh, hello Luffy” said Sanji weakly, bright red
This is probably what Ace insinuated at the dance. Oh man, it was so obvious
now that he thought about it.
“This movie has great fights, huh?” asked Zoro, not even the slightest bit
embarrassed
Law sighed, turning around and getting back to the movie. He just wanted to be
alone with Luffy!
 
The movie ended and the four of them walked out together. Law listened quietly
as Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were discussing the movie, clearly avoiding the topic
of what had taken place inside of the theater.
It seemed that another movie was clearing out at the same time, and lo and
behold, Nami and Vivi walked out, holding hands as well.
“Oh! Hey guys! I thought Luffy was going on his date? How come you’ll all
together?”  asked Nami, pointing to the four of them
“We are on a date.” hissed Law, rather annoyed at this point but then he turned
his head to look at the coin display and saw a big ‘SOLD OUT’ sign on top of
it. Are you kidding?!
“Oh! Usopp and Chopper just finished their shift!” said Luffy, looking at his
phone “Why don’t we all go out and eat together!”
Law could not believe what Luffy had just said!
“Uh…Luffy…Don’t you think that you and Law should go eat somewhere….together?
Alone?” suggested Nami, as discreetly as possible. Law had much appreciated it
“Huh? Things are so much more fun as a group though!” said Luffy, not catching
the hint
“Ah, miss Nami is right! You’re on a date, Luffy! You should be with Law only”
said Sanji, trying to help as well
“Huh?” said Luffy, crossing his arms and tipping his head “Wouldn’t I want to
have the most fun possible on a date?”
Law sighed, giving up
“It’s fine, we can all go out and eat something.”
Just as he said that, Chopper and Usopp ran up to them, smiling
“So we’re all going out to eat? That’s great! I’m starving!”
“Why don’t we go to that small bubble tea place by the corner?” suggested
Sanji, gesturing with his thumb. Then he turned to Law slightly and smirked,
giving a small wink – what was that about?
They got to the bubble tea place and quickly placed their orders and took a
seat at a giant booth in the back. Soon enough their drinks arrived and the
conversation turned towards the movie, school and anything really. But Law was
beyond annoyed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Luffy’s friends, they were
overall okay – but he wanted to spend time with Luffy alone! Like they had at
his house! Wasn’t that the point of a date?
“Uh oh! I have to go!” said Nami in a totally robotic voice as she stood up,
surprising Law
“Oh that’s right! We have to go do that thing!” said Vivi, also standing up.
The two girls shifted, about to leave but Nami then grabbed Usopp’s shoulder
and gripped tightly
“Usopp! I must talk to you before I go!” said Nami, dragging a freaked out
Usopp away.
They both talked for a moment, away from where Law could hear them and Usopp
returned to the table
“I apparently have to go too! C’mon Chopper! I’ll walk you home!” said Usopp,
looking a little terrified
“Huh?” said Chopper as he stood up; looking confused “How come?”
“We have that project! We gotta go work on it!” replied Usopp as Nami glared at
him
 “Umm…okay?”
“Oh! Luffy! Here!” said Usopp, taking a small bag out of his backpack and
handing it to Luffy, who grinned
“Ahh! Thank you, Usopp!”
“Oh! Look at the time! The old bastard wants me back for the dinner rush –
c’mon, marimo. I’ll take you home so that you actually, you know, get home.”
“Huh?! I can get home just fine, you pervert cook!”
“Just come with me, you meathead!” yelled Sanji, grabbing Zoro’s arm and
pulling him up
“Oh? You’re all leaving?” said Luffy, a little confused
“Yep! But you and Law should stay for a bit, we’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
said Sanji with a grin on his face, winking again to Law
Law smiled, pleased with the turn of events
 
They had all filed out and Law and Luffy were left alone. They each got a piece
of cake and slowly ate as they talked about a lot of things. Soon enough, it
was time to head out, since Law said that he’d be home for supper
They walked down the street, continuing their conversations as they held hands.
But suddenly Law’s attention was diverted when he saw a Tesla turn the corner!
He didn’t even know someone in town had one!! Law gasped slightly as he watched
the car turn the corner.  Suddenly the windows went down and he was instantly
greeted with Ace and Sabo, with Sabo driving
“OOOOOOOOOOHHH!” yelled Ace at them and then started whistling, Sabo in harmony
Oh god no.
Luffy started laughing as both of his brothers catcalled them, whistling loudly
and making oooh-ing noises at the pair as they slowly drove besides them as
they kept walking down the street.
Law’s face was scarlet as he was completely humiliated, but unwilling to let go
of Luffy’s hand out of principal
“Will you two fuck off!” snapped Law, not able to take another second of this
Both Ace and Sabo laughed as they rolled back the windows up and drove away
Luffy kept laughing as Law started to cool down
“They’re so funny!”
“How come they’re in a Tesla?!” asked Law, wanting to divert the subject
Luffy blinked, confused
“Who’s Tesla?”
“No, not who, the car! The car’s a Tesla!”
“Oh! That’s Sabo’s car!” answered Luffy
“Sabo owns a Tesla?!” said Law, completely shocked – one of his buddies online
would die if he knew that! The guy always like tinkering away with electronics
and shit!
“Uh huh, he got it last week!”
“Huh. Your brothers are dicks though.” stated Law, still not impressed as Luffy
laughed loudly at the comment
 
They got to Law’s house as Cora and Bepo were apparently unloading the
groceries. Aww shit! He had hoped for a moment alone with Luffy before they
split ways!
“Oh! You guys are back!” said Cora, surprised, but his expression soon shifted
to one of awkwardness “Ahh..”
“Let me give you a hand, mister Rosisi!” said Luffy as he ran up to the car and
took a few bags “Just inside?”
Cora nodded as Bepo led Luffy inside. Law couldn’t help but pout a little
“Ah, shitty timing on my part, sorry Law.” said Cora, scratching the back of
his head
“Naw, it’s okay. It’s been like that all day, honestly.” stated Law honestly, a
little discouraged
“Is that so…BEPO!” said Cora, shocked at Bepo. Law frowned, he knew that fake-
shocked expression!
Bepo blinked, coming back outside “Huh? What’s wrong?”
“We TOTALLY forgot to grab something! Unload the car quick! We gotta go back to
the store!”
“Hu-Oh! Really! Oh no! That’s awful! Let’s go!”
They all quickly unloaded the car and drove off. Law couldn’t help but smile
when he saw the self-satisfied smirks on Cora and Bepo’s faces
 
“It was nice to see Bepo and mister Rosisi!” said Luffy as he sat on the
porch’s steps with Law
“Yeah, they’re really great” said Law, really happy that they did that for him
“Oh! Before I forget!” Luffy took the bag that Usopp gave him and handed it to
Law “It’s for you!”
Law blinked, surprised and opened the bag. He couldn’t believe it – it was the
coin!
“You looked like you really wanted it, so I asked Usopp to grab it for you! He
told me that it was apparently the last one too! How lucky is that!”
Law looked at the coin shocked; he couldn’t believe that Luffy was able to read
him that well
“Luffy…thank you…thank you so much”
Luffy turned his head slightly and Law leaned in to share a tender kiss with
him, unable to stop smiling
“You really shouldn’t have though”
“But I want to!” replied Luffy with a big smile on his face, and then he dug
into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, he opened it and gave Law four
tickets
“Before I forget! It’s for the big Halloween party!”
Law lifted a brow, looking at the tickets confused
“The school’s having a Halloween party? I didn’t hear about this?”
Luffy shook his head
“No, no! The Whitebeard’s always have a massive Halloween party at the mansion!
I’m finally allowed to go! But you gotta have a ticket to get in! It’s how
Marco limits who gets to go inside or not! So I got some for you and your
friends!”
Law nodded, putting the tickets into the bag with the coin
“Thanks, Luffy”
Luffy then stood up and blinked as he saw Cora’s car
“Oh! Mister Rosisi is back! I should probably head home then! Thank you, Torao!
I had a great date!”
Law smiled, standing up as well
“Me too, it was…really great”
The two shared another kiss and when they broke apart and Luffy waved at him as
he skipped away, only then did Cora turn into the yard and parked the car
“Thank you” said Law as Cora and Bepo stepped out, holding what looked like
bags of Chinese takeout
“Pfft, for what? We forgot supper, right, Bepo?”
“Right!”
“You guys suck at this, you know.”
Cora chuckled as they stepped inside, putting his arm around Law’s shoulder and
pulling him into a sideways hug
 
“Sooo…how was the date?”
They were now all around the table. The groceries had been put away and they
had now started to eat
“It was pretty good. At first kinda annoying because we kept running into
Luffy’s friends, but it wind up being really nice in the end.”
Cora nodded, smiling as he listened, eating the rice
“Once again Law, that was a sad retelling and you’re going to need to work on
that delivery.” stated Bepo, eating an eggroll
“Hey shut up!” replied Law, making Cora and Bepo laugh
Law blinked, maybe this was the time
“Hey Cora, what’s been eating you? You seem really distracted as of late.”
Cora froze, surprised at the question and sighed
“So…I have good news and bad news.”
“Start with the bad.” said Law, frowning
“The World Government Agents have infiltrated the city to, I presume, execute
Roger’s child, which they believe go to your high school.”
Law’s face drained of all of it’s colour.
“W-What?!”
“Isn’t Roger’s child just a myth?” asked Bepo
Cora shook his head
“Nope. There’s overwhelming proof that it’s not. The child just got away.”
Shit! Shit! Shit! Luffy had asked him not to tell anybody!
“Do...How do you know this?” asked Law cautiously
“Because I confronted Sengoku about all the agents here and he wouldn’t tell me
why. So it’s the only thing I could deduce because I’m against killing minors.”
Law blinked slowly, trying to regain his cool. Cora lifted a brow, eyeing him
“Are you alright?”
“I…I know some information about this…but I was asked not to tell.”
Cora gasped, dropping his fork
“Wait?! Law?! What kind of info?!”
“I-“
“Do you know who it is?!”
“…”
“Law! Listen to me! I need you to tell me who it is so I can keep them safe!”
said Cora, trying to assure Law
“But…Luffy…asked me not to tell anyone.” admitted Law, feeling completely torn
Cora nodded, running a hand through his hair
“Okay…so, I don’t want you breaking that trust, but Law, that person’s in
danger. So I won’t ask you to tell me, but…if you can, can you let them know?”
asked Cora, smiling softly as he ran his hand through Law’s hair, trying to
calm the other down
“Yeah, I’ll let him know.” said Law, as he closed his eyes, but then he snapped
them open – SHIT! He used a pronoun!
Cora nodded, pretending clearly to have no heard anything and smiled
“Thank you, Law”
“And the good news?” asked Bepo, still eating away at his supper
“Oh, I skyped with Doffy again”
“And that’s good news how again?” asked Law, completely unimpressed with Cora
“I asked him when he was visiting” started Cora, but Law only saw red and
slammed his fist down on the table
“You did WHAT?!”
“Law.” warned Cora, frowning sharply, Law nodded and sat down
“He said that he wasn’t going to any time soon because there was too many
government agents sniffing around right now.” finished Cora, making Law frown
sharply
“That means he does plan on coming eventually.” stated Law, not exactly
relieved
“Eventually. So right now I’m putting it on the backburner and concentrating on
Roger’s kid.” admitted Cora, as he took another bite of his food
“He might be lying.” pointed out Law
“He’s never lied to me, Law. I don’t know what he’d gain from lying now”
replied Cora, shrugging his shoulders
Law sighed, that was a good point. But still – are they really not going to
have any interaction with Doflamingo until this agent thing is solved?
Urgh, but he knew one thing for sure – he needed to talk to Ace.
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I guess we would need an Ace chapter for Law to talk to Ace right?
***** -ACE- Did You Know Joseph of Austria Had To Explain To Louis XVI How To
Nail His Sister? Same Idea, More Dicks *****
Chapter Notes
     ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR ADULT RELATIONSHIP AND SEX TALK?
     Well either way, you're getting it! Enjoy! Lots of sex talk and stuff
     in this chapter! And not all sexy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
“I can’t believe your parents got you a Tesla.”
Sabo chuckled as he kept driving through Goa. Ace was still in awe at how
hardcore this car was. Koala was in the back, reading through her notes as they
were driving her to an exam that afternoon.
“Well, they insisted I had a car, and I figured it they were going to waste
money anyways, might as well get a technologically advanced one that’s good for
the environment~!” said Sabo with a huge grin on his face
“How bad are you itching to take this car apart?” teased Ace, making Sabo laugh
“You have no idea!”
Then the conversation in the car grew quiet for a bit before Sabo spoke again
“Sooo…have you and Chase done anything yet?”
Ace blinked slowly at the question, not sure what to answer. 
“Well…we made out and stuff, and shared the bed that one time, but I told you
about that?” pointed out Ace, rather confused about the line of questioning
 
It had been a rather busy week for him, especially with having to explain to an
enraged Izo in secret that he and Smoker had been secretly dating for nearly a
month now. At first Izo had been really insulted, but afterwards, he
understood. Saying that Ace and the Captain could have private dates at
Foxfire’s any time they wanted. And he also promised that he’d keep the whole
affair a secret from Marco. But Izo had also warned Ace that when Marco does
find out – he was going to be absolutely furious, and to be ready for that.
“That’s it? You were ready to hump his leg before you started dating” said
Koala from the back, shocked
“W-We’re taking things slow! That’s all!” said Ace, flushed
“Are you though? Or is he making you take it slow?” asked Sabo, raising a brow
Ace sighed
“It’s…I don’t know. He’s really busy, I’m really busy, so it’s not like we see
each other that much. And when I tried to instigate something, he stopped me,
saying he was too tired. Which was actually the case, considering he had just
worked a double shift.” explained Ace, closing his eyes
“Are you actually trying though?” asked Koala, leaning in between the seats
“What do you mean?”
Damn it, did she figure it out?
“Are you self-sabotaging this because you’re nervous? It’s going to be your
first time and probably not his.” pointed out Koala
Ace bit his lip, his face becoming a dark red. She had hit the nail right on
the head!
“…Maybe…but…it’s because…he’s…ah.”
Sabo’s expression dropped as he looked briefly at Ace stunned
“Oh no, Ace, is he big?”
Ace nodded, still red
“….Yeah, I ah, he had morning wood that one morning and we were spooning and
ah…yeah.”
“Aww Ace, it’s okay! You should practice then! Get yourself a nice dildo around
his size and get used to being penetrated!” suggested Koala with a big smile on
her face
“Not that it doesn’t sound like a great idea, but I don’t exactly have privacy
at home.”
He wish he did though
“That’s true. But honestly Ace, this is something you should talk to Chase
about! Does he know that you’ve never done this before?”
“…No”
“Ace!” cried out Sabo and Koala simultaneously
“Ace! He needs to know that to be careful! Otherwise he might hurt you
accidentally!” lectured Koala, not impressed
“You two need to talk about this! Ace! You’re going to talk to him about this,
right?” asked Sabo, frowning
Ace hated that look. That look meant ‘you’re doing it or I’ll beat your ass’
“Fine, fine, I’ll tell him”
“Good! Seriously Ace –“
 
Ace sighed, looking out the window
Oh great, now Sabo was going to lecture him now – What’s this?!
“OH MAN! Slow down the car, Sabo and roll down the windows!”
 Sabo blinked, rolling down the windows and saw what Ace was looking at. There
was Luffy and Law, walking down the street, holding hands, clearly on their
date
“Oh my god, guys, you’re not really going to annoy them, are you?” asked Koala,
rolling her eyes
“Oh course we are! It’s our duty!” said Sabo
Ace yelled first and then they both started to whistle at the couple. Luffy
laughed but Law looked humiliated but never let go of Luffy’s hand, which made
Ace happy
“Will you two fuck off?!” snapped Law finally, making Sabo and Ace laugh as
they rolled up the windows and drove away
 
“And then he told us to fuck off and we drove away!” said Ace, retelling the
story to Smoker who was half-listening as he read the paper. Sabo had dropped
him off at the Captain’s house. Even though they only had about two hours
together before Smoker had to go back on duty, Ace was going to appreciate
every second of it. And honestly, laying on the couch like this, with his legs
on Smoker’s lap while Justice was sprawled over him was kinda nice
But then Sabo and Koala’s words rang through his ears
When was the best time to have this kind of talk?
Ace watched Smoker carefully as he read his paper while drinking coffee and
smoking a cigar. Was this something he could just bring up? Should he plan for
it? Over a dinner? Or while they were making out, even though it would ruin the
mood?
“Out with it, brat.”
Ace blinked, surprised at being called ‘brat’, Smoker only did that when he was
annoyed with him
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You look like you want to ask me something and it’s getting annoying since
you’re just staring at me and you’re not saying it!” snapped Smoker, putting
down the paper
Ace blinked again, he forgot how well his boyfriend could read emotions.
“Oh…well…I was…I was wondering.”
And now he’s all read
“Yes?”
“How come…you…we…haven’t…you know…”
“I’m going to assume you’re talking about sex.” said Smoker, sighing
“Uh yeah, that. It’s not me, is it? You turned me down that time I tried…so I
was …a little worried.” admitted Ace, completely embarrassed
Smoker shook his head, exhaling as he took the cigar out of his mouth
“It’s not you, Ace. It’s because we hadn’t had a chance to talk about it and we
didn’t have time that morning either when you tried.”
“Talk about it?” asked Ace curiously
“Of course we have to talk about it! When’s the last time you got checked out?”
asked Smoker, frowning as he gestured to Ace
Ace frowned slightly, what was he talking about?
“What do you mean?”
“When’s the last time you got a full STD panel done?”
“Oh! Never!”
Clearly that was the wrong answer from the expression on Smoker’s face
“You’ve never done one?! I can tell you right fucking now that we’re not doing
shit until you do”
Ace looked at Smoker surprised – oh! He’s misunderstanding!
“No-! It’s because I don’t need one!”
“Don’t need one?! The only reason you wouldn’t need one is because you’ve ne-“
Smoker stopped suddenly as he noticed the sheepish, embarrassed look on Ace’s
face
“Honestly?” asked Smoker, looking a little surprised
Ace nodded
“Yeah…I hope it’s not a problem.”
Smoker shook his head, taking another drag of his cigar. Ace didn’t miss how he
licked his lips a little before he did
“No…not a problem per say. But it’s something I needed to know. Especially with
our age difference and experience difference. There’s no reason to rush into
this. We’ll work up to it eventually.” said Smoker, picking up the paper and
continued where he left off
Ace smiled softly, laying back down and started to run his fingers through
Justice’s fur
“Yeah, I’m excited.” said Ace in a soft, low voice as he kept petting Justice
Smoker watched the two of them carefully from the corner of his eyes and sighed
“How is someone who looks like you, has never had sex?”
Ace chuckled softly
“Didn’t like anyone enough before you to want to.” admitted Ace honestly
Smoker paused for a moment, before leaning in to deeply kiss Ace, who instantly
ran his fingers through Smoker’s hair, pulling him in closer to deepen the kiss
 
They had made out for a little while before Smoker had to head back to the
station. He had driven Ace back home where Sabo had been waiting for Ace. But
Sabo had been wise enough to drop off the car first
Smoker and Ace had exchanged a chaste kiss before Smoker drove off. Sabo had
taken the moment to catcall them both.
Alright, Ace probably deserved that
When they broke apart, they started to walk through the forests, pipes in hand
“I can’t believe someone is living in that house.” said Sabo, sighing loudly as
they trekked through the forest
Ace shrugged, a big smirk on his face
“Guess we’ll just have to show them why they shouldn’t live in our territory,
shall we?”
 
They quickly got to the old decrepit house that used to be there and starred at
it in utter shock – it had been completely renovated!
Someone had redone the whole foundation and rebuilt the entire house – it was
now gorgeous! There seemed to be a huge pool in the back, a lush garden and a
massive building in the back that from the distance looked like a workshop
The odd thing about though was the entirely surrounded by this beautifully
crafted metal fence, that had a flower design but also glass had been put
behind the fence, giving it a purple hue.
Ace frowned, jumping down from the tree he and Sabo had climbed for a better
look and walking up to the fence and tapping slightly on the glass
“This is bulletproof glass!”
“Who the hell?” asked Sabo, looking around shocked as he also jumped down from
the tree
 “Whoever it is, they want to be protected – look! There’s security cams and
everything!” said Ace, pointing towards the small discreet camera in a bird
cage
“Shit, it’s going to be hard as hell to-“
“Sabo? Ace? What are you two doing here?”
Both Ace and Sabo turned around to see none other than Robin at the opening of
the fence, looking at the two of them confused
“…You live here?” asked Sabo, surprised
Robin nodded, smiling slightly, looking rather cute with her hair pulled back,
glasses and an oversized stripped sweater
“Yes, Franky and I bought this place late spring.”
“This…was an ugly shack.” stated Ace, still in shock over the current
appearance of the house
“Ah, yes. Franky went to town on it this summer. It was his own personal pet
project; he’s very good at building things. I helped as much as I could.”
admitted Robin, chuckling slightly
“Huh.” said Ace, still looking around
“Is this your territory?” asked Robin casually, making both Ace and Sabo jump
“W-What?”
“When we bought the house, we were well warned that this house was not-livable
because it was in the territory of ‘Devils of the Corvo District.’ And now here
you are carrying metal pipes, so I can only assume that you came to chase us
out.” pointed out Robin, crossing her arms as she kept smiling
Ace shook his head
“No. Well, yes. We had every intention of kicking you out, but if it’s you and
Franky living here, you’re welcomed to stay” said Ace, smiling
“Oh, that’s lovely news, I was afraid we’d have to fight.” said Robin, smiling
softly. Ace felt a chill run up his spine at the smile
“Did someone say something about a fight?” said Franky as he showed up at the
gate and Sabo and Ace both looked at him surprised
“Oh wow, is that the Bebionic3 hand?!” asked Sabo, almost gushing
Franky laughed, holding up the robotic hand – Whoah! Ace didn’t know that
Franky had an artificial hand!
“Sure is! Isn’t is super?! Well it’s not the official one, since I made this
one!” admitted Franky, laughing
“Franky likes to work on his tune ups on Saturdays” explained Robin, smiling
“Ahh! You built that?! That’s amazing!” gushed openly Sabo, making Ace chuckle
“If you guys ever want to tune up anything you’ve built – and I mean anything”
said Franky, looking straight at Ace, surprising him “Let me know! It’ll be
super!”
Before Ace could answer, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket
“Yeah! That’s be great!” said Sabo as Ace grabbed his phone and looked at it
“First thing is upgrading that phone, dude.” said Franky, pointing to Ace’s
flip phone “That thing is embarrassing.”
“Huh…Law wants to meet with me, he said it’s urgent and we need to meet
somewhere private.”
“Well, I need to get to the café for my shift, why don’t you meet there and use
the private room to talk?” suggested Sabo, putting the metal pipe on his
shoulder
“Oh yeah, I’ll shoot him the address” mumbled Ace, sending the quick text to
Law and then he paused – how come Law had his number?
Urgh, Luffy.
“How come you guys have pipes? Were you coming to beat us up?” asked Franky,
laughing
Sabo and Ace just looked at Franky sheepishly, making Franky laugh harder
“No way! You two are the Devils of Corvo district?! We were warned that you
guys would come around!”
Ace shrugged his shoulders, grinning
“And we did!”
“Feel free to drop by to visit anytime, but next time, leave the pipes at home”
stated Robin, making Ace grin
“Aye aye!”
 
“My, aren’t you popular today, Ace?”
Ace frowned sharply at Sabo, getting annoyed.  He was getting tired and hungry
and Ace knew that Law probably didn’t have any good news for him.
“Shaddap, I have homework to do and here I am meeting Law. I haven’t even had
supper yet!” said Ace, frustrated
“Who would have thought that Ace would be such a keener for school” teased Hack
from behind the counter, giving Ace a small pastry on a plate
“Oye, I am very school-worthy!” said Ace, pouting as he tore through the pastry
Law soon came into the café, looking around confused. But clearly by the look
on his face, he was really liking the vibe of the shop
“Yo, over here.” said Ace, waving his hand as he swallowed the rest of the
pastry
Law walked up to Ace, looking around
“Is there any where…private we can go?”
“Let me open the door for you guys” says Sabo, walking past them. Ace signaled
to Law to follow them
Sabo opened the door and led them through it
“Ace, if you need me-“ said Sabo, frowning slightly
Ace nodded, smiling and giving Sabo the okay
 
Law and Ace made their way down the stairs into the room. Law looked around,
trying to make sense of the room. Ace chuckled softly
“It’s the Revolutionary Army’s base.” explained Ace, plopping down on the couch
“So what do you want, Law?”
“You’re in danger.” said Law, frowning
“Uh…be a little more specific than that please?” asked Ace, lifting a brow
Ace had started enough shit to know that enough people want him gone
“Luffy told me. You know, who your dad is.”
Ace’s eyes widen as he looked at Law, completely pissed off as he stood up,
grabbing the front of Law’s sweater and lifted him up, turned around and
slammed him against the wall, making Law groan as his hands grabbed at Ace’s
wrist
“The fuck are you talking about, Trafalgar? You threatening me?”
“No!” said Law “Luffy just blabbed it out and told me to keep it a secret, but
Cora told me that the World Government was after Roger’s kid and I wanted to
warn you to be careful!”
Ace glared at Law for a moment and then let him go, Law barely landed on his
feet, stumbling a little
“I knew that. I was informed by Marco, since Izo found out at the dinner.” said
Ace sternly, but then he smiled slightly
“Thanks for letting me know though.”
“Did Marco tell you about the cops thing?”
Ace stared at Law, not sure what to make of that last comment
“No.”
“Basically” started Law, straightening out his shirt “Cora’s aware that they’re
looking for Roger’s kid. We talked about it more after supper and he wanted me
to inform the ‘child’ that him and the Captain are aware of it and are trying
to prevent it – so it might be a wise choice for you to tell your boyfriend who
you actually are!”
Ace froze slightly before frowning again
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m not dating anyone.” replied Ace
nonchalantly
“Luffy told me that you’re dating the Captain in secret”
“Oh my god! Is there even a point of telling him any secret?!” yelled out Ace,
frustrated as he stomped his foot “I’m going to beat his ass!”
“Hey, it worked out in this situation. But honestly, tell Captain Smoker it’s
you. They want to protect you but they can’t do it if they have no idea it’s
you, and you’re dating him, so it’s perfect. ” reasoned Law
Ace frowned sharply, glaring at Law
“Perfect?! Do you have any fucking idea what it’s like being the son of that
man?!” screamed Ace, seeing red
How dare this smart mouth sass piece of shit tell him how to lead his life!
 
“Ace?! What’s wrong!” said Sabo as he ran down the stairs
Law instantly straightened up, frowning sharply
“I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but I said my piece. I’m going to
go.” stated Law as he walked past a confused Sabo who then quickly grabbed his
arm and gripped it tight, making Law wince
“It’s fine, Sabo. Let him go.” said Ace, breathing in an out to try and control
his anger
Sabo let Law go, who whipped his arm back and rubbed it as he walked out of the
room.
Sabo quietly went down the stairs and walked up to Ace, putting a hand on his
shoulder
“What happened?”
“The cops know that the World Government is looking for me. But they don’t know
it’s me, he does though, because Luffy freaking told him, and he’s telling me
how it’s perfect, because I should just tell Chase because he’s already dating
me so isn’t it SO PERFECT!” yelled Ace, the anger overwhelming him again
“Ace.” said Sabo quietly, putting his hand on Ace’s shoulder
“I can’t tell him, Sabo!” yelled Ace, panicking as he started to shake and his
breathing got harsher “I can’t, I can’t I can’t!”
“Ace!” said Sabo again, giving Ace a hug “You don’t have to, Ace, nobody is
making you.”
He wanted to tell the Captain!
He really did! But – the risks were too great!
“What…What if he hates me after? What if, he doesn’t want me around anymore?”
whined Ace, tears welling in his eyes. He didn’t realise how bad this was
getting to him
Sabo’s expression softened even more as he smiled gently
“You really like him a lot, huh?”
Ace nodded, wiping the tears out his eyes quickly as he broke out of the hug,
suddenly really embarrassed
“You’ll have to tell him eventually, Ace. But you can also wait until your 18th
birthday when you’re not in danger anymore.” suggested Sabo calmly as he rubbed
Ace’s back
“Yeah…I guess.”
“Nobody’s making you do this, Ace.” reaffirmed Sabo, but Ace shook his head
“I think I’m going to have to. I just hope he doesn’t hate me at the end of all
of this.”
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And we're back to plot and back to the police station next week! See
     you all then!
***** -CORA – Buddy Cops Sequels Are The Best, Right? (Where’s the Bon Cop Bad
Cop Sequel?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Back to the police station!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Cora looked at the leaves falling from the trees and couldn’t get over how it
was already October
The Captain had scheduled a special meeting today to discuss the whole Roger’s
kid thing and said that he had specially picked people to be in the squad
that’s going to be handling the file.
Cora had been musing it over and over again, trying to piece together
everything but he felt like he was missing an important clue. It was
infuriating though that he knew that Law knew, but Law wasn’t budging on the
topic and Cora didn’t want to push. This early in the relationship, trust was
everything. And Law had sworn up and down that he had warned Roger’s son that
he was in danger, but he also had a very sour look on his face when he came
back home that night.
Cora could only imagine that the whole conversation didn’t go well at all.
But due to Law’s mess up, he knew at least it was a boy.
Cora walked into the police precinct and was surprised to see only Wiper
working at the desk; he blinked slowly, walking up to the other
“How come you’re alone?”
Wiper gestured behind him with his thumb
“Big meeting in the Captain’s office, they’re waiting for you.” said Wiper as
he kept typing away
"Aww crap!!"
 
Cora quickly made his way to the office, swinging the door open and going right
into the room and running into the door frame in the process
“OW!”
“Good for you to join us, Trafalgar.” muttered Smoker, looking over the files
in his hands
Cora laughed embarrassed; of course he had to make an ass out of himself
“I thought the meeting was only at 9?” asked Cora, stunned that he was
apparently late – it was only 8:45!
“It is, you’re fine, take a seat.” said Smoker, passing out the files to
everyone as they sat down. Cora looked around the room. There was Bellemere and
Tashigi there with them, good to know that they had agreed to do this!
“Wiper’s not coming?” asked Cora
Smoker shook his head
“No. Wiper’s already working on a special case right now and I want his full
attention on it.” admitted Smoker
“So,” started Smoker, as everyone opened the files “We have reason to believe
that the World Government infiltrated Goa to capture and execute the so-called
child of Roger. So I’ve gathered here a list of all the possible suspects for
this endeavour. Unfortunately, Goa is riddled with orphans, so the list is the
size of a phonebook. But, the World Government is suspecting someone going to
Grand Line High, so the list in front of you is only students going there who
are also registered orphans.”
“Hey, how come my daughters are on this list?” asked Bellemere, defensive
“Because I haven’t had the chance to ask you about them to check them off the
list.” said Smoker, barely reacting to her defensiveness
“Oh. Well, they’re not. I…I saw their parent’s bodies when I took them in.”
admitted Bellemere, frowning, clearly this wasn’t a great memory for her
“Good. We’ll scratch them off the list. Hina also said she’ll try to look into
it, but she has to remain discreet about it otherwise it could mean serious
trouble for her. This has always been a high priority issue and they’re gonna
be pissed if they know one of their own is snooping around.” explained Smoker
“You can remove all the girls, actually.” said Cora bluntly as his eyes scanned
the list – of course Law and Bepo were on it.
Everyone in the room looked at Cora surprised
“And why’s that, Trafalgar?” asked Smoker, eyes narrowing
“Law said it was a boy.”
Smoker’s eyes widen as his scowl got deeper
“Do you have fucking intel you’re not telling me?!”
“Law knows who it is. He said that Luffy told him, and I asked Law to go tell
the child. He accidentally used a pronoun, it’s a boy.”
“Couldn’t you ask Law who it is?” asked Tashigi gently, but Cora shook his head
“No, it was told to him in confidence and he doesn’t want to break his trust
since the relationship is so new.” explained Cora, seeing Smoker getting madder
“So he’s gonna risk this kid’s life because he wants to keep the peace in his
relationship?!” barked Smoker, outraged
Cora shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to piss the man off even more but knew
he had nothing to say that would be constructive in any way right now
“Wait…Luffy knows? Why would Luffy know such delicate information?” pointed out
Bellemere, surprised
“I assumed the son of Roger knows him and probably told him in confidence.”
“Can’t get out of Law how the conversation came to be, huh?” asked Bellemere,
sighing
Cora shook his head
“He’s being completely tight lidded about this.”
“Huh, I wonder who it is if he’s close to Luffy…Clearly it’s someone Luffy must
really care about to ask Law to keep it a secret, since he must know the
dangers of this being revealed. Or this person is someone who could beat up
Luffy if they found out that he spilled the beans. It’s pretty limited on who
can do that!” mused Bellemere
Cora eyes widen as it all came together
Holy shit!
“Hey…you wouldn’t happen to have a picture of Roger would you? One when he was
younger, like when he just started out.” asked Cora, Smoker lifted a brow and
quickly pulled one up on his monitor and flipped it around, showing it to Cora
The minute he saw the picture – it all came together
It was Ace
Ace and Luffy were both orphans, Luffy are Garp’s grandson and his father is
Dragon. How does Ace fit into this?
The lead agent in the case to stop Roger was Garp. So Garp would have known
that Roger was expecting a kid. Garp’s a decent man, for sure that he would
have taken in the child if asked. Garp had a code put into place to protect
Ace, he had one for Luffy, but the one about Ace seemed much aggressive.
And now looking at Roger’s photo, the resemblance was clearly there
Ace was Roger’s son!
“Do you think…that Garp would also help us? He was the lead agent on the case
to stop Roger.” suggested Cora quietly
Smoker blinked, raising a brow
“Are you mad? Garp and Sengoku are extremely close friends; we can’t give them
any reason to think we’re looking into this. If anything, Garp is helping
Sengoku out! Which is probably why he visited with him!” replied Smoker
Cora nodded his head, muddling this over. This must be extremely hard for Garp
right now if that’s the case.
Garp probably came down to check on Ace if anything!
“Alright, so you all have your assignments so get on the floor and keep this on
the down low. We’ll be getting some new rookies in soon, and I don’t want a
damn one of them to suspect anything, understood? So far I don’t suspect
anybody planted by the World Government, but doesn’t mean that’s always going
to be the case, discretion is key.”
Everyone nodded and stood up but Cora
 
“Can I speak to you, Captain?”
Smoker nodded, sitting back down as Bellemere and Tashigi carefully left the
room, closing the door behind him
“Are you going to defend your crappy choice of not confronting your son for the
intel we need?” asked Smoker, clearly not impressed
“No…It’s…I don’t think I need the intel. But first, I want to discuss something
with you.” admitted Cora, not quite sure how he was going to go about this
“Well out with it – I don’t have all day!”
“I know you’re dating Ace.”
Smoker was silent for a moment as he frowned, and then he sighed, leaning back
in his chair
“And?”
“And…I think you should know that…do you happen to have a picture of Ace?”
Smoker once again just glared at Cora silently before pulling out his phone and
unlocking it. Cora couldn’t help but smile when he noticed that his lockscreen
was a picture of a gorgeous German Sheppard, that Cora could only assume was
Justice, and the homescreen was a picture of Ace with Justice sleeping on top
of him as they both napped on the couch. Smoker opened up the picture alone and
handed the phone over to Cora
“You better have a good reason to ask for this.” warned Smoker, clearly not
comfortable with showing so much of his private life
“I do” said Cora as he zoomed in on Ace’s face and held it up to the picture of
Roger in his youth and basically confirmed what he had suspected
“Do you see it now?”
Smoker frowned sharply, standing up as he looked at the screen shocked
“You’re not seriously insinuating-?!”
“I am. Think about it. He’s an orphan; he’s being raised in an oddly secluded
place. He’s Garp’s grandson but he’s not Dragon’s son”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Luffy said that his father was Dragon, not his and Ace’s.” explained
Cora, trying to muddle everything together “Law told me that that Ace and Luffy
had different father’s as well! And that Ace apparently got mad when his father
was brought up! Look, Captain, it makes sense! Ace is just the right age as
well!”
“You’re insane!” barked Smoker
“Just think about it! He’s the right age, he looks like Roger; Garp is for some
reason taking care of him even though he genetically has no obligations to!
Also Garp has that insane code up for Ace!”
“He also has one for Luffy.” pointed out Smoker
“Smoker. C’mon. This makes sense. Ace is probably Roger’s son. You wouldn’t
happen to know the name of Roger’s lover would you?”
Smoker was silent for a moment, eyes narrowing
“Rouge.”
“Next time you see Ace, ask him what his mother’s name is. We’ve already
established that Roger’s son knows he’s Roger’s son, so he probably knows his
mother’s name!” stated Cora, sitting up straight – he wasn’t backing down on
this, it was a solid theory.
Smoker sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair and ran his hand through his
hair
“You’re going to need to face the possibility. I understand this is hard
because of your relationship with him but –“started Cora, but was soon cut off
“Stop. Talking.”
Cora blinked, surprised. He was expecting Smoker to be angry, absolutely
furious, but instead, his face was kinda…flushed?
“So…what are you going to do is he is Roger’s son?”
Smoker paused for a moment, opening his drawer and pulled out a cigar sticking
it into his mouth. Cora blinked, surprised – was he going to smoke in his
office again?
Yep. Yes, he was
“If that’s the case…I have something important to discuss with him. Trafalgar,
you’re excused, I have an important phone call to make.” said Smoker, looking
rather distracted as he took out an old, worn piece of paper from his desk and
picked up his cell phone from the desk, where Cora had set it down. He looked
up and saw that Cora hadn’t really moved yet
“You can go.”
Cora stood up, not sure how to process any of this and left the office. He
frowned sharply, wondering if he had opened one nasty can of worms, but before
he closed the door, he distinctively heard Smoker say
“– We need to talk.”
 
“What did you say to him?” asked Bellemere as Cora walked out, looking slightly
distraught
“I…I think I figured out who it is.” admitted Cora, making both Tashigi and
Bellemere stand up, shocked
“What?!”
“But…the Captain is going to look more into it before we say anything.” fibbed
Cora, not wanting to explain a third time his theory until Smoker spoke to Ace
Tashigi and Bellemere nodded, sitting back down
“Is he going to be safe?” asked Tashigi, clearly worried for the boy she had
never met
And then something else sunk in – Ace was part of the Whitebeard’s. Chances are
that Edward knew and was purposely keeping him safe. Ace was usually with
someone else – if it wasn’t the Whitebeard’s; he was with his family or with
the Captain. No matter what – Ace was always surrounded by someone. So at least
he wasn’t isolated.
“Yeah, he’s going to be perfectly safe.” said Cora, a little relieved himself
“Good! That makes me feel much better!” said Tashigi with a big smile on her
face
“Haha, same here, honestly” admitted Cora, but he still had reservations.
“Oh! Tashigi! Can you do me a favor?” asked Cora
Tashigi nodded, with a big smile on her face
“Of course!”
“Law’s birthday is on the 6th, and I wanted to get him a really good present
and he’s interested in owning a nodachi and I was wondering if you could help
him pick one ou-“
“YES!” said Tashigi enthusiastically “My shift ends at 6pm, if you want, we
could go tonight! I know the perfect place! I saw an absolutely gorgeous one
and I’m sure Law will love it!”
Cora laughed at Tashigi’s enthusiasm and smiled brightly
“I’ll shoot Law a text and ask him if he’s willing to go shopping for one
tonight! Thank you so much!”
“No thank you! This is so exciting!” exclaimed Tashigi, clapping her hands
together
“His birthday? How old is Law going to be?” asked Bellemere “Are you going to
throw him a party?”
Cora shook his head
“He’s going to be 16! And he didn’t want a party, he just wanted to have his
small group of friends over to play video games and eat junk food. So that’s
what he’s getting” explained Cora
“Is he not having Luffy over? They’re dating now, right? That’s what Nami told
me”
“Oh! They have a date planned during the weekend to celebrate his birthday
during the weekend. Law likes spending time alone with Luffy.” Cora had hoped
that Bellemere wouldn’t be insulted at the slight insinuation that Law wasn’t
the biggest fan of Luffy’s group of friends. Like, he liked them, but he didn’t
want to spend all of his time with them
Bellemere only laughed
“Nami told me about the whole first date fiasco. Man, Luffy cannot take a
hint!”
Cora chuckled softly
“He means well though.”
 
The Captain came out of the office, putting on his coat, Tashigi blinked,
surprised
“You’re going somewhere?”
“Yeah. Taking my lunch break early, I need to go meet up with someone.”
muttered Smoker, storming past the group and quickly leaving the station
“Did…Did he have…two cigars in his mouth?” asked Cora, shocked
Tashigi frowned
“Yeah...He only does that when he’s really stressed. You should have seen him
when him and his long-time partner broke up years ago. Nobody could get him to
stop smoking so much.” admitted Tashigi, looking worried
Cora gulped loudly, looking towards the door horrified
He might have royally fucked up things for Ace!
SHIT!
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! There WILL be an update next Sunday! It just
     might come in a weeee bit early on Sunday morning~!
***** -LAW- When Life Is Good And You’re Waiting The Other Shoe To Drop *****
Chapter Notes
     Law is just trying to get through the day and things are just so good
     But - Will it last?
     I WAS gonna wait for midnight but NAW, MERRY CHRISTMAS (or whatever
     you celebrate!)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Wow Law! That thing is so gorgeous!”
Law couldn’t help but smirk at the compliment for his new sword – it was
gorgeous!
He still couldn’t believe that Cora had called him the other night and asked
him if he wanted to go shopping for a sword! But there she was – his beautiful
nodachi; Kikoku!
Tashigi, very enthusiastically, had told him the entire history of the sword
and was rather shocked to see it in the shop. She told him that it was a cursed
sword though and didn’t really recommend it – but Law took it as a challenge.
Something about her spoke to him and he never wanted to part from her again.
“C’mon you two, you’re going to be late for school! I know you’re probably
still tired from last night, but we have to get going.” said Cora from the
doorway as he finished buttoning up his shirt
Law sighed, Cora missed one again
Law walked up to Cora, unbuttoning the shirt completely and pointed to the
undone one and started to button Cora’s shirt back up
“Thank you…again, for Kikoku.” mumbled Law as he buttoned up Cora’s shirt
Cora smiled softly, petting Law’s head gently
“I know this was important to you. So I didn’t mind!”
Law smiled softly, he was happy that Cora took his fears and concerns seriously
like that but then he frowned
“I wish I could bring it to school.”
“That’s a big hell no, Law!”
 
“Is Marco’s locker still decorated?! His birthday was like, two days ago” said
Law, rolling his eyes as the insanely decorated locker.
Marco status around the school was legendary and apparently nobody held back
from kissing his ass in fear of being on Marco’s bad side. The Whitebeard’s
though had smashed Marco’s face in his birthday cake, well, Ace specifically,
and had a blast celebrating Marco’s birthday at school. Apparently they even
threw a private party for him that night – but from what he heard around
school, the Whitebeards took any chance they got to party. Hence why the
Halloween party tickets he got from Luffy were apparently invaluable. He heard
people begging and offering a considerable sum of money to get their hands on
them.
Law needed to start thinking of a costume or something.
“Did you have a good birthday, Law?”
Law blinked and spotted Nami that was right beside him. But he was instantly
startled by the weird look she had on her face
“You know Law, you’re a very good looking man, you know that?”
Okay this was getting weird
“Uh…sure?”
“And Luffy has this wonderful, charming boyish look to him! It’s so hard not be
enamoured by him, right?”
“…where are you going with this?” asked Law, backing up slightly from his
locker
“Weeeelll, you see, there’s this contest and-“
“Nami! Are you trying to convince Law to do it?” asked Vivi as Luffy and his
group approached them
“Torao!” yelled out Luffy, throwing himself in Law’s arms. Law had gotten used
to it and instantly caught Luffy, the two quickly sharing a tender kiss
“What contest?” asked Law, wanting to know what the hell was up with Nami
Nami smirked, pulling out what seems to be a flyer or something and handed it
to Law
“There’s a couple’s photo contest going around! And the winner gets 5 grand and
the photo is going to be published everywhere as a marketing campaign for
Valentine’s Day!  And it says here that if a couple is diverse and such, their
chances are better! So we were thinking you and Luffy!”
Law scoffed, handing Nami back the flyer as if it was a disgusting thing. Not
only did he not like being photographed, there was a big legal issue in the way
“Hard pass. I’m under the witness protection program, I can’t be posting my
picture everywhere.” stated Law, making Nami snap her fingers, disappointed
“Damnit! Me and Vivi can’t because she’s a princess from another country so
she’s not a legal citizen. Usopp and Kaya are a straight couple, so that’s not
really diverse, minus the whole racial diversity thing, but Vivi and I had that
and so did you and Luffy. Damnit, we need someone else then.” contemplated Nami
as Usopp and Chopped tried to think with Nami
“Do you guys…need money or something?” asked Law nervously as Luffy remained in
his arms, softly nuzzling his chest, making Law’s stomach feel funny
“Yes! Because we’re thinking of all going skiing over the Christmas break so it
would be great if we didn’t have to pay a cent for it!” explained Nami, with a
huge grin on her face but then her grin fell
“We just need a couple…”
“You stupid moss-head! I told you that was the wrong turn! Why don’t you ever
listen to me for once in your goddamn life?!”
“Shut up, Curly! How about next time I drop your ass on the pavement and you
don’t get a ride to school!”
“I can’t believe they let and idiot like you drive anyways! What kind of
dipshit gave you a license?!”
Nami’s face went from despair to cunning in a matter of seconds, slightly
terrifying Law as she skipped towards Zoro and Sanji who were just coming in
“Oooh boys! I have a job for you two!”
Sanji instantly stopped fighting and swooned over Nami, walking up to her,
hands clasped together as he smiled brightly
“Anything for you, my sweet dear Nami!”
“What?”
“There’s a couple photo contest and you two will be doing it” stated Nami,
pointing to the pair
“Huh?!” said both Zoro and Sanji as Nami handed the file over to Sanji to read
over
“Five grand, huh?” muttered Sanji as he looked it over
“So…you want us to take a picture or something?” asked Zoro, barely gazing at
the file
“Yep! We’ll put you two in a cool pose and send the picture over! And if you
don’t win, I’ll kill you.”
Yep, Nami’s scary
“Anything you want, miss Nami!” said Sanji with a big smile on his face
“Good! Let’s try to think up of ideas!” said Nami, now beaming
“I…I have to get going.” said Law, he needed to ask someone something and it
just dawned upon him
“Okay, bye Torao!” said Luffy as Law bowed out, this was going to be
interesting
 
“Are you still pissed at me, or can I ask you something?”
Law tensed slightly as Ace turned around, glaring at Law, frowning sharply. Izo
blinked, besides Ace, surprised at the sudden change of mood in his friend
“What”
“Where do you guys get your tattoos done?” asked Law, pretending to not be
fazed by Ace’s mood
Ace blinked, his mood instantly shifting to a more pleasant one
“Oh – Marco does all of our tattoos. My arm one though was done by a random
scratcher and Izo got his done in Japan.” explained Ace, Izo chuckled softly
“The major ones anyways. But the Whitebeard symbol was done by Marco.”
“So they’re scratchers?” asked Law a little disappointed, but Ace shook his
head
“Don’t ever call Marco’s tattoos ‘scratchers’, he’ll rip you bald.” warned Ace
“Who the fuck is calling my tattoos ‘scratchers’?!” asked Marco, walked up to
the trio
“Nobody. Law’s just asking where we got our stuff done.” explained Ace,
gesturing towards Law with his thumb
“My tattoos aren’t scratchers. I have a full studio in the Whitebeard mansion
and I’m licensed.” added Marco, smirking proudly
“Why you asking? You want to get work done?” asked Ace, looking at Law
Law nodded curtly
Marco shifted; reaching into the blazer he was wearing today and pulled out a
small card holder. He opened it and handed over to Law a card, who took it
“Email me what you want and we can work out a price and time and stuff. Because
you’re under 18 though, I’m going to need your legal guardian’s signature.”
said Marco, pointing at the card that Law was looking over
“That’s awfully law-abiding citizen of you” pointed out Law, raising a brow at
Marco
“My tattoo practice is legal” said Marco, grinning “I also did all of Nojiko’s,
so if you want to see more of my work that isn’t just Pop’s symbol. Also I have
a bunch of things on the website that’s listed on the card.”
“Uh…Luffy got me tickets to the Halloween party…do you think I could check out
the studio then?” asked Law carefully, not sure how to approach this
“Of course, just catch me a moment I’m not busy.”
“Hey hey hey! My party is forpartying! Not business!” interjected Ace, pouting
Marco rolled his eyes
“Oh relax Ace, it’s always business. We’ll have a few of the guys roaming the
party and dealing all night, you know that”
“But they’re there to party!” replied Ace, frowning more. Law didn’t think
there would be a day where he would find Ace cute but here it was
“Ace.” warned Marco, clearly not impressed with Ace’s puppy dog look “By the
way, Vista texted me saying the cages arrived this morning and he wanted to let
me know that he’s personally creeped out that you ordered caged for the party.”
Ace instantly perked up at the mention of the cages
“The theme is ‘Monster Mash’! There needs to be cages!” defended Ace
“I don’t think he expected go-go dancers cages though” pointed out Thatch as he
walked up with two small pastries in bags and handed one over to a surprised
Izo who gladly took it
“I want to dance in peace!” stated Ace, pouting again “And those cages are
cool!”
“Why am I letting you plan this party again?” asked Marco dejected, but then he
turned to Law
“Email me what you’re interested in getting and I’ll get back to you, okay?”
Law nodded, slowly bowing out as Ace continued to defend his apparently wild
choices
 
Law quickly got to class and sat down in his seat. He frowned, still confused
about something
“Oye, Sanji.”
Sanji blinked, looking over from whatever he was working on and looked at Law,
surprised
“Yes?”
“I think out of everyone, you might know this better. I was with Ace and the
others a second ago, and Ace said he needed a cage to dance in peace? What’s
that about?”
Sanji chuckled softly
“It’s because Ace likes to dance a lot and people like to rub up against him
and he hates it. So that’s probably why he made that comment.”
Law blinked, once again surprised. For a man that oozes sex and sexuality, he
doesn’t seem very fond of anyone trying anything with him.
“Huh. You wouldn’t think so with Ace” commented Law, hoping that Sanji catches
the bait
Sanji shook his head
“A lot of people have presumptions about Ace, but truth be told, he’s rather
guarded as an individual. For as long as I’ve known him, through Luffy that is,
Ace has never dated anyone or really has been seen hooking up with anyone aside
from making out with Marco at parties.”
“With Marco?!”
Sanji chuckled again, but this time, Law sensed a tinge of nervousness
“Ace is a notorious kisser when he’s drunk. At this one party, he literally
kissed everyone that was there until Marco caught him. But it’s harmless.”
“Why are you guys talking about Ace kissing?”
Law blinked, surprised to see Zoro adding himself to the conversation
“Jealous, Marimo?”
Zoro barked a laugh
“Yeah right!”
“Where’s Luffy anyways?” asked Law, gesturing behind him, not wanting those two
to fight again, especially since he’s starting to suspect that it’s their
foreplay
“He said he was hungry so he wanted to buy a snack from the vending machines.
But he doesn’t carry money usually, so he’s gone to find Ace or Sabo for
money.” explained Zoro, as the bell rung and Luffy zipped into the room and
into his seat as Miss Monet waltzed in
“Cutting it close, aren’t we, Mr. Monkey?”
Luffy only smiled brightly, his mouth clearly stuffed with food
Law sighed fondly – he was dating a total dope
 
Class went more or less like usual and Law found himself after school stuck
helping out with a photoshoot. And by helping out, it apparently meant
‘observing’ and giving his input here and there, as he had his around Luffy’s
shoulders and Luffy has his around Law’s waist as they watched.  Apparently
what Sanji had been working on was a possibility of poses for the shoot and Law
stared at Sanji and Zoro in shock. He was really impressed with Sanji’s
flexibility, leg strength and ab strength and of Zoro’s endurance and arm and
body strength. Sanji was practically holding himself upside down around Zoro as
the two took a really cool selfie. Law would be surprised if they didn’t win,
considering how dynamic the picture looked. Law wasn’t sure where they got the
new clothes though – but he did notice Zoro and Sanji gone during lunch.
“Wow! That’s a really cool shot!”
Law turned around, as saw Ace walking up to the group.
“Ace! I thought you were hanging out with Smokey after school!”
Ace’s eyes shot open as he glared at Luffy, growling slightly
“Can’t you keep any secret?! I talked to you about this just the other day!”
Shit! Luffy got in trouble because of him!
“Who’s Smokey?” asked Nami, standing besides Usopp who was taking the picture
of the selfie pic since Nami felt a mirror would ruin the quality
“Ace’s boyfrie-“ Luffy then clamped his hands over his mouth as Ace looked like
he was going to murder Luffy
“Oh! A boyfriend! How exciting Ace! I’ve never heard of you dating before!”
remarked Vivi, with a big smile on her face
“Why are you hiding the fact that you have a boyfriend, Ace?” asked Chopper
innocently, Law could tell that Ace instantly felt guilty
“…He wants to keep us lowkey for now.” admitted Ace “Because it’s so new.” He
then added quickly
The group nodded, understanding
“Ahh that makes sense! Well, good luck, Ace! You’re a great guy and you
deserve…a great guy!” said Usopp, stumbling a bit
“Aha, thanks” said Ace a little awkwardly, but then he his phone going off and
smiled brightly
“Oh that’s him! Gotta go guys! Good luck with the couple contest!” said Ace as
he started to run off
“Don’t you dare enter or I’ll beat you up!” yelled Nami after Ace who merely
laughed in response
 
Law soon got home and plopped down on the couch as Bepo went to go get changed
and Cora started supper.  Law sighed happily as he looked around the room. He
couldn’t believe how well everything was going and how fun school was. Bepo had
gotten him a massive medical journal for his birthday that Law had been eyeing
for a while and he had been waiting all day to pour through and he went to go
see the guidance counsellor and collected all the pamphlets for all the best
medical schools and programs in the country. Law was shocked at how his life
went from horrible to wonderful in such a short time and he was…not comfortable
with this at all.
There was this overwhelming anxiety in him; he knew something was going to
happen. And even if Cora said he was going to put the whole Doffy thing on the
backburner for now and concentrate on Ace – he really wasn’t comfortable doing
that at all. Yeah, Doffy was probably not coming for a while – but that doesn’t
mean he doesn’t have any operatives in the city! It doesn’t mean he hasn’t
planted people or hired informants and all of that crap! Honestly Law wanted to
keep up with this, even if Cora didn’t. He didn’t want Doffy to have a single
chance to come finish the job – especially not the one with Cora!
Law sighed, but then he turned his head and noticed a small flashing light on
the phone’s answering machine.
Huh? Guess they missed a call-
Law turned around on the couch, quickly punching in the number on the phone to
unlock it and put the message on speaker, that way Cora could hear it too
“Why hello mister Trafalgar~” Law frowned, why was Miss Monet calling his
house?
“I’ve thought over what you said, and I’ve decided I would be honoured to go to
dinner with you, how wonderful of you to ask me! How does this Friday sound? I
know a wonderful little place we can go to, call me back if you want to make –“
Law jumped as Cora slammed the receiver down, cutting the message off
Law looked at Cora shocked, but a frown clearly on his face
“You asked Miss Monet out?!”
Law was scandalized and frankly a little hurt. Cora had never shown any
indication of being interested in sex or dating and here he was doing it behind
his back!
“Law, it’s not what you think!” replied Cora quickly
“Oh yeah, then what the hell is it then?!” how could Cora keep that from him!?
“I think she’s an associate of Doffy’s!”
Law paused, staring at Cora completely shocked
“What?!”
And there goes the other shoe
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And why does Cora suspect Monet?
     And what about Ace?
     Guess you'll all find out on Ace's birthday-!
***** -ACE- I Thought I Got This! I Don’t Got This *****
Chapter Notes
     WARNING! The beginning is kinda heated! It doesn't go past a certain
     point, but still, for those uncomfortable with sex-y scenes!
     Let's see how Ace is doing!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace groaned, throwing his head back against the pillow as he felt Smoker’s
tongue flatten out on his nipple, slowly running circles about the numb,
sucking softly
His mind felt on fire!
He arched his back moaning softly as Smoker kept nibbling and kissing and
sucking his way down. The man was like a dog! Leaving nips and bites all along
the way down Ace’s neck and now his chest. Ace had his hand gripped into
Smoker’s hair as the man kept moving lower and lower. Ace’s head was swimming;
he could feel his dick was hard and pressing against his boxers, Smoker’s hands
tightly gripped his hips, holding him down against the bed. This was all going
in an amazing direction and Ace couldn’t be more fucking thrilled – they were
finally heading somewhere!
And then everything went black
 
Ace groaned again, cracking an eye open and looked around, disorientated. His
face still felt flushed but he saw that Smoker was sitting on the bed besides
him, working on some reports – goddamnit!
 “Oh you’re awake” stated Smoker, barely glancing in Ace’s direction
Ace let out a whine
“I’m so so sorry; I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of that! I-I”
“Stop.” instructed Smoker, closing the folder he was working on “I’m not mad or
offended. You have narcolepsy; it’s not your fault.”
Ace whined loudly again, flopping down back on the bed, closing his eyes. He
was so humiliated and his head was still swimming. He fucked it up!
“Besides, I’m not surprised you feel asleep, you look exhausted.” pointed out
Smoker as he set the folder down in his briefcase besides the bed
“I am exhausted.” stated Ace honestly
Between school, exams, planning the Halloween bash, taking care of Luffy,
Whitebeard business, all the work he’s been getting from the Galley-La company,
other odd jobs, and his social life and seeing his boyfriend, Ace was running
himself ragged and he knew it. He felt like he was being stretched in a million
different directions but he also didn’t want to let anyone down. Ace had his
pride after all, and just the idea of disappointing someone didn’t sit well
with him at all. He disappointed enough people simply by existing after all.
“Maybe you should go to sleep. You look like you need it.”
Ace whined softly as he turned to face the other man, cuddling up to Smoker and
throwing his arm around the other man’s bare chest. God he was gorgeous!
“I’m still sorry. Everything felt so so good.”
Smoker smiled softly, Ace didn’t miss the slight blush on Smoker’s face at his
comment, putting his arm around Ace and pulled him in closer. He nuzzled the
top of Ace’s hair softly and said nothing.
Ace had noted that more and more Smoker fell into these moments of silence. As
if he wanted to say something but didn’t quite know how.
After a small moment of silence, Smoker pulled away, turning towards the other
side of bed and opened his nightstand drawer
“Before I forgot again, I have something for you.”
Ace instantly perked up, looking over as much as he could – but his boyfriend
was a lot of man
Hehehe his boyfriend
Smoker pulled out a few photos and handed them over to Ace as he resettled on
his back. Ace quickly adjusted his position, back to laying against Smoker, as
he looked at the photos
“Oh-! Is this you?! As a kid?”
Ace couldn’t help the bright smile that overcame his face. He never thought in
a million years that Smoker would fork these over so easily!
“I told you I’ve always had hair this colour”
Ace chuckled softly as he looked over at the photo, but then he squinted
“Is that…a bat with nails you’re carrying?”
“Yes. It was how I made sure justice prevailed in Loguetown.”
“You went around with a bat full of nails?” teased Ace; wanting more details
“What are you, Batman?”
“Batman is a coward who hides his face and deals with psychological trauma by
putting on a costume and beating up people who steal to eat while he lives in a
lap of luxury. I didn’t hide my face!” defended Smoker stubbornly, making Ace
laugh
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend! Did you have a superhero name though?”
“No. Everyone knew my goddamn name.”
Ace chuckled again, looking through more of the pictures
“You’re always with this dog”
“That was my sidekick, his name was Hero and he was the best dog.”
“Oof, don’t let Justice hear that” said Ace, petting the aforementioned dog as
she came into the room, jumping onto the bed and settled herself on top of both
of them
“She’s also the best dog. I only have best dogs.”
Ace chuckled as he flipped to the last picture and looked surprised. There was
Smoker again, face smudged with dirt, the small remains of a black eye, covered
in bruises, his clothes dirty and scuffed up – but he was smiling brightly in
this woman’s arms
“Who’s this?” asked Ace, pointing to the woman
“That’s my mother. Dhalia Smoker.”
Ace looked at her picture in awe. She had Smoker’s colouring right down to the
very pale skin tone and the hair colour. But she was beautiful and she seemed
very kind –but also rather frail. Well, Smoker did mention that he had died a
long time ago.
“Oh wow, Chase, she’s beautiful. You look so happy with her.”
Chase smiled softly at the photo in Ace’s hand
“I loved my mother with all of my heart; she was my world growing up.”
Ace smiled softly at the photo, and then an idea came to him
“Do you wanna see my mom?” asked Ace softly
Smoker blinked, surprised and grunted
“Sure.”
Ace shifted, crawling out of the bed and grabbed his wallet from his jeans that
he had thrown on the floor. He removed the old photo from it and went back into
the bed. Ace settled back in Smoker’s arms and showed him the photo
“This is the only picture I have of her. She died soon after giving birth to
me.”
“You look so much like her” noted Smoker, almost in awe as he looked at the
photo, carefully taking in every detail
“Her name was Rouge D. Portgas and-“ Ace paused when he felt Smoker stiffen up
to him for a moment, inhaling sharply and then relaxed as he exhaled – well
that was weird
“She looks young.” noted Smoker, instantly trying to make up for the pause
“Yeah, her and my biological father had a massive age difference. Didn’t I tell
you that?”
Smoker chuckled softly
“That’s right, you did.” said Smoker as he handed the picture back to Ace, who
quickly put it back in his wallet and threw it onto of his jeans
“You don’t seem to want to talk about your father” noted Smoker as Ace curled
back up against him
“Neither do you” shot back Ace as he closed his eyes, Smoker snorted, closing
his own eyes as he reached over and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into
darkness
“Point made. Goodnight, Ace.”
“Goodnight, babe”
 
“Oh wow, your neck is one big purple mess”
Ace blinked as he put his book in his locker. He blinked again, his mind a bit
fuzzy as he narrowed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Was that Izo?
“Hey, you okay man?” asked Thatch as he put his hand on Ace’s arm, holding him
steady
Was he okay?
His mind was feeling a bit fuzzy
Urgh, maybe he ate something bad?
Naw, Chase made him an awesome breakfast this morning
God I love him
W-Whoah!
He loved him!?
 
“…Love who, dude?”
Ace blinked again, looking at a confused Thatch as Izo snickered in the back
“Did I say that out loud?!”
“Uh…you said ‘god I love him’, who’s him? Is it the game who decorated your
neck like that?” asked Thatch with a huge grin on his face
Ace’s face turned bright red as the rest of his body as he just stared in shock
at the duo, making Izo laugh harder
Ace turned and tried to run off, only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt
by Marco and pulled back
“Why are you running away?”
Both Thatch and Izo were full-on laughing now, unable to believe that Ace had
tried to run
Ace whined softly, his head feeling worst as he was jerked back by Marco
“N-Nothing! Gotta take a piss!” blurted out Ace, hoping that it was enough for
Marco to let him go
“Uh huh…” said Marco, letting go of Ace’s collar and then frowned sharply
“You’re awfully hot”
“I always am, baby, that ain’t nothing new” said Ace smirking as he gestured to
himself
Marco rolled his eyes
“No, I mean your body heat. You’re also really flushed”
“Those two are being dicks!” said Ace, pointing to Thatch and Izo, as if to
explain it
“Ace. You know that’s not what I mean.”
“I’m fiiiine!” said Ace as he grabbed his bag from the floor and walked off
He was kinda cold though
 
“Hey, you okay?”
Ace blinked, turning around to look at Sabo who frowned
“Why do people keep asking me that?” asked Ace, really annoyed
“Uh, because you’re wearing a big ass hoodie that you clearly swiped from your
boyfriend” pointed out Sabo as he gestured to the police academy hoodie that
Ace had taken from Smoker’s laundry basket this morning
Ace had snuck into the bathroom to slip the hoodie on and somehow Sabo had
found him
“You’re a witch! How did you know I was in here?”
“Uh…I saw you duck in here, jackass. You kinda were yelling in the hallway, it
was hard to miss you.”
“I’m cold! It’s October! It’s normal for people to be cold!” he was just
wearing a t-shirt with a thin cardigan and a pair of jeans! It was normal for
him to be cold!
“Yeah, but not for you. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” asked Sabo as he
tried to feel Ace’s forehead but Ace ducked away
“I’m fine, Sabo!”
Why did nobody believe him?!
God he was cold
Why was his vision blurry?
Ace stumbled slightly backwards but Sabo caught his arm, steadying him
“Ace, go home. You’re clearly sick.”
“Piss off, Sabo! I can take care of myself!” barked Ace, whipping his arm out
of Sabo’s grasp and once again, stumbling back, but Ace caught himself in time
“Oh don’t say that shit to me, Ace! You don’t need to prove yourself! I told
you that you were running yourself ragged, and now you got yourself sick!”
“Don’t lecture me! You’re not my mom!”
“Ace! I’m not lecturing you! Ace, deep breathes! C’mon! Let’s just get you
home, you need some rest!”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“Ace, I’m not! You look like hell! Get some rest!”
“Fuck that! Fuck thiiiiis!” said Ace as he stormed out of the bathroom,
stumbling slightly as he walked
Damn the door, it had no business moving around like that!
 
Ace barreled into his homeroom and flopped down in his seat. He quickly put the
hood on and sank down his seat, head on the desk. Ace stopped for a moment and
inhaled Smoker’s scent coming from the hoodie. It made him feel better. He was
really dizzy though and it was getting hard to concentrate. And he was so damn
cold! It was getting really hard to keep his eyes open
“Are you finally realizing that you’re sick?” said Marco from his side
casually, not wanting to piss off Ace more. But Ace chose to ignore him, fuck
that bird brain
Why did they call his Phoenix anyways?
Was Marco actually a bird?
Kaw kaw hahaha fuck
KAW KAW KAW KAW
Man, he wants to see Marco kaw now
 
“He’s not listening to reason” said Izo, making Ace groan
 
He didn’t need this right now
Stupid pretty Japanese boy
Now he wanted Japanese food
God he wanted food, oh man gyozas, he should convince Chase to make gyozas,
that man was good in the kitchen
Ace whined softly, he wanted to eat at Foxfire’s with Chase again
He wanted to be in Chase’s nice big bed, with Justice, just, relaxing
It was nice, it was all so nice
Urgh, thinking was getting hard
What was he thinking about?
“-ce!”
Was someone calling him?
Urgh, he wanted to just sleep
“-CE!”
Was that Marco?
Why was he –
 
 
 
 
If you haven't seen it - look at this drawing Oda did of kid!Smoker, baaww
ain't he cute?
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Annnd there we have it! What happened to Ace?? What's going to happen
     now??
     Guess you'll see next week - Happy new year and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ACE!
***** -MARCO - This Is How Trust Issues Are Made (Can We Not Keep Secrets From
The Informant?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     WHAT IS THIS??? A NEW POV?
     It's ONLY for one chapter, I'm stressing that right now! So don't get
     your hopes up! But Ace couldn't continue the story! Also, early
     update because I didn't know when I'd be able to tomorrow, so here
     you go!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
There was the shipment coming in at the south port at one – Vista is on that so
it’s okay.
He needed to talk to Jozu, see how that order is coming along; he needed
everything ready for the party
Fuck, he also had to deal with this few starting up with Squardo and Blenheim,
the day Squardo stops feuding with people is the day he finally gets to sleep
properly
Shit, time to text Pops about the update he had on the product they had ready
for the Halloween party – Fossa and Thatch had outdid themselves for getting
everything ready in such a short time!
He also quickly shot a text to Pops about the papers; something didn’t quite
add up in the financial papers, he needed to make sure that nobody was trying
to rip them off. But he’d rather have Pops look into it, considering the man
didn’t always tell him when he buys things so that way he could double check –
It was Pop’s money, he doesn’t technically have to justify anything but Marco
just wanted to be sure
He also needed to lock down everyone’s availability for the upcoming jobs,
especially Ace, speaking of the devil
Ace plopped down in his desk, throwing his hood up and sunk into his seat
Marco raised a brow slightly, barely looking away from his phone as he watched
Ace from the corner of his eyes
There, text sent to Pops, hopefully he’ll get a reply soon
He also needed to go over Pops’ health chart with the head nurse, Pops was
getting along with age and wasn’t really careful with his health
Speaking of people not careful with their health
 
 “Are you finally realizing that you’re sick?”
Ace bluntly ignored him, making Marco roll his eyes
Of course he was being childish about this
But then again, Ace hated showing any weaknesses whatsoever
“He’s not listening to reason” mused Izo out loud, clearly to provoke Ace into
a response, but Ace once again said nothing
Marco frowned
Ace was usually quick to anger – he wouldn’t have ignore such a blunt insult
“Ace?”
No answer, but Ace seemed to be drowsy in his seat
“ACE” said Marco again, louder, barely noticing that Sabo had just run into the
classroom, running up to Ace
Next thing he knew, Ace fell over from his seat, Sabo barely catching him
“Is he okay?!” asked Marco, jumping out of his seat to Ace’s side, ignoring how
the entire class stood up to see what was going on. Sabo was holding Ace, panic
in his eyes
Man, what was with Ace and Sabo and constantly panicking over each other and
Luffy?
“I think he passed out!”
“Shit! Can you carry him?! We’ll take him to Dr.Kureha right now.” stated Marco
as he stood up, instantly taking command. He could feel his phone vibrating in
his pocket, but he had to ignore it for now – Ace’s health was priority.
Especially considering that this could be foul play
 
Sabo and Marco brought Ace to Dr.Kureha’s office and set him down on the bed,
waiting for Dr.Kureha to return
Marco went to the sink and took a small cloth and wetted it slightly. He
drained the excess water and went back to the bed, placing it on Ace’s forehead
– the other was really feverish
Marco then frowned, noticing the sweater that Ace was wearing – where the hell
did he get that?
“You need to relax. He’s probably fine.” stated Marco calmly, trying to get
that look of panic out of Sabo’s eyes
“Easy for you to say.” hissed Sabo, frowning sharply as he fretted over Ace.
Marco watched carefully as Sabo quietly investigated every inch of Ace’s body
that he could
“Find any sign of poisoning?” asked Marco quietly, clearly surprising Sabo
“…you knew that’s what I was checking?” asked Sabo carefully, suspicious of
Marco
Marco nodded, crossing his arms over his chest
“You’re worried someone did him in because the deadline’s coming close.”
Sabo nodded, about to say something before Dr.Kureha walked in
“Oh what the hell is this?”
Marco smiled, pretending that he wasn’t just having the conversation he was
with Sabo; he wasn’t done with this line of questioning for sure, he’s going to
have to revisit this conversation with Sabo another time
 
“So apparently, It’s just a really bad cold.”
Marco sighed slightly as Pops laughed away, clearly relieved as well
“He doesn’t half ass anything that boy, does he?”
Marco shook his head, sitting on Pop’s desk as he caught up with his emails on
his phone
“No, so we brought his ass here. He’s currently sleeping it off in the room
that’s going to be his room when he moves in. I told Thatch, Haruta and Izo to
stay at school to collect Ace’s workload and give it to Sabo, who said he’d
bring it all over tonight, because you know Ace, he doesn’t like being behind
in school. But something concerns me.”
“Oh?” asked Pops, looking up from his laptop – the two were still hard at work,
even during the conversation
“Every time Ace woke up, he would mumble about how he couldn’t be sick because
he had to go meet him, or that he was excited about his date with him tonight
and he just wanted to go cuddle with him.”
Pops snorted slightly
“Is that so?”
Marco raised a brow at Pops’ lack of concern
“But who the hell is him? Is Ace dating someone and hadn’t notified us?”
“No” said Pops, with a smirk “He didn’t notify you”   
What?
WHAT?
Marco’s eyes snapped open wide as he glared at Pops
“What?!”
“Ace notified me that he was dating someone about a month ago. But he was asked
to only tell a very limited amount of people, so, he only told me” explained
Pops as he sighed, closing the laptop cover
“And I wasn’t told?!”
He was gonna beat Ace upside the head!
“Very limited amount, Marco. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell you.”
“I’m gonna go kill him!!” said Marco as he hopped off the desk and stormed out
of the office
“Don’t beat up the sick kid!” yelled Pops, laughing as Marco stormed off
 
Marco slammed the door to Ace’s future bedroom open, making Izo jump slightly.
Marco hadn’t realized that Izo was home already
How long was he in the office with Pops for?
“Marco?” asked Izo cautiously, seeing that the other was clearly very pissed
“Is he up?”
“Ah, no, he just slipped back into sleep a moment ago.” said Izo, looking back
at Ace, and then turned to Marco “Why are you upset?”
“Good!” growled Marco, snatching Ace’s bag beside the bed and then pulled out
Ace’s beaten up cellphone and quickly opened it up
“Marco” warned Izo, slightly getting up out of his sitting position
Marco frowned sharply, opening the text messages and looked at the ‘sent’
messages and he couldn’t believe his eyes
Tons and tons of texts sent to ‘Chase <3’, everything from conversations to
plans
And lo and behold, Ace apparently had a dinner date tonight
With the Captain!!
That fucking son of a bitch!!
Marco quietly read the last text and quickly punched in a reply, sending it off
to the Captain
Izo hissed softly, narrowing his eyes
“What did you just do?”
“I cancelled Ace’s date for tonight. Did you know he was dating the Captain?”
asked Marco sharply,
Izo wouldn’t dare lie to him
“Yes.” admitted Izo, sighing “The Captain took Ace out to dinner at my family’s
place. That’s how I found out. Marco, he wanted to tell you! Truly, but-“
“Stop. Talking.” said Marco, holding out his hand
He was beyond mad right now. No wonder Ace was getting all cozy and dogsitting
and all that bullshit with the Captain – they were fucking!
 Marco once turned again, ready to kick Ace awake but then he stopped, frowning
“What the fuck is he wearing?”
Izo snorted, holding in his laughter
“He said he was cold. So I helped.”
“…so…he’s wearing a carrot onesie?”
Izo laughed more, looking really guilty
“I saw it and I had to buy it for him!”
Okay, it was pretty hard being mad at Ace dressed like a giant carrot
 
Marco went back to the office and did some work to try and calm down – how dare
Ace hide this relationship from him?! It explained the weird change of mood and
why suddenly Ace was beyond busy – he was going on dates and fucking around
with the Captain!
“Uh…Marco, I know you’re pissed off and everything right now, but-“
“You better have a goddamn point, Jiru, or I swear to –“
“Someone just broke in!”
Marco blinked slowly, turning around and looking at Jiru confused
“The alarm didn’t go off, Jiru, how the hell did someone break in?!”
“I just saw the gate open! But everyone’s here! They must have known the code!”
“Known the code, how is that-?!” Marco quickly turned around and opened up the
log for the door
Holy shit, someone did just punch in the code!
Marco quickly turned on the security camera footage and lo and behold, someone
was driving down the path towards the house! Marco quickly zoomed in and his
jaw clenched when he saw who was driving the car
It was the fucking Captain!!
Did Ace give him the security code?!
But Ace would never?!
“Stop him! Stop him at the door!” screamed Marco, making Jiru quickly scramble
out of the room and down the stairs.
Marco soon followed suit, trying to wrap his head around how the hell the
Captain got the security codes.
 
By the time Marco had made it down the stairs, he was greeted with the Captain
unlacing his boots and putting them carefully at the door, as well as shrugging
his coat off and hanging it in the closet – there was a lot of younger members
of the Whitebeard’s trying to get him to stop – but they were clearly keeping
their distance, too intimidated to openly confront the head of the Police
department
“You have a lot of fucking nerve barging in like this!” barked Marco, himself
not afraid as he stormed towards the intruder
“Shut up. I put my fucking shoes at the door like the old man likes it, so stop
your yapping. I’m here to see Ace.” admitted bluntly Smoker as he moved past
Marco, without even batting an eye “I’m assuming the bedrooms are still on the
upper level.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?!” hollered Marco, grabbing Smoker’s arm and
pulling him back towards him “You can’t just barge in here like you own the
place!”
Smoker growled, turning towards Marco and quickly breaking the hold Marco had
on his arm, taking it back
“Shut the fuck up and be useful and show me where Ace’s room is”
“Get out!” stated Marco again, fuming
This asshole had a lot of nerve! The worst part is that it’s not like they
could call the cops – they can’t give the Law any access to the house
whatsoever and as the Captain, he could cancel the call any time he wanted. So
it was pointless and they both knew it.
“Listen here you, I don’t know what your game is, but you’re not allowed to
just barge in on private property like this, Police chief or not!”
But before Smoker could answer, another voice cut in
 
“My, it has been a long time since you stepped into this house, Chase. It’s
really good to see you!”
Marco turned and looked at Pops stunned as he had a wide smile on his face and
his arms were open, as if he was almost expecting a hug?!
Smoker huffed, turning his head to the side
“I’m here to see Ace, old man.”
Why was he being so familiar with Pops?!
“Ahh, I assumed so. The whelp is really sick, so he’s resting in his room. But
you’re welcomed to stay for dinner if you’d like!”
What?!
Smoker closed his eyes, as if he was mulling it over.
“Eleanor is coming as well tonight; it would be nice to have you all together”
added Whitebeard with a grin
What are you saying, Pops?!
“Fine. Now where is Ace’s room?” snapped Smoker, frowning, clearly trying to
control his anger
“Up the stairs, to the left, you can’t miss it, the door’s open”
Smoker nodded and went up the stairs as Marco watched shocked, what just
happened?!
“GYAHAHAHAAHA! It’s been so long that I’ve seen the boy, he’s as stubborn as
his mother! To think that he hasn’t been here in nearly 20 years.”
“Pops…I’m missing some info here” admitted Marco, staring at Pops stunned as
the rest of the Whitebeards gathered up, wondering what the commotion is
“Did I just see Chase go into Ace’s room?” asked Jozu, coming down the stairs,
who seemed bewildered more than shocked
Why was Jozu being so casual about this?
“Yeah, imagine that, he’s dating Ace!” replied Pops, still laughing
“Wow, it’s been years since he’s come home!”
Home?!
“Pops…” started Marco, not sure how to put it into words
“You knew I was married before I took you in, right, Marco?” asked Pops
carefully; sure that Marco had connected the dots by now
“Yeah…She died though, didn’t she? Murdered?” replied Marco, shocked
No way!
“Dahlia was the love of my life, and with her I had two children. Eleanor,
which you all know and –“
“The Captain!? He’s your son? That’s why you never seemed too concerned with
him!?” asked Marco, wanting to confirm the information
Whitebeard merely nodded
“Smoker was my wife’s maiden name.  After my wife’s murder, Chase grew angry at
me because he found out that it was another gang who had done the deed. So he
cursed my way of life and refused to have anything to do with me. So I wanted
to respect that wish by keeping this information to myself. I didn’t want to
deceive you, Marco. That was never my intention. But I didn’t see the point of
sharing this information until now.”
Marco nodded slowly, trying to absorb what he was just told.
The Captain was Pop’s biological son!
Marco quietly went up the stairs, texting Thatch instructions that there would
be an extra person for dinner tonight
 
Marco walked up quietly to the room and found a stunned Izo at the door,
holding a bowl of water and cloth, not sure how to proceed.
Marco peeped in and was surprised at such a tender scene
Smoker was lying on the bed with Ace curled up in his arms, Ace’s head laying
on the crook of Smoker’s neck as he mumbled into the man’s collar. One of
Smoker’s hands was playing with the wisps of hair that was sticking out of the
carrot onesie that Ace was wearing, hood up and everything, while the other
hand was lying on Ace’s hip, slowly running circles with his thumb
“I’m a carrot” mumbled Ace quietly as he closed his eyes, curling in closer
into Smoker, clearly drowsy and disorientated
“Yeah, you are.” replied Smoker, oddly much more tenderly than Marco could have
expected from the man as he leaned in and kissed Ace’s forehead softly
Ace quickly fell asleep and Smoker’s gaze quickly locked in on the two at the
door and he frowned, apparently he hadn’t noticed them
Izo nodded quietly, walking into the room and setting down the bowl of water
besides the bed
“You must be Izo, I assume?” asked Smoker, purposely keeping his voice low to
not disturb Ace
Izo nodded, bowing
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain.”
Smoker nodded in response as Izo made his way out, Izo giggling slightly at the
scene as he passed by Marco – clearly Izo found the scene in front of him cute
or something
 
Marco stayed at the door, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms,
not wanting to breach the scene. As if the room had suddenly become a different
dimension and he didn’t want to go in it
He had never seen this Ace before
He never knew that this Ace existed!
Ace who looked at someone so enamoured, so completely in love!
It was weird and it was making him uncomfortable to not know this side of
someone he considered a close friend
He was also still really hurt that Ace had kept this from him as well
 
“I’m assuming that text was written by you?”
Marco blinked, distracted out of his thoughts as he looked at Smoker who still
had his gaze locked on him. He could only assume that Smoker had been waiting
for him to say something first
“What makes you say that?” asked Marco, pretending he had no idea of the tone
he had in that text
“Because Ace would never say to me ‘Date cancelled. I’m not seeing you
tonight.’ He’s much more detailed than that usually with his messages.”
explained Smoker as he looked fondly at Ace for a moment
Stop that
Marco shrugged
“And I’m assuming that the old man told you everything.”
“Hard to believe that the Police chief is Pop’s own son by blood.” admitted
Marco, frowning, Smoker only shrugged, looking at Ace again, but this time,
almost sadly
“You don’t get to pick your parents. But you will be judged because of who they
are.”
Marco blinked, surprised
Did he know -?
No!
Well, son of a bitch, Ace, you apparently struck gold
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there you go! Did any of you figure it out? We're going back to
     Cora next week though!
***** -CORA- This Would Have Been Totally Badass If I Didn't Nearly Piss My
Pants (When Your Date Is Da Bomb!) *****
Chapter Notes
     And we're back to Cora!
     Holy shit guys, you guys reacted really strongly to the last chapter!
     DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN KEEPING THAT IN?! But I'm happy it was
     well received!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“So my stubborn ass of a little brother finally came around.”
Cora had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. It was weird to hear
someone be so insulting towards the Captain. But apparently his older sister
Eleanor didn’t care. Nor did she really care for boundaries, hanging out by the
desk with Bellemere, having a laugh
“Oh yeah? Well that’s good news, you said he called earlier this week too,
right?”
“Yep! Right in the middle of the day! Asking to see me! It was so weird. He
said he needed to talk with our old man, so I gave him the code to the front
gate of the mansion. Otherwise I don’t think Marco would have let him in. The
guy seems really laid-back, but he’s actually a real hardass about the
protection and privacy of Pops. Honestly, I don’t think Dad could have gotten a
better person as his second. But the little punk also gave me a good tongue
lashing for giving away the codes like that! Man, you’d think he was my step
mom.”
“Haha! He practically is though! I heard the younger members calling him ‘mom’
when he isn’t there!”
Cora frowned sharply
There was too much information in that statement
Marco was the second of Eleanor’s old man?
Isn’t that-!
Oh my god!
“Oh by the way, let me introduce you to our super spy – Rosinante” said
Bellemere with a smirk, gesturing towards Cora, who was leaning against a
filing cabinet, going through some papers
“Holy shit!” exclaimed Eleanor, turning around to look at Cora “I didn’t even
fucking see him there!”
Bellemere chuckled, noticing the panic in Eleanor’s expression
“You have nothing to worry about. Rosi knows when to keep his trap shut. He
won’t go babbling around what he just heard. Besides, he has nothing to say on
the topic, Doflamingo’s his brother” said Bellemere with confidence, but Cora
wasn’t dumb, he clearly understood the warning that Bellemere was giving. She
had allowed him to overhear this, so he better not fuck this up.
But holy shit – the Captain is Whitebeard’s son!
That actually made weirdly a lot of sense and answered a lot of his questions
as to why the Captain had been avoiding direct confrontation with the
Whitebeard gang!
Cora though bristled slightly at Bellemere openly divulging such information
about him, but he understood why she did it though
“What? Holy shit, talk about bad blood.” said Eleanor, shocked
Bellemere then narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Cora up and down
“You look pretty nice tonight – what’s going on here?”
Cora chuckled sheepishly, he had tried!
He was wearing a light blue and white pinstripe shirt with a dark blue tie that
had little white hearts on it and was wearing a nice pair of dark blue slacks
“I have a date tonight”
“OOOH!!” yelled Bellemere all excited. Eleanor merely chuckled, stepping to the
side, heading towards the exit
“Well, I have a bar to run, so I’ll see you kids later. Rosinante, it was nice
meeting you!” 
“Oh nice meeting you too!”
 
“So…a date?” said Bellemere with a massive grin. Ah, no, Cora needed to nip
this in the bud right now
“You’re getting the wrong idea!” said Cora quickly; waving his hands “I think
she’s associated with Doffy, hence why I’m going out on this date! I’m not
interested in her at all!”
“Ahhh…Well, that’s a bit of a pain. Ever interested in actually dating one day
though? We’ve never really discussed that”
But before Cora could say anything, Law walked into the police station and let
out a loud angry screech
Cora jumped, letting out a loud yip before he jumped, accidentally tripping
over the desk, falling into it and rolled over, landing on the floor behind the
desk
Goddamnit
Cora groaned, sitting up and rubbing his now sore back as Law ran up to, him,
still not yelling words, but merely very distressed sounds, pointing at him
But what Cora noticed the most, was the sword on his back
“Oh what the hell are you doing walking around with the sword?!” screamed Cora,
making Bellemere laugh at the whole scene
“Why the hell is your hair styled like that?! Stop it! Put it down! You look
too much like Doffy!!”
Cora blinked slowly – oh yeah! He forgot he had spiked his hair up to resemble
his brother more
“I…I am his brother, Law”
“I don’t like it! Don’t do that! Put it down!”
“Law. I need to do this. It’s part of the plan!”
Law huffed, puffing his cheeks slightly as he looked to the side. He was
clearly annoyed, but he understood now why this had been important
“Speaking of which, Bepo and I are ready to stakeout. Try to get seated in the
middle, near the window’s range, okay? Bepo mapped out the restaurant for us.”
said Law, taking out his phone and showing a rather detailed map of the
restaurant to Cora
Cora bristled visibly again
“You two are not doing a stakeout! That’s too dangerous! What if she’s on to
me?!”
“Which is exactly why we’re doing a stakeout!  You might need backup!”
“I don’t want you in danger, Law! Doffy might want me dead, but he wants
youalive!”
Law frowned sharply
“I can handle myself, Cora! And I’m going to be there and you can’t stop me!”
Cora growled, but then he groaned, slapping his forehead as he groaned loudly
“FINE!” said Cora, giving up “But you don’t do anything that might put you in
danger, you understand? If the situation gets dangerous, you call Bellemere,
Tashigi or the Captain, agreed?!”
Law nodded sharply and smiled, clearly proud of himself for standing his
grounds
“Good!”
 
“My, this is a lovely spot you picked”
Cora chuckled softly as he escorted Monet inside the Italian restaurant he had
picked. It was odd to see her without her thick, large-rimmed glasses, but she
was very much a beautiful woman. She was wearing a dark blue and light blue
dress that ended at her thighs and Cora found it kinda funny how their outfits
matched.
“I heard really good things about this place and I’ve been dying to try it out,
so this worked out!”
Cora hadn’t missed for a second how Monet couldn’t keep her eyes off of his
face but it was a disassociated look; as if he wasn’t really seeing him
Hmm, this was interesting
Once they sat down, Cora decided to try something
He sat down, backed up the chair a bit, straightened out his back and crossed
his legs. Inside, Cora wanted to die – the act of taking so much space, and
acting like it was his to take, was killing him. But if he imitated Doffy, he
might get a re-
Wow, that didn’t take long
Monet instantly tensed up, her cheeks flushing a bit as she leaned forward, as
if needing Cora’s attention
Well shit, now he had to act like his brother
He could never come to this restaurant again
 
Cora’s face was starting to hurt after smiling so much. How could Doffy stand
to smile so much was beyond him. He had ordered lobster, that he didn’t
particularly like, but he knew was Doffy’s favourite. He went to the bathroom
and came back with his dress shirt unbuttoned enough to show part of his chest
and his tie was gone. Cora purposely laughed like his brother, he took as much
space as he wanted, was loud, didn’t tolerate any of the waiting staff treating
him less than the best either or keeping him waiting. Cora was feeling so
absolutely horrible, he was going to need to leave the staff an insanely
massive tip to make up for this
But holy shit was Monet eating it up
If he doubted for a second that Money was in love with Doffy, he didn’t doubt
it at all now
During the dinner, Cora had caught the sight of Law at the window, looking at
him horrified
This was probably bringing back really bad memories for Law
So he stuck out his tongue and pulled a stupid face, making Law laugh
Good
Cora took a sip of his wine as Monet laughed softly
“Oh my, you’re quite the catch, Rosinante~ How lucky I am to have met such a
man as you”
Cora paused for a moment, and then he smirked
 
Show time
 
“But if only I was my brother, right?”
Monet instantly stiffen up, looking at Cora shocked for a moment, but then she
laughed softly, raising a brow, feigning confusion
“You have a brother? That’s lovely!”
Cora sighed, rolling his eyes and cocked his gun under the table, loudly enough
for Monet to hear
“Don’t play dumb. I’m not an idiot, as much as Doffy probably thinks I am. Now,
don’t worry, if you do as I ask, you can go free and we can keep pretending
that this didn’t happen.”
“I’ll scream.” threatened Monet, making Cora roll his eyes
“Look around.” Monet frowned and then she looked around – shocked
“Where is-?!”
All the other restaurant patrons were gone and the staff was nowhere in sight.
“I made a call to have the whole restaurant slowly emptied as the night moved
on. If you do anything to me tonight, you will be instantly arrested as I have
reinforcements on standby.”
Monet frowned sharply, clearly enraged
“So, now, what you’re going to do is take out your phone and how about you dial
up that brother of mine”
“Doffy is going to kill me.” stated Monet with a straight face
Cora merely shrugged
“Are you trying to get me to care? Take your phone out and call my brother.”
She had made her choice. He had made his and Law and Bepo’s safety was his
priority now.
Monet pulled out her phone and dialed the number and put the phone on the
table, sliding it over to Cora
Cora smiled, hitting the speaker button with his free hand and put the hand
holding the pistol on the table, keeping it aimed at Monet
 
“What is it Monet?”
Good. He answered
“Why hello Doffy. See, funny thing. I’m on a date with this beautiful woman but
alas, it seems that she only wants you.”
There was a long pause until he heard a loud sigh
“I see Monet’s cover is blown.”
“I thought you said you’d leave us alone for a while.”
“Ah ah ah, I said that I wouldn’t be coming to Goa for a while.”
“Of course, of course. Should I be flattered that you can’t seem to leave us
alone?”
Cora knew that he was playing a dangerous game right now – but if he could rile
up Doffy first, he wouldn’t have to be afraid of Doffy riling him up
Emotional manipulation was easily Doffy’s best skill
“I thought I had made my intentions quite clear, dear little brother”
“Ah yes, me dead and Law back, isn’t that right? I want to make sure I
understood you clearly”
“You understood quite well! I’m very proud of you! Now, if you would just bring
me Law, all of this could be forgiven. Why, I might even be lenient and let you
live.”
Stay calm
Stay calm
Cora rolled his eyes, not believing a word of that
“Oh sure, and then shoot me in the back as I’m walking away. Do you take me for
a fool?”
“Are you sure you want me to answer to that?”
“Ha ha ha, leave us the fuck alone, Doffy.” stated Cora seriously, already
feeling his blood starting to boil
Stay calm
Stay calm
“You already know what I’m going to say to that.”
“I can’t say I care too much, honestly, about your opinion on the matter. You
keep sending people; I’ll just keep finding them and finishing them off”
Cora fired a shot into the wall, the bullet slightly grazing Monet’s shoulder,
making the other wince and hold on to her slightly wounded shoulder
Ngggh he was going to have to pay for that wall
“Who do you think you’re fooling? You don’t have it in you” said Doflamingo
calmly. Cora smirked slightly; there was a tinge, just a tinge of uncertainty
in Doffy’s voice
Jackpot
“To kill you? No. To kill her? Are you sure about that?”
If looks could kill, Monet’s eyes would have him drop dead right now
“Unfortunately, it has come to this. You know what I’m going to have to ask of
you, Monet.”
“Yes, young master, of course.”
“Do you have it on you?”
“Of course I do, young master.”
Cora frowned sharply, his eyes widening slowly
Fuck!
“I’m asking a terrible thing of you, but thank you.”
“It was my plan all along, young master”
“Thank you for willing to die for me, Monet.”
Cora watched carefully as Monet slipped her hand in her purse, lifting up a
small device which Cora instantly recognized as a bomb
He had completely miscalculated!!
Shit!
Cora hadn’t thought for a second that she would be willing to take them both
down together
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Law and Bepo needed to get away from the building – now!
Cora turned his head in panic, happy to see Law gone from the window, and then
he turned back to look at Monet
“You’re a piece of shit, Doffy” stated Cora through his teeth
“I don’t like messes.”
“This isn’t the end of it and you know it!”
 
Monet smiled, clearly proud of herself for pleasing her master, holding up the
bomb and was ready to activate it when suddenly there was a soft hiss in the
room. She hesitated, looking around and the room was suddenly filled with a
thick smoke
Cora covered his mouth with a napkin, throwing himself on the ground
Who the hell threw a smoke bomb inside the room!?
“Monet?! What’s going on?! Talk to me, Monet?!”
Cora could hear Monet being wrestled– her body slamming to the ground loudly
“I got her!”
Tashigi?!
“Good.”
Was that the Captain’s voice?!
“Is this Donquixote Doflamingo?” asked the Captain, his voice sounded muffled,
he was probably wearing a respirator
Suddenly Cora could breathe better as he felt a respirator being put over his
own face. He quickly turned around and was happy to see Bellemere behind him
“Who’s asking?” asked Doflamingo, clearly not happy but trying to appear
nonchalant
“My name is Captain Chase Smoker, I’m the current chief of police of the City
of Goa and you can consider this your first and only warning to take your
agents or associates or whatever the hell you want to call them and take them
out of my goddamn city. I don’t want trash in my city, and I will take it out
if I need to.”
“Ahh…yes, the Marine’s former stray dog. Apparently your bark is worst than
your bite”
“All dogs bite if they’re pushed enough, Donquixote. Don’t push me.”
Cora heard Doffy’s laugh echo through the room as the call was ended. He isn’t
sure though if Doffy hung up or the Captain ended the call
“Trafalgar! Are you okay?” barked out the Captain making Cora jump slightly, he
didn’t realize that he hadn’t spoken
“Yes! I’m fine! How did you guys -?”
“Law called.” said Tashigi as Cora could hear Monet being cuffed
Cora sighed in relief – thankful that Law had listened
 
Cora made his way outside with the rest of the officers as Monet gets dragged
into a squad car. Cora blinked, surprised to notice that the Captain wasn’t in
uniform – wasn’t he not on duty when he came over?
“Who’s idea was it to use a smoke bomb?” asked Cora to Bellemere who was taking
off her respirator
“The Captain’s.”
“I didn’t know he was on tonight.”
“He wasn’t – but Tashigi wanted to keep him informed so he left Ace’s bedside
and came straight over.”
“Ace’s bedside?”
Panic welled up inside of Cora – shit! Right! Ace! Fuck!
“Yeah, apparently he’s really sick, so that’s why he was with him.”
“The two are still together?” asked Cora, a little surprised
Bellemere lifted a brow
“Are they not still supposed to be?”
Cora shook his head as he felt someone run into his back, hugging him tight,
and then felt someone else crashing into him, hugging him as well
Bellemere laughed, walking away
“Well, I see you’re busy, so I’m going to go join Tashigi to bring back our
perp into custody, hopefully she’ll talk”
“I doubt it. She was willing to die for him, Bellemere.”
Bellemere frowned, nodding as she went off to join the squad car
 
Cora smiled, looking down at Law and Bepo hugging him tightly. Clearly they had
been scared
“You boys did good.”
“You were so cool, Cora!” said Bepo with a huge smile on his face
“Don’t ever do that again” warned Law in a low voice, Cora could feel Law
trembling against him
Cora smiled softly, hugging them both the best he could
“We’re going to have to, Law. Doffy is going to send someone else, without a
doubt. Promise me both that you’ll be on guard?”
Both Bepo and Law nodded, affirming what Cora said
“Now c’mon! Let’s go home! This is a reason to celebrate!”
As both boys loosened their grip around Cora’s waist as walked alongside of him
– Cora didn’t miss Law’s grip on the back of his shirt
He only hoped he hadn’t set off another round of nightmares for Law
Chapter End Notes
     What a tense date! That could of gone in a really bad direction! But
     alas - it didn't-!
     We're finally back to Ace next week!
***** -ACE- When You Have Hard Choices To Make And No Magic 8 Ball *****
Chapter Notes
     Ack! Sorry about the slight delay in posting it! I got home not to
     long ago from a busy weekend away! But it's up now! So let's go back
     to Ace!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
The room was dark
Ace squinted slightly as he slowly blinked, not recognizing the ceiling
But at the same time, he did?
Ace sat up, groaning as he did. He had spent the last day or so in bed, hadn’t
he?
Right! He wasn’t feeling too great! And he’s pretty sure he remembered being
brought to the Whitebeard –oh!
Ace turned slightly, sniffling as his nose started to run
Guess he was at the last bit of his cold or something
 
“Blow your nose, man!”
Ace jumped slightly; surprised to hear Thatch’s voice but then he smiled
brightly when he saw that the other was carrying food
Ace could hear his stomach growling as the scent of the soup hit his nose
“Aww! Is that for me?”
“Only if you blow your nose~”
Ace laughed, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand and quickly did as he was
ordered to while Thatch took the bed tray besides the bed and set it up with
one hand and then put down the soup
“I had like, the weirdest dream” started Ace as he quickly dug into his food
“Oh yeah? Is it about Marco killing you? Because Marco’s gonna kill you.”
Ace frowned, spoon still in his mouth as he looked at Thatch confused
“War iz Arko ‘Illing mea?”
“Dude!”
Ace took the spoon out of his mouth and set it down
“Why is Marco killing me?”
“Because of your secret boyfriend? He already tore Eleanor a new one too for
giving your beau the codes!”
Ace froze
“…that…wasn’t a dream…was it”
“Nooo, no it was not”
“So…Marco knows that I’m dating –“
“The Captain? Oh you damn right he knows”
“…I’m so dead, aren’t I?” asked Ace in a small voice, wondering if the room
he’s in is too high or not for him to leap out the window and run out of town
Even though that wouldn’t do any good – knowing Marco he’d hunt him down until
the ends of the Earth
Thatch laughed, shaking his head
“You’repretty dead, that’s for sure! But Pops told him to not beat you while
you’re sick, so just stay sick!”
 
“What Pops doesn’t know can’t hurt him”
Ace winced at the sound of Marco’s voice as he turned and grabbed his soup
bowl, bringing it to his mouth and quickly drinking it down
If he was gonna die, it’s going to be with a full stomach, damn it!
Marco rolled his eyes at the scene as Thatch laughed more, taking the empty
bowl from Ace
“I see you’re feeling better”
“Yeah” replied Ace nervously as he kept his eyes on Marco trying to gauge the
other’s anger
He didn’t look particularly mad, but he had his ‘I’m so fucking done’ robe on,
which was basically just a purple and blue silk bathrobe with a phoenix
embroidered in the back with gold thread that he wore open and a pair of silk
pj pants, but Marco only really wore it when he was stressed about something
and wanted to be comfortable
“Your boyfriend called and said that he’d take you home this afternoon if
you’re feeling better and that he needed to talk to you about something.” said
Marco nonchalantly, not even looking at Ace, but still tinkering away at his
phone
Ace winced sharply at the stress at the word ‘boyfriend’ and knew that it was
now groveling time
“Marco…Listen…I-“
“Shut up, Ace.” said Marco, sighing as he put the phone in his pants pocket,
rolling his eyes “I’m not mad. Iwas mad. I was really fucking mad; don’t even
doubt that for a second, but after the bomb Pop’s dropped yesterday, it’s hard
to be mad at you about chastely dating the Captain.”
Ace’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘chastely’ as his expression soured
How did he-!
“Don’t go there.”
“Seriously, Sandra Dee? Lousy with virginity? Won’t go to bed until you’re
legally wed?”
Ace was blushing furiously at this point – out of all the fucking Grease songs
to be sung to him!
Marco laughed, clearly enjoying Ace’s reaction to his taunting as Thatch
stepped out, laughing brightly
“It’s not what you think-!”
“I know, Ace, relax! You have fifteen levels of trust issues to get through
before you let anybody be your friend, much less sleep with you”
Ace blinked, surprised but not surprised that Marco had figured that about him
“You’re kinda in a vulnerable position when you’re having sex, you know?”
admitted Ace, knowing that Marco would know where he was going with this
Maybe the person he was sleeping with secretly wanted him dead! It’s kinda hard
to fight someone off naked!
Even though Black Widow did it amazingly in that one issue that one time…
Ace then frowned, he was awfully hot
He looked down and frowned even more
“What am I wea-?”
“Izo got you that” confirmed Marco, still typing away on his phone
Ace turned his head and looked at himself in the mirror of the dresser and
laughed brightly
“I’m a carrot!”
“So you said like a million times to your boyfriend yesterday.”
The colour completely drained from Ace’s face as the vague memories of
yesterday came back to him
Oh god, he had been so cuddly! Shit shit shit! He had made a total ass out of
himself!! That was so embarrassing!
“…I made a total ass out of myself yesterday, didn’t I?”
“Ooh yes you did, and there is so much photo and video evidence – all the boys
had a total field day with you yesterday”
Ace wanted to crawl under the bed and die
 
Ace sighed heavily as he waited at the entrance of the mansion for the Captain
to come pick him up
Even though the other had entered the house and cuddled with him in the bed
(Ace was still mildly in shock about that) he didn’t want to put Smoker under
the stress of entering a gang’s residence twice
Ace knew the fact that he was a Whitebeard was a severe sore spot for the
Captain. He didn’t miss the sneer and instant drop in his boyfriend’s mood
every time he saw the tattoo on his back
He wasn’t a fool – he knew how potentially dangerous for their relationship him
being in a gang was. But he could never leave the gang
When Whitebeard came across him, Ace had been a violent loose cannon. Unable 
to properly deal with Sabo’s death and the sheer amount of self-hatred he had
for himself, Ace had fallen into a pretty suicidal hole. He was picking fights
left and right with anybody, everybody, doing whatever he could to prove
himself. It was a side of him he never wanted Luffy to see, but he knew it
wasn’t gone either.
But Pops took him in anyways. The bastard son of the former King of Gangs, the
little loss boy who needed a home, not that Ace would ever admit out loud. But
there was Pops, gladly taking him in despite what a mess he was. The
Whitebeards quickly accepted him within their own, well, after he stopped
trying to murder Pops and Ace felt like he had finally found himself a home. A
place to belong.
Ace sighed again; he hoped that Smoker never asked him to leave the gang –
because that would be the end of their relationship. He could never not be
faithful to Pops. Pops had saved him. In Ace’s mind – his life belonged to Pops
for life.
 
The Captain’s car pulled up and Ace smiled brightly, excited to see the other.
Smoker parked in front of Ace and when he heard the door’s unlock, he quickly
got into the car and without a word, Smoker drove out of the property
“Thank you for the ride!” said Ace brightly, trying to deflect the weird mood
in the car
“Ngh” grunted Smoker as he kept driving
If Ace was a dog, his ears would have lowered and he would have whimpered. Had
he done something wrong?
Ace stayed quiet, not sure what to say. But soon enough, Smoker spoke up
“Feeling better, mister Carrot?”
Ace turned a dark red, completely embarrassed as Smoker laughed loudly, giving
Ace sudden butterflies. He looked at the other in awe, soaking in every laugh
“Y-Yeah. Thank you…for coming. You didn’t have to…I really appreciated it
though”
“You don’t have to be so tensed. I made the choice to go.”
Ace smiled slightly, it was true that nobody could make Chase Smoker do
anything he doesn’t want to do
“Still…I know it was probably not somewhere you wanted to go.”
“No kidding” mumbled Smoker, and then he raised his brow, looking at Ace for a
moment
“The bird brain didn’t tell you, did he?”
Ace blinked, surprised, and then snorted
“Do you mean Marco? Tell me what? That he knows? He told me that?”
Smoker stayed silent for a moment and then nodded
“Do you mind stopping at my place for a bit before I bring you home? I have to
talk to you about something.”
Ace quietly nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach
 
They soon made it to the house and Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly as he
was greeted by Justice at the door.
Ace quietly took off his boots as Smoker did the same. Ace quietly watched
Smoker; he could tell the other man was suddenly very tense. Every muscles
contracted in his neck as the tension made its way up
Urgh, Izo had told him that the Japanese found the nape of the neck really
erotic, and seeing it peeping out from the shirt that Smoker was wearing, he
now totally understood why
Smoker made his way into the living room with Ace quietly following along. He
made a gesture for Ace to sit on the couch and then told him that he was going
upstairs for a minute. Ace nodded as Justice climbed into his lap and licked
his face gently and nuzzled him. Ace smiled brightly, chuckling as he was
unable to resist Justice’s charm
 
“I wanted to tell you the full story about my family.” started Smoker as he
came around the couch and sat down, putting a photo album down on the coffee
table and opened it – pulling out an old frayed photo. Ace smiled when he
recognized the woman in the photo as Smoker’s mother
“That’s your mother, right?”
Smoker nodded
“Dahlia Smoker. She was an only child of a Scandinavian family and for whatever
reason; she found herself an orphan and was adopted into a prominent family on
this side of the ocean. That’s her with her adopted family. That woman besides
her is my aunt Lily, the one I went to visit in Loguetown.”
“All flower names!” pointed out Ace, laughing softly
“Well, mostly because they didn’t know her actual name when they adopted her,
just her surname. So they kept with the theme as they named her. Anyways, she
grew up happy and highly educated and the family had high hopes for her – until
she met the man she would marry.”
Ace frowned slightly
“’M guessing they didn’t like him”
“Not at all. She was disowned for marrying him.” said Smoker as he turned the
page of the photo album and pointed to what looked like a wedding portrait. He
instantly pointed to it and looked at Ace, waiting for a reaction
Ace’s jaw dropped
There was no way!
No!
NO WAY!
“I-Is that Pops?” asked Ace carefully, not quite processing it himself
“Yes.”
“D-Does that mean that Pops is your d-“
“Yes.”
Ace stared at Smoker in shock
“I’m dating the son of my Pops?!”
Smoker flinched, frowning
“Don’t say it like that! It sounds awful!” barked Smoker, cheeks flushed
“A-Ah good point! Holy shit, I…Explains why you were able to come into the
house in the first place. Wow, holy…Really?”
Ace knew he was babbling, but his mind couldn’t process the information
Chase Smoker was Newgate Edward’s son!
How was this even possible??
But he was the chief of p- Oh! The lack of info! That was probably why!
Ace blinked slowly, now the pieces were all fitting together – that’s how
Smoker had met Roger!
“Well, Eleanor had to give me the gate’s codes first. Apparently the little
birdy didn’t like that too much and reamed her out for it. Not that she
probably gave a fuck honestly.”
“Eleanor’s your sister?!” blurted out Ace, shocked – he knew that Eleanor was
Pop’s biological daughter, but wait -!
“But Eleanor’s ol-…mature?” offered Ace weakly, feeling like a real jackass
right now
“She’s 8 years my senior. Also she wasn’t living with us when my mother was
murdered.”
Wait what?!
“Murdered?”
Smoker sighed, turning the album a few pages later and Ace was suddenly
bombarded with nothing but cut out newspaper articles
“It happened when I was a teenager. Edward, not wanting us to be in the
limelight because he was a mob boss, had us live in Loguetown. We lived a
rather quiet life, honestly. My mother and her sister ran a flower shop
together. I went to school; I just thought my father was gone on business a
lot, not knowing what he actually did for a living. I’d see him pretty often
though. During the summer, I lived at the mansion here. So all the older
members of the gang knew the truth about me. But one night, I was staying over
at my friend Drake’s house and Eleanor didn’t live with us anymore. My mother
was home alone with Hero and some rival gang broke in with every intention of
murdering ‘Whitebeard’s family’. Hero tried to protect my mother, but it cost
him his life, and then they took my mother’s life as well.”
Ace listened quietly in shock, not sure what to even say
“The next morning I came home and there was my mother and Hero in the living
room…” started Smoker, going silent for a moment. He closed his eyes, taking a
deep breath.
Ace leaned in, resting his head against Smoker’s arm, trying to comfort him
“So when the cops came and the investigation started – that’s when it was
plastered everywhere ‘Whitebeard’s Wife Slain by Rival Gang’ on every goddamn
newspaper! Everyone knew exactly what that man did with his life as I was left
in the dark, blabbing away about being a cop, blabbing away about being fair
and justice while my father was a criminal and my mother was killed because of
it!”
“You had no idea?” asked Ace quietly, Smoker already quite agitated
“No. Not a goddamn clue! I felt like such a fool! So when the old man came to
collect me to come live with him, I refused! I told him I wanted absolutely
nothing to do with him and that I wanted him to leave me alone forever! I went
to live with my aunt Lily and the rest is history.” said Smoker as he closed
the photo album, with no intention of opening it again
Ace remained silent for a moment
Just thinking of those words being hurled at Pops broke his heart. Pops was a
family man before anything. He loved all of his ‘children’ from the bottom of
his heart, it must have destroyed him hearing those words from the child he had
with his wife that he had just lost in such a horrible way. But on the other
hand, he couldn’t deny that he completely understood how hurt Smoker must have
been.
Urgh, this was complicated
Smoker was also silent for a moment but then his gaze quickly went on Ace
 
“I have something to ask you, Ace. And I need you to be honest with me.”
Ace looked at Smoker surprised; he wasn’t expecting such a serious tone of
voice
 “I’m going to explain something to you, do not interrupt me until I’m done.
And then I’m going to ask you a simple yes or no question and that’s all I want
from you, understood?”
Ace blinked, slowly nodding his head
“It has been brought to my attention that there’s many agents of the World
Government in town right now. So a small task force has been created to
investigate this. The conclusion was drawn using the timing that what they’re
looking for is Roger D. Gol’s long lost child before the limitation for his
execution is up.”
Ace froze up, trying to remain calm. He couldn’t give himself away until he
knew what the other wanted
“Now, using the information we have, we’ve deduced that the child in question
is about to turn 18 and not only that, is male. Roger had hidden away on
Baterilla Island in the Caribbean’s and took himself a lover, her name was
Rouge. Ace, you told me your mother’s name was Rouge. Ace…I’m asking this
because if the task force knows who we need to protect, we can do much better.
So here’s my question Ace – Are you Roger’s son?”
 
Never in his life had Ace been directly confronted about this
And in that moment, he found himself without a voice
He merely stared at Smoker like a scared animal, not sure what to do
‘You mustn’t tell anyone!’
Garp’s words rang through his head
‘I’d kill him! I’d rip his fingernails off one by one!’
‘The most hated child in the world! I’d watch him burn! String him up!’
He would hate you
Hate you Hate You Hate You
Even though he says he’d be okay with you, you know he wouldn’t
He’ll hate you
Sell you out
Ace could feel himself shaking
Was his breathing getting hard? Why couldn’t he breathe?
He’ll hate you! He’ll tell everyone!
Demon child! Hated child! You should have never been born!
You should have never been born!
You’re a waste of space!
Nobody wants you!
Dadan’s been trying to get rid of you since day one!
Nobody needs you really!
You’re so easy to replace!
“I-I-“
“Ace!” barked Smoker as he grabbed Ace’s shoulders “Ace, breathe!”
Was he crying?
He couldn’t breathe! How could he breathe?!
Nobody wants you, Ace!
You wasted your time being nice to everyone!
You waste of oxygen!
But he cares about you! He would never hurt you!
But what if he did!
But he won’t
But what if-?!
 
And then Justice hopped in place on his lap and licked his face, breaking Ace’s
train of thought as he looked at the dog confused, who only whined and licked
the tears on his face, making Ace sob harder
Guess he was crying
Smoker was quiet as Ace rubbed the tears on his face, his lips still trembling
“…Sorry. I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject.” mumbled Smoker, looking
away from Ace slightly, looking guilty
“…” Ace didn’t even know what to say either; he didn’t think he would have
reacted like this!
“Y-Yes” whispered Ace
He made his choice
“Yes?” asked Smoker confused
“Yes, I’m Roger’s son”
Chapter End Notes
     Man, all my Ace chapters lately are all ending on sad notes!
     Thankfully a few happier ones are ahead!
***** -LAW – Bepo! Hold My Earrings! (This Bitch Had It Coming!) *****
Chapter Notes
     And we're back in school! Let's see how Law is doing after everything
     that happened!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Law sighed softly as he tightened his grip around the waist he was holding,
burrowing his face more into the covers and the pillows
He knew that the sunlight was peeping through the curtains and that he probably
needed to get up
But right now, Law didn’t care
Since last Friday he hadn’t been able to get through a single night of sleep
Nightmare after nightmare of losing Cora in the blast, flashbacks of Cora
getting shot up, the smell of his family burning inside the hospital, all of
it, just suddenly came back
Since then he hadn’t been really able to eat a full meal without throwing up or
leaving the bed much. He had to cancel his date with Luffy, saying he wasn’t
feeling well, and the other didn’t seem too bothered by it – merely wishing
that Law felt better soon and asking him if he ate anything bad (Luffy
apparently assumed all things could be healed by eating and eating could also
kill you)
But now it was Monday and he wasn’t sure he would be feeling better any time
soon, but eventually, he knew he had to leave the house and Cora couldn’t stay
away from work forever.
 
“Law, are you up? You said you wanted to go to school today? Did you change
your mind?”
Law sighed softly as he felt Cora shift slightly to run his fingers through
Law’s hair. Cora had let him spend the whole weekend in his bed and Bepo would
come join them to hangout but as thankful as Law was – honestly he was rather
embarrassed by it. There was, 16 years old, unable to leave his guardian’s bed
because he was having nightmares about losing him again.
From a medical perspective, Law logically knew that he was having a PTSD
episode and it was giving him attachment issues, major anxiety and severe
depression. He also knew that this was nothing to be ashamed of, and that it
should pass eventually, and that he would soon feel better
But his pride was killing him
And it was making him pissy as hell
Law cracked an eye open and was greeted by Cora’s smiling face. His hair was
all mussed up; he was wearing his pyjama shirt open and was lazing around in a
baggy pair of boxers. Cora yawned, his mouth looking huge from Law’s angle as
he shifted, trying to sit up
“I guess…if you’re going to work”
“I’m sure if I asked the Captain, he would le-“
“No.” cut off Law “I need to get back to real life eventually.”
Cora opened his mouth to say something, but then promptly closed it
Law knew the drill by now. Cora would tell him that he could take all the time
he needed to get better. That he was intelligent and hardworking enough to
catch-up on any missed work. That he had nothing to be ashamed of and that if
he needed time, he should take it
But Law knew himself well enough that if he allowed wallowing to become a
habit, that he’d never leave the house
 
“Hey guys, do you guys have plans for today?” asked Bepo, sticking his head
inside the room. Law could tell that the other hadn’t even bothered to get
dressed yet, not wanting to assume just in case
Law felt bad, he had been putting Bepo through the ringer as well. He had
snapped at his best friend so much this weekend for the stupidest things too.
Bepo understood though, it just made him feel even shittier about himself
“Umm…well…” started Cora and Law sighed again
“We’re going to school, Bepo and Cora is going to work.” stated Law, with no
room for debate possible
“Are you sure, Law? Because you’re kinda…” started Bepo carefully, not sure
what words to use
“You’re moody as hell and I’m scared you’re going to bite someone’s head off at
school” finished Cora, not afraid to say it
Law frowned sharply at them, unable to deny it. He let go of Cora and kicked
the covers off, making sure that the comforter fell on the floor and stormed
off out of the room
They weren’t wrong! They just didn’t have to say it!
 
“Did you hear? It was all over the news! Miss Floche got arrested this
weekend!”
“Yeah! Apparently she’s a member of the Donquixote gang!”
“What the hell was she doing here?! “
“I heard she was trying to blow up that new Italian restaurant in town!”
“Whoah! No way!”
“Apparently, I heard that she was trying to kill a cop! But he was on to her,
so he had the whole restaurant slowly evacuate!”
“Bullshit!”
“No really! My cousin works there!”
 
Law growled softly as Bepo tried to push him away from the conversations all
around them
Of course the whole school had been talking about it! A teacher got goddamn
arrested!!
Fucking stupid Monet! Apparently Cora said that she had tried to kill herself
in her cell as well! So now she was under constant supervision!
“Hey Law! Luffy should be here by now! Why don’t we go say hello?” suggested
Bepo, leading Law down the hallways towards the area where Luffy and his gang
usually hung out
Law sighed, he probably should go see Luffy an apologize for his lack of
communication in the last few days, it wasn’t fair to him to put Luffy in the
dark like that
Also, he’d never admit it out loud, but he knew that Luffy would also make him
feel better
 
But when they approached the group – one distinctive member was clearly gone
“Where’s Luffy?” asked Law louder and angrier than he had planned to, but he
wasn’t in the mood to go looking for someone right now
The group looked at him pretty stunned at the tone while Bepo smiled weakly
“A-Ah sorry! We had a long weekend!”
Nami nodded, frowning
“Yeah…Bellemere told me. That must have been really rough, Law.”
Law shook his head, not wanting to discuss it
“Luffy?” he asked again, not wanting to lose track
“A-Ah we don’t know! Maybe he’s with his brothers?” offered Usopp nervously;
Law could literally see he was shaking
“Hancock snatched him away, saying she made him something” stated Zoro bluntly,
deserving him a kick in the ankle from Nami
“What?! There was no point in lying!” barked Zoro, clearly not impressed
Law’s vision went red
The mood around them instantly got tensed. They probably knew this was going to
happen
“Do you know where they went?”
“Home Ec room – Apparently she got the key from Mr.Bon” added Sanji, crossing
his arms, as if put off by the whole situation
Law wasn’t sure it was because it could cause trouble or because Hancock was
the most beautiful girl in school and Luffy was the one being canoodled by her
– but wasn’t he dating Zoro?!
Sanji was confusing.
Law nodded, frowning as he turned around, storming off in the direction of the
Home EC Room with Bepo hot on his tail
 
“Law-!”
“I’m so sick and tired of that fucking bitch!”
“Law!!”
“Ever since the fucking dance, the second I’m not around, even when I goddamn
is, she’s like ‘oh Luffy, sweet Luffy, precious Luffy’ and is all over him and
I’ve fucking had it!”
“Law!! Don’t do anything dumb!” warned Bepo, trying to keep up to Law as
Penguin and Shachi turned the corner, Law walking right past them
“Where are you guys goi-?!” asked Penguin as he followed after them
“Gonna set a bitch straight!” yelled Law, pushing against the crowd of people
as the group kept following
“What?!” asked Shachi
“Hancock took Luffy to the Home Ec room” explained Bepo
“Oh shit” said Penguin, knowing where this was going
 
Law got to the Home Ec room and opened the door, slamming it in the process
against the wall; he glared at the scene in front of him –He was furious!
There was Luffy, eating away at what looked like a batch of cookies as Hancock
was swooning besides him as he sat on the counter. She was sitting on the
counter as well, leaning towards him as she happily watched him eat the
cookies, going on about how happy she was that he was enjoying them. The slit
on her skirt was high and could she be showing more tits?! Law usually isn’t
one to judge – but this just screamed seduction!
“What the fuck?!” screamed Law, shaking, fists clenched to his sides
“Torao!” said Luffy happily; hoping down the counter and jogging up to Law to
hug him tight “Do you want some cookies that Hancock made? They’re really
good!”
“No!” snapped Law “I don’t want anything that shrewd bitch made!”
Luffy looked at Law confused as Hancock jumped down from the counter, stomping
her heel on the ground after she landed
“What did you just call me?!”
“A shrewd bitch! Because that’s what you are! Luffy’s my fucking boyfriend, so
how about you put yourself back in your shirt and dial back because he’s not
interested in you!”
“You better watch your mouth” warned Hancock, frowning sharply
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” growled Law
“Luffy and I are in love!”
“No! He’s nice and accepts your presents and thinks you’re friends! But if you
think you two are dating, you’re delusional!”
“Know your place, little man! I’m the most beautiful woman in the world! You’re
nothing but useless garbage that isn’t worth the space you occupy and you
should learn your place!”
“Hey! Quit saying mean things about To-“ started Luffy, frowning, but Law took
a step forward, out of Luffy’s grip
“That’s fucking it!” yelled Law, taking his bag off and handing it to Bepo “You
and me, right now!”
“L-Law!” said Bepo, holding Law’s bag
Luffy blinked, stepping back and watching the scene unfold
“Shouldn’t we-?” asked Bepo, turning towards Luffy, but Luffy shook his head
“I think they gotta work this out.”
Hancock charged towards Law and quickly kicked him in the chest, sending him
flying out in the hall
“How dare you think you’re worthy of fighting me! I will teach you a lesson!”
said Hancock as she pointed down at him and tipped himself back, nose in the
air “There’s nothing I hate more than an arrogant man!”
Law growled from his spot on the ground, quickly getting up and throwing a
punch at Hancock
 
Law only saw red
Fists were flying, kicks where flying, and they somehow wound up on the ground!
He pulled on her hair; she scratched him in the face. She busted his nose, he’s
pretty sure he bruised her rib. The world around Law sounded like being
underwater, all he could hear was the blood rushing to his head but from the
corner of his eye, he could see a huge crowd had gathered around them, cheering
them on
Suddenly, he was pulled away, him and Hancock being held apart from each other
and a furious coach Kyros between them
“Do you two think this is some sort of fighting ring?! You’re at school, not a
coliseum! Both of you will march straight to the principal’s office – now! It’s
Monday morning, what the hell could have gotten you so riled up?!”
Law’s breath calmed down and he blinked, surprised suddenly at his own actions
as Kyros had him by the collar of his shirt. Law could feel the blood dripping
down his face and pouring down from nose and the scratches on his face. He’d be
covered in bruises in the morning for sure. Also he’s pretty sure he has a
hairline fracture on his wrist.
If Law learned anything, it’s that Hancock was one hell of a fighter.
Hancock on the other hand looked rather wrecked as well but she was still
standing strong. She was also probably going to be full of bruises tomorrow and
looked like she was having a bit of trouble breathing. Yeah, Law got her in the
rib alright. He couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about that. She also had a
split lip. Hancock’s dress was mostly ripped, leaving her rather exposed as Law
could clearly see her underwear, making him feel pretty bad. But soon enough
one of Hancock’s sisters showed up and put a coat on her as Hancock pulled
herself away from Kyros’ grip and in return Kyros let them both go
“What the hell could have possibly broke out this fight?!” and then Kyros
turned to the crowd “Anybody not involved in this, leave, NOW!”
The crowd quickly dispersed at Kyros’ warning and only left was Law, Luffy and
Hancock – with Bepo, Shachi and Penguin looking around the corner while the
Strawhats were around the other corner, watching as well
“Again – I’m waiting for an answer! What the hell started this fight?!”
“Cookies!” offered Luffy, making Kyros look at the three of them confused
“This insult of a man thinks that my darling Luffy belongs to him!” accused
Hancock, pointing at Law
“He’s my boyfriend!” barked Law in return, getting mad all over again
“He ate my cookies! Why, we’re practically going steady!” countered Hancock
Luffy frowned, tipping his head as he crossed his arms
“Huh? We’re not going steady? You’re my friend! Law’s my boyfriend”
“Luffy?! Darling!”
“I fucking told you!”
“And now that that’s settled, you’re both coming with me – now! Luffy, get to
class and the rest of you too!” said Kyros, looking right at the groups hiding
behind the corners
 
Law and Hancock were brought to the Principal’s office and sat down on the
chairs outside of his office as Kyros went inside to explain the situation.
Law groaned, running his hand through his hair
He was feeling super dumb now. He couldn’t believe something this stupid had
set him off like this. But maybe Cora and Bepo were right; maybe he should have
stayed home. He clearly wasn’t in the mental state to deal with anything right
now.
Urgh, Cora was probably gonna try to get him to see the counselor again
Soon enough Kyros came out of the office and turned to the secretary
“Call both of their legal guardians to come meet them at school right now.
Akainu wants to meet them before he can decide a proper punishment for both of
them.”
Law’s expression dropped as he looked at Kyros
“W-Wait!”
“Don’t even bother, Trafalgar. You should have thought of that before you threw
a punch.” warned Kyros as the secretary started calling
Law was so so so dead
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Ho ho ho! Next week we're gonna see how everything goes down on
     Cora's end! I hope you enjoy it!
***** -CORA– Setting The Place On Fire Won’t Solve My Problems (But I’ll Feel
Better) *****
Chapter Notes
     Chapter going up early since I'm stuck at home with an injury - wooo!
     So Cora's come to pick up Law, so what happens now?
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
“Did Monet say anything new?”
Tashigi shook her head and Cora sighed deeply
Honestly he wasn’t expecting anything.  If Doffy’s minions were anything – it
was loyal beyond a fault
“Not even the Captain?”
Tashigi sighed herself this time
“The Captain’s methods depend on the perp’s desire to survive. He makes them
feel like their life is in danger, so they fess up. Floche has already
attempted twice to take her life, she doesn’t want to live. She thinks that
she’ll do her…er…young master…’s will if she ends her life”
Cora groaned slightly, that’s pretty much what he figured would happen
“Um…Rosinante?” asked Tashigi carefully, seeming slightly uncomfortable
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t…Isn’t Doflamingo older than you?”
“Yeah, he’s 30, why?”
“Well…Monet Floche is 26…so why does she call him…er…young master?”
Cora couldn’t help but laugh at the question
 
“Captain? Do you have a minute?”
Cora blinked as he spotted Smoker looking fondly at his phone for a split
second, sputter away and hide the phone away
The hell was this?
“Ah…Yes, wanna’want?”
Cora blinked again, surprised at the sudden shift in speech pattern
“I was just wondering if you had spoken to you-know-who about their lineage.”
Cora watched carefully as Smoker’s eyes widen slightly, his posture stiffened
up for a moment and then was clearly forced into a more casual posture in a
moment
Cora was amazed at time at the Captain’s self-discipline
“I did. I asked him about it.”
Oookay
The Captain was clearly not comfortable talking about it?
“And?”
“Couldn’t tell you. He seemed really upset that I had even asked so I didn’t
push.”
Upset?
Not mad?
Or angry?
Or confused?
He was upset
Meaning it was probably true. If someone he clearly cared so much about,
because at this point it was hard to deny that Ace was probably in love with
the Captain, asking him if he was the son of a hated criminal – Ace would
probably get upset because he’d be afraid of the Captain hating him for it
Meaning it was probably true
“Ah, well, considering we don’t have any better leads, why don’t we just
progress as if it was Ace until we have a better candidate?”
If it isn’t Ace – The Captain will say that’s a waste of time
If it is Ace – The Captain will agree to the idea
“That was my intention. We don’t want to risk it in case it is him and he
doesn’t know.”
You liar – you know it’s him
And then there was a soft knock on the door
“Come in” grunted the Captain, clearly he was done with the topic at hand
“Ah! Sorry to bother you two, but Rosinante! You have a call! It’s from the
school and they insist on talking to you”
Cora stared at Tashigi, shocked, as she looked guilty at bothering the two of
them
Oh no, Law
What did you do?!
 
“I have to go to school to talk about Law’s behavior? What did he do?!”
Cora could feel the colour draining from his face. How bad was this? Maybe he
was overreacting like last time? Right? Maybe Law just mouthed someone off!
But one look to Bellemere said it all
Her face was clearly wincing, teeth clenched
Fuck, it was bad, wasn’t it??
The voice on the phone told Cora that everything would be explained once he got
there. Cora groaned, shit, would he be able to head over now?
“What’s going on?” asked the Captain, walking up to the scene
“Rosi has to go to school because Law because they need to discuss his
behavior”
“My bet is that he got into a fight”
Cora ended the call and looked at Smoker confused, wondering what made him say
that
Smoker merely shrugged
“That’s what they always told my mom when I got into a fight at school”
Bellemere laughed, backhanding Smoker gently in the stomach
“Where you a bad kid, Smokey?”
“I had a baseball bat full of nails that I carried around, you tell me”
Cora laughed at the mental imagine and oddly this was calming him down
 
Cora quickly rushed to the school, even though the conversation with the
Captain had calmed him down slightly – he still had the pit of anxiety in his
stomach
He knew, he knew that sending Law to school today was a mistake! But he didn’t
want Law to think that he didn’t trust his judgement, but goddamnit!
Cora barged into the office, slamming right into the door in the process
The secretary blinked and then calmly looked down at her notes
“Mister Trafalgar, I presume?”
Cora nodded as he rubbed his sore shoulder and turned to look at the secretary
– eyes wide
He did know her! He was sure now!
“So, what did Law do?”
“He got into a physical fight with another student. The physical education
teacher Kyros had to break up the fight. By the looks of it, no charged are
going to be pressed by the other student, but his behavior still needs to be
discussed. Mister Trafalgar is waiting for you in the waiting area behind me.
Please proceed over there.”
Cora nodded and quickly made his way to the back, hitting his hip against the
corner of the desk
W H Y
 
Once he got to the waiting area he winced when he saw Law’s state
Cora could clearly see the dried blood under his nose, how it looks like
there’s going to be considerable bruising on his face as well. His clothes
looked ripped and frazzled, his lip looked swollen too.
That idiot
But the second Law noticed Cora standing there, his frown quickly turned to a
look of pure fear as Cora looked at him completely unimpressed
“…What the fuck,kid”
Law looked like a deer in the headlights as he looked away, his face getting
red
Oh wow, is he embarrassed by it now?
“Law. Please explain yourself.”
“Maybe…” started Law, still looking away “I should have stayed home”
“Oooh, I think we’re passed that being merely a hypothesis” 
Cora sighed, he had wanted to grill at Law, yell at him for being an idiot and
a million other things, but now that Law was embarrassed by his behavior, he
couldn’t be mad at him even if he tried
For now anyways
So Cora sat down besides Law, well tried to
Why are these dumb chairs so low??
“Law…”
“She…Urgh”
She?!
“What? What did she do?”
“She…keeps being all over Luffy and…she tells people that they’re dating and
stuff…” Law mumbled the last part, his cheeks completely flushed
Wait a minute
“You…got into a fight with someone…because of Luffy?”
Okay, Cora knew this wasn’t the time to laugh but man oh man, it was hard
“I know! It’s lame! I couldn’t help myself, okay! She was, draped all over
Luffy like a snake and was feeding him cookies! And she called me useless
garbage and I just saw red and fucking lost it! Every time I see her she’s like
‘oh Luffy darling, blah blah’ ARGH! I just wanted to kick her face in or
something!”
Cora blinked during Law’s tirade and then burst out laughing
“L-Law! Oh my god! That’s so-so Archie comic reason to fight someone! How more
normal could this be?!”
Law blushed furiously but then looked a little relieved at Cora’s reaction
“Now, you’re an idiot for starting a fight for something so stupid.” started
Cora, as he lifted his hand to stop Law from interrupting him
“But I’m also proud as hell of you for standing up for yourself and not letting
someone walk all over you either. But next time, how about you don’t throw a
punch?”
Law sighed and nodded but before he could say anything he noticed that
principal’s door opening and Hancock with an old woman coming out of the office
Cora blinked, standing up, grabbing Law’s arm, forcing him up as well and going
up to the old woman,. Once in front of her, he bowed with a hand on Law’s head,
forcing him into a bow as well
“Ah! Hello! I’m Law’s guardian, Rosinante! I’d like to apologize for my son’s
behavior!”
The old woman raised her hand, gesturing to Cora to get out of the bowing
position
“No need Rosinante. I know this one’s behavior enough to know that she probably
instigated it. No harm, no foul. Whatever she got, she probably deserved it.
I’m Gloriosa, but everyone calls me Nyon”
“How dare you, old woman-!” started Hancock, clearly insulted, but Nyon raised
her hand to silence her
“You’re lucky the principal is being as lenient as he is! This isn’t your first
offence!”
Hancock hmphed, flipping her hair over her shoulder
“Of course he is! Everyone forgives me because I’m so beautiful!”
Cora completely understands why he punched her now
“Pleasure to meet you! But still, I would like to apologize.” restated Cora
“Do you intend on pressing charges?” asked Nyon seriously, clearly on guard
“No. But I’m willing to pay for any hospital bills or medical bills you’ll need
to pay though”
“Nonsense, we Kuja women handle ourselves.”
Cora straightened up, looking at Nyon shocked
“Kuja?! As in-!”
“Yes. Hancock here is the leader of the Kuja family. If we accepted help from
any man, it would be a great dishonor to our family, you understand?”
Cora nodded, still stunned
Law picked a fight with the head of the Kuja clan?! Is he mad?!
“Mister Trafalgar, please make your way inside the office now” said the
secretary, holding onto the phone
Cora frowned sharply; couldn’t the principal himself invite them in himself?
Then he remembered who the principal was
Fuck
 
As they walked into the principal’s office, Cora forced himself to hide his
scowl
If there’s anyone in this world that he couldn’t stand, it was Sakazuki Akainu.
Everyone had heard of the dirty tricks and the deception he pulled to get
himself ahead. Everything for his own gain and he was a ruthless extremist in
everything he did
There was no humanity in this man
Cora wasn’t sure who was worst; his brother or Akainu
Both Law and Cora sat down in front of the massive desk where Akainu was
sitting
Akainu was sitting in his chair, arms crossed low on his stomach, sitting on
the one leg he had propped up on his other leg
“I’m Sakazuki Akainu but you will call me Principal Akainu. We’re here to
discuss mister Trafalgar’s completely inappropriate behavior today. We have an
extremely low tolerance for fighting here at Grand Line High. Especially for
petty reasons like who a boy likes.”
“Completely understandable. Fighting in school shouldn’t be tolerated.” replied
Cora, trying to keep his on cool, but Akainu’s presence was making him feel
hostile
And what with the introducing himself bullshit?!
Akainu knew exactly who he was!
“Glad we agree. His punishment will be a day of in-school suspension
considering this is his first offence. He will be spending it in the small room
in back of the office area.”
“I completely understand.”
“But honestly, given mister Trafalgar’s history, I personally think the
punishment should be more severe before he becomes the problem he’s clearly a
threat of becoming”
Cora instantly slammed his hand down on Law’s thigh, keeping him down before
Law ripped the principal a new one as he looked at Akainu confused, tipping his
head slightly
“I don’t follow, principal Akainu? Law has only gotten detention once before
and that was for laughing in class? His report card showed that he has grades
clearly above the average so your comment is completely loss on me”
Cora smirked internally as he had raised his voice when he had said that,
wanting it to echo, that way even people walking by would have heard them
Akainu looks at him surprised and then frowned sharply. He had caught on to
what Cora was playing at and wasn’t amused
“How about we talk about this alone,Sakazuki?” asked Cora sweetly, smiling,
making Akainu growl
“Fine. Law, you’re excused.”
Law stood up, giving Cora a worried look as Cora shook his head, gesturing with
it towards the door and flashed Law a big smile and an okay gesture with his
hands
“Go, go! Get to your detention~! We’ll talk more about this tonight, okay?”
Law nodded slowly as he made his way out the door, glaring slightly at Akainu
as he walked out as Cora kept smiling brightly
But once the door closed, Cora’s smile melting off his face and a scowl took
it’s place
“You have a lot of fucking nerves bringing up Law’s past, Sakazuki.” stated
Cora, pulling out his box of cigarettes, opening it and plopping one in his
mouth, lighting it up
“There’s no smoking in school.”
“Place reeks of cigars, do I look like a fucking idiot to you?” asked Cora,
taking a drag of his cigarette
“Listen you-“
“No, you listen” cut in Cora, frowning “A high school principal shouldn’t know
Law’s past, man good thing they never let you go undercover, you’re clearly
terrible at it. Oh shit, you’re already undercover, oops!”
“At least I’m not naïve enough to not realize that boy is tainted goods! You’ve
wasted your time and blew a mission for someone who was better off dead”
“Excuse me?!” yelled Cora, growling slightly
“You should learn to get your priorities straight! Doflamingo wouldn’t be
terrorizing the world still if you had gotten your emotional head out of your
ass!”
“I need to get my priorities straight?! You’re fucking kidding me, right? You
understand that being a Marine or a World Government Agent, your priority is to
protect the people, right?”
“No. It’s to make sure that absolute justice reigns no matter what. It’s when
people make emotional decisions like yours that people wound up in danger”
“Even when your orders are to murder a minor for a stupid reason like, oh, I
don’t know, because he’s the son of a big criminal?”
Hook
Line
“Tsk. No wonder Sengoku can’t trust you anymore with any mission. You’re too
soft, as usual”
Sinker.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I could be undercover now for all
that you know.”
“Don’t play dumb! Sengoku placed you here to keep an eye on you but also to get
rid of you. You’re dead, useless weight to him. The only reason he didn’t let
you die with your botched mission is because he’s too emotionally attached to
you.”
Cora snorts, standing up
“Thank you for confirming that for me. But honestly, you’re pretty cocky for a
man who hired a Donquixote gang operative to teach at his own school. Honestly,
if anyone’s useless here, it sure as hell isn’t me, because I caught her. But
whatever helps you sleep at night”
Akainu growled, slamming his fist down on the desk as Cora leaned in, putting
out his cigarette on Akainu’s nameplate on the desk
“Bye bye now, Sakazuki. And how about you don’t pick on my son, as you may
know; he’s had it kinda rough for a few years.”
And Cora promptly walked out of the office, just narrowly missing Sakazuki
throwing the nameplate at his head as Cora closed the door just in time
The loud crash of the nameplate hitting the door though made everyone in the
office jump, especially the secretary, who promptly stood up to ask what was
going on
Cora smiled brightly at her
“Now now, Kalifa~! Don’t concern yourself. Sakazuki’s just throwing a fit
because he didn’t get his way, you know the drill.”
Kalifa stared at Cora shocked
Cora smirked; the woman probably didn’t know that he knew exactly who she was
He walked right past her and out of the office still smirking
That’s it, Cora was done playing dumb
It was time to play hardball
 
And next thing he knew he was on the ground, groaning
Who the hell put a dumb bench in his way??
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Alright! Cora has played his cards and now he's off! Next week, we're
     going back to Ace!
***** -ACE- When You’re Over 100k Into A Story And Still No Sex Scene (I’m
Sorry!) *****
Chapter Notes
     AHH! Sorry about the delay putting up the chapter! There's a big
     snowstorm here and it took forever for me to get home!
     SO SLIGHT WARNING!
     Ish-mention of past flame for Smoker in chapter? 'Ish' because
     nothing gets confirmed
     SO ONWARD!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“So you told himeverything?”

Ace sighed, leaning back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head
It wasn’teverything, per say, but, a lot
“He asked me straight up if he was my father. I had to make a choice, so I told
him, Sabo”
Ace carefully watched Sabo’s body language as he pursed his lips and sighed
heavily. Sabo slowly crossed his arms and closed his eyes, his face facing away
from Ace
“You think it was a bad idea?” asked Ace as gentle as he could. Nothing good
came out of pissing off Sabo
“Well…” started Sabo, sighing again as he opened his eyes and looked at Ace “I
think you’re taking a big gamble here, but you said he took it well?”
“Yeah, he told me it was okay and that he would keep it a secret. And then he
thanked me for trusting him with the truth and drove me home.”
“He drove you home after you poured your heart out to him?!” asked Sabo,
shocked
Ace chuckled softly
“He was always supposed to bring me home though. I think this was his way of
saying ‘nothing’s changed now’.”
“Do you honestly believe that nothing’s changed?”
Ace groaned, Sabo had a point, and a good one to boot
Things have been in this weird middle zone since then
Not that he had many chances to see Smoker since he had told him everything,
honestly. Both had been rather busy! But the texts have been a bit tense, but
it felt like neither of them really knew where to go from here
Unfortunately, that annoying voice in Ace’s head kept telling him that it was
because the Captain now hated him and didn’t want anything to do with him, but
deep down, Ace just couldn’t believe that anymore after everything that’s
happened between them
 
“Are you candy-boys seriouslynot watching the magnificent show I’ve put on!”
Ace smiled brightly as he looked back to the glorious Ivankov Emporio decked
out in a corseted outfit, completely glammed up
“Aww babe, don’t say that! You know we love your burlesque shows!” said Ace,
leaning back and kissed Ivankov’s cheek
“Being flirty isn’t going to get you out of trouble, young man!” chided Ivankov
with a big smile
“We’re sorry, Iva, you see, Ace has got himself some boy trouble”
“Oooh! Dish! Dish! But then as punishment, Ace is going to have to dance me a
little number-! ”
“You got it!” agreed Ace readily, chuckling
Ivankov owned the city’s biggest gay club and in Ace’s opinion, he was forever
thankful that they had a policy that allowed minors as long as they wore a
bright yellow bracelet. But the biggest kicker about the club is that they had
live entertainment which was usually burlesque. Ace had personally done a few
sets for some quick cash. Nobody could say that Ace wasn’t a jack-of-all-
trades!
Also it didn’t take much to get him to dance half-naked, honestly
 
“Hello? Anyone in?”
Ivankov blinked, surprised and then smiled brightly
“Well well well, there’s a new candy-boy in town isn’t there! Who’s this
handsome fellow coming to my establishment this fine, fine afternoon?”
Ace turned around and saw Mister Trafalgar go bright red. He chuckled softly,
rubbing the back of his neck
“A-Ah! H-How nice of you to say so!”
Ace giggled, he couldn’t help it at how cute Mister Trafalgar was being! Some
people when they meet Ivankov are instantly put-off or uncomfortable – but
Mister Trafalgar looked like he was didn’t know how to take compliments!
Oh no
He was bashful!
Urgh, he was so cute!
“But no! I was just doing my rounds and I’ve always wondered what this place
was, so I decided to pop in”
“Aww, I thought you were coming here to pick up! Man, if only I didn’t have a
boyfriend” teased Ace with a big smirk
Cora turned bright red, staring at Ace, jaw slacked like he wasn’t sure what to
say and Ace chuckled brightly
“Ahh you’re so cute, Mister Trafalgar!”
Sabo chuckled as well as he elbowed Ace
“Ace! Don’t tease the poor guy like that! This is a Cabaret-Club, Officer
Trafalgar” explained Sabo
Cora blinked, looking around in awe
“Oooh, I see, I see” but then he paused and looked right at Sabo and Ace
“…you two are minors.”
Both Ace and Sabo lifted their arms to show Cora the bright yellow bracelet
“Sweet candy-boy, we have a policy here that allows minors as long as they wear
that. I wanted this to be a safe place for all people to explore their
sexualities and likes and desires, where there would be no judgement. But we
don’t serve any alcohol to sweeties with those bracelets and everyone is ID-ed
at the door! But we’re rehearsing right now! Sabo and Ace are dearies to me, so
I let them watch the rehearsal”
Cora smiled and nodded, tipping his hat
“Alright! That’s great! Ah…Do you have like, a schedule or something?” asked
Cora, still looking around
Ace blinked, surprised as Ivankov pulled out a schedule from their corset and
handed it to Cora, who happily took it
“Are you interested in seeing the show, candy-boy? Because I like pretty things
like you and I can give you a nice little discount-!”
“Sure! But I’m not sure when! I’d like to bring my boys too”
“Boys?” asked Ivankov
“Yeah, Mister Trafalgar has two sons! One of them is dating Luffy, actually”
explained Ace, making Ivankov smile brightly
“I love that boy! Anybody who Luffy likes is a friend of mine! Excellent, bring
them anytime!”
“Great! Thank you for everything!” said Cora before he walked out, well, tried
to, Ace is pretty sure he hit three chairs along the way
 
“Hmm, something about him seems familiar.” said Ivankov, squinting
“His actual name is Rosinante Donquixote” explained Sabo
Ivankov gasped, looking at Sabo shocked
“That’s Doflamingo’s little brother?!That’s why he looked familiar! He was
their last Corazon, wasn’t he?!  But he’s so cute!”
“Shit right?! I’m so confused about that myself!” admitted Ace
Ivankov’s eyes narrowed, looking at Ace
“Don’t think I forgot about you not forking over the details about your man,
Ace!”
But then Ace’s phone notification went off and Ace smiled brightly at it
“Another time, gorgeous! Because I have to go meet him right now!”
“Ace” warned Sabo, clearly he wasn’t done with their conversation
“We’ll talk more about it tomorrow, okay? We have to finish our Halloween
costumes anyways”
“We better, Ace!”
Urgh
 
“I hope you weren’t waiting long!” said Ace as he ran up to Smoker
Smoker on the other hand seemed a bit startled by Ace’s sudden appearance, lost
in thought as he was staring at the outside façade of the Goa Museum of Natural
History, smoking two cigars at once
Ace frowned slightly, not sure what to make of the scene in front of him
“No, I just got here.” said Smoker, sighing as he stubbed out his cigars
He doesn’t want to be here with you
Ace shook his head slightly, trying to get the thought of his head
“Everything okay?”
Smoker seemed like he was about to dismiss Ace but then stopped. He sighed
again
“There’s someone…I’d rather not see, and I don’t know if they work here or not”
admitted Smoker, surprising Ace
“Do you want to go elsewhere?” offered Ace, trying to hide his disappointment
He really wanted to see this special exhibit on the evolution of weapons! But
if Smoker was uncomfortable-
“No.” said Smoker stubbornly “I really want to see the special exhibit. And you
have tickets already”
Ace smiled as they turned to walk in with Smoker by his side. He knew that they
couldn’t hold hands or anything, but right now, this was good enough
 
“Who dressed you today?”
Ace blinked at the question as he presented the two free passes for the special
exhibit to the cashier
He was forever thankful that the museum was open late on Fridays
“Izo? It’s that obvious, huh?”
Ace had made the mistake of leaving the Whitebeard house before he went to go
meet Sabo before his date. Izo had grabbed him, refusing to let him leave the
house the way he was dressed
So he was now wearing a plan pair of black slacks with a belt and a deep red
dress shirt. He had on his usual beaded necklace and had rolled up the sleeve.
Ace refused to budge on not wearing his bracelets as well
“It looks really nice on you” said Smoker, flushing a little as he looked to
the side, embarrassed
Ace merely smiled brightly, blushing himself
“T-Thank you!”
 
They entered the exhibit and quietly started to read. Ace felt shivers go up
his spine when Smoker’s hand would brush against his as they kept reading.
Ace looked around the room, noticing that the room they were in was completely
empty
He smirked
Ace leaned in towards Smoker, snaking an arm around Smoker’s waist and pulled
him in
“Portgas…” warned Smoker, not looking away from the panel he was reading
“We’re alone” stated Ace, mentally high-fiving himself as he felt Smoker
instantly relax in his touch
He mentally jumped for joy as he felt Smoker’s hand go around his shoulder as
they kept reading in silence
Ace could die like this
“I love these things”
Ace blinked, looking up at the odd fork looking thing
“A…Jitte?” asked Ace, looking at the panel
“Yeah, basically back in Edo Japan, swords were banned. So instead, all high-
ranking security carried a jitte instead. It then evolved to become the
equivalent of a police badge. When I was a teenager…My father… had one custom
made for me.”
Ace blinked, instantly perking up at Pops being mentioned
“Oh yeah?!”
Smoker nodded curtly
“I prefer long range weapons, so I would personally want a longer weapon, but I
really liked the jitte. So for my birthday one year he presented me with a 6
foot tall jitte.”
“Whoah! Do you still have it?! Can I see it?” asked Ace, excitedly, making
Smoker laugh
“Yes, yes, I wound up taking it with me when I left. I still have it in my
basement.”
“Yeess!” cheered Ace
 
They kept reading the panels quietly, looking over at the individual weapons
one by one, pointing out things here and there of what they knew. Ace thanked
his lucky stars that nobody had come into the room yet, allowing Ace to bask in
Smoker’s body heat (the man was rather cold, which evened out Ace, so it felt
like a cool mist), the other’s scent (of smoke, and leather and gunpowder) and
just the other’s firm touch.
Ace could live here forever
“How did you even get these passes?”
Ace jumped slightly at the sound of the other’s voice
“Oh! I’ve been working a few hours a week as an assistant for my History
teacher; she’s working on a research paper and needed a hand. So as a thank
you, she got these passes and offered them to me”
Smoker blinked, looking at Ace surprised
“What are you doing?”
“Helping her collect research! It’s great! I get paid and I get to learn
things, it’s perfect!”
There was a moment of silence before Smoker spoke up again
“What do you plan on doing after high school anyways?”
Ace blinked and shrugged his shoulders
“No clue. Figured I’d get a job somewhere and pretty much just keep at it with
Pops full-time.” admitted Ace, he knew that Smoker wasn’t comfortable with the
topic of Pops, but he didn’t want to lie
“You have no plans for post-secondary education?” asked Smoker, surprised
“I don’t have that kind of money; besides, it would be wasted on me anyways.”
“Ace, you work constantly! How can you not have any money?”
Ace frowned
Where was Smoker going with this?
“The money I make is for Luffy. I set up a fund for him. If he wants to go to
keep going to school after high school, he won’t have to worry about money. I’m
fine; I don’t need a fancy degree or anything.”
There was a moment of silence and then Smoker huffed
“This is what drives me up the wall”
“Huh? What?”
What the hell was happening?!
 “Ace, you’re smart, you’re talented and you’re beyond hard-working! You love
soaking up knowledge and learning new things. You help anyone who needs a hand,
people really like you and you have this thing about you that make people just
want to trust you and be near you” started Smoker, clearly mad about something
as he let go of Ace to face him directly
“W-What’s your point?” asked Ace, burning red, not sure what to do with this
bombardment of compliments
“And yet, you’re going to waste that all away by being in a goddamn gang?!”
Ace stared at Smoker, clearly put off by the conversation
He felt like he had just gotten punched in the gut
“I don’t know where you’re going with this, Cha-“
“I’m trying to make you understand your own worth, Ace. You’re selling yourself
short if you think you don’t deserve to have a normal life! I’m telling you
that maybe you’re taking a huge risk by being in this gang. I don’t want to one
day be forced to arrest you, Ace.”
Ace blinked, surprised, not quite sure what to say
Smoker looked torn as he was saying all of this, Ace was at a loss
The other clearly was saying this because he cared but…
He could never leave Pops
Not Pops
“Chase…I don’t…I don’t think you und-“
 
“Chase? Chase Smoker? It is you!”
Ace and Smoker turned around to face where the voice had been coming from and
he was surprised to see a tall red headed man with an x-scar on his chin
Ace frowned instantly. The man was handsome, around Smoker’s age for sure. He
was wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses and a pair of black slacks with a
black dress shirt that was way too unbuttoned for a museum employee in Ace’s
opinion, but his lanyard his most of it anyways  
“Wow…Chase, it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”
“Pity. I was hoping it would be longer.” grunted out Smoker, the mood instantly
souring
“Hey…c’mon…don’t be like that” pleaded the redhead, making Ace brittle up, who
the fuck was this guy?!
“Don’t want to hear that shit from a deserter who I thought was MIA for over a
year.” growled Smoker, clearly trying to brush him off
“Chase! It was more complicated than that!”
“Don’t fucking care,Drake. C’mon, let’s go.” said Smoker sternly, taking Ace’s
arm and leading him out of the room
“Is he your new friend?” asked Drake, with enough emphasis on ‘friend’ that
there was no mistaking what he meant
“That’s no concern of yours”
Ace awkwardly looked between them, not sure what to say
“Doctor Eks! You’re needed in the labs for the ankylosaurs’ femur analysis!”
said a man who ran up to the group
Drake sighed, nodding as he removed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled
out a business card and handed it to Smoker
“Please? Can we meet for coffee or something and talk?”
Smoker looked at the business card being handed to him and took it. Ace
suddenly had a giant pit in his stomach swell up because he wasn’t sure what
was going on here but then Smoker ripped up the card
“No. You blew it.”
And Smoker turned to leave, Ace following along quickly
 
They excited the museum and Smoker quickly lit up two cigars once he was
outside as Ace merely watched quietly
“Sorry we had to leave. You can go back in and finish the exhibit if you want.”
Ace shook his head, not quite sure what to even say right now
But he had a big question for his boyfriend that he wasn’t sure he wanted the
answer of
“He was my superior when I was in the Forces” started Smoker, surprising Ace
with the information
“Oh…but you called him a deserter?” pointed out Ace quietly, not sure if this
was the time to bring it up
“Yeah, one night he just took off during an overseas tour and bailed. No
explanation, nothing. We thought he had gotten captured and we never found his
body. I thought he was dead; I mourned him until he suddenly popped up in my
reports and he had just deserted. Apparently he had enough of the Forces and
just bailed like that.”
Ace nodded quietly and then frowned. Smoker had left the army too? Why was he
so mad about Drake doing it…unless-!
They must have been close
Maybe they were-!
Yeah, there was no way he was asking that!
“C’mon, I’ll drive you home”
Ace sighed
A fight and an awkward scene with a probable ex – what a great date
 
Ace didn’t know what to say once he was in the car being driven home. He
couldn’t help but pout though, feeling awful
As if he didn’t need to give more reason for Smoker to think he wasn’t worth
his time
“’M sorry for ruining tonight.”
Ace blinked, looking at Smoker surprised, had been keeping his gaze out the
window since they had left the museum, once again smoking his cigars
“What are you ta-“
“I was hoping I wouldn’t run into Drake because I knew I’d get like that.”
“That wasn’t your fault, it was mine!” stated Ace “I suggested the museum!”
“How were you supposed to know that we knew each other?”
“…Ah, true.”
“But...” starting Smoker, hesitating for a moment “I meant what I said in the
exhibit. I think you sell yourself short regularly and don’t see how much
potential you’re brimming of. Everyone who knows you has something good to say
about you. I say because I care, I just, I want you to keep your options a
little open.”
Ace blinked, surprised once more – he didn’t know how to handle someone
speaking so fondly of him like that
“But what about mon-“
“Bursaries, scholarships and such? Trust me; nobody can out-sob your sob story
anyways. You’re a shoe-in for all you apply for.”
“Oh yeah, what about my grades?”
“I know they’re high. You’re the dope who dumps his entire bag content on the
table when you do homework at my place; I’ve seen your notes. Also, I know
about the tutoring.”
Ace gasped teasingly as Smoker smirked to himself
“Who told you?!”
“Trafalgar. He said that Law told him that you were tutoring some of Luffy’s
friends in math.”
“Oh man, busted!”
“Also, apparently you’re fluent in French?!” pointed out Smoker, completely
shocked, Ace merely laughed
“C’est ça qui te surprends le plus?”
Smoker made a confused noise, as Ace laughed again
“I said ‘that’s what surprises you the most’?”
“I just, how can you be this much and have all this skill set and think so
little of yourself?”
Ace paused for a moment
“Want to come over to my house? I’ll show you my room”
 
“Why does this place always look like a total shithole?”
“Well, the trick is that it’s a total shithole” replied Ace with a grin as they
walked towards the house
Ace hoped he didn’t regret this as he unlocked the series of locks and went in.
If he showed Smoker where he was from, maybe he’d understand a bit more
He frowned deeply – why wasn’t anybody home?!
“Those fucking! I told them to never leave the house unattended! It’s rule
fucking number one!” muttered Ace as he walked in and Smoker followed suite,
looking around
“You guys are squatters, aren’t you?” stated Smoker as he looked around,
pointing towards the main door with his thumb “I noticed the lack of address on
the house just now.”
“Yeah. If I have mail for whatever reason, it goes to Gramps. My bank account
is under Marco’s name. I can’t have anything legal sent here because I don’t
have an address” explained Ace as he continued to walk through the house,
looking around to see if anybody else was here
“What about your brother?” asked Smoker, following Ace through the house
“Gramps for the legal unimportant stuff. When he sends away for things or non-
urgent stuff, I got him a P.O. Box in town”
“Couldn’t you have just shared one?”
“Naw, I didn’t need it. Anything I order online gets sent to Pop’s place
anyways.”
Smoker nodded as Ace leaned up and pulled down the rope, revealing the ladder
to his room
“You’re kidding me”
“Nope! My room is up there, mister – are you coming?” said Ace with a smirk as
he sauntered up the ladder
Ace would be lying if he didn’t feel shivers all over his body as he felt
Smoker taking in every inch of his body as he went up the ladder
Well, maybe the date wasn’t ruined-!
 
“I can’t believe you share this tiny space with your brother”
“Back when we were kids, Sabo was living with us too up here!” said Ace,
sitting down on his bed, inviting Smoker to join him on the bed, which he did
“Ace…this isn’t a bed, it’s a mattress”
“No, it’s a bed, because I sleep on it” corrected Ace but then he smiled “Why
do you think I’m always so comfortable cocooning in yours?”
“I thought it was because Justice sprawls herself on you and you couldn’t
resist her charms” teased Smoker as he leaned in slightly
“Oh, damn! You’re on to us! I love her so much!” replied Ace as he leaned in as
well
“She loves you too” Smoker was only inches away from Ace
“Good, I’d be heartbroken otherwise”
“Who couldn’t love you?”
And the space between them disappeared
 
Ace couldn’t tell how time had past
But he was now sprawled on his back, lips locked with Smoker who was straddling
his waist. Both of their shirts had come off at this point. Smoker had a hand
in Ace’s hair, a good grip on Ace’s head as they kept devouring each other’s
lips. His other hand was at Ace’s waist, tugging his pants down. Ace on the
other hand had a hand down Smoker’s pants, gripping the other’s ass, pulling
him closer. His other hand was on Smoker’s neck, keeping him close
Ace’s body felt on fire, he could feel Smoker’s dick, hard against his own and
his pants were being pulled down. Ace couldn’t deny how excited that they were
finally getting to this point!
“OW!” yelled Smoker, instantly breaking apart from Ace, holding his head.
Ace looked at Smoker shocked; not understanding what happened and turned his
head to see Dadan, holding a huge branch
“Get off that boy now!!” screamed Dadan as she kept hitting Smoker with the
branch, who could barely stop her swings
“Dadan! Stop! I invited him here! I want him to do this!” pleaded Ace, not sure
how to handle the situation
“I don’t care if you think whoring yourself out is a good idea! I won’t have
it! Garp is going to have my goddamn head if I allowed this to happen!”
screamed Dadan as she kept whacking away at Smoker
“Dadan! Stop! He’s my boyfriend!”
Dadan instantly stopped, her arm up in the air, still holding the now mostly
broken branch and looked at Ace and then back at Smoker, who had his arm up, to
stop the hits
“What?”
“This is Chase! He’s my boyfriend!” reinstated Ace, growling
Dadan then turned sheepish as she lowered her arm
“Ah…I might have…overreacted”
“No kidding! Shit, look at these welts!” Ace couldn’t believe it; this had to
be the worst date in the history of worst dates.
Smoker was never going to want anything to do with him!!
“It’s fine, Ace. If anything, this is a good thing.”
Ace’s heart sunk in his stomach
This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, wasn’t it?
“It shows that this woman cares enough about you to beat up a man twice her
size for your safety.”
Ace was quickly taken aback by Smoker’s comment as the other stood up and
grabbed his shirt. He then stood in front of Dadan, who took a step back
Apparently she had just noticed his size and was surprised when Smoker took out
his hand
“I’m Chase.  Like Ace said, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”
“…I’m Dadan, I’ve been taking care of Ace” said Dadan as she shook the other’s
hand “I’m surprised you’d bother with someone like Ace”
“Oy!” yelled Ace in defiance, not happy to be spoken of that way by Dadan of
all people
“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t waste my time with things that I don’t think are
worth it.”
Smoker walked past Dadan and then pointed to his head
“I’ll be heading off before this becomes a headache”
Ace nodded dumbly as he stood up and walked up to Smoker
“I’m sorry about this, I-“
And Smoker shut him up with a kiss
“I’ll see you soon”
“Okay” said Ace, his mind swimming with joy as Smoker merely left
“What’s that guy do anyways?” asked Dadan as she lit a cigarette
“Chief of Police” replied Ace without thinking
Oh
OH SHIT
“WHAT?!”
Chapter End Notes
     DADAN COCKBLOCKED AGAIN!
     Will Ace ever get to get it on? Next week, we're back to Law who
     needs to have a serious talk with someone about something dum dum dum
***** –LAW- Can the Sephora Cast Members Also Recommend Something For Trauma?
(S.O.S!!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Law has some hard decisions and conversations to have this week
     He also has some rather ANNOYING family members that think they're
     hilarious (But he loves them)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
“Bepo said you wanted to talk me to me after I was done studying?”
Law smirked slightly as he pulled the shower curtain open, making Cora jump
Cora was right in the middle of showering, suds on his head and all over his
body, standing (well, the most he could in the shower, thankfully Cora
installed a hand-held shower head) right there, in all of his naked glory
He also frowned sharply at Law’s clear annoyance tactic
Law knew that getting into a fight and getting an in-school suspension was
really stupid and he personally thought that the embarrassment of it all was
enough punishment but Cora didn’t think so. So now he had to go to school and
straight home right after for two weeks. No clubs, no dates, no nothing!
Honestly Law was a bit surprised that Cora actually had the galls to ground
him!
 “Yes, I did.” started Cora, pretending that he wasn’t annoyed at the sudden
cold air while he was showering
“Bepo said that you’ve been avoiding Luffy at school since Monday, how come?”
Goddamnit Bepo!
Of course he was avoiding Luffy at school! He had made a massive ass out of
himself! Getting all riled up over something as stupid as her flirting with
Luffy – what the hell?! He wasn’t insecure or some shit! It wasn’t like he was
a jealous guy or anything! Luffy was friendly with pretty much everyone – but
this just, was just…just…
He just couldn’t come up with a good explanation for Luffy and he knew there
wasn’t a point of lying to Cora either
“I just…don’t know how to explain Monday”
Cora sighed as he kept lathering the shampoo in his hair
“I figured. Why don’t you just tell him the truth?”
“That I was mentally strained because I had an episode last weekend because I
have PTSD? No fucking way.” snapped Law as he jumped up slightly to sit on the
counter, sitting besides the mirror
“Law, you can’t honestly expect to keep dating Luffy without telling him the
truth”
“He already knows that I used to be in Doflamingo’s gang and I’m pretty sure he
knows about the genocide and stuff” Law tried to act nonchalant since frankly
it wasn’t really a topic of conversation he wanted to have with Luffy
“That isn’t what I mean Law, and you know it.”
Law looked at the mirror and winced slightly
He needed to tell Luffy that he unfortunately managed to escape with his life,
but not without dire consequences on his mental health
Law didn’t respond for a moment as he looked into the mirror, mulling it all
over
Looking at him, nobody would guess what he went through minus the permanent
bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and bouts of insomnia and-!
Shit!
Shit!
Shit!
He had been spending too much time outside without his hat! He had tanned! Fuck
fuck fuck!
“Law?! Law! What’s wrong! You’re clawing at the mirror!”
Law blinked, suddenly noticing his own panicked reaction
“Y-You can see it!”
“See what!?” Cora quickly jumped out of the shower, nearly falling over as he
stumbled forward and hit the counter instead, but held onto it, looking at the
mirror
“T-The marks! I fucking tanned! You can see where it’s uneven! You can see the
patches, Cora!”
“Law! Deep breathes! It’s only noticeable because you knew where it was” said
Cora, but what Law didn’t hear out of Cora’s mouth was denial
Meaning he saw them too
Meaning he could see them
Meaning everyone could see them
He was going to be ostracized again! He didn’t even have the goddamn sickness
anymore and people are going to treat him like a freak!
 
“What’s going on?!” asked Bepo, bursting into the room
“Law’s-“ started Cora, but was cut off by Law
“You can see the marks, Bepo! You can see them!”
Bepo blinked and then squinted, frowning
“I don’t see anything”
He’s lying to make me feel better!
“Bepo! Don’t lie to me!” barked Law, now getting pissed off as he jumped off
the counter
Law threw the cabinet door open under the sink and grabbed a red leather bag
from the back of the cabinet and stood back up. He then put the bag on the
counter and started riffling through it
“Oye! Law! What are you doing with my makeup bag?!” asked Cora, stepping
forward, putting his hand on Law’s shoulder as Law pulled out the lipstick and
drew out of the marks on his face
They were so obvious!
So incredibly obvious!!
Bepo and Cora watched in silence as Law pulled off his shirt and drew out the
marks on his arms and internally sighed in relief as he couldn’t do his chest
because he had to keep his shirt on due to the cooler weather
“See?!”
Bepo stayed silent. Law watched as his eyes turned to Cora, quietly pleading
help from the other
“Law”
“Don’t tell me that nobody’s going to care! Don’t tell me that nobody ‘s gonna
be able to tell! Don’t tell me-“
“Law. Wash that off.”
Law felt his stomach sink and the rage bubbling up – was Cora dismissing his
concern?!
“I-“
“Let me finish my shower and then get dressed. We’ll go his every goddamn place
in town that sells makeup and we’ll find something that matches your skin tone,
okay?”
In that single instant, Law could feel his breathing slowing down and the
relief washing over him
“Thank you. I’d hug you but…you’re really naked”
“Fair enough” agreed Cora, chuckling
“What’s this makeup bag?” asked Bepo, surprised
Law blinked, confused at the question – Didn’t Bepo remember what Cora used to-
Oh wait, he wasn’t there!
How would Bepo know what Cora used to look like when he had met him!
“Cora secretly does drag shows”
“Oy oy! What are you telling Bepo?! I can’t contour worth shit!”
Laughing made Law’s stomach settle a bit
 
Law grumbled as he walked out of the fourth pharmacy
Why was his skin tone so hard to match?!
Why was there foundation for 30 different fucking shades of white but like 5
brown skin options?!
Law looked at Bepo and Cora looking through their respective phones, discussing
where they should go next, but frankly, he was getting discouraged
“Oh good morning, Law”
Law blinked as he turned and saw Miss Nico coming down the street with another
teacher from school, holding his arm
Right! Luffy had told him that she was married with Franky, the shop teacher
and something about rebuilding a house
Law wish he knew why he never wore pants but didn’t really want to bother
asking
“Oh, good morning miss Nico, mister Franky”
“Just call me Franky, kid!” said the hulking of a man, smiling brightly and
gesturing grandly to himself, Robin chuckled softly
“So what brings out here so early in the morning?” asked Robin, but before Law
could answer, he suddenly had Cora besides him
“Hi! Are these friends of yours, Law?”
Law mentally sighed in relief, not wanting to tell a teacher he didn’t know
really well what he was doing
But he sure as hell didn’t miss that brief moment of confusion when Cora
noticed Franky’s lack of pants
“I’m Law’s History teacher” explained Robin with a soft smile
“Oh! I’m Rosinante Trafalgar, I’m Law’s dad!” said Cora with a bright smile,
sticking out his hand that Robin graciously shook
“I’m Robin Nico”
“And I’m Franky! I teach shop! It’s a super great to meet you!” Law watched as
Cora’s face turned to one of pure surprise, looking right at Robin, shocked and
then he instantly went back to smiling
Huh…that was weird
“Ah! How nice to meet you! Actually, miss Robin! May I be so bold, I have an
odd question for you!”
Law frowned instantly, looking at Cora weirded out, not sure where the other
was going with this
“Hey hey, dude, not cool! She’s my wife!” said Franky, not happy with the
conversation
Cora blinked, looking surprised at Franky and then his face went completely red
as he waved his hand
“No no no!! Nothing like that! Noo! I was just, you see, Law here…He had a date
last night…and well, said date decided to leave…marks”
He was going to kill Cora!!
The bastard even had the galls to fake-whisper and hold up his hand, pretending
to try to keep his conversation quiet – but goddamnit!
Law could feel his face becoming lobster red
“Oh my, Law!” said Robin, chuckling as she smiled
“And well, we’re trying to find some foundation and cover up the, you know, but
we can’t seem to find any that match his tint and well, since you’re close-ish
to him, I was wondering if you had a suggestion of place we can go look”
Law didn’t know if Cora was a goddamn idiot or a freaking genius
But he knew that this was probably also revenge for him bothering Cora in the
shower
“Oh, of course! Let tell you a few brands and places you can go” said Robin,
but then she smiled sweetly, looking right at Law
“And remember Law, always use protection!”
Law was never going to live this down
He needed to stop thinking he could out-best Cora when it came to messing with
the other!
 
“I still can’t believe you did that!” hissed Law as he set his bag down on the
ottoman at the doorway of their home, making Cora shrug
Too bad the idiot had a huge smile on his face so Law knew it wasn’t sincere
“Now now, what else could I have told her? If anything, it wouldn’t be
unbelievable that you’re getting action, let’s be honest”
Law frowned
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re hot, Law” said Bepo as-matter-as-fact-ly as he pulled out all
the face masks that he had bought
What?!
“Oooh, which one should we do tonight?” asked Cora as he looked through them
“I think we need our face refreshed!”
“Ooh, this one has relaxing lavender oil in it! How lovely!”
“Oye. What the hell do you mean by that?”
“Well, it says right here on the package, Law! Jeez, you’d think a future
doctor would know lavender was relaxing”
“Oh! We should invite Penguin and Shachi over too!” suggested Bepo
“Oooh! Spa night!”
“HEY! You clowns! Stop messing around! What the hell do you mean?!”
Both Bepo and Cora looked at him as he’s grown a second head or something
“What do you mean what do you mean? You’re hot, Law”
“I’m going to have to agree with Bepo, you’re a really attractive guy, Law. I
keep having to remind those interns at the station that you’re under aged
because they keep gushing over you” said Cora, looking frustrated
What?!
“Gonna have to beat them off with a stick, Cora” suggested Bepo, which made
Cora sigh deeply, putting his hands on his hips
“I know, you think the Captain would let me put nails in my baton? Or would
that be a little much?”
“I don’t know, Cora, I guess it depends on his mood”
“Stop that! You’re both just messing with me!” yelled Law, frowning
“We’re really not, Law” said Bepo, putting his arm around Law’s shoulders
“You’re just smoking hot, which is why so many people at school are crushing on
you!”
“Since when?!” squawked out Law, shocked
“You just don’t notice that kind of stuff! Man, we can’t even go to the mall
without people constantly looking at you”
“That’s because they think I’m a freak” corrected Law, not impressed with
Bepo’s deduction
“Naw, it’s because you’re hot”
“Alright, so, I thought of another punishment for you Law!” said Cora happily,
clapping his hands together,
“Huh? The hell! You can’t just add them!” hissed Law
“Tut tut tut, I’m the parent! I can do what I want when my unruly child is
being…unruly!”
“That was awful” said Law, discouraged
“So you’re going to call up Luffy and invite him over!”
“I’m going to do what?!”
“And then you two will have a conversation about everything. Secrets in
relationships aren’t healthy, you know~!”
“Are you out of your mind?!”
“Nope! I think this is a great idea! You’ll be in a safe area, Bepo and I will
go hide out in the basement and if you need us, just call and we can have a
code word that if you text us the word, we’ll find an excuse to ask Luffy to
leave!”
“Oooh!! We need an awesome code word! Or a sentence!” suggested Bepo with a
huge grin on his face
“How about ‘you’re both idiots’” said Law, deadpanned
“Law is officially uninvited from the spa night.” stated Cora, crossing his
arms and closing his eyes, hmph-ing
“I agree. He’s going to harm our chakras or something” said Bepo, imitating
Cora’s actions and hmph-ing himself
Law hated them both so so much right now
 
Law didn’t have the nerve to call Luffy, so he texted him and soon enough, the
other was at his door
Law had seriously considered just not answering the door, but of course Cora
had to ruin his plans by opening the door enthusiastically, probably smiling
brightly
Law was ready to completely refuse this whole stupid plan but Cora had said
that if he didn’t do it – that Cora wouldn’t let him go to the Halloween party,
and he had to meet up with Marco for the tattoo thing so he couldn’t bail!
Urgh, goddamn Cora
Law couldn’t see them from the kitchen the table, he had his face hidden in his
hands, but he could hear them clearly
“Welcome Luffy! Take off your shoes and make yourself comfortable! I have
drinks and snacks in the kitchen for you and Law!”
“Ooh snacks! That’s awesome, mister Rosisisi! Where’s Torao?”
 “Who?” asked Cora, surprised
“Torao!”
“Me” said Law from the kitchen as Luffy walked in with Cora
Law could hear Luffy’s enthusiasm stop short the minute his eyes landed on Law
and he whipped around, Law could only assume to face Cora
“Tell me who made him sad like this so I can deck them!”
Law threw his face up, out of his hands and looked at Luffy shocked
“Wha-!”
Cora looked at Luffy surprised for a moment and then chuckled warmly
“You and me think similarly, Luffy, but Law just has things to discuss with
you, okay? Go easy on the boy, he acts all tough but he really does care what
you think”
Law felt his face go scarlet once again – he was hoping that the makeup would
hold and the discoloured spots would not be super obvious
“Oh I know that, mister Rosisisi! I care what Torao thinks too!” said Luffy as
he turned to face Law again and pulled out a chair and sat down as Cora walked
out
Law watched Luffy’s face in silence for a moment before he spoke up, watching
as Luffy took a handful of crackers from the plate in the middle of the table
and put them in his mouth
“Luffy…About…About Monday”
“Did you and Hancock work things out?” asked Luffy as he shoved another cracker
in his mouth
“Huh?”
“You guys had a fight to work things out, right?”
“What? Luffy, I threw a punch because I was pissed off that she thought I was
trash and not worth your time! And she acts like I don’t exist and we’re not
dating!”
“Yeah, Hancock’s funny that way! You were really cool though!”
Law blinked, surprised
“Luffy…that’s not…usually something I’d do”
“Yeah, I know! You looked super tired that day and Nami told me that you might
not be doing too good on Monday either. She didn’t think you’d come to school
at all, so I was really happy to see you!”
“Nami? What did Nami say?”
“That Mister Rosisisi almost got blown up by a bomb because of Miss Monet! I
was so mad when she told me that I tried to go clock her right in the face, but
Zoro told me that they wouldn’t let me go into her cell to do that! Who would
try to hurt Mister Rosisisi?! He’s so cool! I told Zoro tho that if I asked Ace
that he couldn’t probably ask Smokey to let me in, but Vivi said that was a bad
idea, Usopp too!”
Law looked at Luffy in total shock, not sure how to process what was going on
“Yeah…I don’t think it would be a good idea either. Listen Luffy…there’s a lot
of things I haven’t told you…I’m…not okay”
Luffy looked at Law confused, tipping his head, crossing his arms
“I don’t get it. Are you sick?”
“No, no, I…Well…sorta, yeah. Luffy, when I was a kid…I used to live with my
family, my birth family…my mom, my dad and my little sister…and there was a
disease that was making the whole town sick- but it wasn’t contagious! It was
due to the lead that we mined and-and well…the World Government lied and said
that it was contagious to hide that they poisoned us and then decided to kill
everyone in the city. I’m the only person who escaped the city, but I saw
everyone I love get shot or burned alive and-and”
Law tried to get the rest of the words out but he could feel the tears falling
from his eyes as his body shook but then he felt arms around him, hugging him
tight. Law leaned into the touch for a moment but then gently pushed Luffy
away, wiping away the tears from his eyes
“M’sorry”
“It’s okay Torao that sounds horrible”
“But yeah…but, I had the sickness too, and I was going to die in three years,
but Cora, he…he saved my life. He gave up a long undercover mission to take
down his brother Doflamingo to save my life, to find me a cure and Doflamingo
tried to kill him, but he barely managed to survive. So we ran away to here, to
escape. But Monet was an operative of Doflamingo, which is why she tried to
kill Cora. That’s why I snapped on Monday, because…often at night, I have
nightmares, so many nightmares, and I can’t sleep…or I get really depressed and
cranky and mean, and it’s…it’s not fair for you to not know that…but if you
don’t want to deal with this…I totally get it”
Law closed his eyes, waiting for Luffy to say some sort of excuse, to why he
doesn’t want to deal with it, excuse to why he has to go, or anything really
“Ace said that this ‘mingo guy is still after you”
Law blinked, lifting his head and opened his eyes, frowning at Luffy
“Did you listen to a goddamn word I just said?!”
He had just poured his heart out to this dumbass and that’s all he had to say?!
Why did he even like him so much?!
“I’m going to kick ‘mingo’s ass so hard he’s going to never go near you again!”
Law stared at Luffy shocked as he stood up, fist clenched
“What about the fact that I have PTSD and depression and nightmares and-“
Luffy tipped his head again, looking at Law confused
“Well duh, you went through some pretty horrible stuff, Torao – but don’t
worry! I’ll be here to help you whenever, okay?”
“Luffy-“
“Just tell me what I can do to help! But I want to punch ‘mingo!”
Law couldn’t stop the bright smile forming on his face
Damn, Cora was right again
“And Mister Rosisisi’s a spy?! That’s so cool! Does he have like, gadgets and
stuff?!”
Law  looked at Luffy stunned for a minute and suddenly imagined Cora as
Inspector Gadget
And he laughed brightly
Chapter End Notes
     And that's it! Next week we're back to Cora's!
***** -CORA- Throwing Condoms And Gay Porn To A 15 Year Old Is Appropriate,
Right? *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh so much love for Luffy in the last chapter! Now we're back to
     Cora!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 “Oooh, look who’s here!”
Cora blinked, surprised at the greeting and then laughed softly at Bellemere
“Oh c’mon now! I only missed one day!”
“You missed one hell of a da-“
But before Bellemere could finish her sentence, she was erupted by a loud roar
of laughter coming from inside of Smoker’s office, stunning Cora
“Wha-?”
Who the hell laughs in there??
Bellemere snorted as she ducked down slightly, covering her mouth to try
herself to stop laughing
“The Captain…had a bit of a …mishap on Friday”
Cora stared at Bellemere stunned – what could have possibly have happened?!
“You see…he ah…met Hurricane Dadan”
…Wasn’t Dadan the name of that woman that’s raising oh-!
OH
“Ohhh boy, I’ve met her briefly, she’s one hell of a woman - what happened?”
“Um…well, I don’t know the details, but apparently she ah…didn’t appreciate his
presence in her home with Ace, and clearlydidn’t know he was the Chief of
Police”
Oh man, now Coraneeded to know what happened!
He looked around the room and his eyes locked on to his intended target
Cora quietly made his way towards Tashigi’s desk as she looked back, worrying,
towards Smoker’s office
“Tashigi~”
She then turned around, surprised and instantly frowned
“No! I won’t tell you! I’ve been sworn to secrecy!” Tashigi stated bluntly and
then jumped slightly as the laughing regained it’s strength inside the office
as it sounded closer and closer – which means that the source was probably
being kicked out of the office
“Aww c’mon Tashigi! Just tell me-! I’ll keep it quiet!”
“No way! He’s already going to be furious!”
And as if she had summoned him, the door to the Captain’s office burst wide
open as Hina, still laughing her ass off, was pushed out
“Go away, now!”
“HAHAHAAHAHA!” Hina was still laughing; clearly she was also shedding a few
tears as she pointed to Smoker, nearly choking from laughing too much
The Captain on the other hand, looked beyond humiliated. He looked like he was
a volcano about to explode, his face a deep deep red, veins throbbing on his
forehead and neck as he was about to completely lose it
But also, he was littered in big bruises all over his body
Holy shit?! Who assaulted the Cap-
Oh no way
DADAN?!
“Leave! Now!” barked the Captain, pushing Hina towards the door as she kept
laughing
“I can’t believe you got your ass beaten for defiling that kid!”
“I DIDN’T DEFILE HIM!” screamed Smoker, a little too loudly for where he was
and Smoker soon realized it as the whole department got impossibly silent,
staring at the source, as he turned another impossible shade of red
“This is the greatest goddamn story I’ve ever heard!” said Hina as she grabbed
the edge of Tashigi’s desk and leaned down to give Tashigi a quick kiss
And to Cora’s surprise, Tashigi kissed back!
“You should ease up, Hina!” chided Tashigi quietly, pouting
Huh?! What? Since when was this a thing?
“No way! Not when I get gold like this!” stated Hina, still laughing as she
closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly there was a very serious expression
on her face when she snapped her eyes open, sliding the sunglasses that were on
her head down over her eyes
“I’ll see you at home this evening?” asked Tashigi hopefully
“Of course, babe. But first I gotta go kick some ginger’s ass” Cora raised a
brow at that statement as Hina reached over and grabbed a gorgeous black Coco
Chanel purse from Tashigi’s desk
“Hina” warned Smoker, now having calmed down a bit
“Forget it, Chase. If you didn’t want me to do anything, you shouldn’t of said
anything.” declared Hina, looking sternly at the Captain, clearly not leaving
room for discussion
Cora wanted to die from curiosity as he saw the Captain sigh, defeated
“Don’t do anything illegal”
“Why not? I know the Chief of Police~” teased Hina as she strolled out as if
she owned the place
“Trafalagar! In my office, now!” barked Smoker, turning around and storming
back into his office but leaving the door open
Ack? What did he do?!
“Rosinante! Please! Go easy on him” pleaded Tashigi as he walked by, confusing
Cora
Cora whined softly, he was gonna die
 
Cora walked in, closing the door behind him nervously
The Captain was already seated in his chair, taking out a bottle of Tylenol and
shaking a few in his hands
Yeah, he probably needed that
“Heard you met Hurricane Dadan” said Cora as he sat down in the chair in front
of the desk
He was instantly met with a glare from the Captain
“She’s more overprotective than she lets on, huh?” said Cora with a soft smile,
trying to disarm the situation
And to his merit, it worked, as the Captain sighed and his shoulders sagged
slightly, instantly off the defensive
Man, it was like dealing with a dog
Oh!
Now he got the nickname!
“Yeah, had that lesson first hand”
“You wanted to see me about something?”
Smoker nodded as he quickly took the pills and downed his glass of water in one
shot
Like a thirsty dog!
Man, he was going to need to stop right now, or he won’t ever stop and he’ll
start saying it out loud
“How’s your son? Any better from last week?”
Cora blinked surprised, he never expected the Captain to call him to ask him
how Law was doing!
“Oh! Yeah, especially after the intervention I pulled yesterday. But honestly,
I still feel like something’s bothering him and he won’t tell me about it.”
Cora mused out loud
He kept hiding this notebook whenever Cora walked into the room! Cora wished he
could just say ‘fuck it’ and go through Law’s things when he’s at school and
find out what it is – but the last thing Law needed was his privacy invaded.
Law needed to know that there are certain things that he could keep to himself
– but damnit it was driving him nuts!
“What makes you say that?” asked the Captain as he sat back in his chair,
closing his eyes
He was probably waiting for the pills to kick in
“He keeps coming up to me, looking at me blankly, goes to say something and
then sighs and walks away. And there’s this notebook that he keeps slamming
shut whenever I walk in” admitted Cora, frustrated with the whole situation
“Did you ask?”
“Ah, no” admitted Cora nervously, feeling like he was being disciplined
The Captain rolled his eyes at the answer
“I don’t know how people can stand that shit, just goddamn ask the brat.
Knowing him he’ll probably tell you but he’s too chicken shit to ask for
whatever the hell it is now. It’s probably something stupid like he wants a new
book. For a punk looking brat, he’s a goodie two shoes”
Cora had to laugh softly at that – the Captain hadn’t known Law when he had. To
anybody knowing him now, he seems like a troubled nice kid, but Cora can’t
forget the first time he saw that brat and heard about his grenade belts
“I guess you’re right, I just get nervous when I need to impose on Law’s
privacy, you know?”
“You said he’s been trying to tell you” pointed out the Captain, taking a cigar
out of his desk and lighting it
Wow, he really didn’t care today
“Ahh true. How about you? How’s Ace?” asked Cora casually, hoping that it
wouldn’t come off as an awkward question
“He’s been apologizing non-stop since Friday night. I keep telling him it’s
fine and to concentrate on that damn party of his”
“Oh yeah, that big Whitebeard Halloween party! Wait- Ace is running it?”
Cora was a little surprised to hear that – Gang parties were usually a big
ordeal, and to put it in the hands of a teenager that wasn’t basically an old
man at heart,Marco, was weird to hear
“Yeah, Ace has been working on it for months. The so call ‘party’ binder is
massive; he’s constantly working on it when he has the chance. I’ve seen that
damn thing sprawled out on my coffee table more times than I can count.
Apparently he wants to make a good impression since it’s his first time allowed
to plan one of their parties”
Ace worked on such a thing at a cop’s home?! Is he nuts?!
“He’s only doing the actual party portion” clarified the Captain, probably from
having seen Cora’s face “Apparently Ace really enjoys partying”
“Oh? You got yourself a party animal?” teased Cora, mentally snickering – the
Captain really didn’t seem the clubbing type
“Apparently, good thing he’s old enough to take of himself” said the Captain,
looking relieved
“Oh wait, is there going to be a police intervention at the party?” asked Cora,
genuinely wanting to know
This could be a huge bust!
Also really awkward for the Captain - oh
“No. But not because I don’t want to, but because it’s on private property and
in a very isolated area, so there’s no legal reason for us to bust them. Just
because we know there’s minors drinking, underage sex happening and drugs being
sold, we don’t have any proof. And I can’t issue a warrant without that or
they’ll have my ass on the frying pan and I might lose the chance to actually
bust Whitebeard” said Smoker, growling slightly around his cigar
Ahh, yeah, that was a good po-
Underaged sex?
Sex?
Holy shit!!
That must be it! Law probably wants to -!
Fuck! How did he not think of this?!
“Relax Trafalgar. Your boys are good kids; I don’t see them doing anything
dumb”
Cora raised a brow, snapped out of his thoughts
“Oh? You knew they were invited?”
“I would be surprised if they weren’t. If I learned anything from my short time
in this town is that if Ace is at anything, his brother and his brother’s
friends are instantly invited. And considering he’s dating your kid, I just
connected the dots”
Cora sighed, he just wish he hadn’t connected the dots to this situation
himself!
Now how to bring this up with Law?
 
Okay! He was ready for this! He was! For sure!
Cora groaned, holding the two heavy brown paper bags
He had wished the clerk had just put the stuff in regular bags but apparently
that wasn’t done for situations like this
Which was freaking dumb
Okay! He could do this! Cora spent all day mentally rehearsing this!
When Cora walked into the kitchen he found Law and Bepo sitting at the kitchen
table, working on their homework as they usually did during the weekends. By
Sunday though they were usually working on their long-term projects
Man, he really did luck out with these two-!
Such good boys
No! Concentrate!
“Ah-Um…”
Huh, this was hard to bring up
Law looked up, over his black rimmed glasses, at Cora, waiting for the other to
finish his sentence
Huh, those glasses really suited Law’s face
Man, he is good at picking out reading glasses, he was always pretty good at
figuring out what suited who’s f-
Concentrate!
“What’s up, Cora?” asked Bepo as he looked up from the giant map he was copying
out
Was that a battlefield map? Man, what battle is that? It looked nuts!
Cora squinted slightly, he was pretty sure that was France
No! Concentrate!
“Ahem! So, it has come to my attention that, well, there’s something I
completely disregarded until it was brought to my attention today. Now, I would
do this privately with one of you, but we agreed to no secrets”
Law raised a brow and then looked at the brown paper bags that Cora just set on
the table
“…Okay. Uh, what is it?”
Cora took a deep breath, closing his eyes
“So, I need to acknowledge that you’re both young adults and that you’re going
to want to do stuff and-“
“I thought we agreed that I we didn’t need to get the talk, Cora!” snapped Law,
clearly pissed
“It’s not! Will just be quiet and let me finish my goddamn speech thing?! I’m
nervous enough at it is!”
“Then spit it out!” yelled Law
“If you’re gonna have sex, you have to be ready for it! So I got you both
supplies!” blurted out Cora as he quickly emptied out both paper bags.
The table now had a pile of boxes, all different types of condoms, a variety of
lube bottles, magazines and a bunch of manuals and other miscellaneous supplies
that the clerk said they might need
“Whoah” said Bepo as he grabbed one of the magazines off the table and started
to flip through it
“Cora what the fuck?!” said Law, looking at the pile, not sure what to say
“I especially bought that book there for you! Apparently anal sex is like –
ridiculously complicated? The man at the counter explained it to me quickly and
there were so many steps so I was afraid of forgetting one so I got you that!”
said Cora, pointing to a big book called ‘The Joy of Gay Sex’
Bepo put the magazine down and quickly snatched up the book and started to flip
through it
“Whoah, these drawings are gorgeous!”
“Cora?! What the hell possessed you to go buy all this crap?! Luffy and I are
nowhere near that point!”
What?!
“Huh?! Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to tell me all week?!” said Cora,
slightly horrified
He really fucked up!
Shit!
“Wow, this is like, way closer to another man’s balls that I ever want to be,
you gotta be committed to get that close” commented Bepo, frowning slightly as
he pulled the book in a little closer
“Bepo!” snapped Law
“Sorry” said Bepo, hiding his face inside the book, but then pulled back
slightly, changing the page, and put his face back in
“So this wasn’t it?!” asked Cora, feeling guilty
“No! I-I…I just…I want…” started Law, but then clamping up again
“Law wants a tattoo” said Bepo without looking away from the book, but slightly
turned it, as if he couldn’t understand the drawing
Huh?
Oh
“That’s it?” asked Cora, surprised
“Huh? You don’t care?” replied Law, shocked
“Why did you think I’d have a problem with it?”
Cora was genuinely curious to know – did he give Law the impression that he was
against tattoos or anything?
“Ah…Well…it’s not like it’s something I’ve ever heard your opinion on tattoos
and I don’t know... I guess I didn’t know what I’d do if you said no because
this is something I really want”
“Law, I honestly don’t think I have a right to say what you can or can’t do
with your body. Unless you were like, injuring yourself of something, then I’d
step in. But if it’s decorating it? I say go for it, I’ll sign it off”
“What? Seriously?” The look of pure shock and joy on Law’s face right now was
so…cute
So Cora took out his phone and snapped a photo
“The hell was that for?!” and there goes the cute look, pity
“You looked so cute and happy-!” admitted Cora, ruffling up Law’s hair
Law turned red, embarrassed, and then he turned and pointed to the pile on the
table
“What the hell are we going to do with all of this?!”
Bepo looked up from the book, looking at Law as if he was an idiot
“Keep it? Cora bought this for us, you know”
“But-“
“Preparation is key” said Bepo with a serious expression and then he turned the
book around and showed the illustration to Law – which was apparently about how
to prep a bottom or something? As far as Cora could tell from where he was
standing
Oh, the section was called ‘First Time’
“Whoah, that’s detailed” admitted Law, stunned
“Yeah! I thought it would be super useful! Since they don’t teach this kind of
stuff in school, you know?” said Cora with a big smile on his face
“Thanks Cora!” said Bepo with a big smile on his face as he closed the book and
started to put everything back inside the bags
“Yeah…Thanks…you’re like…the best da…” and then Law clamped up
Cora could feel his heart tighten up in his chest as he pulled Law into a tight
hug against his chest
“Aww!! I love you too!”
“Ngh! Cora!” grunted Law as he struggled for a moment but then laughed and
hugged Cora back as Bepo jumped in from the side and hugged them both
Once they broke free, Cora finally felt relived
“Have you checked out any artist yet?”
Now he was kinda excited to go with Law for this! Check out the studio, sign
the design off, watch the whole thing go down – it sounded fun!
“Uh yeah, I’m probably gonna have Marco do them. He’s going to show me his
studio in the Whitebeard mansion on Friday during the party” admitted Law
sheepishly
“WHAT?!”
He was going to need to go in the Whitebeard mansion??
Was he even going to be able to get inside?? Whitebeard openly loathed and
despised the Donquixotes!
Why did Law keep doing this to him?!
Goddamnit Law!
Chapter End Notes
     WELL, AT LEAST HE TRIED?
     Also that book is real and the drawings ARE gorgeous!
     Back to Ace next week!
***** -ACE- Fuck It, I’ll Row Back To Spain *****
Chapter Notes
     FINALLY IT'S HALLOWEEN! Are you all excited?
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 “Here you go, babe! A fresh coffee, made by Makino for yours truly!”
“Ace, what the fuck are you wearing?”
“It’s Halloween! I’m wearing a Halloween costume!”
Sometimes his boyfriend, yeesh
“No, I’m aware it’s Halloween. Have you seen what Trafalgar and Tashigi did to
the office while they worked the overnight shift? I’m never leaving those two
alone again.”
Ace had to laugh at that – he had noticed that the whole police station was now
decked out in Halloween decorations with two crudely made jack-o-lanterns at
the door. Ace was pretty sure there was a bit of dried blood on both of them
but I guess that explains why both Tashigi and Cora had their hands bandaged up
this morning
Who the hell left two klutz alone with carving materials?
Oh, I guess the Captain
“Aww, I was hoping it was you who got all festive”
Smoker grunted in response, sitting back in his chair
“Answer the question, brat”
“I’m Tulio from The Road to El Dorado!” said Ace, standing straight, arms
spread wide as he did a small spin to show off his costume
“Where did you get the facial hair?”
“I made it myself! You should see the beard I made for Sabo!” Ace was proud of
his collection of facial hair props – you never know when you need a fake
mustache!
“Hnn” replied Smoker, about to take a sip of his coffee and then noticed
something on his cup
“Did you leave a note?”
“Oho, you found it-!” teased Ace as he walked around the desk slowly.
Once he got to the captain, he stood behind the chair, draping his arm over the
man’s shoulder, slowly running his lips on the Captain’s ear as he watched the
other unfold the note that Ace had left in the coffee sleeve
“…you’re in my inappropriate thoughts?” read Smoker, a little exasperated
“Just wanted to tell the truth” teased Ace, dropping his voice a little lower
as he softly nibbled on Smoker’s earlobe
“You write cursive?” asked the Captain, shocked
Ace would have been a little offended that his technique wasn’t working had he
not seen the flush on Smoker’s face
Man, having a pale-ass boyfriend has perks
“Of course I do – how else could I fake the signature on Luffy’s permission
slips and report cards. Nobody cares that they can’t read what it says, as long
as it looks legit”
Smoker frowned sharply as he turned to look not-impressed at Ace, making the
other chuckle
“That’s fraud”
“Well, maybe if we actually had a parent present, I wouldn’t need to”
“Well one of your parents gave me one hell of a beating” countered Smoker which
Ace only tut tut-ed
“Ah ah ah, Dadan doesn’t sign anythingever. Besides, this is nothing, one time,
Sabo and I were kids and we tried the whole two kids in a trench coat thing for
a Parent-Teacher night and –“
“Alright Ace, go to school” said Smoker, removing Ace’s arm from around his
shoulder “Stop wasting this costume here”
“What? This isn’t turning you on?” teased Ace, standing in front of Smoker
“Not even remotely”
“I can’t leave anyways! Sabo’s coming to pick me up and-“
But before Ace could finish, he heard a loud cry of joy from the lobby of the
police station
“Oh! Sabo’s here!”
 
“Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I didn’t get a good look at Ace, but you’re
both being Tulio and Miguel?! That’s amazing! AH you both look so good!”
Ace left the office only to see Sabo in the lobby with a mandolin all decked
out and with Cora losing his shit, clearly fanboying over the costume
“Oh! There’s my better half!” said Sabo with a huge grin – god they looked
awesome
“Can I have a picture of the both of you?” asked Cora, taking out his phone and
before Ace and Sabo could answer, Bellemere joined the crowd as well
“Of course!” they answered at the same time and proceed to spend the next few
minutes posing as more and more cops came out to take their photo
 
“You didn’t tell me you hang out in the Captain’s office? I was surprised when
I was told you were in there”
Ace blinked, looking at Sabo surprised as the other drove them to school
“I didn’t? Yeah, I usually spend a few minutes with him in the office before I
go back on my way. I had groundwork to do today anyways”
“Yeah? How come?” asked Sabo as he lowered the music in the car, wanting to
give Ace his full attention
“Because tonight, my dear Sabo, I’ve decided that I’m getting laid no matter
what!”
There was a very pregnant pause and then Ace fully realized what that sounded
like
“I don’t think that came out right” admitted Ace sheepishly
“Feel free to rephrase that-!”
“Tonight, I’ve decided that if I’m not getting laid it’s because it’s my
boyfriend’s choice and not because I don’t want to…wait, that sounds like I’m
blaming him. Hngh. “
Sabo laughed softly
“It sounds less sexual assault-y at least. But I get you, but don’t you have a
party to run?”
“Yeah, but there’s always like this magic time in any party where everything is
going kickass and the party’s running itself so I’m just going to slip out
during that time”
“And then come back? Why not just plan this for another night?” countered Sabo
“Because I look really hot in my party costume and I came up with the best line
when I see him”
“Alright, that’s fair, but won’t Marco get really pissed if you disappear?”
“Marco’s already really pissed at me, so it’s not like this will make much of a
difference and I’ll be back before he notices that I’m gone anyways” reasoned
Ace, leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes
He was getting pretty tired of Marco being mad at him. Like okay, he didn’t
tell him he was dating the Captain, but c’mon!
Okay, Ace just didn’t like people being mad at him
“Still mad huh?” then there was a pause before Sabo spoke up
“Wait, you think you’re going to be able to come back?”
Ace raised a brow, confused
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“Uh, two major reasons – one, your pelvis and back are going to get the beating
of their life because if I know you well enough, I’m assuming that you’ll be
the receiver, especially for your first time and your boyfriend’s a big
guy…like…in all ways”
Ace winced slightly, he had slightly forgotten about that – but he’s tough,
he’ll be fine!
“I’ve walked out of worst, Sabo”
“True, but you’re forgetting one major thing”
Ace frowned, where was Sabo going with this?
“And that is?”
“Underneath that big old tough exterior of yours, you’re sentimental. You can’t
convince me that you won’t want to stay just to soak in his presence, curled up
in his blankets, running a hand down his chest, inhaling his scent, the dog
laying on top of the duvet over you two.”
In a single moment, Ace turned a scarlet colour
Damnit!
Sabo might have a point!
“S-Shut up!”
“I’m not judging! You can’t get me out of bed after me and Koala have sex, I
just want to stay there and hold her while she’s like ‘I need food’ and tries
to leave” bemoaned Sabo, making Ace chuckle
“That’s so romantic, Sabo” teased Ace
“Hey man, I’m no fool; I started stashing snacks in the nightstand”
Ace laughed brightly at that
“I’m just saying though, you can’t forget the emotional aspect here. You’re
going to be having sex for the first time with a man you love.”
“H-Hey, I never said-“
“Yes, you did. When you were sick as a dog, you went on and on about how much
you were in love with him”
SHIT
“Well…I..”
“Just…Plan for maybe not returning and bring a change of clothes or something”
“Naw, I’ll be fine”
“It’s your funeral, Portgas”
 
“Ace, Vista wants to you to know that the last shipment arrived for the party”
said Marco, looking at Ace briefly and then covering his mouth, trying not to
laugh
Marco can’t handle Ace in fake facial hair and it’s probably the best thing in
the world
They probably should be working on their reading for class, but bah, it’s
Halloween
“Where’s your costume, mister” asked Ace, squinting his eyes
“Only at the party. You’re not allowed to have costumes that cover your face at
school” stated Marco, not really looking up from his phone
“Is your stuff ready? You know, for after?” asked Ace carefully
Marco paused slightly, and then he smiled softly, looking at Ace with a bit of
fondness
“I’m fine, Ace. Everything’s ready, I did it this morning. Remember, party
goers aren’t allowed in the garden. I don’t need some drunk asshole causing
damage to the altar”
Ace nodded.  Marco was rather private about his heritage, but every year he
celebrated Día de Muertos.So it was basically an unwritten rule that from
October 31rst to November 2nd, that Marco was to be left alone as much as
possible. The guy was really private about his mourning, or whatever he did
those days, Ace didn’t know, and honestly Ace never felt it was his place to
ask. But it was hard not to miss the altar that was built in the back of the
garden. Ace knew that Marco was originally from Mexico – but after that, he
knew nothing.
Only that like him, Marco’s entire family was dead and that he was an orphan
when Pops picked him up
Ace wished one day that he’d have the courage to ask Marco more about his past,
but he also knew that for an information broker, Marco loathed when people
tried to get information about himself from him
Deep down though, Ace envied him a bit. At least he had a culture to fall back
on. Ace just always felt like he was dealing with a blank deck considering how
little was known about both his parents. Which of course was ironic considering
his father’s world-wide fame. But he just had nothing, maybe one day, he should
look into it
There had to be someone who knew something?
 
“There you are!” said Sabo brightly, carrying a huge stack of guide books while
standing besides his car. Sabo was giving Ace a ride to the Whitebeard mansion
after they go pick up the last few things for the party
“Uh…what’s all that?”
“Well, I was thinking about the argument you and your beau had and I found a
solution!” said Sabo with a bright smile on his face
“Uh…and it is?”
“So I snatched these from the guidance counselor’s office, it’s the guides of
like, every university and college that they had in the office! When I said
they were for you – they gave me all of them! Also apparently you’ve been
skipping your mandatory meetings with them, Ace!”
Sabo!
“Hey, I said –“
“Listen Ace! Just look at them! He said he felt that you were not even
considering another future. If you look through them, he can’t say them
anymore! Also, hey, maybe you’ll find a class or something that looks
interesting” explained Sabo as he passed the pile over to Ace
“Sabo…damn”
There was no real harm, right?
“Also frankly, I think he has a point”
“Sabo?” asked Ace as he got into the car
“Listen, you do sell yourself short on a regular basis, he isn’t lying about
that. And it’s true! You do have overwhelming potential and why shouldn’t you
consider higher education or formal training for yourself? You have a right to
it like anyone else”
“But what about-“
“Shut up, Ace. You have the right to consider it an option for you. And frankly
why couldn’t you be a college student and a member of the Whitebeard’s? I’m
still going to be a Revolutionary Army member while studying engineering. If
anything, you might be more useful to the gang because you’d be more qualified
to do things. Just…look at them?” pleaded Sabo
Ace sighed, nodding
Why did everyone suddenly want him to do something with his life?
“You guys aren’t going to leave me alone about this, huh?”
“Nope, we love you too much”
 
Ace looked proudly at his decorations for the party, a huge grin on his face.
Once they had finished their errands, Sabo and Ace had rushed to put the
finishing pieces on everything with the help or whatever Whitebeard member that
came in and then they quickly got changed. It was soon approaching the time for
everything to start so Ace was doing a quick look around to make sure
everything was ready
The place looked amazing!
From the cages hanging from the ceiling, the dance floor that lit up, the
tables filled with themed drinks and food to the lettering on all the signs –
it looked insane!
Lights had been changed with colour filters and black lights that are going to
come on randomly; sound system was all hooked up, there was even a smoke
machine and the best part was the show Ace had planned
Ace had been secretly practicing fire eating for the event and he and Sabo had
a full skit ready
And speaking of the devil
Sabo came down the stairs wearing a blue and yellow stripped blazer, a heavily
belted brown vest, short off-white pants with stripped socks and brown boots.
He had loosely tied ribbon around his neck and straps and buckles everywhere
with a blue top hat. The hat had goggles and a red feather – he was the
ringleader for tonight’s performance. His role was the ‘owner of all the
monsters’ – which was going to be super fun!
Ace himself was dressed as a werewolf – he had nothing on though but a pair of
black shorts with a thick black tail sticking out of it. On his legs, he had
thick furry boots that went up to his knees and furry black gloves with claws
as well. Ace did though kept his usual orange elbow pad on, self-conscious
about his scared elbow also because the skin there was super sensitive
Teach him to rip a chunk of off of his elbow when he was a kid
Ace also kept his usual beaded necklace around his neck and had the wolf ears
strapped on top of his trusty black cowboy hat and carefully placed his hair to
cover his actual ears
Ace couldn’t stop grinning as more and more of the Whitebeards came down as
different monsters, ghouls and creatures from lore –
This party was going to be amazing!
No, this night will be!
Ace was going to make sure of it!
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I added the outfits from One Piece Dance Battle that Sabo and Ace are
     wearing! We're going to see Law after this and we won't see if Ace
     succeeds for a bit-!
***** -LAW- Let Me Get a Pitchfork and A Mask and Then We Can Kidnap the Big
Jolly Man *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm bed-ridden today so I figured I might as well post the fic early
     - enjoy! I'll be posting the pics to the costumes I mention after the
     fic again! (minus Bepo's, I'm afraid 8C Since I came up with it)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
 “OW!”
“Goddamnit Cora!
Law growled as he stomped up to Cora who was holding his now bleeding hand. Of
course he had decided to carve yet another pumpkinright this moment, as if
cutting up his hands yesterday at work hadn’t been bad enough!
Law took Cora’s hand to inspect the damage
“This is stupid! You don’t need to do all of this! You’re going to work tonight
anyways!”
Cora huffed, removing his hand from Law’s hold and promptly smeared the blood
on Law’s lab coat with a huge grin on his face
“…That’s gross” stated Law, frowning sharply at Cora
His guardian was a total child sometimes
“Hey, I’m helping with the décor! Makes your mad scientist costume look
more…realistic!”
Law sighed; there was no arguing with Cora when he was giddy like this. For
some reason, holidays just excited Cora so much. He loved celebrating minor and
major holidays and there was really no stopping him. Even though his shift
started at 10pm, here he was, completely decked out as a vampire, with a silk
red embroider vest and everything, ready to hand out candy for kids. He also
decorated the outside and the inside of the house, and Law knew better than to
try and stop him – but consistently cutting yourself when carving yet another
pumpkin was the last straw!
“Let me finish it, Cora! I see kids on the street” offered Bepo, walking up to
the table, himself decked up as a mummy
Cora giddily started to fill his giant pumpkin shaped bowls with candy and
candy bars, making Law look at him in shock
“You bought full-size candy bars?”
Goddamnit Cora!!
Cora frowned sadly, looking at the bowl in confusion
“What’s wrong with them? I checked online and apparently these make you a
really popular house!”
Of course Cora would be concerned about something so damn stupid
“People are going to think you’re a creepy predator, trying to lure kids in”
warned Law, frowning sharply; he should probably steal a few of those for Luffy
Cora stared at Law horrified at the accusations
“Excuse me?! No! Let me spoil the kids! You have no idea how many I had to beat
while I was undercover, let me repent!”
Law sighed; of course Cora would want to repent for such a thing
Well, at least it was harmless, all things considered
“I still think this is an insane amount of work for what – maybe an hour or two
before you go to work?”
“But it’s fun!” said Cora with a huge grin, making him look like a total dope
with his fake fangs
But then Cora’s expression suddenly grew serious
“Speakin of tonight though…I’m on duty tonight and I know what kind of thing
goes down in those parties…don’t make me answer any calls over there, okay? If
you hear sirens –“
“Bolt out through the back, make sure you’re not seen” teased Law, with a huge
smirk, flabbergasting Cora, who didn’t have the chance to answer as the
doorbell rung
Okay, Cora didn’t need to run to the door, the kids could wait
And there he goes, tripping and hitting the doorframe, Cora, goddamnit!
 
“My, my! Aren’t you awfully big kids!”
Law blinked, looking up from his black sketchpad with all the designs he made
for his tattoos – could it be?
Law didn’t want to admit that he was nervous as hell for this party, but he
was, so when the idea was pitched that they go there as a group, he didn’t want
to pass it up
“Law! Bepo! You have guests!”
Bepo jumped slightly, startled from his nap on the couch as Usopp and Luffy
came to join them in the living room as Cora stayed at the door and kept giving
kids candy
Law blinked a few times, taking in his companion’s costumes
Usopp was dressed at some sort of pirate, with a thick, red bushy beard and
Luffy himself was simply dressed in a pair of red shorts, a black jacket that
was open with a weirdly drawn scar on his chest and a pumpkin on his head with
his straw hat over it
“Oh cool! You’re a mad scientist!” said Luffy brightly as he hugged Law
“So we’re gonna get a ride to Zoro’s?” asked Usopp, looking around the house –
Law forgot that this was the first time the other was over
“Yeah, Cora’s shift starts at 10, so he’ll drop us off along the way” explained
Bepo as he started to eat one of the candy bars
“Oye, Cora said those are for the kids!” chided Law
Bepo merely shook his head and pointed to the bowl that somehow appeared on the
table
“Cora put those there while you were looking in your sketchpad and said that
they were for us”
Damn Cora and his ability to walk without making a noise!
How is a guy that big so quiet??
“Are you excited for the party?” asked Luffy with a big grin on his face as he
sat down besides Law, Usopp helping himself to Cora’s massive recliner
“Yeah, sorta. I gotta meet Marco at one point though. Is Ace all ready for the
party?”
Luffy has mentioned how stressed out Ace seemed about the party – but it must
be one hell of a job to plan such a big party
Law remembered the massive ones that Doflamingo used to throw as a show of
power and wealth, he wondered if the Whitebeard parties were the same
He also wondered if he’d actually meet the acclaimed Whitebeard at the party as
well
“Oh yeah! He spent the last week practicing his show as much as he could every
night! Dadan yelled at him not to burn down the forest though!” Luffy was
laughing at the memory as he explained, making Law raise a brow
“Burn down the forest?”
“Is that something he often does?” asked Cora from the kitchen as he brought in
a tray filled with drinks, Law got up just in time to catch the tray as the
other tripped on the carpet slightly, nearly throwing the tray in the air as he
stumbled
“Are you okay, mister Trafalgar?!” asked Usopp, standing up, worried
“He does this all the time” assured Law, sighing
“Ahh, I’m a bit clumsy on my feet, but you were saying Luffy?” asked Cora,
clearly wanting to get back on topic
“Haha yeah! Ace is really good with fire! During the summer, him and Sabo do
fire acrobatic shows downtown for money!”
“Like street performers?” asked Law, surprised
“Yeah! They’re really good! They’re always a hit at Buskerfest during the
summer!”
“Both your brothers do pyrotechnics?” prodded Cora, making Law suspicious
Why was he asking so many questions about this?
“Sabo likes to do it with Ace, but Ace mostly does it alone! Everything from
juggling things on fire, doing acrobatics through things on fire, breathing
fire, eating fire and he even designed and built these really cool gloves that
set his hands on fire!”
Cora nodded carefully and then smiled softly
“How nice!”
What the hell did Cora just confirm? Law knew that face!
Wait!
“Wait…All those arsons in town…of those factories and such…is it Ace doing
that?”
“Wow! I’m a cop and should not be hearing that! Wow! Going to see if anybody
else is coming for candy!” stated Cora loudly as he loudly made his way to the
door
Law froze, shit! Did he just get suspicion cast on Ace?!
“It’s totally Ace” stated Usopp, crossing his arms, smiling smugly as if he had
revealed some important information
“Should you really be telling people that?” asked Bepo carefully, smiling
nervously
“It’s okay! Everyone in town knows it’s him – they just can’t really pin him to
it” said Luffy as he happily stuffed a chocolate bar in his mouth
 
“Shit! Shit!”
Law stood up, surprised as Cora came barging into the living room, picked up
both Law and Bepo as if they were sacks of potatoes, shocking both of them and
threw them both behind the couch
“Stay down!” hissed Cora, holding the two of them down as Usopp and Luffy stood
up, shocked
And suddenly the door rang, making everyone, minus Cora look towards the door
“Don’t answer the door!” growled Cora, still holding Law and Bepo down
“What the hell is going on?!” hissed Law back, pissed off
“Listen up! Usopp! Luffy! I need you two to answer the door, but you need to
kick my shoes into the closet, you understand me? The shoes need to be out of
sight and you answer the door and pretend you live here – got it?” instructed
Cora as the ringing of the door got more insistent
Both Luffy and Usopp nodded, making their way to the door confused as Cora
slightly let go of Law and Bepo and reached under the couch, pulling out a
device with a small screen
And on it was a small screen – showing the front porch?!
They had a security system?!
“What the hell is going on?!”
“Shut up!”
And the door opened
“Trick or treat!”
What the hell was Cora freaking out about? It was just two kids, who looked a
little old to be trick or treating honestly, but it was just two kids dressed
like a skeleton and a witch – both wearing masks
“What took you nnnniiin so long?” asked the skeleton, which was a rather big
kid too
Wait – he knew that voice
“R-Really bad diarrhea!” blurted out Usopp proudly
“Ew! That’s really gross, mister!” replied the witch, pulling her head back,
making her wavy black hair bounce
“Here’s some candy!” said Luffy, with a huge smile
Wait – is that -!?
Holy shit
It was Buffalo and Baby 5!!
On the video feed Law watched them carefully look around the house, looking for
any signs of them
Holy shit! Doflamingo was looking for them!
But they soon left and the door was closed, Usopp and Luffy returning to the
trio on the ground
“Did we do okay?” asked Luffy cheerfully, not being bothered by it all, while
Usopp was a bit shook up
“What’s going on?!”
“Those two at the door? They’re two members of the Donquixote gang” confirmed
Cora, frowning sharply, sitting up as he lit up a cigarette
And promptly his own cloak, causing a bit of a kerfuffle as Law and Bepo helped
him put out the fire
Way to cancel your cool moments, Cora
“W-WHAT?!” yelled Usopp, reaction a bit delayed in Law’s opinion
“Ngh! I’ll go punch them!” declared Luffy as he started to stomp to the door,
quickly being stopped by Law grabbing his jacket
“No! Stop! They’re looking for us! We can’t beat them up or they’ll figure out
our location!” explained Law
“The girl seemed awfully pretty” stated Bepo, peeping out the window, watching
them go to the next house
“Baby 5? Yeah, she’s cute” confirmed Law as he sighed, annoyed with the whole
ordeal as Cora carefully stood up and went to close the front porch lights
“Halloween is officially done at this house tonight. I’m not risking them doing
a second round” Cora sighed, taking the very full bowl of candy bars and put it
on the coffee table in the living room, dejected as he quietly mumbled ‘thanks
Doffy’
“How come people from the Donquixote gang are looking for you?!” asked Usopp,
confused that he was the only one freaking out
Law looked at Usopp not impressed for a second, but then it dawned upon him
Oh c’mon!
He then turned to Luffy, expression flat
“You didn’t tell him?”
“Tell him what?” asked Luffy as he instantly tore through the bowl
“That I’m an ex-member of the Donquixote gang?!”
“What you are?!” screeched Usopp loudly, shocked
“Yeah…So is Cora!” Law stated, pointing to the Cora, trying to deflect the
attention from himself
Cora snorted as he started to remove his costume
“Well, if you want to get technical, I wasn’t really. But yeah, I was
undercover.”
“Yeah! Mister Rosisisi is a super cool spy cop!” exclaimed Luffy with a huge
smile on his face
Law didn’t miss the flush on Cora’s face, surprised at the compliment and then
laughed softly
“I guess I am!”
“Whoah! That’s so cool, but, why did we have to hide your shoes?” asked Usopp
“Because of my size, I have massive feet, so if they saw my shoes they could
easily deduce that the likelihood of me living here is high. Doffy’s probably
trying to figure out in what area we live in. It’s ingenious of him though –but
he made one major mistake” Law didn’t miss the proud smile on Cora’s face
“What’s that?” asked Bepo
“He used my idea. Doffy has this bad habit of assuming that I’m an idiot. One
time, when Law and those two were being total brats, I compared you three in a
text to Lock, Shock and Barrel from the Nightmare Before Christmas and-“
“The skeleton, the witch -!”
Shit! Cora had figured it out so fast!
“Exactly. This is why having youngsters in a gang is so efficient, nobody
expects kids to do intel runs, but honestly, on days like Halloween? It’s
perfect! When I saw the two of them coming up the walk, the memory popped into
my head and their builds matched up what Baby 5 and Buffalo’s would be, so I
didn’t want to take any chances” explained Cora as he sadly undid his vest
“Whoah mister Trafalgar! You figured all that in like, a moment!” stated Usopp
in awe
“Yeah! Cora’s amazing like that!” said Bepo proudly, making Cora blush
“You’re not going to strip in the living room are you?” warned Law, before Cora
forgot they had guests
Cora froze and then looked down. He then laughed nervously
“Oops! Sorry! A little distracted there! I’m going to get changed and then
drive you kids over, okay?”
Law nodded as he watched Cora go up the stairs
“So…are these people always coming after you guys? What did you do?” asked
Usopp
“Simple – we left. Nobody leaves the Donquixote gang alive, so Doflamingo
apparently is trying to get us back”
More like me back
But Usopp didn’t need to know that right now
Law frowned again, turning to look at Luffy
“Any reason you didn’t tell Usopp about this?! I thought you were going to
relay it to your gang members!”
Luffy blinked, a chocolate bar in his mouth as he crossed his arms and tipped
his head
“Was I supposed to?”
“Yes Luffy!! This is important info that we need to know!!” yelled Usopp,
frustrated
“Oh! Sorry!”
“No, not sorry! I’m so telling Nami about this and you’re going to get an
earful!”
“Ack! No! Don’t tell Nami! Noo!”
Law groaned, watching the spectacle in front of him, was Luffy really a gang
leader?
His boyfriend was honestly a real dope
 
“Alright everyone, you ready to go?” asked Cora as he came down the stairs in
his police uniform
“Sure are! Zoro said that his dad is excited to meet you!” said Luffy brightly
as if the two were going to be great friends
Annd there went the colour in Cora’s face
Wait
He was going to meet Mihawk Dracule?!
 


Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! We're gonna continue with Cora next week!
***** -CORA- When You're Meeting the Vampire King and You're Not a Pretty
Damsel *****
Chapter Notes
     HEY EVERYONE! It's this fic's one year anniversary!! Thank you so
     much everyone who's been here from the beginning and those who came
     in half-way and those who have just came in! Thank you so much! It's
     nerve wrecking to post a fic and put yourself out there but I'm
     really happy and glad for everyone who gave this fic a chance and I
     hope you'll continue to enjoy it!
     (technically it was LAST Sunday, but uh, I didn't notice
     EDIT: Thank you Rescue_Remedy for pointing out a spelling mistake!
     Much appreciated!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Did you have cool gadgets and stuff??”
Cora sighed internally as he kept driving to the Dracule estate
Ever since Usopp found out that Cora had been a spy, he has been bombarding the
other with questions during the entire ride. Apparently Usopp had a love of
gadgets and glorious stories but Cora didn’t feel like he had done anything
that incredible
But apparently when Usopp was enthusiastic about something – Luffy would also
get swept away by the enthusiasm which made it worst
Basically, he was afraid of looking lame in front of Law and Bepo’s friends
“Well…No cool spy gear per say, but I did have access to a huge variety of
weapons” admitted Cora
“Oh! That’s still really cool! Did you ever go undercover and stuff??” asked
Usopp enthusiastically
“Yeah? Yeah?” asked Luffy as well, a massive grin on his face
Law looked annoyed as he looked outside of the window, frowning
Cora didn’t want to draw attention to Law by asking him why he was in a bad
mood, but he also wanted to know, so he gently elbowed Bepo that was sitting in
the passenger seat. The other looked at him, waiting to know what the other
wanted from him.
Bless Bepo for not verbally asking, man that kid was good with cues
 Cora quickly gestured back with his thumb, towards where Law was sitting. Bepo
looked back discreetly, noticed the mood the other was in and quickly sent off
a text to Law
Man, Bepo was the best ally anyone could ever have
“Of course I did! I spent most of my military career undercover actually. It’s
how I met Law” answered Cora happily, always happy to think that one led to the
other
“You met Law undercover?” Usopp looked at Law surprised, only to be glared at
in return by Law, causing Usopp to ‘eep’
“Uh huh. And I liked him so much, that I took him home with me-!” teased Cora,
grinning brightly as he noticed the flush on Law’s cheeks in the rear-view
mirror
“Is that how it works, Cora?” said Bepo, grinning
“Of course! I take orphans in that I like-!”
“Ahh! Take me then! Take me!” said Usopp, laughing and lifting his hand
“Me too! Me too!” replied Luffy, joining in to the shenanigans, laughing as
well
Cora didn’t miss the small smile on Law’s face for a moment, but then he
frowned again, glaring at the two
“No! Cora doesn’t need two more mouths to feed!” scolded Law, making Cora and
Bepo laugh
“Aww c’mon Law! Let me take in more kids!” said Cora with a teasing whine
“No! It’s forbidden!”
Bepo then nudged Cora’s shoulder and discreetly showed him his phone, showing
the message he got from Law
Aww, apparently Law’s still a little ticked that Luffy hadn’t told his friends
about him
“Oh! When is Shachi and Penguin joining you guys?” asked Cora, a little
surprised to not see the others in the car (not that his car could fit the two
extra bodies)
“They’re joining us at the party, apparently they had a family thing tonight
first” explained Law from the back
“Family thing?” asked Luffy as he leaned in towards Law and nuzzled him softly,
making Law blush furiousy
“Yeah, they’re cousins. So they usually wind up stuck together for stuff like
that” added Bepo, looking around “Urgh, this part of town is so creepy”
Bepo had a point, the weather weirdly shifted and a thick fog came out of
nowhere. What the hell was up with this decrepit park?!
“You’re going to need to go around the park, Cora. There’s like, this big metal
gate – oh! It’s right over there! At 10 ‘o’clock!”
Bepo was such a goddamn magnificent navigator
“Oh! I see it! Okay!”
Cora started to drive to the gate and could feel the goosebumps on his arms
rising up - this place was freaking creepy!
He then drove up to the gate and saw a little intercom on the side and pressed
the button, hearing a female voice come through
“Who is it?”
“Hello, I’m here to drop off a bunch of Zoro’s friends” said Cora, hoping that
was the right answer
“Okay. Come on in” said the voice as it cut off, the gate slowly opening with a
loud creaking noise
Yeah, he didn’t want to be here ever
Cora drove up to the front door and pulled over. As everyone got out of the
car, the main doors opened, revealing …a gothic Lolita?! Uh…a royal looking
Lolita?
“Everyone’s already inside! So get to it!” said the girl, Cora recognized the
voice from the intercom! She put her hands on her hips, and then she pointed to
Cora
“You must be the Donquixote guy!” said the girl, looking annoyed
Cora stood there frozen
Oh shit
Oh shit
Oh SHIT!
“Uh…” answered Cora, not sure he wanted to admit to that
“Nuh uh, this is Mr.Rosinante! He’s named after a character from that
Donquixote book!” corrected Luffy
“Whatever, Papa wants to see you in the den! He said he has things to discuss
with you!” and then the girl stuck her hand out, towards the chocolate box that
Cora was holding
Was she asking for it?!
Cora smiled gently, handing it over to the girl
“Thank you so much for having my sons over to your house”
“Bah, they’re the dope’s friend! Well, minus Law, he can come over anytime~”
said the girl sweetly, making Law roll his eyes
“I’m dating Luffy, Perona” stated Law bluntly, rolling his eyes as he walked
past her, inside the house
“Like being alive, many things in life are merely temporary” replied Perona as
she looked at Luffy, not impressed, who merely smiled brightly, following Law
inside the house
Everyone walked inside but Bepo, who stood beside him, as Cora also stayed
behind
“This place is creepy” stated Bepo, looking slightly terrified
 “I don’t want to meet Mihawk” admitted Cora, slightly shaking
“You gotta Cora”
“Yeah, urgh, if you hear me screaming-“
“We’ll come rescue you!” swore Bepo, making Cora smile
 
Cora looked around the house in awe. The place was beautiful but just, really
goddamn creepy. It looked so antique and gothic and auuurghghh. All of Law’s
friends were there, happily snacking on candy and chips, chatting away in
costume as they sat around the living room. It was nice to see them all
together, minus the two boys missing
“How are you guys getting to the party?” asked Cora, trying to delay going to
the den
“We’re going to walk, it’s not far from here and we’re going to soak in the
night and look at decorations and stuff” explained Law as he and Luffy
apparently shared a massive throne chair
“Okay, if you need a ride home after, call me, okay?”
But before Law could answer, Perona came back into the room, hands on her
shoulders. Cora noticed this big bear of a guy behind her
“Hey! I thought I told you that Papa was waiting for you in the den? His time
is precious, you know!”
Cora groaned softly
Busted
 
Cora carefully made his way into the den, quickly noticing the two Rottweilers
resting on the floor besides a massive red velvet throne chair with black wood
finish and by the window was standing a tall man, sipping a glass of wine,
looking out the window
“A-Ah, hello?”
The man turned around and Cora instantly felt his blood go cold
Here was Mihawk Dracule in front of him
Holy shit he was going to piss his pants
 “Ah, about time. Do you want some wine?” offered Mihawk, walking up to a
cellaret and pulled out a bottle and a crystal wine glass
“Ah! No, thank you! I’m heading off to work after this” Cora would have liked
to, to be polite, but he would be an awful cop if he did
“Is water fine then?”
“Ah, yes!” Cora graciously accepted the glass, nervous to drop it because it
was really a beautiful glass
“I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, Donquixote. But it was hard to
approach you while you were running around with that deplorable brother of
yours and afterwards, I never had the chance when you relocated here” admitted
Mihawk as he sat down in the throne chair, sipping his wine and gestured with
his free hand, to the chair facing his
Cora blinked, surprised to have heard that as he took the offered chair and sat
down
Mihawk’s been wanting to meet him for years then?!
“Oh? I…I didn’t think of myself as someone that interesting to meet” admitted
Cora, looking at the water in his glass, feeling beyond nervous
“It’s more because you seemed awfully more level headed than your brother. I
figured that I could have an actual conversation with you rather than an
attempted one with that pink buffoon of yours.”
Cora had to snort at all the ways Mihawk had insulted his brother so far, he
knew it was childish, but he was enjoying it
“Ah, well, I’m not like him.”
“Clearly. So I have to ask, now that I have you here. What exactly is his
endgame?”
Cora looked at Mihawk surprised. Honestly, it seems to be the question nobody
asked when it came to his brother but the one they probably should ask
“Honestly? He just wants to see the world burn. He wants to inflict suffering
to as much people as he can for all the suffering we had to endure as children”
Cora sighed slightly, once again wishing he could have done something
“Ah. And you, for some reason, turned to the World Government instead? How odd”
noted Mihawk, clearly digging for more information
“I ran away from Doffy when he killed our father when I was really young. I was
picked up and raised by Sengoku” Cora didn’t feel the need to really hide
anything from Mihawk, at this point it was useless
“Which leads to my next question for you; what is yourpurpose in this city? For
a very long time, Goa was free from the World Government presence. Which is why
it was an excellent base, but now I admit I resent that your presence will
bring fourth your brother and the World Government.”
Cora was sure he just lost five years of his life with the glare that Mihawk
was giving him now
“You’re right. Doffy is coming for me. He resents the fact that I’m still alive
after I betrayed him…and also he’s after my ward. But, I’m terribly sorry if
your children might be endangered by this but I swear, I didn’t pick this
location! Sengoku placed me here in hopes of keeping me safe since it’s well
known that you, Red Hair and Whitebeard despise Doffy!”
Cora now felt horrible – he hadn’t really thought about how he was endangering
all of these kids. How many parents must resent him or might come to resent him
if anything happened!
“You misunderstood me” said Mihawk, scoffing “If my wards are unable to
overcome their adversaries, that isn’t my problem. I have always insisted on
them making themselves as strong as possible and if they fall short, that’s
their shortcoming”
Cora stared at the other, completely shocked
How can he be so blasé about the safety of his own kids?!
“Honestly I’m just irritated about the trouble it’s going to cause. I’m not
looking forward to a gang war. Unfortunately, I have made some arrangement so
that the World Government leaves me alone. But that also came at a price, and
I’d rather not get involved in a massive feud unless I don’t have a choice”
Cora paused at what Mihawk said and his jaw dropped slightly. He had forgotten
about the Warlord Program! Was Mihawk part of it?! It would explain why he had
been left alone for so long considering how much of a public figure he was!
Shit!
Cora had never really paid attention to that program, because it went against
his personal belief. Now he deeply regretted it – he wish he knew who exactly
was on that list! All he knew is that there was…seven of them?
Aww fuck. Mihawk didn’t seem like the type that would give names either
“I think it might be inevitable at this point. But I don’t think it’s because
of me” admitted Cora, wanting to see how much the other actually knew
“No. I agree with you on that. I don’t think Sengoku would bring in such a high
number of World Government Agents for you. They don’t seem to really be
concerned with that brother of yours either”
“Oh, you’ve noticed too?” asked Cora, a little surprised
“Considering it seems to be something you noticed as well, I’m going to assume
that you’re not in on the operation. But yes, I noticed. I have eyes all over
town. There’s nearly nothing that goes on here that I’m not aware of”
Hence the nickname ‘Hawk Eyes’, Cora supposed, but also probably his creepy-ass
eyes
“I’m surprised you’re able to do that with our current mayor” pointed out Cora,
Eneru didn’t seem to be the type that enjoyed being watched
“He might not be mayor for much longer if your Captain’s plan succeeds”
Cora stared at Mihawk completely shocked
What the hell was this?!
What plan?!
“What are you talking about?” but then Cora looked at his watch, surprised –
shit! It was this late already?!
“I-I have to go! Oh my god, I’m going to be late for my shift!” Cora put the
glass down on the table in front of him and bowed deeply as he stood up
“Thank you very much for your hospitality; it was a pleasure meeting you!”
Mihawk nodded slightly, taking a sip of his wine
“You as well, younger Donquixote”
“A-Ah! Rosinante! My name is Rosinante!” Cora winced, feeling like an idiot for
never having introduced himself
“Of course, Rosinante. Now get going before you’re late” said Mihawk as Cora
quickly left the room, bashing into the door frame in the process
 
Cora’s mind was spinning in the car as he drove to the station. He felt like he
had a million and one questions now and no real answers
Mihawk was part of the Warlord Program?
That would actually make sense – he was a notorious CEO of Dracule Enterprise
and the World’s Greatest Swordsman! He was friends with Red Hair Shanks as well
– how the hell was the World Government not all over him unless he already had
an agreement with them?!
Wait
What other notorious public figures did he know that the World Government
should be all over but aren’t?
There was the famous horror movie direction – Moriah Gekko? But he disappeared
a while back?
Crocodile Zero, the dictator of – wait! Isn’t it Alabasta? Isn’t that where
that girl in Law’s class was from?
Weird
Also there was that guy called Jinbei, but Cora didn’t know much about him
Maybe the Kuja gang as well? That would make sense considering how nobody dared
to cross them in town even though it wasn’t because of sheer numbers or
anything like the Whitebear gang?
But could his brother be one too? It would explain why since he was shot down
by Doffy that nobody has made any real efforts to go after him
If Sengoku had offered a position in the Warlord program to his brother, he was
going to be furious!
And then there was one other question he had, but he had to ask someone very
particular for that answer
 
Cora walked into the quiet police station and looked around and spotted a few
familiar faces but now that he thought about, there was one he hadn’t seen in a
while
“Hey Tashigi, weird question – is the Captain in his office?”
Tashigi blinked, looking up happily but then she frowned
“What’s wrong? You look stressed?”
“I’ll explain after, okay? But now I need to catch the Captain before he
leaves”
He really didn’t have time to chit-chat
“Yes, but he’s about to leave”
“Thank you, Tashigi” Cora bolted his way to the office, knocking on the door a
little harder than he meant to
“Come in” said the voice inside, not sounding impressed
Cora quickly made his way inside the office, closing the door behind him.
Smoker looked at him, raising a brow as he put on his leather jacket
“What?”
“I noticed that Wiper hasn’t been around lately, where is he?”
Cora wished that his question hadn’t sounded so much like a demand
“He’s working a job for me” admitted the Captain, grabbing his briefcase
“What kind of job?” was Mihawk right?
“Let’s just call it a town trash-cleanup project”
Was Smoker plotting to get rid of the Mayor?! Wiper did seem to absolutely
loathe the Mayor, it would make sense!
Mihawk was right!
“What’s with you anyways? Since when do you come into my office and make
demands for information?” replied Smoker, sticking a cigar in his mouth
“I had a…brief meeting with Mihawk today, found out some things”
Smoker paused, frowning
“What kind of thing?”
“About the Warlord Program”
“I fucking hate that hypocritical project to death” spat out Smoker, clearly
pissed
“Same, so I never paid it much mind. Any idea who are the people in it?” asked
Cora, a little hopeful
“Nope. But Hina will know, I can ask her”
Jackpot!
“Would you? I’m beginning to suspect that my brother might be on that list”
Smoker paused, grinding his teeth hard enough to split his cigar in half as he
growled loudly
“WHAT?!”
“That’s the impression I got from Mihawk, I hope I’m not right”
“I’ll ask her and get back to you” said Smoker as he sighed, taking the cigar
bit out of his mouth and throwing it in the trash
“So, what are your plans for tonight?” asked Cora, now wanting to change the
mood – it won’t do him any good to make the Captain leave angry
“I’m going home to relax. The trick-or-treaters should be done by now, so I’ll
be left alone”
“That sounds really nice, I’ll let you be on your way” said Cora as he backed
up, opening the door and getting ready to step out, but the Captain walked
forward, walking out with Cora
“Thanks for the tip, Trafalgar. I hope you’re wrong, but if you’re not, it
explains a lot”
“Yeah, and Sengoku has a lot to explain to do to me” murmured Cora, pissed off
He hoped with every fiber of his being that he was wrong
Chapter End Notes
     Ahh Cora, can't have a chapter without trouble, but now we're going
     right back to the party next week with Ace!
***** -ACE- Spooky Scary Skeletons (Never Thought This Would Get Me Going)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Alright it's party time! Lots going on in this chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly at the scene below him
The party area of the house was completely packed!
There were people of all kinds, dressed in costumes from a pizza slice to the
Queen of Hearts dancing up a storm, chatting up a storm and all sorts of other
things. Ace couldn’t believe the wild success of his party!
Ace let the music and the beat of the music overwhelm his senses as his body
moved along to it. He closed his eyes, feeling safe in the metal cage as he
kept dancing. Ace twirled around and opened his eyes, smiling brightly at the
scene at the end of the room. There was Pops, sitting in his massive red velvet
throne chair, drinking the night away as his boisterous laugh echoed through
the room. His nurses stayed around the man, all dressed as variations of
different animals
It was funny that people kept eyeing Pops and yet didn’t dare approach him. Ace
always found that pretty hilarious considering that Pops was actually really
warm and friendly – especially when he was drinking
 “Happy with your party?”
Ace blinked, turning towards Izo, still smiling brightly. Izo’s costume was
really great! Ace had asked all the Whitebeards to dress as ghouls, monsters
and ghosts of all kinds and Izo had come through for sure! At first look – you
couldn’t tell, he was wearing a beautiful kimono, his hair was done up but
looked messy, but carefully placed messy and was carrying a pair of scissors.
But the best part was the surgical mask – whenever people asked him who he was,
Izo would ask “Do you find me beautiful?” If the person answered yes (which
they always do because look at him) he would tear off his surgical mask,
revealing the Glasgow smile with realistic looking teeth he had done to his
face and then ask them the question again – It was super creepy and really
great! Izo told him that the legend was called Kuchisake-onna and that there
was a recent movie about her. Ace had made Izo swear that they would watch it
together soon because damn
Izo was currently dancing in the cage next to Ace, lifting a delicate brow,
waiting for Ace’s answer
“Absolutely! Look how great everything is going! But I think I’m going to go do
a round – it is my own party, after all!”
Izo chuckled softly
“Going to go look for your brother?”
Ace shrugged and sheepishly smiled
“Hey, it’s getting late and he’s not here yet!”
“And you don’t want to be too late getting to the Captain’s house either. It
would be a shame if you got yourself all ready and he was asleep”
Ace flushed a bit at Izo’s implications. But he had to tell the other about his
plan because he needed very specific supplies for prep and stuff and had no way
of getting them subtlety – but Izo did. Hence why he asked the other for help
“Ah…yeaah. So I want to at least say hello before I go”
“Alright” said Izo as he kept dancing
Ace was starting to get out of the cage and Izo started to speak again
“Remember Ace, communicate your needs and make sure that you are experiencing
pleasure as well. Don’t be quiet and just take it if it’s hurting you. He is
older and more experienced – he should be taking care of you. Nothing’s worst
than a man that’s selfish in bed”
Ace blushed brightly at Izo’s words, nodding as he opened the cage and jumped
back onto the small ledge and climbed down, back to the party
 
Ace smile grew even brighter as he noticed everyone around him. He swears the
whole school was here! Ace saw Nojika dressed as a rad mermaid, Penguin and
Shachi were some sort of ghouls and then there was-
Ace instantly saw red
Right in front of him, about twenty people down, was that redhead that ruined
his date at the museum! What the hell was he doing here?! The man had a black
eye patch and was dressed as some sort of leather Zorro?!  Why was he here?!
Nobody was allowed in this party if they’re not on the goddamn list?!
Ace was about to storm over and demand that he leaves but then he froze
If the man was here – it was because he was allowed here
And if he was allowed here – that means that he was on the list
Marco made the list
Fuck
Ace turned around, looking through the crowd for a very distinctive Marco – but
somehow had no luck.
How the hell was it hard for him to find Ma-
And there he was, perched on the side of Pop’s throne chair, whispering in the
other’s ear – well, the best he could right now
“Marco!”
Marco turned his head, turning to look towards Ace with his massive leather
beak. The other had chosen to be a plague doctor for the party and frankly, it
was a good choice. Marco moved quietly through the crowd so people never
expected him behind them and it scared them shitless
“You need me?” asked Marco, hoping off the chair and going up close to Ace –
Marco knew he had to get close to someone to be heard because of the mask
“Yeah, I’m wondering why someone in particular is here”
“Who?” asked Marco, looking through the crowd; it was weird not to see Marco’s
eyes
“Redheaded leather bitch Zorro”
“Oh, you mean Drake. Of course he’s here. Why wouldn’t he be here?” asked Marco
curiously
“Can we talk somewhere private?” asked Ace; Marco nodded his beak as they went
up the stairs towards Marco’s room
 
“So what’s your problem with Drake?” asked Marco, taking off the beak one they
got to his room. Ace could see how sweaty and hot Marco was getting under there
and probably appreciated the breather
“He’s-!” Wait, what was his problem with Drake? Aside from maybe being his
boyfriend’s ex?
“Well?” Marco sighed, clearly not amused with the whole situation
“I just…he’s a museum curator? I don’t get why he’s here at a Whitebeard party”
offered Ace, hoping it didn’t sound as hostile as he felt
Marco looked at Ace surprised
“You don’t know?”
“Don’t know what?” What could he possibly not know?
“He’s the leader of the Diez gang? We’re talking about Drake Eks, right?”
Ace could only look at Marco completely stunned
“What?! He’s a gang leader?!”
Marco nodded, sighing
“Yeah, all the major gang leaders in the neighbouring areas are here, allied or
otherwise. Of course nobody from any gang we refuse to associate with. But this
party isbasically a massive potlatch”
“Potlatch?” asked Ace, once again confused. Marco sighed again, putting his arm
around Ace’s shoulder and lead him out of Marco’s room and up to the balcony of
the staircase where they could oversee the party
“Yes. A potlatch is a very specific type of party. The idea is really to show
wealth and power through generosity. Basically by inviting all these gang
leaders here, we’re showing them the strength and power of the Whitebeard gang.
And don’t worry, they’re all being watched and tailed and kept away from Pops
in case they try anything funny. Especially that one over there” said Marco,
pointing to another redhead that Ace didn’t know
“What’s up with him?”
“Likes to start fights and kill people. I’m not risking it.”
“Huh” said Ace, frowning as he leaned over the banister, looking at Drake once
again
“So, what did Drake do? Anything to do with your museum date?”
Ace jumped slightly, surprised that Marco connected the dot, then he sighed
“Yeah. Chase and Drake got into a fight. Seems they knew each other”
“Hmm, I suspected they had been together during their time in the military”
said Marco quietly
Ace’s stomach sunk
“Why would you say that?” hissed Ace
Ace wish he hadn’t sounded so pathetic as he said that
Marco gave Ace a look, raising a brow
“You have nothing to worry about. Who in their right mind would dump you for
that” said Marco, gesturing towards Drake with his thumb
Ace smiled, blushing slightly
“Besides, we’ll just torch his house if the Captain ever hurts you, Pop’s son
or not”
“Marco, oh my god, no”
“Ace? You ready?”
Ace looked down the stairs and spotted Sabo coming up, he grinned from ear to
ear, it was show time!
 
“Dearest guests! Welcome to the most incredible show in the world! I have
traveled all over the world and have met the most incredible monsters, ghosts
and ghouls from all over the world and they wish to share their wonderful
abilities with you-!”
Ace grinned brightly watching from behind the scenes as the show started,
waiting for his queue as he watched the others perform before him
“And now – we have my greatest performer, a wolfman from the Caribbean isles
who plays and masters fire-!”
Ace came from behind the curtain, swinging a small ball of wire on a chain. He
swung the chain around him, jumping over the chain as if came by, hamming up
the jumps, making sure his tail didn’t catch in the flames. Back on the ground,
Ace pulled out a retractable staff and lit up both sides of the staff and
continued his acrobatics after throwing the ball into a nearby bucket of water.
Ace jumped around, twisting and turning the staff around himself
There was just something about fire that put Ace at peace
Whether it’s when he’s looking at it, playing with it or destroying with it –
he just felt it was his place in the world to be with fire
Thankfully it wouldn’t be too hard for anyone to figure out what to do with his
remains when he died
Towards the end, Ace snapped the staff together, making a torch and tipped his
head back. Ace felt goosebumps as he heard the collective gasp of the audience
as he put the torch in his mouth – extinguishing the flame and all the lights
closed
“Huh, it’s gotten a little dark in here” said Ace with a grin on his face
With the fuel ready, Ace blew fire onto a different torch,
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, making Ace feel thrilled
Maybe he was more of an exhibitionist than he thought, because this was getting
Ace going for sure!
The lights came back on and Ace took a bow with everyone and soon enough, the
party went back on
 
Ace washed out his mouth in the bathroom, knowing very well that the taste
would stay with him for a bit
Sabo came into the room, offering Ace a drink
“Not alcoholic, right? I can’t with the fire breathing”
Sabo chuckled, shaking his head
“It’s peach juice”
Ace took the glass and quickly chugged it, glad that the strong flavour of the
juice was helping
“Thank you! That was a great show!” Ace couldn’t stop smiling, still on the
high from the audience
“Yeah, I only wish that Luffy had been there…what’s keeping that boy?” Sabo
frowned, pulling out his phone, looking through his texts and quickly composed
one
“Are you checking up on him? He’s coming with his friends, I think he’s fine”
And people accused himof being overprotective of Luffy!
“I’m just…worried. It’s getting late” said Sabo, defending himself
Within seconds, Sabo frowned sharply at his phone
“What?” asked Ace as he lay against the counter
“A snapchat story…apparently Law got into a fight with someone along the way”
Law?
Fuck!
“Any idea who it is?”
“I can’t quite see who it is…” Sabo frowned more, replaying the video
“It’s Bellamy”
Ace and Sabo both turned as Koala came into the bathroom in her matching outfit
steampunk outfit, closing the door behind her
“Wow, you just walked in here, why, we could have been relieving ourselves!”
teased Ace, smirking at Koala
“Pfft, please. You have nothing I haven’t seen” stated Koala, dismissing Ace
“How do you know that?”
“Uh, you and Sabo were skinny dipping in the lake last summer”
“Oooh right – but so were you” pointed out Ace
“Yeah, but not like you gave a crap about that” teased Koala back but then she
put her hands on her hips “So back to business. Apparently Bellamy and Law got
into a fist fight because of a tattoo that Bellamy recently got or something?”
“A tattoo?”
Ace can’t say he ever really paid attention to Bellamy – the guy was a cruel,
sadistic asshole. He’s tried a few times to pick a fight with them with his own
pathetic ‘gang’, but usually would beat the daylights out of them
But what the hell could he do that would piss off Law that much?
Guess he’ll hear it from Luffy
“Oh well, Luffy will tell us when he gets here. Thankfully there’s a second
show tonight, because I’d hate to think that Luffy would miss it” pointed out
Ace, starting to feel nervous about tonight
“Are you still thinking of leaving without telling Marco? Because I’m going to
advise you again, that you should probably tell Marco” warned Sabo, pleading
with Ace
Ace sighed, he should be annoyed, but he’s actually not since he knows Sabo
probably has a point
“Well…I’m on the fence. I’m starting to think maybe it’s a good idea” It always
is to Ace’s advantage when Marco’s in the know and on his side
“Remember Ace! Foreplay is key!” piped up Koala with a huge grin on her face
Ace blinked and then he looked at Koala with a grin on his face, chuckling
“Now there’s a place that we never ever skimp out on”
 
Ace groaned as he walked around the party, looking for Marco
Again
Where the hell did that man go?!
Ah! Wait!
“Hey Thatch, did you see Marco anywhere?” asked Ace, looking around as he
tapped the other’s shoulder
Thatch turned around, giving Ace slightly a jolt with his creepy horror style
zombie makeup
Christ Izo was insane with his makeup abilities
“Yeah man! He went to his studio! I crossed him as I refilled the food table,
said he had some prep to do or something?”
“Thanks man! Also, I see you told Izo that he was pretty!” teased Ace, making
Thatch laugh as Izo came up to Thatch putting his arms around Thatch’s waist
“I made us match-!” Izo showed off the Glasgow smile he made himself and Thatch
moved his face close to Izo’s, showing off his own zombie one. Ace laughed,
pulling out his phone and snapped a picture of the two of them
God they were cute together
Ace was kinda hoping that something was brewing there
“Thanks guys!” said Ace as he walked away, going towards Marco’s studio
 
Ace came down the stairs and opened the door to Marco’s tattoo studio
Marco opened the studio after he’s done multiple tattoos for the Whitebeards
and was annoyed at being called a scratcher so he got himself certified
Typical overachieving Marco
Marco had taken off most of his costume as Ace saw it lying on the couch in the
waiting area and he saw him take out a few binders from the cabinet, opening
them and putting them on the counter separating the tattooing area and the
waiting room
“Are you doing a job tonight?”
Shit, Ace couldn’t leave if Marco was busy!
 “No, I have a consultation with Law, remember? But I want it to be
professional before anything. The kid already thinks I’m a scratcher”
“Ah, right, I forgot about Law. Apparently he got into a fight tonight”
Marco paused, raising a brow as he looked up to Ace
“About?”
“Bellamy?”
“Ah. Probably, I knew that was coming”
“Did you do the ink? Apparently this is about a tattoo” asked Ace, suspicious
that Marco seems to already know about this
Marco frowned, glaring at Ace
“I would never tattoo that on anyone. Ever.”
Ace blinked, surprised that Marco had such a bad reaction – but he didn’t need
Marco pissed
“Man, ever going to open a show in town?” due to licensing and age reasons,
Marco couldn’t really own property, so he had to work his business from Pop’s
place
“That’s the plan”
Ace paused for a moment, biting his lip
“Hey..Marco…Do you think if it’s okay if I go see the Captain for a bit
tonight?”
Marco smirked, chuckling as he leaned over the counter, crossing his arms
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me all day. What finally made you decide to
admit it to me that you were planning on bailing on the party?”
“Ah…uh…Jiminy Cricket convinced me”
“You should listen to Sabo more often; I would have been royally pissed had you
just disappeared for the night”
“I’m not bailing! I’m just leaving for a bit!” defended Ace, frustrated
“Ace, I’m giving you permission to not come back. Take all the time you need,
and make the night special. You deserve it”
“Aye aye, boss” said Ace, grinning brightly
He should really listen to Sabo more often!
 
Second show done! And he saw Luffy in the crowd!
Got to say hello to Luffy and his friends!
Took the time to really ready himself for the night in the bathroom. Not going
to lie, Ace can’t say he found the whole ordeal really sexy
Now he was well on his way to his boyfriend’s house – thankful again that he
only lived across the park from the Whitebeard mansion
He got to the house and knocked on the door
Ace could feel his stomach going insane as he heard his boyfriend’s steps
coming up towards the door
Ace leaned against the door frame, tipping his head upward, smirking, with as
much smolder as he possibly could as the door opened; Ace hoped he looked as
hot as he thought he did
“Hello handsome, the moon is out and I’m feeling a little wild – wondering if
you could help me with that~”
Smoker paused for a moment, the cigar in his mouth almost falling out; Ace
could feel the other’s eyes scanning every inch of exposed skin as Ace purred
softly
But before Smoker could say anything, Ace’s attention was diverted inside the
house
“Oooh are you watching Nightmare on Elm Street?!”
“Yes” grunted Smoker “I always watch horror movies on Halloween”
“Want company?” asked Ace, grinning
“Don’t you have a party to run?”
“I was dismissed for the night, so I was hoping to show you my sweet costume!”
“And here I thought you were trick or treating”
“I kinda am, but you’re the only house I want to visit – so do I get a treat?”
Smoker sighed, rolling his eyes
“Come in, brat”
Ace was beyond thrilled as he followed Smoker into his house, door closing
behind him
 
 
 
Koala's outfit!
 
Chapter End Notes
     So we're going to Law next chapter to find out WHAT HAPPENED WITH
     BELLAMY??
     Also next Ace chapter will have SPECIAL instructions in the author's
     notes at the start of the chapter! Be sure to read them!
***** -LAW- This Is Like A Teen Movie Party (Please Don’t Let Me Get Held Up At
The Gas Station) *****
Chapter Notes
     Does anybody get the reference in the title?
     Anywho! Law's turn to reach the party! Well, sorta, you'll see!
     Chapter's up a little early because I'm sick and at home so here you
     go!
     I had to rewatch some older One Piece episodes to get a feel for
     Bellamy pre-time skip again! Man it's been ages!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 “Is he going to be okay?”
Law jerked slightly, surprised that he was being addressed as he turned to look
at Bepo, who was looking at him concerned
Law shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in the chair he was in, Luffy
practically in his lap, yakking away with his friends
“I’m sure Cora’s going to be just fine” assured Law, trying to hide how worried
he actually was, but then he turned to look at Zoro, who was dressed as
well…Zorro
“What did your old man have to talk about with Cora?”
Instead of fucking around, might as well ask the person who would have a better
shot of knowing
Zoro blinked, looking up from the beer he was drinking
“No idea. Said he wanted to have a chat with the sane Donquixote brother, so he
was hoping that he was dropping you guys off”
“Donquixote brother?” asked Vivi, surprised; she was dressed as a belly dancer
or something? Law couldn’t really tell
“Donquixote like, Doflamingo Donquixote? The gang leader?” asked Sanji, himself
dressed as a vampire much like Cora’s own costume, leaning in rather close to
Zoro on the couch
Law frowned sharply, staring down Luffy who looked away sheepishly
“You might as well tell them now, Luffy”
Luffy sighed, ignoring the frustrated glare from Usopp too
“Tell us what?” asked Nami, anger in her voice as she could tell that whatever
it was, it was important
Her witch outfit suited her mood quite well right now, even though she was a
rather cute witch
“Ahhh you see, Law and mister Rosisisi used to be part of the Donquixote gang
but they ran away and Mister Rosisisi is actually that ‘Mingo guy’s brother”
There was a collective silence in the room before most of the room yelled out a
collective ‘WHAT?!’ aside from those who already knew
“See, I thought Luffy had told you guys this, you know, as your gang leader,
but apparently I found out that he hadn’t” said Law, still a bit ticked off
“Never assume Luffy tells us anything” warned Vivi nicely, a stunning contrast
to Nami who stormed up to Luffy, grabbed his ear, pulled him off Law and threw
him on the ground and then hitting him on the head
“HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL US SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT?!” yelled Nami as she kept
hitting Luffy, who took all the blows
“You’re not still part of that gang, are you?” asked Sanji carefully, swirling
the wine in his glass
“No, no. Cora was never actually part of the gang; he was undercover for the
World Goverment. They thought he could infiltrate it better since he’s
Doflamingo’s little brother – but the two couldn’t be more different”
The last thing Law needed was for them to think less of Cora
“Just because you’re related, doesn’t mean you’re anything alike” assured
Sanji, but Law was a bit surprised at the sadness in the other’s voice
“And what about you?” asked Vivi gently, clearly trying to not upset Law, which
he appreciated
“…I was part of the gang. I was homeless and orphaned and they took in kids. So
I was with them from the age of 10” admitted Law
“That must have been very hard on you – was it mister Trafalgar who took you
out?” Vivi asked again, clearly wanting the full story
“Ah yeah! He saved me, you know?” Law felt kinda embarrassed gushing about Cora
like this, knowing very well the other was in the other room
“So, when you mentioned that people were after you that one time, you meant the
Donquixote gang, right?” asked Zoro, smirking, clearly itching for a fight with
the gang
“Yeah, but you probably already figured that out”
“So, you mean the scary Donquixote gang is going to come to Goa to attack
Law?!” asked Chopper, clearly terrified, which was funny with his giant pink
afro and white leisure suit
“They don’t want to attack Law, they want to kidnap him and take him back”
admitted Bepo, who had been quiet for a while
Law was pretty sure it was because the house scared the shit out of him though
For a black belt in Karate, the guy was kinda a chicken shit when it came to
horror
 
Cora suddenly appeared in the room, rushing out of the den
Law was pretty sure he had forgotten the time
But in a split second, Cora’s face went from a deep frown to a bright smile,
making Law frown in turn
What was he hiding?!
“Ahh, I’m running late! You boys let me know if you want a ride home tonight!
Anyone is welcomed to stay over if you’d like!” said Cora, making his way
towards the door
Law quickly got up and followed him to the door
“Cora?! What’s wrong?” asked Law quietly, not wanting to draw too much
attention to the situation, making it seem like he was just seeing Cora out
Cora kept smiling, trying to keep the pretense, but Law knew better
“I got some information that’s making me suspect something that I don’t like,
so I’m going to try and confirm it soon” admitted Cora
“What kind of information?!”
 Cora’s expression then grew serious as he put his hand on Law’s shoulder
“If it’s important, I will tell you. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you anyways. But
go enjoy the party, okay?”
“What about Baby 5 and Buffalo?” asked Law, still concerned that his former
colleagues were running around looking for him
“I’ll do a patrol later tonight and see if I can pick them up” said Cora
sighing
“You’re going to arrest them?!” asked Law, completely shocked, making Cora
chuckle
“No no, I just want to talk to them. Offer them a chance to go home, to their
real homes”
Law was surprised, he hadn’t expected that
“But Baby 5 doesn’t h-“
“I know. She’ll be a little harder, but I’m sure we can arrange something nice
for her” assured Cora, a big smile on his face as he ruffled Law’s hair
Law frowned
Cora was planning on adopting her – wasn’t he?
Goddamnit Cora!
 
Perona then crashed down the stairs, her friend in tow dressed like…some sort
of…zombie bear?
“Hey! Why the hell aren’t you kids gone yet?! I need to make my grand entrance
and I can’t if you boneheads aren’t at the party first! Shoo! Shoo!”
Cora laughed softly
“Guess that’s my queue to go too – have fun everyone!” said Cora loudly, for
the entire group to hear as they all gave their goodbyes to Cora as he left
“Well, I guess we better get going” said Sanji, before finishing the last of
his wine
“I would like to warn you children to be cautious tonight”
Law turned, wanting to see the source of the voice and his jaw slightly dropped
at the sight of Mihawk Dracule, now at the edge of the living room, looking
right at them
He hadn’t even heard him come in!
“Why? You suspecting something?” asked Zoro, barely concerned
Mihawk merely shrugged, sipping his own wine
“We can handle ourselves, Papa!” assured Perona, hands on her hips
Dismissing them with his body language, Mihawk merely stepped out of the room,
grabbing the paper on the table along the way, not another word said
Law hadn’t realized the heavy tension and silence that overwhelmed the room the
second that Mihawk walked in
What a presence!
Law’s phone then vibrated, causing Law to reach into his lab coat’s pocket and
pull it out
Apparently Shachi and Penguin were already at the party and wondering where
they hell they were
“Let’s get going!” loudly declared Luffy as they all made their way towards the
door
 
“Oh by the way! Zoro and Sanji won the couples contest!” announced Nami as they
walked down the street of a busy suburban area, children trick or treating
filling up the streets, kids scrambling all around them
Law couldn’t help but try to see if he could see Baby 5 and Buffalo again
“Oh yeah?” said Usopp, grinning
“Yep! So we’re getting the cash prize and their photo is going to be plastered
in every major corner store, convenience store and shopping center in the
country! Even in some stores overseas!”
“What’s this ‘we’re’ getting the cash prize? Shouldn’t the cook and me getting
the dough since it’s ourpicture you splattered everywhere?” asked Zoro,
frowning
Sanji promptly kicked him in the ankle
“Don’t talk to miss Nami that way!”
Weren’t they dating?
“So we’re going to get to go skiing!” cheered Chopper happily with Usopp as the
two held hands and starting dancing
“Wait…I didn’t realize that the photo will get that much reach…” said Sanji
quietly, Law noted a bit of fear in his voice
Law raised a brow, Sanji was acting kinda weird
“What? You ashamed of being in a photo with me or something, Curly?” grunted
Zoro, crossing his arms
“Have you seen your mug lately?!” snapped back Sanji, quickly irritated
Annnd here we go
 
But before their fight could really start, this blonde haired guy approached
Luffy with a few people, putting his arm around Luffy’s shoulder
Something about him instantly put Law off
“Heeey Luffy, buddy”
Luffy blinked, surprised at the person touching him as the rest of his gang
looked at the interaction stunned
“Huh? Bellamy?”
“I was wondering if you could do us a favor”
Law didn’t need to know anything about this guy because the atmosphere got
beyond tense the second he showed up
“Huh? What?”
“See, me and my pals really want to go to the Whitebeard party, but when we
tried, they told us no, because we weren’t on the list”
Law frowned sharply, this bastard wanted to mooch off Luffy!
“Ace said that people who don’t have tickets can’t go inside the party” stated
Luffy, clearly not very comfortable with the situation
“See – we got tickets. But then we were told that we weren’t on the list so we
can’t go in, and that’s not fair, right?”
“You probably stole those from someone!” accused Nami
“HAHAHAHA! There’s no proof of that!” said Bellamy, grinning, his tongue
hanging out
Law then frowned sharply, noticing something particular
He walked up to Bellamy, pulling his loose tank top down by the collar,
revealing a large tattoo on the other’s chest
“What the fuck?!” snapped Law, seeing red
Right there in his fucking face was a tattoo of the Donquixote gang’s tag on
this asshole’s chest
“That, guy, is the symbol of the greatest man alive” said Bellamy with a huge
smile on his face
“Do you even know what the fuck you’re even talking about?!”  Law couldn’t
believe this fucking idiot!
“Yeah, It’s the symbol of Doflamingo Donquixote, the greatest Don that has ever
lived! He’s gonna make it even bigger than Roger! HAHAHA! And one day, he’ll
recognize my greatness and make me his new Corazon!”
Law shoved Bellamy, making sure the other wasn’t touching Luffy anymore
Bepo was suddenly right behind Law, holding his arms back, knowing very well
that Law was ready to start something
“Law! Cora told us to not get into trouble!” whispered Bepo, hoping to get
through to the other
 Law struggled for a moment against the restraint and frowned, Bepo had a point
“Doflamingo is a sick deranged fuck! You’re out of your goddamn mind if you
worship a piece of shit like him!”
“Oh yeah? Teach you to insult Doflamingo!”
And Bellamy punched Law right in the jaw
Both Bepo and Law were thrown back from the power of Bellamy’s punch,
surprising them both
“Hey! What the hell did you punch Law for?!” screamed Luffy, shoving Bellamy
away
Bellamy was quickly winding back up to fight, so Law quickly went up to him,
punching him hard in the stomach
 
Next thing Law knew, a brawl had broken out between Bellamy and his crew and
Luffy and his gang as well
A large crowd had gathered around them, cellphones in the air, knowing very
well that he was being recorded put Law on edge
But this asshole had thrown the first punch
“HEY! BREAK IT UP! NOW!”
Next thing Law knew, Bellamy was thrown on the ground by a giant black man with
a bushy white beard and mustache and long white curly hair and what appears to
be wearing a robe and pyjamas
“Who the fuck do you think you are?! I’m going to fuck you up, old man!”
screamed Bellamy, getting back up
“An old man who called the cops, so you better scram!” yelled the man, making
Bellamy and his gang scatter
What?! The cops! Shit!
“Or I would have if I knew you wouldn’t run” finished the man, smirking
Law sighed in relief
“Oh! Hack-sensei!” said Bepo, going up to the man and bowing
“Bepo! What’s the meaning of all of this! This isn’t what karate is for!”
lectured Hack, clearly annoyed with the whole situation
“The guy punched Law! At first I was trying to defend him, but then those other
guys jumped us too! But I swear, sensei, I was only trying to disarm them”
explained Bepo, lowering his head and mumbling sorry afterwards
So this man was the great ‘Hack-sensei’ that taught Bepo karate? Law had heard
so much about the man but had never met him before – he was one big guy!
“Don’t apologize, Bepo, I know you well enough to know you’re telling the
truth. So what started all of this anyways?” asked Hack, looking around as the
Straw Hats tried to adjust their costumes, not making it so obvious that they
were all in a fight
Not going to lie, Law had been impressed with their fighting abilities
“The fucker has a Donquixote gang tag on his chest” said Law, spitting out the
blood that had accumulated in his mouth from his split lip
“Ah, now I understand. That’s a good reason to punch anybody” said Hack,
nodding “Well, you kids better get to the party, okay? Sabo’s getting worried
about you, Luffy!”
Luffy grinned, nodding
“We’re going there right now!”
Law huffed; he already wanted to go home
 
Finally the gang had reached the rather impressive mansion of the Whitebeard
estate, for once, the main gate was completely open, but there seemed to be
someone waiting at it, checking the tickets and the cars
Once your ticket was checked, you had to follow the path up to the mansion,
once at the door, this giant of a man was sitting there with a clipboard,
literally checking names on a list – thankfully, they were all on it
The party was in full swing when they walked in – loud music, people dancing,
tons of foods and entertainment scattered all over. Law looked up and saw the
aforementioned cages that Ace had talked about in school, but right now had
Nojiko in one and this new girl called Shirahoshi in the other, dancing away
Suddenly the lights cut out and a spotlight was right on Sabo on a makeshift
stage
“Dearest guests! Welcome to the most incredible show in the world! I have
traveled all over the world and have met the most incredible monsters, ghosts
and ghouls from all over the world and they wish to share their wonderful
abilities with you-!”
Apparently they were right in time for the show
 
Law found himself mesmerized by Ace’s fire show; the other clearly could
manipulate the element like he had never seen someone do before – it was
terrifying to think that he used fire when he fought too
Bepo looked like he had stars in his eyes, blown away by Ace’s abilities as
well; the others merely looked highly thrilled, clearly used to Ace’s fire
shows but still really impressed
“Ahh, it’s so cool that he can breathe fire now!” said Chopper, grinning
brightly
“Your brother is a magician, Luffy!” exclaimed Usopp brightly
“Naw, just a heavy risk taker”
They all turned around to see Ace that had walked up to them, grinning
Law hadn’t even noticed that the party had resumed
“What took you guys so long? I was afraid I was going to miss you!” said Ace as
Sabo came up and joined them
“What’s this about a fight?” asked Sabo,  Ace turned to look at Sabo, not
impressed
“Yeah, Bellamy’s gang jumped us” explained Luffy
“Over a tattoo? That’s what Koala said” pointed out Ace
How did Koala know that?!
“Yeah, apparently the guy’s really into ‘Mingo, and tattooed his symbol on his
chest”
“Ah, that explains it. Glad you guys made it here though! So, enjoy everything
this place has to offer, the guys know they’re not allowed to deal with you
guys, so don’t even try! The drinks are clearly labely which is booze and which
isn’t and they’re being watched”
“Are you leaving?” asked Sanji, a little surprised
“Hahaha, yeah, see – I look really good tonight and I kinda want to show it off
to my boyfriend” admitted Ace, smiling sheepishly
“Your boyfriend didn’t want to come to the party?” asked Chopper innocently
Law raised a brow – didn’t he know it was the Captain?
Ace laughed, rubbing the back of his neck
“Naww, my man is more of a homebody, partying isn’t really his thing”
Especially not when it’s a gang party and he’s the Chief of police
But before anything else could be said, Law felt a leather gloved hand on his
shoulder and suddenly there was a big leather beak in his face as someone
dressed like a plague doctor approached him
Law jumped, not sure how to react
“You ready?” asked the plague doctor, and then Law recognized the voice as
Marco’s
Law instantly relaxed, now knowing the identity of the plague doctor
Also really jealous since damn that would have been an awesome costume idea!
“Yeah, I’m ready” said Law, and then he turned towards Luffy, pointing back at
Marco behind him
“I’m gonna go check out the tattoo studio with Marco for a bit, then I’ll come
back and join you guys?” informed Law, Luffy merely nodded in response
But then Luffy leaned in and kissed Law softly
“Have fun! And Marco, you look really cool!”
Marco only nodded as Law blushed
Law also didn’t missed Ace snickering and Sabo looking at bit shocked that
Luffy kissed Law
“Can I come?” asked Bepo, Law nodded in response as the two followed the plague
doctor to a seemingly hidden room to the side of the mansion
This wasn’t foreboding at all or anything
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And voila! We're going to Cora for the next chapter! Let's see how
     his evening is going!
***** -CORA- Bribing Kids with Candy is VERY ILLEGAL! (Good Thing I'm a Cop!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh busy day at work, but I'm happy I can give you guys this chapter!
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 “Do you think the World Government would do something as hypocritical as
that?”
Cora wished with all of his heart that he could say that they wouldn’t, but he
has been proven wrong time and time again
Especially lately
“Honestly? Can’t say I’d be surprised if they did. Doffy always did what he
wanted, so having the government off his back too? That’s only going to lead to
trouble. He’s had his eyes on a few …industries and plots of lands in the past”
Like Dressrosa
“But…he’s a world class criminal?! It’s insane to give him immunity like that!”
stressed Tashigi, clearly not happy with the news
“Well, apparently Mihawk is on the list too”
“The Greatest swordsman in the world, Mihawk?! I…I knew…I’ve heard he had a
shady past but-“
Cora raised a brow, surprised at the reaction – apparently Tashigi didn’t want
to think about Mihawk like that
Oh, shit – she probably idolized him!
“How do you know this?” asked Tashigi, looking a little ticked off – Cora was
hoping it wasn’t at him!
“Mihawk told me himself”
“You met him?!”Tashigi looked at Cora, in pure awe “What was he like?!”
“Intense” admitted Cora; he still had the creeps from the whole affair
Mihawk though, had been awfully nice with him, so maybe he shouldn’t be so
harsh, they were now both…uh, parental friends? Parents of two kids who were
friends? Well three kids technically?
Urgh whatever
“To think he’s in town! It would explain the message we got from Bellemere
earlier though” admitted Tashigi, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it
over to Cora
Cora took the paper, reading the message out loud
“Was tipped off that Redhair was in town – apparently it’s social. What the
hell?”
Tashigi nodded slowly
“Shanks is in town”
Cora blinked slowly, watching Tashigi’s face for any signs that she was joking
On top of Mihawk Dracule being in town – now one of the big Gang Emperors??
Well…technically Whitebeard was one too, so I guess one was always in town
Urgh, he was getting a headache
“Is the part that it says it’s social means that he has no business to attend
to here? Like starting up crap?” asked Cora hopefully, not wanting to be told
he was wrong
“I supposed so, maybe he’s going to the party?” offered Tashigi, smiling a bit
Well, it wouldn’t be off the mark, Shanks was known for partying hard
Cora sighed, he had a million things to deal with and his patience was growing
thin
And he couldn’t even call Sengoku until he got the list from Smoker in case he
was wrong and didn’t want to get in his father’s face about this unless he
needed to
Cora knew very well that he couldn’t just ask out of the blue about the Warlord
Program. He had never shown any interest in it before, so it would be odd if he
suddenly did now. The last thing Cora needed was Sengoku being suspicious of
him. He didn’t need to think that Cora was investigating things after Sengoku
had clearly told him to keep his nose out of it
Cora then paused
Maybe that was why Sengoku told him to keep his nose out of it!
Maybe he didn’t want Cora to find out that Doffy was a Warlord now!
And now he was pissed off again
“Tashigi, do you mind if I go out and patrol?”
He needed some air -bad
“Not at all!”
Cora sighed in relief
 
Cora scanned the streets as he carefully drove through the suburban areas,
carefully checking out every kid in costume in hopes of finding what he was
looking for
He decided that if he can’t do anything about the whole Warlord thing, Cora
could try to do something
Cora had told Law that he wanted to find Baby 5 and Buffalo, and he wasn’t
kidding about that
They were kids, much like Law; they had a right to a normal childhood as well
As the time kept passing, there was less and less kids on the street and Cora
was worried that maybe he had missed his shot picking them up
Cora frowned sharply, he should have gone on the search before but he couldn’t
run out of the house when the two had come to his front door. The last thing he
needed was to put Law and Bepo in danger because he wanted to help the kids out
Cora sighed heavily; the problem of course was that Buffalo and Baby 5 had done
a lot of illegal activities. He wasn’t sure if he could get them off both Scott
free like did with Law. With Law, it was easy to play the legal game, Baby 5,
it was possible as well. Cora had long suspected that the poor thing suffered
from some sort of dependency disorder and probably real abandonment issues too.
Even though the two of them were total brats who picked on him a lot – Cora
still thinks they deserve better than this.
Cora kept looking around, hoping to find a sign of the two. He asked a few
parents he came across, stating that the children had gone missing and their
parents were looking for them, knowing very well that most parents would
instantly call the police if he saw them – but so far, no luck
 
Suddenly, he came across a group of kids, crying. Cora pulled the car over and
approached the kids, who seemed to be lamenting something
“Hey, is everything okay?”
“N-No officer, sir!” said one of the kids, with thick glasses, dressed like a
pirate
“What happened?” asked Cora, crouching down to not intimidate the kids
“These two kids dressed like a witch and a mummy attacked us! They stole our
candy!” said the other kid dressed like a pirate, but he had freckles and
darker skin
“They- Do you know which way they went?” asked Cora, now noticing the bruises
on the kids, he wouldn’t be surprised if this had just happened and the kids
were still a little shook up about it
“Yeah! They went that way!” said the third kid, pointing in the direction of a
small bridge “We’re gonna go get our candy back!”
“Now now” started Cora, standing up “I’d rather you kids just wait here and
I’ll go get it, okay?”
“You’re gonna go after the bad kids?” asked the freckled kid, suddenly they
seemed in better spirits
“Let us help, mister! Me, Piiman and Ninjin are great fighters!” offered the
boy with glasses, but Cora shook his head
“No can do, this is police business! But can you kids do me a favour and keep
watch? Make sure that nobody comes down this way?”
All three kids nodded as Cora grinned brightly
He went to the police cruiser, chucked his hat in back of the car and grabbed
the black hoodie he had stashed there. Knowing Baby 5 and Buffalo, they would
high tail and run if they saw a cop coming way before they recognized his face.
Cora zipped up the hoodie to hide his police uniform and grabbed the bag of
candy he had brought from home. If he knew anything about the two – sweets
worked well as bribes with them
Cora carefully but casually walked up to the bridge, not wanting to draw any
attention to himself before he was close enough to do so – but still enough to
give the two space
Urgh, bargaining with kids was a pain
 
When he got close enough to the bridge, he saw that the trio was right – there
was Baby 5 and Buffalo, sitting on the side of the bridge, eating the candy
Well, more like Buffalo did, Baby 5 just sat on the edge of the bridge and
looked disappointed as she sucked on a sucker
“Young Master is going to be mad at us for not finding Law” stated Baby 5,
looking like she was about to cry as Cora got closer
“We went to every niiiin house! It’s not our fault that apparently they don’t
celebrate Halloween!”
“But Mister Cora always loved Halloween!” contested Baby 5
Cora blinked, he didn’t realized that she had caught on to that
“Maybe he had to work or something niiin, and I don’t see Law giving out candy”
“Well you’re right about that”
Both Baby 5 and Buffalo turned, to look at Cora shocked
“Hey! Niiin mister! You can beat it!” snapped Buffalo, looking annoyed
“Hey now, I just want to talk” assured Cora, putting up his hands defensively
“We have nothing to say to you, mister! You get any closer and I’ll call the
police on you!” yelled Baby 5, standing up defensively in response
Cora blinked, surprised at the reaction
But then it dawned upon him
They didn’t recognize him without all of the makeup!
Cora took a step forward, wondering if maybe it had to do with the light in the
area he was in, but found himself getting a mouthful of dirt
Apparently he hadn’t noticed the root that was growing above ground by his feet
“MISTER CORA?!” yelled both Baby 5 and Buffalo, shocked
Clearly he had overestimated them back at the house
Cora groaned, sitting up as he took a cigarette out and put it in his mouth,
sighing as he lit it up
“So listen, I just want to talk-“
“Your voice is so deep, it’s weird, I don’t like it!” declared Baby 5, making
Cora twitch
“Excuse me?!”
Actually it would make sense that his voice would bother them
But it wasn’t too deep?!
It was just deep enough! It was his voice!
“Alright, can we just, talk? Look, I brought you a bag of candy, so don’t tell
Doffy you saw me – also, I’m gonna need that candy you stole from those kids
back” said Cora, throwing the bag of candy at the two kids
“No way! We’re gonna  niiiiin tell the Young Master anyways that we found you!”
yelled out Buffalo as he caught the bag of candy that Cora threw at them
“Actually, you didn’t find me at all. I found you. Do you really want to go
tell Doffy that you failed so bad that the person you were trying to find,
tracked you down instead? And don’t play dumb, you were trying to figure out
where I live, right? So, apparently you failed that too”
Cora knew he hit the nail right on the head as both the kids lost all colour in
their faces as pure panic overcame them
“Niiiin maybe we should just tell the Young Master that we didn’t see him?”
“Y-Yeah, I think that might be for the best” agreed Baby 5
“I have an offer for the two of you. Do you want me to take you home? Buffalo,
your family has been looking for you for a while now”
Buffalo froze; looking at Cora shocked, clearly wondering how the other could
possibly know that
“H-How did yo-?”
“I saw the missing person’s report. Matched you to a ‘t’”
Buffalo grew quiet, clearly not sure how to handle the news while Baby 5 looked
hurt
“Baby 5, I know it’s probably not what you’d like, but I can take you in.
You’ll be able to go to school, have a normal life, and you and Law got along
rather well, so you’d be living with him” offered Cora, trying to keep his
voice gentle
Baby 5 paused, looking at him surprised at the offer
“You…You would want me?”
“Of course! I didn’t actually want to beat you kids up, you know! I had to, to
try and discourage you from staying with the gang!” admitted Cora; He felt the
kids had a right to know the truth
“What if this is a trick?!” asked Buffalo, suddenly really skeptical “Don’t
believe him, Baby 5! He’s lying to you! Like how he lied to us for years!”
Baby 5 suddenly looked at Cora, horrified and angry
Goddamnit!
“We’re not falling for your tricks!” yelled Baby 5, now looking really upset
Cora blinked; did she really want to come that badly?
“Now that we saw you, we’re gonna niiiiin follow you back to where you live!
You can’t escape us know! We’re gonna know exactly where you niiiin live and
tell Doffy!” declared Buffalo, proudly
Cora frowned sharply, unzipping his hoodie and showing them that he was in fact
– in a police uniform
“So you’re going to follow me back to the station? It wasn’t in my plans to
arrest you guys, but if you insist”
Both Baby 5 and Buffalo looked at Cora shocked – apparently Doffy hadn’t told
them that he was now working as a cop
They both took off running, leaving all the candy behind, but ran right into
the dense forest
Cora sighed; he knew there was no point in chasing them in the forest
 
Cora returned to the other kids, having picked up all the bags of candy and
gave it to them (after having thoroughly checked the bags) and went back to his
cruiser, even more frustrated with the turn of events
That had gotten him nowhere!
 While he was driving back to the station, his phone vibrated, with a message
from Law, surprising him
Cora pulled over, checking his phone, not sure what to expect but hopefully Law
wasn’t in any kind of trouble
 
Law
Met a bastard named Bellamy and the asshole worships Doffy
Next time I see him – he’s dead
 
Cora groaned loudly as he looked at the text, feeling discouraged
It made sense that there would be people out there who worshipped what Doffy
did and wanted to join his gang but did they have to do it in Law’s face?!
Couldn’t they do it somewhere where Law wouldn’t see it?!
Cora shot him a quick text back, telling him that they’ll talk about it more at
home
He lifted his head, getting ready to keep driving when he spotted a familiar
orange cowboy hat, trotting down the street happily…but apparently with a big
bushy tail
Was that Ace?
For a moment, Cora was taken back by the giant Whitebeard tattoo on the other’s
back
He knew that Ace was a Whitebeard, but it was so weird to see proof so out in
the open like that!
 
Cora drove by slowly, rolling down the window on the passenger side, as he
drove besides Ace
“Need a ride anywhere?”
Ace stopped, turning his head confused
Ah! He was a werewolf! Explained the bushy tail!
“Ah! Mister Trafalgar! No thanks! I’m not far from my location!” said Ace,
smiling brightly; the other was clearly in a good mood
“I’m surprised to see you away from the party!” admitted Cora
“I was dismissed for the night! It’s going really great though! I saw Law and
Bepo by the way; they made it to the party safe”
Cora blinked, surprised that the other told him such, but then he chuckled, he
forgot what a parentAce could be
“I was just about to ask that! Thank you! But, Ace, if you have a moment…could
I ask you something?”
Cora bit his lip slightly, he knew he might be pushing it, but he should ask –
Ace was a nice kid and this might be a good time to get some info
“Of course! What can I do for you?”
“Do you know a guy called Bellamy?”
Cora watched as Ace’s smile turned to a scowl in no time at all
“Guy’s trash. Gonna beat the shit out of him next time I see him though for
raising a hand at my little brother”
Cora looked at Ace stunned, not sure how he felt about such words coming out of
Ace’s mouth
Ace! You’re supposed to be a nice boy!
“What’s his association with Doffy? Er- I mean, Doflamingo? I never heard his
name before” admitted Cora to the other
“Well, I don’t think he’s actually associated with Doflamingo. I think it’s
more like if he’d had the chance, he’d suck Doflamingo’s dick for days”
Cora groaned, closing his eyes as he grimaced
He didn’t need that mental picture
“Ace! I’m visual! Could you not?!”
Ace chuckled softly
“Sorry about that! But yeah, it’s just pure hero worship from what I get. But I
can’t say I understand it, no offence, but your brother’s pure shit” said Ace,
rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to the side, clearly uncomfortable
talking trash about someone else’s brother
“No, no offense taken, Ace, I feel the same way. But I hope you don’t mind me
saying, I’m surprised to hear that from you, considering you’re in a gang
yourself”
“But Pops isn’t like that!” exclaimed Ace “Pops is really great! He deserves
all the worship he gets! He takes in any orphan kids, he treats them like
family! To Pops, we’re all his kids! Pops makes sure to keep track of our
lives, our schoolwork and everything! He makes sure we’re fed, clothed, dressed
and Pops isn’t out to make profit for the sake of profit either with his
business! He protects local businesses, vulnerable areas of town and we have
really strict rules of what we’re allowed and not allowed to do! Like, during a
job, if the life of one of us is in danger, Pops would rather we blow the job
then get killed!”
Cora looked at Ace in awe, overwhelmed by the love the other clearly had for
his leader
“What you do is still illegal though” pointed out Cora
Ace smirked, shrugging his shoulders
“Maybe, maybe not, but I know we do help a lot of people! Why do you think that
no working girls have gone missing in Goa for years now?”
Cora honestly didn’t know what to say that to that –he had noticed that little
fact. It was odd for a city as big as Goa to not have girls go missing
“I have to go now, mister Trafalgar, but I hope you have a good night!” said
Ace as he started to walk away, clearly on a mission
 
Cora sat there a bit stunned, not sure what to think as he rolled up his
window. His whole life, he was told that the gangs were nothing but scum or
filled with lost children that were seeking a place to belong.
But he never thought of it somehow helping other people through their illegal
activities
Cora sighed, starting up the car once more as he drove to the station
He had a lot to think about tonight
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Next chapter will be Ace's and remember! There's special instructions
     to read at the beginning of next week's chapter! And it will still be
     going up at the usual time regardless of if it's Easter or not! It
     won't be late!
***** -ACE- The Full Moon's Out and the Stray Dog's Out To Play (NSFW! Yes, I
know, FINALLY) *****
Chapter Notes
     HAPPY EASTER! CHAPTER'S OUT EARLY BECAUSE I'M SO DAMN NERVOUS! oooh
     my god, I'm so nervous about this chapter! I really hope you guys
     like it! I worked really hard on it OTL
     That said - SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS!
     If you're not comfortable with naughty smut things, what I did is
     that I put a * at the beginning of it and another * at the end of it!
     So if you do ctrl+F and search for the *, you can skip right past it
     and carry on with the end of the chapter!
     So again! I hope you guys like this chapter!!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 “Where’s Justice?”
Ace looked around the now familiar living room and noticed that someone very
important was missing
Actually, now that he thought about it, he should have realized it when she
didn’t come greet him at the door
Also most of his boyfriend’s clothes were also missing, but he was use to the
other walking around in nothing but sweat pants. Another things that the two
had very much in common was an aversion to shirts
“She’s outside” started Smoker, coming out from the kitchen and handed a glass
of water to Ace and then sat down on the couch “Trick or Treaters irritate her
because of the constant doorbell ringing, so I put outside for the day while I
worked my shift, but she’s asleep and it’s nice out. So I decided to leave her
out there for now”
“Ooh, the poor thing, had I known, I could of stayed with her” offered Ace,
taking a sip of water but he was too nervous to really drink the offered glass
“You had your party” reminded Smoker, picking up a lit cigar from the coffee
table on a tray, putting it back in his mouth with the other one
“Clearly Justice is always invited to my parties!” argued Ace, smirking at the
other
“How was your party anyways? Surprised you left” asked Smoker, sucking softly
on the tips of the cigar and then removed it from his mouth, exhaling
Ace was unable to stop looking at Smoker’s mouth
Ace sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for water, but that didn’t change that he
was thirsty as hell
“It was really fun! My fire trick went off without a hitch! But see, the thing
is-“
Ace shifted, leaning against the armrest of the couch, arching his back,
slightly smirking as he turned to look at Smoker, knowing he was hamming it up
“I just really wanted to show you how good I looked in my costume~”
Smoker choked slightly, coughing a bit, his face a bit flushed
Jackpot!
“What costume? You just look like you’re prancing around half naked. How is
that any different than usual?” teased Smoker, trying to hide his smile behind
his cigars
Ace laughed, turning and allowing himself to slide in the seat besides Smoker,
leaning in onto the other, sitting back on his own legs
“Aww, here I was hoping you have a thing for animal ears and this cute tail~”
Smoker choked on his cigars again as Ace climbed into Smoker’s lap. He
straddled Smoker’s lap, wrapping his arms around the Captain’s neck.  Well,
tried, he had to remove the big paws first and threw them on the couch.
Smoker’s hands were instantly holding Ace’s hips steady
“I have to admit…it’s a rather good look on you” admitted Smoker, his cheeks
flushed even more
Ace purred softly, unable to stop smiling at how good Smoker was making him
feel about himself. He leaned in, nipping Smoker’s jawline softly
“How about you show me how much you like this look?”
“Can’t” grunted Smoker, one hand going up and snatching off Ace’s hat, throwing
it on the floor “Because I don’t think that’s why you’re here for and something
tells me those plans don’t involve your costume”
Ace grinned, big and wide
“You got that right, Captain-!”
 
“Do you want some time to get ready?” asked Smoker, voice calm and steady, but
Ace could feel Smoker’s hands betray that voice, roaming his chest, softly
massaging one of his nipples with his calloused thumbs, making Ace arch his
back slightly and moan
After making out for a while on the couch, they had somehow finally made their
way up the stairs and inside Smoker’s room. Ace had his back flush against the
other’s chest, their size difference much more apparent at this moment, turning
Ace on even more as Smoker nipped and sucked on Ace’s neck
Especially considering he couldfeel Smoker getting hard against his ass – even
with the fake tail on!
Ace shook his head, closing his eyes, and he grinding his ass against Smoker’s
bulge
“No need, I got all cleaned up before coming here. I didn’t want any delaysto
happen again”
Smoker grunted at the information, Ace feeling him getting even harder at the
information and purred softly, biting his lip and mentally noting that
apparently his enthusiasm was turning Smoker on considerably
“Then get on the bed” said Smoker, letting go of Ace
Usually Ace would be annoyed at being told what to do, but right now, it was
setting his blood on fire!
Taking advantage of the situation, Ace carefully sauntered towards the bed and
turned around, plopping himself down on it. But once on the bed, he locked eyes
with Smoker, slowly leaning back against the covers, holding himself up on his
elbows, slightly arching his back as he bent one knee, spreading his legs a
bit.
“Is this what you wanted~?”
Smoker’s answer was but a low growl in his throat as he stalked up to the bed,
making Ace whine softly, beyond excited. Smoker leaned over Ace and started to
undo Ace’s belt, quickly tugging off his pants
“Aww, I’m going to miss the tail” teased Ace as Smoker got his pants completely
off and threw them on the ground. Ace was glad he skipped out on socks tonight
and chose to wear his nice red boxer briefs!
“If you wanted a tail so bad, you should have gotten one that can be inserted”
replied Smoker as he loomed over Ace once more, his knees straddling Ace’s
waist as he leaned in to steal a deep kiss
Ace moaned softly in the kiss, nipping Smoker’s lips as he kissed the other
back and held on to Smoker’s muscular arms
“Hmm maybe for your birthday, I’ll get clip-on ears too! The only problem is if
that’s inserted, what tail is left for you to put in?”
Smoker groaned, breaking the kiss and rolling his eyes
“That was terrible”
“Hey hey! That wasn’t too bad! I’m a little on the spot here!” argued Ace,
pouting slightly
He thought he was doing pretty good!
“It’s time to shut you up, brat”
Ace smirked, as Smoker was leaning in to kiss him again
“Bring it, old man”
 
Ace’s head felt like a total mess. With Smoker’s hands all over his body, his
head was spinning as every nerve in his body felt awake and alive. Ace’s lips
felt swollen as they kept kissing heavily, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want
to stop. Ace felt so incredibly good
Ace ran his hands through Smoker’s hair, pulling Smoker in closer every time
they kissed. But soon enough, Smoker started kissing down Ace’s body, making
him groan. Ace tried very hard to keep his eyes open as he watched Smoker going
lower and lower, kissing and sucking down his abdomen.  But right before he
reached Ace’s underwear, Smoker lifted his head and leaned back up and gave Ace
a long lingering kiss that made Ace slightly dizzy
Smoker then loomed back over Ace, putting a hand besides Ace’s head and leaned
over to open his nightstand. Ace took the moment to try and catch his breath as
he watched Smoker riffle through the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube and
a box of condoms, throwing them on the bed
Ace was a little embarrassed that he felt rather relieved that they both looked
new
“Ace, before we continue, I’m going to ask you again: Are you sure?”
Ace blinked slowly at the question but then he smiled softly, overwhelmed with
how good Smoker is to him
“There’s honestly nothing more than I want right now” started Ace, but then he
smiled nervously, biting his lip, a little embarrassed “I’m nervous, but, I
trust you”
Smoker smiled gently and Ace could feel his entire body flush
Why does the man’s smile do that to him?!
“Swear you’ll talk to me? I need to know if I’m hurting you”
“I swear baby, but please” said Ace, leaning back and moaning softly as he
shifted on the sheets “Put your hands back on me, I’m dying here”
“Impatient brat!”
Ace groaned, even thought Smoker chided him; the other also quickly gave Ace
exactly what he wanted but honestly Ace was getting a little embarrassed at how
much being called brat was starting to turn him on!
 
“Oye!” yelped Ace as Smoker suddenly picked him up, throwing him over his
shoulder. Ace grabbed onto Smoker, confused
Now, he didn’t mind the great view he now had of Smoker’s ass, but what the
hell?!
“We’re not dirtying the comforter” muttered Smoker as Ace heard the rustling of
the sheets
“Are you seriously removing it?” asked Ace, bewildered, but it made him laugh a
bit – honestly, it was breaking the tension, which was making Ace feel a little
more relaxed
Also it gave him an opportunity to give Smoker’s ass cheek a good squeeze
Smoker grunted as he got squeezed, jumping a bit in surprise and then he threw
Ace back on the bed, shooting him a dirty look as Ace laughed brightly as he
landed on the bed sheets, the comforter now on the ground
Ace for a moment was afraid that Smoker was mad at him, but he was quickly
greeted with a smile as he felt Smoker’s hands on the edge of his boxer briefs
“You ready?”
*
Ace nodded and he felt the boxer briefs being removed, hissing as it went past
his now exposed cock, not appreciating the cold air in the room
Ace blushed brightly when he noticed how hard he was as Smoker completely
removed his boxer briefs and threw them aside
Taking a deep breath, Ace arched his back, shifting on the sheets, and a lazy
smirk on his face, throwing Smoker bedroom eyes. He threw his arms over his
head, stretching out his body to expose it even more
“Do you like what you see?” purred Ace
“Of course I do. Don’t pretend you don’t know how gorgeous you are” replied
Smoker, rolling his eyes
Ace’s body blushed brightly once more, thrown for a loop
“Oye oye oye! That’s not fair!”
Smoker laughed brightly, taking Ace by surprise as Smoker leaned in and started
kissing down Ace’s torso once again
Ace arched his back, wanting more contact with Smoker’s lips, moaning softly as
Smoker’s hands gripped Ace’s hips
A soft whine escaped Ace’s lips as he started pawing at Smoker’s sweatpants
“Not fair! I’m completely naked and you still have clothes on”
“Do something about it then” muttered Smoker, nipping Ace’s hip bone
Ace huffed, suddenly sitting up, and shoved Smoker’s shoulder’s slightly,
signaling that he wanted him to pull back slightly
“Sit up, on your knees” instructed Ace, Smoker quickly obeying as Ace crawled
on all four
Ace smirked, leaning forward and grabbed the edge of Smoker’s sweatpants with
his teeth and slowly started pulling them down, not breaking eye contact with
Smoker as he did so
Smoker moaned, staring at Ace surprised
“Didn’t you say that you’ve never done this before?”
Ace restrained his thrilled noises coming out of his mouth as he noticed that
the other man wasn’t wearing anything under the sweatpants
“What can I say, I’ve been studying” teased Ace with a smirk as he pulled the
sweatpants  the rest of the way down to Smoker’s knees with his hands – the
other kicking the rest of them off as Ace returned on his back, nestling his
head on the pillows
Ace sighed happily as he took in the sight in front of him. He licked his lips
softly as he really embraced finally being able to see Smoker in all of his
naked glory- and dear god, it was glorious!  The man was clearly very well
endowed. Smoker’s dick wasn’t only big, but it was rather thick, much like the
man, now that Ace thought about it. And right now it was hard and clearly ready
to go. Honestly Ace thought that maybe once he had finally seen the man’s size
that he would discouraged, but instead, it was turning him on even more
Never thought of himself as a size queen, but here he is
“Are you ready?” asked Smoker, clearly not very comfortable with all the
attention Ace was giving his dick
Ace grinned, nodding enthusiastically
“Yes sir!”
Smoker sat back on his legs as he grabbed the bottle of lube and started to
open it. Ace in return quickly unwrapped the plastic from the box of condoms,
opening the box to make sure it was ready when they would need it
“Enthusiastic, aren’t you?” noted Smoker as he poured some lube on his fingers
and rubbed his fingers together to warm it up a bit before he reached forward
and curled his hand around Ace’s dick, giving it a few firm jerks, making Ace
moan loudly
“C-Can you blame me? And honestly, isn’t an enthusiastic yes the best answer
for this kind of situation?” asked Ace as he let the jolts of pleasure wash
over him, trying to memorize the feel of Smoker’s hand on his dick for the next
time he was alone
Smoker merely grunted in response as he pulled his hand back and poured more
lube on his fingers
“I’m going to prep you now. So take a deep breath and try to relax as much as
possible”
Ace nodded and lay back on the bed and bent his legs. He spread his legs as
wide as he could; making sure that Smoker had the best access possible
Smoker shifted, grabbing a pillow besides Ace’s head
“Arch your back up”
Ace nodded, surprised at the request and arched his back and was confused when
suddenly Smoker put a pillow there
“It’ll be better for your back” explained Smoker. Then he grabbed one of Ace’s
leg and placed it on his hips. Ace brought up his other leg, placing in on
Smoker’s other hip
 
Smoker then nodded, reaching forward, under Ace and Ace reminded himself to
breathe as he awaited what was coming
Breathe in
Breathe out
Ace suddenly could feel the fingers around his entrance, making him inhale
sharply
“Breathe”
Ace then felt Smoker smearing some lube in soft circles before the tip of
Smoker’s finger gently and slowly entered him, making Ace gasp
Smoker made soft shushing noises as he massaged Ace’s thigh softly with his
thumb as he kept slowly pushing his index finger inside of Ace
“Are you doing okay?” asked Smoker in a soft, gentle voice
“Y-Yes” said Ace, which wasn’t a lie, he groaned loudly though, it was feeling
rather more invasive than good and he was starting to get worried
What if he didn’t enjoy sex?!
“It’ll get better, I swear. It’s just weird at first” promised Smoker as he
started to pump the finger slowly in an out, making Ace groaned softly, already
it was feeling better
Ace closed his eyes, rocking his hips gently with the movements of Smoker’s
finger, allowing himself to relax as Smoker kept pumping his index in and out
“Tell me when you’re ready for another” said Smoker as he watched Ace enjoying
himself
“Mmm, I’m ready”
Smoker nodded, slowly removing his index finger from Ace and grabbed the lube,
pouring a generous amount on the index as well as his middle finger now,
warming it up with his thumb. Soon enough, Smoker was inserting the two digits
inside, Ace arching his back as he tried to relax his muscles as the fingers
worked their way in
“A-Ah!” moaned Ace, once again, rocking against the fingers, this time a little
harder, knowing now that it felt good to do so
“Figured you wouldn’t be a passive bottom” noted Smoker, chuckling softly as he
started to pump his fingers in time with Ace’s hips
Ace chuckled in return and rocked even harder, almost as a challenge, relishing
the little control it was giving him
“M-More!” begged Ace after a while, knowing very what he really wants
And also he noticed how much precome was leaking from his own dick and he was
getting a little wary of not getting to the main event
Smoker grunted, removing his fingers slowly and quickly added more lube, now on
the ring finger and once again, slowly inserted them inside, pumping slowly
Even though Ace was enjoying it, and he quickly met the pace with his own hips,
he wanted more!
 
“S-Stop!”
Ace felt Smoker’s entire body freeze and he slowly pulled out the fingers
“Did I hurt you?” The expression in Smoker’s face was a mix of disappointment
and worry, which warmed Ace’s heart
“Nope-!” answered Ace happily, pulling Smoker into a deep kiss, distracting
Smoker before he grabbed him tightly and flipped them around, allowing Ace to
now be straddling Smoker
“I wanted to be on top!” proudly declared Ace, grinning “Now do you mind
putting those bad boys back in? I wasn’t quite done with them”
Smoker sighed in relief and then playfully gave Ace’s hip a gentle snap, making
Ace laugh
“I was worried”
“I’m sorry” admitted Ace as he moaned loudly, Smoker choosing that moment to
re-insert the three fingers in. Ace started to ride them as Smoker pumped the
digits in and out of Ace at the same pace
Ace closed his eyes, arching down to put his hands on Smoker’s chest, feeling
his abs and pectorals, feeling the thin hairs on the man’s chest, grinning to
himself as he kept rocking his body
Ace then gasped, as a different jolt of pleasure washed over him as he slammed
down on the fingers, taking his breath away for a moment
Was that his-?!
“L-Let’s get to the main event before I lose it, please!” begged Ace, his face
now fully flushed, he could feel himself leaking precome considerably now and
was really starting to worry that he wouldn’t make it
“Fine, but regardless, I’m enjoying the show” admitted Smoker teasingly as he
removed his fingers. Ace gasped, groaning as they left him again, lamenting
their loss a bit
“H-Hey now!”
“Glad to know you get off on being fingered” teased Smoker again as he sat back
and grabbed the lube again. He started to generously coat his hand with lube
and then Smoker moaned softly as he stroked his own dick, closing his eyes,
enjoying the feeling
Ace grinned as he took the lube himself and coated his own hand, soon joining
Smoker’s, helping him coat his hard cock
Ace couldn’t restrain the shiver of anticipation that ran up his spine –
especially when Smoker groaned in surprise, flushing himself as his eyes
snapped open
“You ready? Do you want to stay in this position?” asked Smoker, clearly
leaving the control to Ace, who greatly appreciated it
“Been wanting to ride your dick since the moment I laid eyes on you, Captain”
admitted Ace, taking a condom and opened the package, rolling it down on
Smoker’s dick
Ace put more lube on his hand and gave Smoker’s dick a few jerks, relishing the
feeling of having his hand on it
It was really such a great dick
And in a moment, it was going to be in him!
Damn he was gay
 
“Get to it, brat!” barked Smoker, making Ace chuckle, as he’s shaken out of his
thoughts, clearly he wasn’t the only one on edge
Ace nods as he lifts himself up a bit. Smoker placed his hands on Ace’s hips
and held him up as Ace leaned back, holding the hard member with one hand and
made sure that it was in line with his entrance and slowly started to sink down
on it, moaning loudly as he did so, his eyes wide
Ace had to remind himself to breathe, relax and remember that once he got past
the head, it would be much easier but he was so thankful for gravity doing it’s
job right now
Smoker leaned in and kissed Ace softly, making Ace whine. Smoker’s thumb on
Ace’s hip massaged him softly as Smoker kept kissing Ace, trying to distract
him from the pain
It wasn’t as bad as Ace had feared, but it was still a dull, stretching ache,
and it was a weird feeling to adjust to
Smoker then shifted one of his hands and started to stroke Ace’s dick slowly,
making Ace moan and arch his back slightly, relaxing the muscles as he sank
lower
Ace was never so thankful to have an experienced boyfriend who apparently knew
exactly what to do
Soon enough, Ace found himself fully seated in Smoker’s lap, feeling the soft
hairs from the base of Smoker’s dick against his skin as he breathed, feeling
the stretch and the burn settling. He now understood completely why people kept
describing it as ‘feeling full’ because he sure felt it right now!
Smoker though, kept peppering Ace’s face with kisses, making Ace relax
After a moment, Ace realized that Smoker had been kissing his freckles, one by
one as he kept rubbing his thumbs into Ace’s thighs, having abandoned Ace’s
dick for now
“We’re you’re ready, I’ll let you set the pace” stated Smoker in a low, gentle
voice, making Ace feel funny inside
Ace leaned in to kiss Smoker fully, appreciative
“I love you so much. You’re so good to me”
Smoker blushed brightly, clearly taken by surprise by the declaration
Ace knew it probably wasn’t the best time to say it, but he couldn’t help
himself!
But before Smoker could say anything in response, Ace slowly lifted himself a
bit up the shaft, and started to slowly ride, rocking his hips down, making
Smoker moan, closing his eyes
Ace leaned forward, pushing Smoker slightly back against the pillows and cupped
Smoker’s chest. He did swallow rocks, still trying to get used to the feeling
It felt so good! But it wasn’t that amazing jolt of pleasure he had gotten
earlier and he wanted that one again!
Smoker grunted slightly, tightening his grip on Ace’s hips and started to rock
up, meeting Ace with every thrust. Ace gasp in shock as he found the spot,
Smoker hitting it perfectly as the jolts of pleasure ran through his body again
Jackpot!
Ace sped up his pace, riding Smoker harder as he felt as if he would soon come
but it wasn’t enough!
He needed just a little more to go over!
“T-Touch me! Please!” begged Ace and he quickly felt Smoker’s hand around his
cock, pumping it in turn with his thrusts and soon enough, Ace came with one
final jerk of his hips, moaning loudly as he arched his back
Ace couldn’t help but think how good Smoker looked with Ace’s come all over his
chest, but Ace didn’t stop rocking his hips, feeling his body tighten against
Smoker’s cock and feeling Smoker’s pace starting to fall apart as both hands
returned on Ace’s hips. Smoker gripped him tightly and started to rock up
harder – Ace knew he’d have bruises shaped like hands in the morning but he
really didn’t care right now
With one last hard thrust, Ace felt Smoker come as well. He had wished that
they hadn’t used a condom for a moment, wanting to feel Smoker’s come in him,
but he knew that it wasn’t smart this early on
Oh well, maybe next time
Ace couldn’t help the grin on his face at the thought of a next time
But now he was exhausted
Ace whined softly as he felt Smoker move his hands to under his arms and slowly
lifted Ace off his now limp dick
Not that it was the most comfortable place to be now, but damnit, he had worked
hard to get there!
And now he felt rather empty
*
Smoker gently settled Ace down on the bed and softly brushed his bangs out of
his face as Ace curled up on Smoker’s chest, wanting skin contact with the
other
“Are you okay?”
Ace smiled gently, now feeling all bubbly and tingly in his post-orgasm bliss
“Yeaah, you felt so good in me” admitted Ace, bringing his hand up to touch
Smoker’s face, as if to make sure this wasn’t an elaborate dream
Smoker was quiet for a moment, as if he was studying Ace’s face as he leaned in
to kiss him softly
Ace moaned softly into the kiss, pulling Smoker in
“I want to do more”
Smoker sighed, a small smile on his face as he sat up and carefully rolled off
the condom off himself. Not wanting anything to spill and cause a mess
“Not tonight. You look completely exhausted. You had a long day, I’m going to
draw you a bath so that your muscles can relax otherwise it’s going to hurt
like a bitch in the morning”
Ace whined in response, making Smoker laugh softly as he turned, sitting on the
side of the bed and stood up. Ace blinked, but then he smirked
“Heh heh heh, I marked you”
Smoker frowned and then he looked down at his come covered chest and rolled his
eyes
“If anyone marked anyone here – it’s me, you should look at yourself”
Ace blinked and looked down and noticed that his body was filled with hickeys
and bite marks, surprising him
When did this all happen!?
“Holy-! You’re an animal!”
Smoker didn’t respond, only smirked as he walked out of the room and into the
adjoining bathroom. Moments later, Ace could hear the sound of the drain
turning on
Ace sighed happily, sinking into the sheets
Best Halloween ever!
But a second letter, he felt mortified as he remembered what he had said
I can’t believe I told him I loved him during sex! 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we go! We're going right back to the party now and once
     again, I hope you guys liked it! =^=/
***** -LAW- New Rule; Only I Can Give Us Nicknames (Worst What?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     First I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read the last
     chapter! I very appreciated the feedback and kudos! I was so
     nervous!!
     But now, we're back to Law and his ambitious plans and some new
     players enter the ring!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
When Law was told that Marco did tattoos, his mind expected some grungy, dirty
looking studio
Not this!
Law was in awe at the gorgeous studio in front of him. It had taken a while to
get here – apparently the tattoo studio was in a rather isolated wing of the
mansion. Once inside the space, Law could see that there also was an outside
entrance. Which makes sense; it would be completely absurd to expect total
strangers to go through the Whitebeard mansion for a tattoo appointment. But
since they were already in the house, Marco probably figured there was nothing
wrong with a big of a scenic route.
But Law couldn’t get over the studio. Counters made a marble, pungent smell of
disinfectant in the room, hazardous waste bin – the whole nine yards! There was
paintings that appeared to be from many different cultures of people being
tattooed hung on the walls in beautiful golden frames and Law wasn’t sure if
they were originals or not.
“Wow, this place is, it’s really gorgeous” admitted Law, in total awe
“Thank you, I worked hard to get it this way” said Marco, taking off the mask
and then removing the big black coat he was wearing and putting it on the
gorgeous blue leather couches that adorned the ‘waiting area’. In the middle
there was this low table filled with magazines and books on tattoos. The whole
place looked beyond legit, even with tvs hung on the ceiling, probably to
entertain the person getting tattooed.
Marco was wearing simple slacks now and grabbed the purple vest on the couch
and put it on, revealing the tattoo that Marco had on his own chest
“What does that mean?” asked Law, without thinking for a moment and then winced
He could hear Cora’s voice ringing in his ear, yelling at him that it was rude
to ask what someone’s tattoos meant out of the blue
Marco merely chuckled, not fazed at all by the question
“It’s Pop’s old emblem. It changed a bit over the years, this is the simpler
one, but later he wanted something more distinctive and grand, so we designed
the new one”
“So basically people who have that one –“
“Are older members of the gang, yeah? In general, some newbies want this one,
but they have to earn it” explained Marco as he grabbed a few binders “Take a
seat, here’s a collection of things I’ve already done. But I think you’re
coming to me with an idea”
Law nodded, sitting on the couch as Marco sat on the opposite end, putting down
the binders between them
“Do you want something to drink before we start?” offered Marco
Honestly, Marco being this nice and professional was kinda freaking him out
 “No, no! Just, what I want is a big project” started Law, taking the sketchpad
out of his lab coat’s inner pocket
“Like, in size or many?”
Law took a deep breath and opened up his sketch pad, showing to Marco the
designed he had done
To simplify things, Law had checked an outline of himself out and had drawn the
designs in their placements and did more detailed drawings of each individual
tattoo on the opposite page
Marco’s jaw dropped
“Wow, I, you’re going to be mine for a long time, Trafalgar”
“I figured, but, yeah” said Law nervously, rubbing the back of his neck
But then he saw Marco frown sharply, pointing to one in particular
Urgh, he knew it!
“This chest piece-!”
“It’s not what you think!” cut in Law, panicking slightly “It-It’s Cora’s
face!”
Marco looked at Law surprised, and then looked back down at the design, smiling
warmly
“Similar but different, I see it now. Wow, you love him that much”
Law blinked, slightly surprised at the tone in Marco’s voice. A part of him was
expecting for the other to mock him but he was hoping for this reaction
“I figured if anybody would understand, it would be you. Cora’s smile…means a
lot to me”
I love you!!
He was so glad Cora got his tooth fixed though
Marco chuckled, nodding slightly
“You got that right. So, you also want the designs these sizes as well? That
means you’ll be mostly covered in tattoos”
“That’s the idea” said Law, closing his eyes
“You’re trying to hide it, aren’t you?”
Law frowned sharply, glaring at Marco
“Where are you getting with that?”
Was his discoloration that obvious?!
“Relax. You’re the lone survivor of Amber Lead Syndrome. I know what that does
to skin pigmentation, that’s it, isn’t it?”
Law hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, not seeing the point in lying to
Marco
“Yeah, I also want to honor Cora and everything he’s done for me, so when this
design came to me, I just really wanted it” admitted Law
“Slight issue though, Rosinante has to sign off on you getting tattooed. Did
you plan on surprising him? Isn’t he going to ask about the design?”
“I’m going to ask him to trust me and just sign. Knowing Cora, he probably will
but he’d want to be present for the actual tattooing – he’s kinda of a mother
hen”
It was pretty embarrassing at times
“That’s fine. I insist on the legal guardians being present for tattoos for
minors anyways. Unless he’s one of ours”
Law raised a brow at that, slightly confused
“Why would that change anything?”
“Because when you join the Whitebeards, your guardian is me and Pops. Pops
legally, but you know. No matter what the law says, we’re responsible for you
now. Besides, most of our members are orphans or adults anyways, so it’s not an
issue”
“What about Ace?” asked Law, the curiosity getting the best of him because he
knew that Ace was a special case
Marco only groaned
“Let’s not talk about the hot mess it is to deal with Garp D. Monkey, shall we?
It’s bad enough that the old bastard won’t let Ace live here until he’s 18 for
no good reason aside from that he’s an ass”
Law snorted, knowing first-hand how it was to deal with Garp
“Ahh, you have a point”
“Do you want any colour in these?” asked Marco, going right back to talking
about the tattoos
Law shook his head
“No, solid black”
“You’re so mine for easily the next year, Trafalgar. What do you want to start
with?”
“I know, I know. Can we start with the chest piece or is it too big for a first
one?” Law sighed; he could see the dollar signs floating out of his wallet
“Usually I would decline, in case your pain tolerance is low. But I highly
doubt it with you. I have an opening next Saturday if you want to get started?
If you’ve got the stamina, we miiiight be able to do it in one go, but you’d be
mine for a good solid 6 hours”
Law grinned brightly, taking out his wallet
“Let’s do it!”
 
“There he is!”
Law couldn’t stop smiling ever since he rejoined the party; he was so excited
for next week!
Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were all hanging out together near one of the many
food tables, smiling as well
“So how did it go?!” asked Bepo excited as he skipped up to Law
“Well, I’m 125$ pourer from the deposit, but Marco has me booked for next
Saturday!” said Law proudly, grinning from ear to ear
“Oh that’s so cool! What are you going to get done?” asked Shachi
Law paused slightly, now a little embarrassed, but since he was going to get it
done, he might as well just admit it to his friends who are going to see it
Law pulled out his sketchpad again, showing the designs
“Um, I’m going to start with the chest one first and then go from there”
“Isn’t that Cora’s smile?” asked Penguin, pointing to the face
Law bit the inside of his cheek, nodding slowly as he blushed furiously
And then he looked at the trio shocked as they all burst out into giant smiles
“Oh my god, that’s so cool!” yelled out Shachi, pumping his fist
“Oh man! I want Cora’s face tattooed on me!”
The fuck, Penguin?!
“Isn’t it really great?! Cora’s gonna sob like a baby, he’s going to be so
touched by this, Law!” stated Bepo happily
Law blinked, surprised at his group but then laughed, not sure why he was
honestly
His friends loved Cora so much
He loved Cora so much
 
“Law? Is that you?”
Law turned; surprised that someone would recognize him when he didn’t recognize
the voice.
And to his surprise, there stood his online friend, Kid Eustass
Kid lived at the other end of the country, so he had no idea why he was here
now! Or what the fuck he was dressed as either – it looked like just a bunch of
ugly clothes on top of each other
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” asked Law, completely shocked at the
other’s presence
“Aren’t you happy to see me, asshole? I came all the way down here for a party
and I see your ass and this is how you treat me?” barked Kid, already getting
pissed
Law rolled his eyes, his happy buzz crushed
“Spit it out, why are you here?”
“I was invited and so was my gang. I’m not dumb enough to miss out on a
Whitebeard party. I think they’re scoping us out though. There’s talk about
alliances being made between the Emperors and some newer gang. But, not like
that matters to you or anything. Your weak baby ass is too straight and narrow
now to be in a gang. It’s kinda pathetic to think you used to be a Donquixote!”
Law usually wouldn’t let this kind of talk get to him – but there was just
something about Kid that rubbed him the wrong way and always set him off
But before he could say anything
“The hell you going on about?! Law’s in a gang!”
Law’s eyes widen as he stared at Shachi – what the fuck?!
“Yeah! He’s our leader, so you better shut up!” added Penguin, doing gang moves
or something, Law wasn’t sure
But damnit, they needed to stop!
“Yeah! We’re the…- Heart gang! Because if you piss us off, that’s what Law is
gonna carve out of you!” declared Bepo, going into a fighting stance
Law stayed mute for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders, not seeing the
point of fighting it now
“You heard them” said Law, gesturing to his group with this thumb
“Well well well, about time you got your head out of your ass, Trafalgar. Guess
you’re going to be joining the Worst Generation now”
“The what?” asked Law, first time hearing that name
“That would be all you young’ins, starting up gangs and starting up shit and
feuds even though you have no idea what the fuck you’re doing” explained Marco,
popping out of fucking nowhere!
Law jumped slightly, his face flushed
Had Marco overheard all that gang shit?!
“Hey man, I know what I’m doing!” snapped Kid at Marco, who didn’t looked too
impressed
“Uh sure, let’s talk about that factory you blew up in Miami, killing all those
people at the Marina” pointed out Marco
“Well maybe if the fucking dickhole hadn’t insulted me, I wouldn’t have had to
put a grenade in his pants, causing the whole building to blow!”
Law snorted, biting his lip
Okay, it sounded horrible what Kid had done, but he can’t say he was too
surprised
Kid had one hell of a temper, which is why Law had kept their friendship online
– he didn’t want Kid and Cora meeting
“You lost like, 5 gran of merchandise because you couldn’t keep your temper in
check, I’m not impressed”
Not going to lie, being ripped a new one by Marco is kinda really harsh, glad
he wasn’t on the end of that
“You want to start something, bird-brain?!” yelled Kid, grabbing the collar of
Marco’s shirt
 
Instantly the whole party went instantly quiet and Law heard the sound of
hundreds of guns being cocked, pointing in their direction
Law looked around in shock; every member of the Whitebeards had some sort of
weapon aimed at Kid right now while everyone else at the party just watched
quietly, holding their breath as they backed away from the shooting range
“You might want to rethink this decision” stated Marco calmly
Kid slowly let him go, but none of the Whitebeards lowered their weapons until
Marco lifted his hand, signaling them to go on ease
“I hope you and your men will see your own way out” said Marco again as Jozu
appeared behind Kid, glaring strongly at the other
Law watched quietly as Kid and a few others stormed out
 
“I hope you don’t mind me asking why you’re associated with him?” asked Marco,
accepting the drink that Izo had offered him as he walked by and then
integrated right back into the crowd of people as the party resumed
“Oh, we just, he’s an online acquaintance, we both like music and stuff” said
Law, still a little dazed from everything that just happened
He knew Marco was powerful, but holy shit
“Hmm, not an ally to your gang?” asked Marco, taking a sip of his drink
Law turned bright red
“See-! The thing is-“
What the fuck could he say?! That it was all a lie?! If that’s the case, Kid
would find out and come after him! But he didn’t want to lie to Marco either?
“It’s brand new!” said Bepo, attempting to help Law
“I see” said Marco, crossing his arms, but then he smiled “If you want an
alliance, feel free to come discuss it with us”
Law sighed
“I think we’re going to keep things super low-key for now”
“Oh, you mean like Luffy and his gang? They’re not really low-key though with
all the shit they’ve been starting”
Law looked at Marco shocked
“You know?!”
“Oh, we all do. Minus Ace, for now”
 
“TORAO!”
Law fell back slightly as he got an armful of Luffy, who hugged him tightly
“Speaking of the devil” said Marco as he walked away from the two, clearly
going back to enjoy the party
“You’re back! When did you get back?” asked Luffy
“A little while ago, I didn’t see you though” admitted Law – he had looked for
the other in the room, but had no luck
“We went exploring! Nami wanted to go look around to see if we can find
anything cool, but we totally got caught and lecture by this big guy!
Apparently a lot of the mansion is off limits! So we’re going to dance now!
C’mon Torao!”
Law nodded, but then turned his head and spotted Whitebeard looking right at
him through the big crowd of people, Marco by his side, clearly telling him
something
Law lost all the colour in his face
Marco had told him about the Heart Gang
He was now officially on Whitebeard’s radar
Son of a bitch!
 
“Oye! I have to ask you guys a question!” barked Law as Luffy followed, a
little put off that they weren’t partying
Sanji and Zoro looked up from their place on the couches, clearly had been
enjoying a quiet conversation together
It was weird to see them so civil
“What is it?”
“Whitebeard knows you guys are a gang! Did he ever try anything?”
Law couldn’t help the anxiety building up in his stomach – this was the worst
situation! Regardless of if Luffy was clinging to him or not
“Whitebeard knows?” asked Zoro, almost surprised at the information
“Marco told me that he knew about you guys” confirmed Law, looking around,
seeing if anyone was listening to them
“Well that’s shitty. Luffy, didn’t you say that Ace didn’t know?” asked Sanji,
switching his left leg over his right one, Law momentarily distracted by the
mile long legs Sanji had
“Ace doesn’t know! If he did, he’d kill me!” stressed Luffy, stealing a grape
from the plate that was besides Sanji. Sanji merely sighed and held up the
plate, allowing Luffy to help himself to the rest, which he gladly did
“Well Marco definitely knows and now he thinks I’m in a gang too, fuck”
muttered Law, running a hand through his hair – this was the last thing he
wanted!
“Why does Marco think you’re in a gang?” Zoro yawned loudly, stretching out his
neck as his arm stretched out and curled around Sanji’s shoulders. Sanji in
return looked at Zoro, not impressed with the move
“Because this bastard got me all riled up and the guys wanted to help me by
coming up with this big story that we were in a gang called the Heart gang and
Marco overheard” explained Law, sighing and taking a seat on the sectional
couch, Luffy quickly sitting beside him
Zoro and Sanji burst out laughing, pissing Law off
Both of them raised their glasses, toasting Law
“Welcome to the world of gangs!”
Law whined softly, rubbing his face
“We’re going to be allies, right? Since you’re my boyfriend and stuff?” asked
Luffy, a great big smile on his face
Cora was going to kill him!
 
 
 
This is basically what's in Law's sketchpad! Oda drew this though!
Chapter End Notes
     Only Law would accidentally wind up leading a brand new gang! We're
     going back to Cora next week!
***** -CORA- The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions and Bad Ideas (Wine
and Halloween Candy is An Acceptable Combo, Right?) *****
Chapter Notes
     Hello! Chapter up a little early today because after work I have a
     talk about the Battle of Vimy Ridge to go to and I didn't want you
     guys to get the chapter much later than usual!
     I hope you enjoy it!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Umm…Rosinante, why do you have a bag of candy?”
Cora frowned as he angrily munched on the candy from the bag. Tearing up one
wrapper after another, as he kept eating the gumballs, the Tootsie Rolls,
suckers and more. He knew that he should be politely offering to share with
everyone working tonight but for once in his life, he wanted to be selfish and
mean and keep all the candy to himself!
“I got this from some kids as a reward” stated Cora coldly as he kept eating
“O-Oh…are you…Are you okay?”
Was he okay?
No, no he wasn’t!
He had royally messed up with Buffalo and Baby 5
Law was going to go beat up a guy who idolized Do-freaking-ffy
Speaking of Doffy, the guy might be in the Warlord project, meaning he was
fucking protected by the government so what the hell was the point of him
trying to take Doffy down for all those fucking years?!
And what Ace had said had completely thrown him for a loop! What the hell was
with today?!
“No” said Cora, frowning at his computer screen as he kept filling out the
reports, but then he pushed the bag of candy on his desk slightly in Tashigi’s
direction – as a silent apology for his behavior
Tashigi giggled slightly
“It’s alright, Rosinante, you’re allowed to be upset too, you know”
Cora paused slightly and sighed
It had been a rather big shit show with everything going on; maybe he was
hitting his breaking point again
Cora also guiltily had restarted pretty much chain-smoking when Law wasn’t
around – he should probably nip that in the bud
Man, he was going to get drunk tonight for sure
 
“Hey, is that Trafalgar guy here tonight?”
Cora looked up from his desk and to his surprise - there was Hina!
She was wearing burgundy two piece suit with a white dress shirt and black
leather gloves, her heels clacking as she pushed her way past the reception
desk and walked right up to Cora, frowning as she folded her arms
“Smoker said you wanted info from me”
Cora looked at her completely stunned, not sure how to respond to such an
authoritative Hina in front of him
“Uh…yeah, but, you didn’t have to come in person, I’m sorry if I bothered you
in some way! Do you want …candy?” asked Cora, offering the bag to the woman –
god she looked pissed!
Hina glared at Cora for a moment and then reached down into the bag and grabbed
a sucker. She ripped the wrapper off and stuck it in her mouth
“Couldn’t tell you the info any other way, Trafalgar. It’s highly confidential”
“Do you need me to leave?” asked Tashigi in a small voice – Cora was thankful
that nobody was working in the front aside from them tonight
“Of course not, you can stay”
“Did you come straight from work?” asked Tashigi, looking over at Hina
Hina nodded
“Yeah, I was going to go over to Smoker’s place to share a beer and watch a
horror movie with him as per Halloween tradition, but the asshole wasn’t
picking up earlier and when he finally did, he told me that he had a guest over
so I couldn’t come over but he sounded in a really good mood. But then he
mentioned that Trafalgar needed info on the Warlord program. So basically the
bastard probably got laid tonight so here I am”
Cora blushed furiously at the information
That’s where Ace was going?!
No wonder he was in such a good mood!
“To think I got replaced by a stupid brat” said Hina with a huff, crossing her
arms
Tashigi merely chuckled, putting her hand on Hina’s arm
“Now, now, you said it yourself that Smoker’s in a much better mood since the
two of them started going out”
Hina snorted
“I suppose. Anyways, Trafalgar!”
Cora jumped, surprised to be addressed again
“Yes Ma’am!”
Even though his military rank didn’t really apply anymore, Cora couldn’t help
himself knowing very well that Hina’s a higher rank than he was
“I had to come give you the list in person, since it contains the name of a
minor. So it’s impossible to print the list, understood?”
Cora nodded
“Okay, so the current seven Warlords are; Sir Crocodile Zero, Jinbei Kaikyo,
Mihawk Dracule, Moriah Gekko, Kuma Bartholomew, Hancock Boa and Doflamingo
Donquixote”
Cora felt his throat sink in stomach as he heard the name coming from Hina’s
lips
“How could he?” his voice came out weak and shaking
Cora thought that he would feel rage, but instead, he just felt really hurt
How could Sengoku do this to him?
How could he decide, or even allow Doffy to be a Warlord?!
“Well, considering that Donquixote was offered Warlord after your mission went
array, I think it was for you”
Cora stared at Hina stunned
“What do you-?”
“A Warlord has very strict rules to allow them to keep their privileges. One of
them is that they cannot attack the World Government. As such, you are still a
member of it. Sengoku might have offered the position of Warlord to Donquixote
so that he doesn’t try to attack you again”
Cora mulled over Hina’s explanation. It did make sense – but why didn’t Sengoku
tell him any of this?!
“Who actually decides who becomes Warlord anyways?” asked Tashigi
“The Five Elder Stars have the final say. So Sengoku might have not had a
choice in the matter either” stated Hina
Cora sighed, that made more sense – but Sengoku still shouldn’t have hidden it
from him! But something else bothered him about the list
“How come they allow legal minors to be Warlords? Isn’t that pretty reckless?”
Cora didn’t want to think that they hadfreaking kids on staff
“It is, but they don’t care. If the Elders see potential, the offer is made,
regardless of age. Hell, they approached a 14 year old a few years ago, but he
declined”
Cora felt his blood run cold
“What?! What fourteen years old would be a gang leader?!”
 
Hina pause, crossing her arms and pursed her lips. Cora read her carefully,
wondering why suddenly she seemed uncomfortable divulging this information. She
sighed, sticking a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it up since the sucker
was now done
“Ace D. Portgas, leader of the Spade gang was approached about the offer nearly
four years ago”
“What?!”
Cora was in utter disbelief – Ace?!
“Yeah, the kid really got the Elder’s attention. I knew the brat’s name sounded
familiar when Smoker introduced him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until I
looked up the files again. It’s how he wound up on the radar for the World
Government” explained Hina, distress clear in her eyes as much as she tried to
hide it
Ace had screwed himself up!
Had he just lived a normal life, had he just went to school, got a part-time
job and all that jazz, had he not joined a gang – he could have slipped under
the radar for much longer
But Ace was too good at what he does
He drew attention to himself and that’s how he wound up on the radar
That’s probably how Whitebeard had gotten wind of him too though
Hmm
Speaking of-
“Do you think Whitebeard ever got offered a spot?”
Hina nodded
“Oh yeah, he did. But he said it would be a cold day in hell before he’s ever a
government dog, but this was when the program first started”
Cora frowned deeply, he really needed to confirm a few things with the
Whitebeards, but how could he get close enough?
As much as Whitebeard intimidated the shit out of him, he clearly cared deeply
about Ace
The biggest question Cora had though was; did the World Government already
suspect Ace of being Roger’s son when they offered him the position or was it
afterwards that they began to suspect it?
Because had Ace agreed to be a Warlord, they would have instantly have brought
him in and executed him – he was now under their jurisdiction so they had the
right!
But when did Ace join the Whitebeards? Was it soon after? Because that would of
made him untouchable!
Until now, which means they’re desperate and might wind up doing something
drastic to make sure Ace doesn’t make it to his birthday
Shit shit shit shit shit!
 
“Is he…okay? He looks like he’s having an aneurysm” asked Hina, pointing to
Cora, snapping him out of his thoughts
“That’s the face he makes when he’s figuring things out” explained Tashigi, as
nicely as she could
“Thank you…Hina…for the information. Urgh, but now it brought up more
questions” admitted Cora, sighing deeply
“Whatever you do though, don’t confront Sengoku about this!” warned Hina
“Huh?” Cora blinked, not sure how to handle what Hina just told him
“He’s been trying to make sure you wouldn’t find out! If you suddenly know, he
might suspect something, so shut up about it! I know you just want to go
confront Sengoku about this, and I don’t blame you! I’d be furiously pissed off
too! But don’t do it! You might compromise the whole mission just to satisfy
your curiosity!”
Hina was right
“You’re right. Thank you, for reminding me of that” said Cora, trying to keep
his voice leveled
But before he could say anything, a text message appeared on his phone
 
Law:
Is that offer for a ride still open?
 
“Oh! Ah! Law needs a ride home!”
Tashigi smiled softly
“Go home, Rosinante. You had a long night and I can cover until the Captain
comes in a few hours”
“A-Are you sure?” asked Cora, surprised
Tashigi nodded, smiling brightly
“Of course! Hina will keep me company!”
Cora smiled, relieved
 
“Um, hello, I’m here to pick up my sons? He’s at the party?”
The man in front of Cora at the gate of the Whitebeard estate was a rather
large man with an impressive black mustache. Cora was leaning out his window of
the car, waiting for the massive gate to open
But apparently first he needed permission
Fuuuucck
“Oh? Who’s your sons?”
“Bepo and Law Trafalgar”
Cora bit his lip – with the hundreds of people probably at this party, there
was no way in hell that this guy would know who they were. Maybe he should call
them and tell them to meet them out he-
“Oh! Wow, you’re much more attractive than your brother! Actually, I’d even say
you’re pretty cute! Like a shaggy puppy!”
Cora blinked, slowly, not sure he just heard what he did correctly
“Huh?!”
“You’re Doflamingo’s little brother, right? We got the full report on you a
while back”
Oh god
Cora groaned slightly, knowing he probably shouldn’t be surprised. But the man
in front of him stuck out his hand
“I’m Vista,  5th Division Commander! Pleasure to meet you!”
Cora gladly shook Vista’s hand, smiling
“I’m Rosinante! But you probably shouldn’t tell me what Division you’re in
considering I’m a cop”
Vista merely chuckled, taking his hand back
“What kind of people would we be if we were afraid of cops?”
Cora shrugged, the man had a point
 
Cora quickly drove up to the entrance, where Law and Bepo were waiting with
Shachi and Penguin and Luffy. Cora blinked, frowning slightly – Law looked
rather mad about something
“You’re coming with us and you’re going to tell Cora exactly what happened!”
Tell me what?!
Man he was glad he left his window down!
“Aww c’mon Law! I’m sure Cora won’t mind at all!” argued Penguin, but he looked
like he was panicking
“I’m not taking the fall for this!” snapped back Law
Yeah, he’s mad
“Hey guys!” Cora figured he might as well announce his presence because clearly
they were too caught up in their conversation
“Hey Cora… do you mind if Shachi and Penguin come over tonight?” Cora instantly
raised a brow, not sure how to handle such a polite request from Law
“Can I sleep over too?” asked Luffy, rocking on the ball of his heels
“Why?” replied Law, looking confused at Luffy
Oof, low blow for the boyfriend
“To discuss our new alliance, silly!”
“Alliance? What kind of alliance?” happily asked Cora, hoping he would get an
answer
 
Cora swears it all happened in slow motion
Shachi and Penguin lost all the colour in their faces
Bepo looked horrified at Luffy
Law looked like he was having a heart attack as Luffy happily answered him
“Oh! Law and me are going to make an alliance between our gangs, mister
Rosisisi!”
Suddenly everyone froze in horror as Cora saw nothing but red
 
Cora turned off the car, opened the door quietly as he got out of the car. He
grabbed Law by his collar, because now he was too big to be grabbed by his
head, and lifted him up, Law’s feet not touching the ground anymore as Law
tried to stay calm, but his eyes betraying him
“Explain to me why I did everything to get you out and you decided it was a
good idea to get back in?”
Cora can’t remember the last time he was this mad! What was with the children
and disappointing him tonight?!
“Put him down, Mister Rosisisi!” yelled Luffy, clearly mad
“It’s a big misunderstanding that lead me to be now the leader of a gang
consisting of me, Bepo, Shachi and Penguin!” blurted out Law
Cora blinked, instantly calming down as he put Law back on the ground, puffing
his cheeks and crossing his arms
“You had me worried!”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry, Cora! This is why I wanted to wait until we’re at
home to tell you about it” admitted Law, rubbing his neck slightly as he turned
to Luffy “Not tonight, okay?”
Luffy nodded and leaned into Law, who leaned in as well, the two sharing a
quick kiss
Cora huffed slightly, a childish part of him wanted to disturb the sweet
display since he was still rather ticked off at Law
But soon after, Law didn’t try his patience and all the boys climbed into the
car
 
“…and that’s why we’re apparently now a gang” finished Law, looking still
frustrated at the whole affair
Cora sighed, completely relieved
Even though it was the stupidest situation he had ever heard of
“Okay, so, number one, you are all forgiven because what the fuck. Two, please
don’t do anything illegal, I won’t be able to cover for you guys, but…why the
Heart Gang of all names?”
“Oh! I came up with it on the spot because of you!” admitted Bepo from the back
“Me?!”
“Yeah! Corazon! So we’re the Heart gang!” pitched in Penguin, with a huge smile
on his face
Cora could feel his own heart tightening up – he just wishes they hadn’t named
a gang after him, but it was so sweet of them!
“We even have a cool symbol! Law designed it! So we’re gonna make patches and
stuff to put on our stuff to look more legit!” declared Shachi
Law quickly whipped around and glared at the passengers in the back
“Since when was that decided?!”
“Oh, we talked about it when you and Luffy went off to go dancing!” explained
Penguin, sinking in his seat with the others
Cora had to snort at the mental image of Law dancing
Law sighed, clearly defeated, but then turned to look at Cora
“Hey, my tattoo appointment is this coming Saturday. I know you’re probably
kinda pissed at me now, but Marco said that he’d be more at ease if the legal
guardian was present. Do you think it’ll be okay?”
Cora blinked – he had forgotten about the whole tattoo thing!
Actually, maybe he could get two birds with one stone here
“Of course Law! I’ll be glad to come!” said Cora happily, ruffling up Law’s
hair at the same time, letting Law know that he isn’t mad at him anymore
Time to get over his anxiety to meet the fabled Newgate Edward
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it!
     After the next chapter, we're moving on from Halloween and also going
     to start going down that slope! (whatever that means~)
***** -ACE- Time To Do The Victory March! (Because There’s No Shame Here,
Baby!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Alright! Last chapter of the Halloween party! Time for some talking
     and some learning!
     EDIT: Aww shit! Thank you Ryuichi for pointing out this typo I made!!
     I just corrected it!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
The hot water was doing wonders for Ace’s muscles
Every muscle ached, but the warm water was slowly easing the soreness
Minus of course, the one to Ace’s pride
He couldn’t believe it
It had been nearly an hour now and he was still completely mortified
A moment later, Smoker entered the bathroom, holding a plate with a sandwich on
it and a bottle of water as Justice burst into the bathroom, trotting up to Ace
happily
Ace blinked, looking at the other confused as he petted Justice
“Knowing you, I figured you fasted before you got here. You have to be hungry”
Ace, still a deep deep red, nodded, unable to look at Smoker in the eyes right
now
“You were gone a while” pointed out Ace, almost muttering as he looked at the
water
Smoker grunted, his cigars back in his mouth, wearing nothing more than a light
grey bathrobe that was barely tied
“I had to change the sheets and then I brought Justice inside. Then my damn
phone rang and I got an earful out of Hina and then I made you this”
Ace nodded, taking the sandwich and bottle of water and put it down besides the
tub – the last thing he needed was to pass out in the tub
“What’s wrong?”
Ace looked at Smoker surprised – was it that obvious?!
“I can tell what someone’s feeling but I’m no good at knowing why, so spit it
out!”
Ace bit his lip, pulling his knees in close
“Join me?”
Smoker grunted in response, taking off his bathrobe, letting it fall to the
ground
“Scoot forward, I’ll get in behind you”
Ace nodded, doing just as he ordered as Smoker slid into the tub behind him,
putting his cigars in an ashtray on top of the toilet besides the tub. It was a
tight fit, but thankfully Smoker had the tub for it, but the water spilled over
onto the floor
Ace sighed happily as he leaned into Smoker’s chest. A little embarrassed at
how right Sabo had been about him being sentimental
Well, a little bit more embarrassed than he already way
“Out with it, brat”
“I…I’m just embarrassed at what I said during sex” admitted Ace, playing with
the water in front of him with his fingers
“I’m used to your shitty jokes by now, it’s not something to be embarrassed
about” replied Smoker as he wrapped his arms around Ace’s waist and pulled him
in a little closer. Ace shivered slightly as he felt Smoker take a deep
breathe, inhaling the smell of his hair
“N-Not that!” snapped Ace, getting pissed as he turned his head around to look
at Smoker “I told you I loved you!”
Smoker stared at Ace for a moment, taking one of the cigars off the ashtray and
inhaled. He then lifted a brow
“And? It’s not like it’s the first you’ve told me you loved me”
Ace could now only see red
“Maybe you have me mistaken for someone else?!”
Smoker blinked, surprised at Ace’s outburst
“Why are you mad?”
“I’m mortified that I said it for the first time during sex and you’re making
fucking jokes!”
“I’m not making jokes and I have proof. Once we get out of this tub, I’ll show
you. It’s on my phone. For now, how about we just relax? You have nothing to be
embarrassed about anyways. It was surprising, but it was…nice to hear” admitted
Smoker, his cheeks a little flushed as he picked up the plate with the sandwich
and offered it to Ace again
Ace smiled a bit but huffed his cheeks, now a little calmer as he took the
offered place with one hand, and took the sandwich in the other, taking one
huge bite
Man he was hungry!
 
Ace yawned loudly. He smacked his lips as he groggily opened his eyes, looking
around
Wasn’t he in the tub last time he remembered?
Ace looked down at himself, and from what he could tell and feel, he was in
Smoker’s bed. But he thinks he’s wearing a big t-shirt and his boxers? He
really wasn’t sure
But one thing for sure, he was curled up to Smoker, his head resting on the
other man’s chest with Justice rolled into a ball at their feet. Smoker’s arm
was around him, pulling him in tightly. Ace smiled softly – guess he fell
asleep in the tub. He was exhausted though, but by the look of outside, it was
still nighttime
Smoker shifted slightly and opened his eyes, looking right at Ace
“Morning. You slept like the dead so I figured you needed it and put you to
bed”
Ace blushed slightly, closing his eyes as he nuzzled Smoker’s chest
“Hmm, I was tired. The warm water was so nice too”
“How do you feel? Does anywhere hurt?” asked Smoker, clearly avoiding looking
at all of Ace’s new bruises and hickeys
How did he feel?
Ace felt stiff and sore, like he had done a really good workout but honestly,
his ass was hurting most of all. It felt like something large got shoved in
there, stretching it out and well…that’s exactly what happened
Huh
“Sore” admitted Ace, smiling
Smoker frowned slightly and leaned in, kissing Ace’s cheek
“I’m sorry”
“No! Don’t apologize to me! It’s so worth it for how amazing you made feel!”
Smoker blushed furiously at Ace’s confession
“Was I okay?” Ace didn’t know if his pride could handle it if he had sucked –
but he can’t learn to get better otherwise, right?
“Again, I ask, was this really your first time?”
Ace blushed slightly, grinning proudly
“Heh heh, I just wish I would have been able to suck you off though” mumbled
Ace, pouting slightly
Smoker frowned sharply, not impressed at Ace
“What is your obsession with my dick?!”
“It’s a very nice dick” admitted Ace, patting the spot on the bed covers where
Smoker’s crotch laid underneath “I like to put lovely things in my mouth, you
see”
“You’re ridiculous” said Smoker, rolling his eyes and taking his phone off his
bedside table, quickly typing in the password. Now Ace could see that it was 4:
30am. Meaning that Smoker was probably about to get ready for work
“I think someone had proof to show me!” said Ace, nuzzling Smoker’s chest again
Smoker snorted, still playing on his pone as he pulled up a video file,
starting it
Oh no, he was in the carrot onesie!
“W-Wait! Was that when I was sick?!”
“Yep”
“Chhaaaasssee!” Ace turned bright red, he sounded so stuffed up in the video
“Chaaasssse guess whaaat”
“What” replied Smoker off camera; apparently he was trying to keep himself from
laughing as he took the video
“I love yoooou!”
“What?”
Oh dear god no
“I love you! I love you so much! You make me feel so happy and safe! I’m so so
in love with you Chase! I know I’m a dumb kid, but you make me feel so special
and wanted-“
“I know you were sick” started Smoker, looking a bit to the side as he stopped
the video “And I didn’t mean to record all that, you just kept singing songs
and I thought you were about to start another one. I wasn’t expecting that. But
I thought you remembered and didn’t want to bring it up, so I didn’t push”
“I-I…I had no idea I said all that” Could the ground just goddamn open up and
swallow him whole right now please?!
“Ace…I’m not…the type to say it but, I hope you understand that I feel the same
way”
Ace could feel the butterflies going nuts in his stomach as he lunged forward
and kissed Smoker deeply – morning breath be damned!
“I do, I do! I love you too!” replied Ace, smiling brightly
Smoker smiled softly, gently pushing Ace’s bangs back with his hand
“I have to go get ready for work now. Do you want me to give you a ride
anywhere?”
Ace shook his head
“Naw, I have a breakfast date with Sabo and Koala this morning. So I’m just
gonna walk over to Koala’s apartment, it’s not far from here, remember?”
Ace didn’t actually have plans with them – but he didn’t want to make Smoker
feel like he was kicking him out either and he had planned on seeing Sabo this
morning
Smoker lifted a brow as he shifted out of the embrace he was in, throwing the
blankets back
“You don’t have anything to change into though? I checked your bag when you
fell asleep to change you but didn’t find a change of clothes. Hence why you’re
wearing one of my old t-shirts”
Ace anxiety spiked instantly – did he leave anything he didn’t want Smoker
finding in his bag?!
Well, minus the enema kit, he couldn’t think of anything – he had left his
gloves at home
“Ahh, it’s okay! I’ll just walk over to Koala’s in my costume, it’s no big
deal. And like you said – it’s not that different than from I usually wear”
teased Ace, purring slightly as he lounged on the bed, watching Smoker get
dressed into his police uniform
“If you’re sure” replied Smoker, trying not to blush with the obvious eyes on
him
“Can I come over this week?” asked Ace, hopeful as he laid his head on Justice,
surprising her awake
“You know when I’m home” started Smoker, finishing buttoning up his shirt, but
then he turned around, pointing at Ace “But don’t think we’re going to be
having sex all the time. I’m tired after work!”
Ace blinked, surprised, then laughed
“Oooh, the old man has no stamina! How about I just fuck myself in front of you
and when you catch your breath, you can join me?”
Smoker rolled his eyes, grabbing a pillow off the bed and threw it at Ace,
making him laugh harder
 
After many long lingering kisses, Smoker left to go to work and Ace promised to
lock up after the other. It didn’t take long for Ace to get redressed in his
costume, now packing away the giant paws though and the t-shirt he had stolen
from Smoker as well
He was sure that Smoker wouldn’t miss it
Ace grinned brightly when he noticed the small note on the table with a key on
top
Did Smoker give him a key?
Ace couldn’t stop the warm feeling in his chest as he picked up the key and the
note that confirmed such. Now Ace didn’t have to worry about keeping the door
unlocked!
But it also meant he could come over whenever he wanted now too!
 
Ace winced as he kept walking through the streets. He hadn’t expected the pain
to be so prominent in his backside or well – his ass
Maybe he should have accepted that ride after all…
Suddenly a loud whistle distracted him from his thoughts and suddenly hooting
and hollering began soon after. Ace blinked, and then laughed brightly when he
noticed it was Koala and Sabo doing it. The two were sitting on the steps of
Koala’s apartment building, coffee cups in hand, while wearing big sweaters and
pj pants
“Look who’s heeerrre! Didn’t think you’d be part of the parade this morning!”
said Koala, laughing brightly
“Aww, Ace finally met someone he trusted enough to tear his ass in two” teased
Sabo, making Ace groan loudly
“Parade?” asked Ace, not even willing to acknowledge Sabo’s comment – Sabo
didn’t need to know that it’s what it felt like right now
“Yep! Every November 1rst, Sabo and I like to sit on the steps and watch the
parade of people walking by with half their costumes on and try to figure out
what the costume originally was!”
Ace playfully gasped
“You’re not shaming people, are you, Koala? Not you two!”
“Absolutely not! I have nothing but joy for people coming back from a fun
night!” stated Koala, pouting at Ace’s insinuation
 
Suddenly the building door open and Hack walked out, holding a Plusheen donut
pillow and Ace groaned again as Koala and Sabo howled in laughter
“You dicks got me an ass pillow?!”
“Technically, it’s acoccyx pillow” corrected Sabo as Ace came up to them and
gladly took the pillow from Hack
He wasn’t sure his ass could take straight up concrete right now
“We figured you could use it!” said Koala, grinning
“How did you know I was coming?” asked Ace, surprised as he sat down besides
Koala, wincing
It still hurt, but at least it felt better than right on the steps
“C’mon Ace! In what universe would you have one of the biggest nights in your
life and not come tell me about it right away?” asked Sabo as Ace leaned over
and snatched away Sabo’s coffee mug and started to drink it
“That’s a good point!”
“But we figured you’d stay a little longer with him” admitted Koala, frowning
“Did he kick you out?! I’ll go kick his ass right now!”
Ace’s chest felt all nice and warm, he had such good friends
Or it was Sabo’s coffee
Probably both
“Naw, he had to work. He always starts at 6am on Saturdays” explained Ace,
sighing as he drank more of Sabo’s coffee
“You know his schedule?” asked Sabo, raising a brow as he tried to take back
his mug, but Ace wasn’t having it
“It doesn’t really change much and we have been dating a while”
“Hmm, how useful is that though? Knowing the Chief of Police’s schedule” mused
Koala, smirking slightly “Man, the things I could do with that”
Ace whined
That sounded so shady!
“If I was using him, totally” admitted Ace, frowning “But I’m not!”
“Not saying you are, but you have to admit, it’s good information to know for
your Whitebeard activities. You knew he wasn’t on duty last night! That’s some
solid information to have” pointed out Koala
“But I also know that if anything were to happen, that he would instantly go on
duty! He did it last time with that Donquixote gang girl!” Ace loathed this
line of questioning!
“Speaking of that – what the hell is with her replacement at school? Mr.Ceasar?
He’s so weird!” said Sabo
Good old Sabo, changing the topic before Ace got pissed
“Watch he’s an associate of Doflamingo as well” pointed out Ace, chuckling
Sabo and Koala were both silent
Wait
Really?!
“You’re shitting me?!” asked Ace, shocked
Koala merely stood up
“Shall we go inside?”
 
Ace walked into Hack and Koala’s apartment as Sabo closed the door behind him.
The Revolutionary Army was ingenious and had bought a series of apartment
buildings in the same area so that they could all be living together. It also
assured that no sensitive information got out as well.
Since Koala and Hack worked together as a team – they shared an apartment. Next
year, Sabo was going to move-in as well because his parents forbid it while he
was in high school. But honestly Ace wasn’t sure if he was moving into this
unit – or the one with Dragon
It was a really nice two-bedroom apartment and honestly, Ace kinda wished he
lived here too
Well, minus all the aquariums around the apartment. Hack and Koala had a thing
for fish
“So, mister Ceasar is an associate of Donquixote?!” asked Ace, still reeling
from the information
“So you told him?” asked Hack from the kitchen, clearly cooking up a storm for
breakfast
Guess Ace was gonna get that brunch after all!
“No, not yet. We’re about to” explained Sabo, sighing as he plopped down on the
couch
Ace frowned as he took his donut pillow and laid it down on one of the seats
before he sat down. Koala sighed, sitting down as well
“We had a big staff meeting last night”
“I thought you were also getting laid!” said Ace, shocked
“That still happened” said Hack from the kitchen, making Ace snort
“Well…meeting first. Anyways, a few things were discussed. One; the identity of
Clown Ceasar-“
“What kind of awful parent names their kid ‘Clown’?!”
“Anyways” continued Sabo, clearly annoyed with the sidebar “Clown Ceasar is
actually a rather well known scientist – for being deranged. He breached ethics
many many times hence why he was removed from Vegapunk’s team years ago as well
as kicked out of every scientific community possible. Last news, he was working
on this powerful drug that messes with your genetic abilities. But he’s mostly
known for his creation of very potent toxic gasses”
Ace couldn’t believe what he was hearing
“You mean – he’s actually-?! But what does that have to do with Donquixote?”
“Well, we believe he’s with Donquixote, as in, working under him. We don’t
believe he’s an actual official associate, but as long as he’s on Donquixote’s
payroll, the World Government can’t touch him if he’s found out” continued
Koala, sighing
“Huh? Why not? He’s doing illegal shit? What does Doflamingo have to do with
it?” asked Ace, confused
“Ace, he’s a Warlord! Didn’t you know?” asked Sabo, surprised
“Huh? He is? Why does he want to be a government dog?”
“Because it means that the Government can’t touch you if you do illegal things;
it’s the trade-off” explained Koala
Ace huffed
“That’s total bullshit. Had I agreed, I know they would have arrested me on the
spot” said Ace, frowning
“Had you agreed? Ace, were you asked to be a Warlord?!” asked Sabo, completely
shocked
“Yeah, but like, years ago. When I still leader of the Spade’s – did I never
tell you this?”
That was the probably with Sabo being gone from his life for so long – there’s
so much that wasn’t told
“Holy…That’s kinda wild, Ace” admitted Sabo, chuckling
“Enough about that though, but what the hell is Clown doing at our school
then?”
“We think he’s still working on that drug of his under the cover of the
school’s chemistry teacher. But we think Doflamingo is using him to also keep
an eye on Law” explained Koala
“Huh, well that’s shit”
Poor Law, guy can’t even catch a break
“Also…Ace…We got summoned to do a really big job overseas” said Sabo, frowning
as he looked down
“Oh? That’s cool though! Why are you bummed out about it?” Ace frowned as well,
a bad feeling in his chest
“Well…we’ll leave a week before Christmas vacation and won’t be back until next
year”
Oh no
“You’ll miss my birthday?” asked Ace, hating how sad his voice sounded
“I’m going to try really hard to come back on the 1rst!” declared Sabo,
determined
“But it all depends on how the mission goes” finished Koala “But we’ll try.
Sabo really wants to be there since...”
“It’s your first birthday since we reunited” said Sabo, smiling sadly
Ace forced himself to smile brightly
“Just do your best, okay Sabo but don’t be reckless! I’d rather you come back
late than not at all!”
Ace just wished he could get rid of that sinking feeling in his chest
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Onward! We've reached November in this fic finally! I'm so excited!
     Things are heating up!
     Also fun fact for me, my birthday is this Thursday! Thank you so much
     everyone for reading this fic! It makes me so happy that it makes you
     all happy! (well, I hope anyways!)
***** -LAW- Sting of A Thousand Bees (Or You Know, Getting Ink-Quisitioned!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     This was a tricky chapter to write, straight up being honest about
     it. I've thought long and hard, wondering how the hell to bring this
     into the picture and I think I found a way that's somewhat realistic?
     Well I tried!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 “Wow, good thing you don’t really have any hair on your chest”
Law glared at Bepo through the mirror in the bathroom. The other was sitting on
the counter, watching Law as he shaved himself, getting ready for the tattoo
Granted, Bepo was a rather hairy guy, especially for a teenager, so he probably
had a point, but Law didn’t want to be reminded of how hairy he wasn’t
His dad had been rather hairy, now that he thought about it – maybe this was a
side effect of
the disease? Because he can feel hair on his chest, but it’s so pale and
translucent
Law growled, shaking his head, enough of this! He had to keep shaving his
chest!
“What do you want for your birthday, anyways? It’s coming up” said Law,
nonchalantly, not wanting to continue with the previous topic
“I don’t really want stuff” admitted Bepo, slowly rocking in place “I just want
a nice fun night with the gang! Maybe go bowling or something! I want memories
before things”
Law nodded, it made perfect sense to him. Bepo, for as long as he knew him,
wasn’t materialistic at all. Law always wondered that if that was a personal
thing, or a side effect of having lost his entire family so quickly
“Alright, that can probably be arranged. Cora has been wanting to plan
something but he didn’t want to straight-up ask. So he’s been nagging to
discreetly ask you” admitted Law, making Bepo laugh
“You can bring Luffy if you want!” added Bepo, grinning
“Naw, let’s just keep it just us”
Bepo frowned slightly, raising a brow
“You know, outside of school, you and Luffy don’t seem to see each other much.
And when you do, your dates are never that long either” pointed out Bepo
Law sighed deeply
“It’s because Luffy’s usually with his group of friends on weekends. It’s hard
to date someone when he brings his entire entourage and lately, he’s been
rather busy. I’m suspecting Strawhatactivity”
“He doesn’t tell you?” asked Bepo, surprised
“If I learned anything about Luffy, it’s that if you don’t ask him about
things, he doesn’t talk about it. He’s an open book, but you have to open it
yourself. It’s a pain” Law didn’t mean to be gripping about Luffy, but he was
super nervous about this tattoo and it was distracting him to bitch, so why
not?
“It’s still really weird to think that a guy like Luffy is in a gang, honestly”
“Honestly, I think it’s more like Luffy does what he wants, laws be damned”
admitted Law, making Bepo laugh again
“Speaking of – apparently Miss Robin and Franky have been seen with the rest of
the Strawhats”
Law paused his shaving, turning to look at Bepo – this was surprising!
“Seriously? They don’t seem the type to be join in that kind of stuff”
“You think so? They’re both kinda really weird, I think they fit in really well
with them” pointed out Bepo
Law shrugged, he had a point
“Speaking of weird people though, have you heard anything about Brook? He
hasn’t been in school in a while, so practice keeps getting cancelled. When I
asked Zoro though, he said that Luffy was on it – which clearly can’t be good”
explained Law, hoping Bepo had some information
Bepo wasn’t an informant in any way, but people tend to forget he was there
when they talked, so he overheard a lot
“Well, he’s another one that we don’t really know much about before he got to
our sc-“
Suddenly Cora burst into the room, shoving a bunch of folders into his
messenger bag. He was dressed rather sharply in a dress shirt and a tie. Law
raised a brow – he was just coming as a guardian, why the dress up?
“Are you guys ready?”
Law nodded, shooting Bepo a look, clearly indicating that they’ll talk about
this later
 
“Did you bring work or stuff, Cora?”
Law sighed, relieved that Bepo was asking Cora. Cora had seemed nervous, his
knees slightly shaking and his hands as well as he drove them to the mansion.
Something was clearly on the other’s mind, and it was driving Law nuts!
“Ahh -! Yeah, I figured that since Law would be in that chair for quite a while
that I would take advantage of being in the mansion to have a bit of a talk
with Newgate Edward”
Total silence overcame the car as a thick tension took over
Both Law and Bepo looked at Cora horrified as Cora hunched slightly, trying to
make himself seem smaller
“Are you mad?!” roared Law, horrified
What?!
What the hell was Cora thinking?!
Is he insane?!
Whitebeard  hated the Donquixotes with a passion! What if simply being related
to Doflamingo was enough to send Whitebeard into a flying rage?!
“Are you using my appointment for your own gains?!” screamed Law
“Pretty much, yeah” admitted Cora sheepishly
“Nobody can get near Whitebeard without Marco’s approuval though, Cora!”
pointed out Bepo from the back seat, still in shock
“Oh I know. Hence why I already got it” stated Cora, grinning brightly as he
fished out his cellphone from his pocket, showing the two the text
And there it was – permission from Marco, all written out in a text
“Where the hell did you get Marco’s number from?” asked Law, completely shocked
“Izo gave it to me”
“How are you friends with Izo?” Bepo couldn’t hide the wonder from his voice
with his question
Cora sighed loudly
“That one time at the restaurant. Guys, don’t worry. It’s fine!”
“You’re the one shaking, Cora” pointed out Bepo, making Cora whine loudly
“I’m nervous, okay! This is the Whitebeard I’m going to be talking with! What
if he doesn’t like me?!”
“It explains this present and bottle of booze. I thought it was a weird thing
to give to Marco” said Bepo, looking at said items besides him in the backseat
“Yeah! It’s a really expensive brew too! I heard he had a rather refined pallet
so I had to pull a few strings to ask what his favourite drink was!”
Law frowned sharply – what kind of strings did Cora have to pull to know that
kind of information?
Cora simply smiled at Law, as if he read his mind
“Bellemere is friends with his daughter”
“What are you guys going to talk about?” asked Law, satisfied with Cora’s
answer, but filing the information away for later
“Ah, I have a few things to confirm with him. It’s a bit of stuff here and
there, so I’ll explain all of it to you guys once I get my answers” answered
Cora happily as he ruffled Law’s hair
 
Once they got to the massive gate, they were quickly buzzed in. This time
though, a Whitebeard that Law didn’t know directed them to a small parking lot
off the side with an entrance. With the sign, ‘Phoenix Tattoos’ shining
brightly, Law could only assume that this was the door from outside that led to
the studio.
All three walked in and Law blinked, the overwhelming smell of antiseptics hit
him at once. Clearly Marco had sterilized the whole room but suddenly his
family’s faces popped into his mind
Mom
Dad
Lami
Suddenly he thought of his family’s hospital
The smell of the musty medical books
The smell of the coffee always brewing for the staff
Lami’s laugh as she ran through the halls, looking for him
His father’s warm hand on his shoulder, pulling him in to show him something
new
His mother’s encouraging words and advice as he asked questions
Then he remembered the fire and the -
“LAW”
Law’s head snapped towards the sound, looking at Cora surprised
The other was looking at him worryingly
Shit!
“Are you okay? You were just standing there! Do you want to go home? We can
cancel?”
Law groaned, shaking his head
“No…sorry, I didn’t…I didn’t mean to zone out”
“Is he okay?”
Law looked up at the new voice, Marco coming up towards him, holding a
clipboard
Law nodded, taking the clipboard, looking at the waiver as Marco talked
“So basically, I need you to read over this, fill it out. Then your guardian
needs to also sign it. I did a template of your design in different sizes and
we’re gonna check what you like best and then get started. I hope you already
shaved like I asked”
Law took the pen on the clipboard and started to fill out the information and
then frowned sharply
“I think you gave me the wrong form”
“Why?” asked Marco, his face didn’t seem unfazed at all
“It’s asking me if I’m pregnant”
“I make it a policy to not assume things. Everyone gets asked the same things”
Law blinked, surprised at the answer but then felt like such an ass for even
having asked
“Good point. But there’s the slight issue that I’ve never had sex”
Law made a point to ignore Cora choking on his spit at the comment as he held
out the finished waiver for Marco take back, who merely handed it to Cora. Cora
quickly signed it off
“Maybe you’re carrying our next Lord and Savior, bendito hijo de Dios” teased
Marco, grinning as he took back the clipboard
Blessed child of God my ass
“Bambino maledetto is more like it” mumbled Law; it would be a total curse more
than anything
Marco laughed brightly, gesturing Law towards the studio area
 
Law shivered slightly as Marco started cleaning off his chest, the liquid was
so cold! His t-shirt had already been discarded. Law watched carefully as Marco
lifted the size that Law had picked and carefully placed the imprint on him.
Moments later, after Marco had completely molested his chest pressing down on
the transfer paper on every inch of skin – it was removed, showing a copy of
what his tattoo will look like when it’s done
“So what do you think?” asked Marco as Bepo watched silently from his chair in
back of the studio
“It…I...This feels right” admitted Law, seeing the design on his chest, it made
him feel like this was exactly what he was supposed to look like
Marco grinned
“Exactly what I want to hear! Now get in the chair”
Law watched as Marco prepared the ink and the tattoo machine – honestly he was
really in awe at what point Marco was being so meticulous and sterile about it
all
Hell, he was even wearing gloves!
“You’re ready?”
Law silently nodded as Bepo craned his neck slightly, trying to get a better
view
And Law heard the machine come to life
And HOLY SHIT
It wasn’t painful per say
Well, it was, but it wasn’t?!
It was weird!
But soon enough, his body adjusted to the pain and settled, making it more
tolerable
Honestly, the sound of the machine was annoying him more than anything
Shooting a look towards the waiting area, he could see Cora looking over
discreetly at Law, worryingly
Law sighed, not surprised that Cora would be worried about him, so he smiled,
to reassure the other
Cora visibly relaxed, comforting Law as well
“What’s it like?” asked Bepo, breaking the silence
“Like getting tons of small scratches” said Marco, pausing for a moment,
surprising Law as he looked towards the door heading upstairs, almost waiting
on something
 
“Hey! He’s ready!”
Law blinked, surprised to see Ace bursting into the tattoo studio
What the fuck is that shirt?! It looked like he skinned a giraffe!
“Ace?! Ace is the escort?” blurted out Cora, shocked
“Is he a bad choice?” asked Marco calmly, but a smirk was evident on his face
Cora smiled brightly, still surprised
“No! He’s excellent! I just didn’t think that you would-“
Marco lifted his free hand, signaling for Cora to stop talking
“Get going, Pops doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Ace, mind turning on the
music?”
Law watched quietly as Ace jogged up to them, taking a small remote and turned
on a sound system, playing music quietly. Ace then went up to Cora and the two
of them walked out of the room using the door they had used at the party –
indicating that they were going back into the mansion
“Any idea what they’re going to talk about?” asked Law, eyes narrowing
Marco snorted as he kept tattooing
“Of course I do. Otherwise none of this would have been arranged”
“Is Cora in any danger” asked Law bluntly
“No. Pops has nothing against him, well, nothing too bad anyways” admitted
Marco, shrugging
“Hey, what the hell could he possibly have against Cora?!” asked Bepo from his
place, shocked
“He betrayed family. Pops doesn’t fault him because that family is Doflamingo,
but still. Loyalty is the iron clad rule around these parts. Family is
everything” explained Marco as he kept tattooing
“What about you? What brought you here?” asked Law
Marco lifted a brow, looking up at Law’s face
“Awfully chatty today, aren’t you?”
“Maybe Cora’s not the only one gathering info” admitted Law, making Marco
chuckle
“Pretty useless information then, I have to say. I was an orphan from a small
Mexican village and Pops came across me and decided to take me in because he
felt bad for me”
Law knew that Marco was purposely skimming, but he didn’t want to pry more than
necessary for now
“Did he legally adopt you? Are you legally Marco Edward?”
“Yep. I’m also the executor of his Will if anything happens too”
Law blinked, surprised to hear that
“Cora said that Whitebeard had a daughter? Is she adopted too?”
“Yep, Eleanor. And no, Pops’ was married a long time ago”
“How come she’s not in charge of the Will?” asked Law, a little surprised
Marco sighed, smiling sheepishly
“Pops is a great man, but he can be rather old fashioned at times. He didn’t
want to put his daughter in any danger of the sorts. And honestly, Eleanor
likes running her bar just fine” explained Marco
“Is that why there’s no female members of the Whitebeards? Are any of them his
biological sons?”
Law felt Marco pause his movements at the question for a brief moment and then
continue tattooing
“Yeah, he wanted just men. Also I think he was a bit afraid of what can
possibly happen to a few women in a large group of men. I’d like to think that
none of us would do such a thing, but you never know” then Marco sighed again
“And yes, he has a biological son. But they’re not on good terms, so he’s a
non-issue and I’d rather not talk about him, if you don’t mind”
Law nodded, getting the hint and fell in a comfortable silence as Marco kept
tattooing his chest
 
A couple of hours passed in silence and suddenly Cora came back down into the
room, grinning from ear to ear
“Hello! We’ve been invited to dinner! Bepo! Do you want to come?”
Bepo hopped off his chair, excited. The other had fallen a while ago, but the
prospect of a meal was a good way to wake him up!
But then he paused, looking back at Law
“Oh…but Law”
“No man, go eat” insisted Law “Bring me something back would you?”
There was something he wanted to discuss alone with Marco for a while now, and
this might be the perfect chance to do so
“Don’t worry; two plates will be brought down to us. Rosinante? I assume Thatch
asked you about dietary restrictions for everyone?”
Cora nodded, smiling
“Oh yeah!”
Law bristled slightly – how come Marco was calling him Rosinante?!
Seconds later, Thatch came down the stairs, holding a serving tray with two
plates, utensils and drinks. Law blinked, surprised at how well done the meals
looked – then again, Thatch was in charge of the cooking club
“Mr.Cora told us about your gluten intolerance so don’t worry, you have none at
all! I hope you like your meal though!” said Thatch, setting the plates down on
the counter “Be sure to take breaks, Marco!”
Mr.Cora?!
Marco in return, growled and flipped off Thatch, making Law laugh
Which caused Marco to yell at him for moving
 
Soon enough, they were alone. Law continued to watch Marco work in silence with
the soft music playing in the back
“So, what did you actually want to ask me?”
Law stiffened up, surprised as Marco laughed
“Oh c’mon, it was written all over your face”
Law coughed, clearly his throat
“YOI! Don’t cough when I’m tattooing! Stop moving!” chided Marco for probably
the millionth time already
“Sorry, sorry. I was just, is there any way to avoid the mess that’s coming?”
Marco snorted as he kept looking at his work, carefully filling in every line
“No. A war is coming. We’ve known for a while that it was coming, but for us,
it’s a calculated risk. But if you want out, you’ll need to leave the city”
Law frowned sharply – a calculated risk? They knew this shit storm was coming?
Law has had a bad feeling for a while, but he didn’t realize a war was coming!
“I can’t leave. You see, I’ve been trying to dig up info on something for a
while now. But I keep getting dead-ends, but all the dead-ends lead to Goa”
admitted Law
This is something he’s been trying to find info on every since the day he wound
up waking up in the hospital
But nobody ever had answers for him
Just legends, tales, stories, but never proof!
“What do you know about the wonder drug Akumanomi?”
Marco paused, lifting his machine off Law and turning it off, looking at the
other, shocked
“How do you know about that?”
“It’s what cured me. I know it is. There is no cure for the White Lead disease!
My father spent his whole life researching it and suddenly Cora found the one
vial of a cure ever? No. It had to have been an Akumanomi! Apparently they had
been able to make one that was extremely potent at curing diseased or dying
cells but it went missing. And suddenly I’m better?”
Law had been keeping his research a secret, but he needed to know!
It was impossible for any normal drug to have cured him so fast! So well! All
the doctors were in awe of his recovery, unable to explain it
Marco snorted, restarting his tattooing
“You’re probably right. It does amazing things, doesn’t it?”
Law blinked, surprised at the tone
Wait!
“You too?”
Marco nodded
“Why do you think they call me ‘The Phoenix’? I was injected as a child, it
made me hard to hurt, I don’t get sick or infections and I heal very quickly
which of course, terrified people. You can imagine how that went down in a
small village. Ace himself was somehow exposed to it, which is why he has an
extremely high tolerance to heat. Those gloves of his? Would roast anybody
else’s hands. But you are very smart to have asked me about them Law” admitted
Marco
“The Whitebeards are trying to collect them, aren’t you? They keep disappearing
where you guys appear” pointed out Law
“Yes, we’re looking for them. But our intention is merely to keep them out of
government hands. See, the individual drugs can’t be reproduced. For some
reason, the plant used to make the Akumanomi never grows the same way twice.
And not only that, it never reacts the same way with the same person. Depending
on your DNA, it’ll react differently. And the same plant is only able to make
just enough of the drug for one person. Too little, it will have no effect. Too
much, as in, if you take a second dose? It kills you. We don’t trust the
government with it”
Law was trying to figure out how any of this made sense
He knew there was no limit to medical knowledge and there was no limit to what
could be discovered or created. But a drug that enhance physical and mental
limitations would be incredible but it didn’t sound like they could test it.
And no testing, means no FDA approval. So it would probably never be used for
mass usage – but rather individually!
“You don’t think they’re going to try and weaponize it?”
“Considering the government killed Pop’s wife over a vial of it? Yeah, we do.
Thankfully they weren’t able to get their hands on it. His son had unknowingly
ingested it a few days prior”
Law was surprised to hear that – they had killed someone over it?!
“So, you guys have a stockpile of it or something?”
Marco shook his head slightly as he kept filling up Law’s tattoo
“Nope. Since they’re always secretly smuggled around, we don’t want to risk it.
So if you find some, the rule is to quickly ingest it or administer it straight
to your bloodstream via injection and hope for the best”
Law paused for a moment
“That means that an incredible amount of people in this city have ingested this
drug!”
“You got it. Welcome to the city of freaks, Law. One of us, one of us~”
“Is there many left?” asked Law
“The government keeps trying to make them. And we keep stealing them. Better to
do so than let shit like kids accidentally get their hands on it. Which had
already happened a few times in this town, by the way. Not all gangs are as
careful as we learned to be”
“This was a group effort?” asked Law, surprised to hear that
“Yep. All started with Roger. That’s why the government hated him so much – he
was pulling the rug from under them” explained Marco, smiling to himself
Wait what?!
Why were they working together?!
“I thought Whitebeard and Roger hated each other?!”
“Don’t believe everything you hear, Law. Might get you in trouble one day. Also
stop fucking moving! I’m trying to finish up here!”
“Sorry!” said Law, trying his hardest not to move
Law frowned deeply
This went far deeper than he ever thought it would
Fuck
Chapter End Notes
     AND VOILA! The Devil Fruits have formally been introduced into this
     AU! They won't play a maaaajjooor part, but they're still rather
     important. But you'll all see! Also! For those scratching your heads,
     I just smashed up the Japanese name of the Devil Fruits (Akuma no Mi)
     together to make the name!
***** -CORAZON- Fatherly Bonding in the Best Way (Please Don't Let Him Kill
Me!!) *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm very glad that you all seem to like my idea for the devil fruits!
     But today we're going to see Cora's side of the story!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Wine in the morning was an awful idea
Wine in the morning was an awful idea
Wine in the morning was an awful idea
 
 Cora groaned, having to remind himself for the hundredth time that morning
that he is going to be driving so he can’t drink
He usually wasn’t much of a day drinker at all, but he was so nervous about
meeting Whitebeard that it was making him a total mess!
Cora had barely slept all night since he asked Marco to set it up, organizing
all the folders of data that he’s collected over the last few months since he’s
really thrown himself into this investigation and he also needed to know
exactly what Whitebeard planned on doing if ever Doflamingo didactually show up
And he really needed to know so many things about Ace, he needed to figure out
what the Whitebeards will do to keep him safe
Frankly though, he had such mix feelings about the whole thing, he was a cop!
He shouldn’t be meeting a gang boss at all for information exchange!!
But, he knew that Whitebeard probably had information that there was no way in
hell the cops could ever get their hands on – and right now, there was too much
on the line for him to play the ethics card
This was beyond ethics! Lives were on the line and he’d be damned if innocent
people die because some moral high road bullshit!
So he had sucked it up! Last night he went to go to Eleanor’s bar, got the name
of her father’s favourite booze, went to go get it a fine distillery to get it,
got an extra present and prepared files to show to Whitebeard
He could do this! He even wore a suit! How could he be nervous when he’s in
power clothes?
“Are you guys ready to go?”
It was time!
 
Bepo and Law had taken the news that he was meeting Whitebeard rather well?
Well, as well-ish as possible, honestly
Cora was rather surprised at how nice Marco’s tattoo studio looked. He was
honestly expecting something looking uh….questionable. But this looked like a
highly respectable shop! Cora had no intention of getting a tattoo, but he
couldn’t help but grab the albums and flip through them, looking at all of
Marco’s works
He couldn’t help but note that the gang tattoos weren’t present in the binder
But he did do some really gorgeous works! Wait, wasn’t that Nojiko? Cora had to
chuckle softly, that meant that Bellemere had been here too. But then again,
she was good friends with Whitebeard’s daughter, so it’s not like Bellemere
would have that many issues coming here
It doesn’t mean that she had met Whitebeard though
Cora huffed, puffing his cheeks. It wasn’t fair that Bepo got to see the tattoo
being done and he only got to sign off on it! It was bullshit! Bullshit! He
wanted to see it too!
He did feel relieved when Law gave him the signal that he was fine, but he
still couldn’t help but pout, feeling excluded
 
Cora didn’t have time to really pout for long before Ace burst into the studio
At this point, Cora should be used to Ace’s ugly clothes considering how often
he sees him at the police station, but honestly, Law had no business telling
him that his clothing was ugly when Ace dressed like this!
But what really shocked him – was that Ace was the escort!
“Ace?! Ace is the escort?”
“Is he a bad choice?” Cora snorted, with Marco’s tone, it was definitely on
purpose, he didn’t think that Marco would let him disclose in front of Ace!
Cora smiled brightly, still surprised
“No! He’s excellent! I just didn’t think that you would-“
 “Get going, Pops doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Ace, mind turning on the
music?”
Ace quickly went to do as he was asked and then came back, grinning brightly at
Cora
“Follow me?”
Ace then stuck out his arm, offering it to Cora, grinning still
Cora laughed, taking and arm and walking out of the studio with Ace, taking the
same door that Ace had come from
They quickly emerged into a large room after following Ace through a series of
corridors. Ace led him through the room as Cora looked around, trying to
collect as much data as possible.  Clearly the home was well lived in. No
matter where they went, they crossed path with people. The house was clearly
filled with people and they all greeted Ace happily or teased him for having a
‘date’. Overall, everyone seemed really comfortable with Ace and seemed to care
for him
It was reassuring Cora
Soon enough, he went up the stairs and was led down another long series of
corridors
“Do you have a room here?”
Ace blinked, looking at Cora surprised, but then shook his head, sighing
“No, well, sorta. Basically there’s a room that’s going to be mine, but I’m not
allowed to move-in until I turn 18, so soon!”
Cora frowned slightly
“You’re going to be moving in, in January? That’s a weird time of the year to
move”
“Yeah, I know. But you know Gramps! He’s such an ass about this! He won’t let
me move in while I’m still his charge! Which is so dumb! He’s never around to
take care of me, Pops takes care of me! I can’t wait until he adopts me in
January”
Cora smiled sadly at Ace, not sure what to say
He loved Sengoku will all of his heart, but he knew what it was like to have an
absent guardian. But Cora also had the luxury to be orphaned by circumstances.
He had known his parents; he had a chance to know how much his parents loved
him. Ace never had that. His father dead before he was born, his mother dying
in childbirth. Dadan clearly cared for the boy; but seemed to have an odd way
to show it to her wards. Cora wish he knew more details about that but it’s
clear why Ace would be attracted to a household where people all seemed to care
about him
Cora’s heart was breaking
Soon enough, they were in front of giant doors and Ace happily opened, smiling
brightly
“Pops! I got ‘em!”
Here we go!
 
Cora quietly followed Ace inside the giant office. The first thing he noticed
was the massive desk and Cora swallowed hard – that’s right, Whitebeard was
known to be a massive man. Now Cora was tall, and so was Doflamingo, but
Whitebeard was known to be massive all around
Actually now Cora felt like a total dunce not making the connection between him
and the Captain
But in back of the office there was a series of couches in the back set up
around a large coffee table but in front of the table – there was a hug
armchair. On the chair was seated one Newgate Edward
“Ace, boy, take a seat! Rosinante Donquixote. I have to say, I was surprised to
hear that you wanted to have a meeting with me”
Cora felt a chill go up his spine as he laughed nervously at the name. Ace
quickly plopped down on the couch closest to Whitebeard, smiling, proud of his
place
It was hard to miss the affection Ace had for Whitebeard with him all smiling
at the other man
“He goes by Rosinante Trafalgar now, Pops!” corrected Ace “Wants nothing to do
with Doflamingo”
Cora stared at Ace, shocked, for openly correcting Whitebeard as he went to the
couch across from the chair. He quickly put the bottle and the present bag on
the table
“A-Ah I brought you this! I spoke with Eleanor and she said it was your
favourite! And I brought small cakes as well!”
Whitebeard looked at the gifts and burst out laughing, smiling big and wide
“GURARARARARARA! You’re a smart man! Not many people would have the galls to go
ask my daughter! Ace! Go get us some glasses from the cabinet! And let’s open
it up!”
“A-Ah! I’d rather not since I have to drive my kids back” said Cora nervously,
not wanting to turn down the offer, but he wanted to be polite
Whitebeard nodded, turning towards Ace who was at the cabinet with the bottle?!
Cora blinked – when did Ace steal it?!
“Sparkling water fine?”
“U-Uh yeah?”
Ace nodded, coming back with three glasses, apparently having brought one for
himself
Cora graciously took one of the glass of water and Ace sat back down
“So you wanted to discuss something with me?”
Cora blinked, hadn’t Marco told him? Or was Whitebeard messing with him?
“Ah yes, see, well-“ Cora groaned, no more playing, it wasn’t working “I need
information and I figured that if I showed you my cards, you might be more
willing to divulge”
Whitebeard paused, and then laughed again
“Smart man. If you had tried to lie to me, your ass would be out that door so
fast your head would spin for days. So what do you have?”
“I know Ace is Roger’s son. So I know that the World Government is also trying
to find out if he’s Roger’s son”
Ace dropped his glass, looking at Cora horrified as the glass loudly crashed
against the floor but before Ace could say anything, Whitebeard grunted
“Boy.”
“Yes Pops” was Ace’s immediate reply, staying quiet as he leaned over and
picked up the pieces
“Don’t worry though. I figured it myself, but that was because I was privy to a
considerable amount of information when I was an agent of the World Government.
I became a little obsessed with the subject because the idea of being vilified
because of who your parents are…kinda really hit me close to home. So I read up
all I could on the topic and well, pieces were put together quickly once I
started working on the force. I’m the one who told the Captain. But I swear – I
only told him!”
Ace listened quietly, clearly not sure what to say as he put the broken pieces
of glass on the table. Whitebeard nodded, a stern look on his face
“So why did you feel the need to divulge this to me?”
Cora swallowed hard – this was it
“Did you know when you went after Ace to recruit him? Did you know he was
Roger’s son?”
The colour completely drained from Ace’s face as he turned to look at
Whitebeard, waiting for the answer
Cora couldn’t tell if he was horrified or scared at the answer
“The last conversation I had with Roger, he told me that he was going to be a
father. Honestly I was shocked at the news considering the man’s age, but I’ve
seen stranger things happen. I also knew how crazy he was about Rouge. The two
hadn’t been together for long, having only met through another member of his
gang. But the two really did love each other a lot. But Roger died, and I
didn’t even think about the child”
Whitebeard then paused, smiling fondly at Ace
“About fifteen years later, this wild kid shows up on the scene, being offered
Warlord, while leading his own gang when he’s the younger member by a long
shot. And when I see a picture of him – he’s the splitting image of Rouge and
Roger, but I had no way of knowing. But I’m also not enough of a fool to pass
up the chance to grab this kid either. I was legitimately impressed with Ace’s
capacities and I wanted him in my gang regardless. I recruited him for his
strength and abilities, not his heritage”
“Wait…you suspected I was Roger’s son from the beginning and you still took me
in?”
Cora’s heart broke at how small and vulnerable Ace’s voice sounded at the
question
Whitebeard smiled fondly at Ace
“The sins of the father are not the sins of the child. I told you this when you
disclosed to me, and I still stand by it. You’re my son, I don’t care who sired
you. And besides, as I’ve also told you before, you’re nothing like that old
fool”
Whitebeard put his hand on Ace’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, smiling
fondly. Ace was radiating as he smiled back, nodding
“So, it goes without saying that you know that Ace is in danger? I’m not sure
the government suspects it’s Ace, or they think it’s just one of the kids in
town. But I do have a theory that they offered him Warlord because they
suspected him of being Roger’s son. If he was under the government’s
possession, they could arrest and persecute him quietly. But when he turned it
down and joined your gang, he was instantly protected. At first I thought that
there was World Government agents all over town because they’re looking for the
kid – but now I think because they’re looking for an opening to get Ace”
Ace looked at Cora with a mix of anger and horror
“Wait…the reason you offered me a ride the other night-“
“Don’t misunderstand me! I was offering you a ride because you’re someone I
know and it was night-time! I was being polite! But also, yeah, I don’t want
you alone because I’m afraid they know it’s you. If I connected the dots,
others might have too”
Like Sengoku
“A war is brewing, there’s no avoiding it” said Whitebeard “But I will keep my
sons safe and I’m going to try to handle this as quietly as possible. I do
expect you to keep the information I just told you quiet”
Cora knew that this wasn’t a suggestion
“I’m going to disclose this information to my sons only. I trust them and I
swore to not keep anything from them” admitted Cora
“I’ll accept that. I really need this information, for Ace’s sake as well, to
be kept quiet from anyone else. I haven’t even told my own sons about this
minus Marco. A few of them have very foul grudges against Roger and I don’t
want Ace to feel the consequence of that. But that runt of yours better keep it
from the rest of his gang”
“Speaking of” started Cora, taking a deep breath “I want to formally request
that you keep the Heart gang out of this. I couldn’t bear it if anything
happened to Law or Bepo or their friends”
Whitebeard nodded, smiling
“I’ll honor that request – from one father to another. I understand the desire
to keep your children safe. But know this – if they chose to involve
themselves, it’s not my duty to get them to leave”
Cora nodded, that was fair, and stuck out his hand which was graciously
accepted by Whitebeard who shook his hand back
“Also, do not divulge this with your cohorts at the police station”
“But-“
“I’m assuming that you don’t want to tell them how you spent the afternoon with
a major gang leader”
“Ahh…good point”
Cora frowned; keeping this from the Captain was going to be hard
“If you’re concerned about that son of mine, don’t be. If he wants to know
anything, he can just ask me himself”said Whitebeard, smirking smugly, knowing
the possibility was low as hell
Ace groaned softly, looking discouraged as his shoulders sagged
“Pops…”
Cora couldn’t stop help himself from laughing with Whitebeard at Ace’s open
discouragement
“Pops! Sorry to bother your meeting, but dinner is almost ready!”
Cora blinked, surprised to see the kid with the pompadour come in
Whitebeard looked up and nodded
“Thank you,Thatch!” and then Whitebeard  turned to Cora “Rosinante! Will you be
joining us for dinner? Your sons as well? I’m aware that the runt is getting
tattooed by Marco, so we’ll bring their meals down”
“Oh…okay!” Cora wasn’t dumb enough to refuse a meal at this point
“Is there any dietary restrictions?” asked Thatch, grinning brightly
“A-Ah…Law, Law can’t handle gluten” said Cora, it was more complicated than
that – especially considering the real wreck his disease had done to his
system, but it was the easiest way to explain it
“Perfect! Should be done in about 10 minutes! Feel free to start making your
way!”
 
Cora climbed up the stairs with Bepo in tow and made their way to the dining
room. It wasn’t hard to find it considering the hoard of people heading in that
direction
Cora and Bepo were completely stunned when they walked in
It looked like a mess hall – long tables set up in rows with a master table at
the end of the room. There was tables set up against the walls on either side
of the main tables with the food and by the looks of it, it worked very much
like a buffet – you grabbed what you wanted and sat down to eat
Whitebeard was already seated at the master table with Eleanor, who apparently
was visiting and there was two empty seats besides them – which Cora was
assuming was for them
“Hello Cora-san! I see you’re joining us for dinner”
Cora blinked, surprised to see Izo there, plate in hand – it was very different
to see him with his hair loosely tied and wearing no makeup
“Ah! Hello Izo!” replied Cora
Then Thatch popped up behind Izo, grinning brightly, holding two well stocked
plates, he lifted one plate for it to be clearly in Cora’s view
“Hello mister Cora! I hope you’ll find something you’ll like in tonight’s
selection! Will this be good for Law?”
Cora nodded, smiling
“It’s perfect. He’ll eat all of that”
“Excellent! Save me a seat, Izo?” asked Thatch, almost hopefully, Izo in
returned comically rolled his eyes
“I always save you a seat, don’t be dumb”
Thatch merely grinned in response, chuckling softly as he left to deliver the
meals
“You two shall be sitting at the head table with Pops” instructed Izo, with a
smile
“Is there always this many people?” asked Cora, surprised at how quickly the
room was filling up
“This isn’t even everybody. Each division has at least 100 men, which brings
the total to 1617 men total for the whole gang. But Pops only has us all
together when it’s very important, otherwise it would be a foolish thing to do,
don’t you think?” explained Izo
Cora nodded, completely agreeing with Izo – they would be sitting ducks if they
were all here at once! But Cora frowned as he saw these young ladies sit down
at the main table, besides Whitebeard
“Who are they?! I thought there was no female members?!”
Izo shook his head
“They’re in charge our medics. The medical team is made of only women, aside
from the few who are trained field surgeons that each division has at least
one. They have their own housing in the back but they take shifts staying by
Pop’s side. He is an old man”
Cora was stumped by the information – he had no idea that there were women in
the gang! These women were able to never be suspected of being Whitebeards
since nobody knew about them!
“I feel like everything I’ve known is wrong”
Izo snorted at Cora’s comment
“Oh Cora-san, you have no idea”
 
Cora went to his seat with a nervous Bepo, their plates full
“Ah! Whitebeard, this one of my sons, Bepo”
“You can call me Newgate now, relax. It’s a pleasure to meet you, boy” said
Whitebeard as he shook Bepo’s hand, the other in awe
“N-Nice to meet you, sir!”
The two of them sat down, Cora besides Eleanor and Bepo besides him
“We also need to discuss a change of name, Rosinante” said Whitebeard,
surprising Cora
“Huh?”
“If I need to discuss something with you, it needs to be subtle. I’m thinking
it would be simple if they just called you Corazon. Anyone who knows what it
means will think they’re merely mocking you, while you’ll know better”
“Oh! That would work! Great idea!”
“Also, if that brother of yours decides to come anywhere near my sons – I will
squash his head like a grape personally. I will personally kill anyone who
hurts my sons”
Cora grimaced at the mental picture and took his glass, lifting it up
“I’ll toast to that”
“Speaking of toasts” said Eleanor, standing up with her glass in hand, holding
it up – the whole room growing quiet
“Speeaaach!” screamed one member of the Whitebeards, making everyone laugh, but
Eleanor gestured to them to quiet down
“I would like to toast my stubborn as a bull brother! Heard he’s been making
you walk funny repeatedly since Halloween, Ace!”
Everyone burst into a loud, roaring laughter as Ace clearly turned bright red
and tried to hide his face with one hand, his other hand clearly in the air,
flipping off Eleanor
“Aww! Be nice Ace! We’re happy for you!”
Even though Cora first choked on his drink, he couldn’t help but laugh along
with everyone else
 
Cora was laughing as he went down the stairs with Bepo, back to the tattoo
studio
Now they were on more relaxed grounds with Whitebeard, it wound up being a
rather pleasant meal. Whitebeard and Cora wound up boasting and bragging about
their son’s accomplishments all throughout the dinner, making Eleanor gag at
both of them. It wasn’t often that Cora could talk from one father to another
so openly considering the circumstances that both Bepo and Law lived through,
so it was nice!
“Law! Hey, are you almost done?” asked Bepo, jogging up to Law who was
finishing up his meal with one hand while Marco was wiping down the tattoo’s
excess ink
“He’s done” said Marco, pulling back, letting Bepo see the whole thing
“It looks amazing!” declared Bepo, making Cora huff his cheeks out again, angry
that he couldn’t see
“Oh stop pouting Cora” said Law, standing up and walking up to Cora
Law clearly looked embarrassed, looking to the side, not wanting eye-contact
with Cora
The skin looked red and angry, swollen and a little dirty from the ink residue
But the design was beautiful
“T-That’s…That’s not…it’s”
Cora was at a loss of words
“I…I modified it…to represent you”
Cora couldn’t even stop the tears that came to his eyes because they came so
fast
He was quickly sobbing, overwhelmed with how touched he was, his body shacking
“L-Law, you…You didn’t, why did you-?”
“We wear Pop’s mark to show our love and loyalty to him. To show that he’s the
most important person to us” said Marco quietly, making Cora cry harder
“I did it because I love you. I wanted to honor you and everything you’ve done
for me. I’m only alive today because of you” admitted Law, but this time, even
though he was still clearly embarrassed, he was looking at Cora right in the
eyes
“I-I’m so touched, I-I can’t, I don’t know what to say” admitted Cora, his
sight completely blurry due to the tears
“I told you he’d love it!” said Bepo, grinning
“I-I just want to hug you but I’d damage the tattoo”
“You hug him now, I’ll cut you!” threatened Marco, hissing
Cora couldn’t help but laugh at the threat
Instantly though, Cora knew in that very moment, that he too would kill anyone
who touched his sons
Guess he had more in common with Whitebeard that he thought
Chapter End Notes
     Annnd that's all she wrote! Next chapter we're going back to Ace and
     see how things are going for him! Heads up, might be a delay posting
     next week because I won't be at home so I can't guarantee anything
     but I'll try my very best to update on time if not early!
***** -ACE- Can I Reset to the Last Save Point? I Want to Redo! (I Should Have
Said No To This) *****
Chapter Notes
     Remember! If you're uncomfortable with sex scenes, I put an * at the
     beginning and an * at the end of the scene! Fair warning though, it
     is rather short and there is some plot-ish points so if you can,
     please power through it! But I understand otherwise!
     Hold on to your horses, kids, we're going for a ride!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace threw his head back against the door, moaning loudly as another jolt of
pleasure wracked through his body
*
He was gripping the back of Smoker’s shirt with one hand, the other tightly in
the other’s hair as Ace’s legs were wrapped around Smoker’s waist. It took
every bit of what was left of Ace’s mental concentration to keep his hips
moving, meeting every one of Smoker’s thrust upward
Last night, Ace had stopped by Smoker’s house and wound up staying over. But
while they were curled up in bed, the nights getting cooler and Smoker taking
advantage of his heater of a boyfriend, the two wound up being curled up
tightly with Justice on top of the blankets. Ace had decided to ask the other
if there was anything he had ever wanted to do with a partner and haven’t had
the chance to try. Smoker had scoffed, saying that it was Ace who should be
forthcoming with that information considering he was the one with no real
experience
So Ace had mentioned many things, but especially that he wanted to be fucked
against a wall – and in the morning, his boyfriend delivered!
Over the last week and so since they had sex for the first time, Ace was
quickly learning things. Smoker refused to sleep on dirty sheets if he didn’t
have to, that giving head was hell on the jaw but it was something he really
enjoyed giving, that Ace enjoyed getting his hair pulled more than he thought
he would but mostly that Smoker was more willing and eager to have sex in the
morning
Thankfully, Ace was willing and eager regularly now
Ace wasn’t sure what switch was flipped that night, but he adored having sex
with Smoker and wouldn’t pass up a chance to
So there he was, being fucked against a wall, well, the door to be exact, just
as he had fantasized so so many times
God he was lucky
Ace could feel Smoker kissing and sucking on Ace’s neck – another thing he
learned was that Smoker liked leaving marks
Ace was merely trying to keep afloat, his mind swimming; his dick was hard
against Smoker’s abs, getting stimulated every time Smoker thrust into Ace,
driving Ace mad
Smoker’s hands were gripping Ace’s hips tight, his movements getting more and
more erratic, signaling to Ace that he was close – just a little more
Ace’s orgasm surprised him, too distracted with everything going on and he
squeezed tightly on Smoker’s cock as he rode the wave of pleasure going through
his body
Smoker grunted loudly, pounding into Ace a few more times until Ace moaned,
biting his lip as he felt Smoker come
*
Mentally though, he sighed, wishing again that the other didn’t insist on
wearing condoms every time they made lov- had sex.Maybe it was due to all the
porn he watched, read and such – but he really wanted to feel Smoker come in
him – Ace wanted to know what that was like
Smoker held Ace up as he pulled himself out of the other, groaning softly
against Ace’s neck – Ace was pretty sure that Smoker bit down when he came –
another habit the other seemed to have
Ace was carefully set down, feet on the ground, but Smoker still held on to him
in case his legs we wobbly. Ace purred softly, wrapping his arms around
Smoker’s neck, leaning up to pepper Smoker’s face with kisses as Smoker
attempted to remove the condom with one hand with Ace being an octopus on him
“Oye, brat, I’m trying to do something here” grunted Smoker, huffing, looking
annoyed – but Ace knew that he wasn’t really
“You know…you wouldn’t have this problem if you didn’t use one…I wouldn’t
mind~” Ace smirked, nibbling on Smoker’s ear
“Ask me again in six months” replied Smoker as he removed the offending object,
tied it up and threw it in the nearest trashcan
Ace shivered slightly and couldn’t help but grin at the idea that Smoker
thought of them together six months from now – it made him so…happy
“Okay” replied Ace, biting his lip as his cheeks flushed, unable to stop
himself from reacting to the idea of being in a long committed relationship
Man he felt like an idiot
Ace lost in his thoughts didn’t notice that Smoker had tipped his face upward,
making Ace look at Smoker, who leaned in and gave Ace a soft kiss on the brow
“C’mon, let’s clean up. I need to get to work and you to school”
Ace purred softly, smiling warmly at Smoker – he never wanted moments like this
to end
 
“Oye! Ace! Wake up!”
Ace’s head snapped up, startle awake, drool coming down from the side of his
mouth. He blinked, looking around, he was clearly at school. Marco was crouched
down in front of him, not looking too impressed
“You fell asleep against your looker. But you’re blocking Coby’s, and the poor
kid is too scared to wake you up”
Ace blinked, looking past Marco at a super nervous Coby, holding his books. He
liked Coby, good kid, apparently he wanted to be a cop or something. Maybe he
should introduce the Captain to him?
“Ooh! Sorry Coby!” said Ace, quickly standing up but then he yowled as a sharp
jolt of pain wracked his body – he had forgotten for a moment what he did this
morning
Marco lifted a brow at the reaction and looked down to see the pillow that Ace
had been sitting on and rolled his eyes, not looking amused
“I see you and the Captain were busy last night. I assume he gave you a ride?”
Ace nodded, leaning down slowly to pick up his bag and grabbed the pillow,
walking away with Marco as they made their way towards their class
“This morning actually! But his shift started at six am, so he dropped me off
before work”
Marco snorted
“Nice to know about the Captain’s morning wood. No wonder you’re like this”
“Do you know the expression ‘fucked stupid’?” teased Ace, grinning
“That’s your usual state, so how can we tell it’s not just your regular
stupid?” replied Marco, grinning as well’
Ace laughed but then his laughter soon died down when he realized that Marco
wasn’t leading him towards their homeroom, but rather to the parking lot
“A job?” asked Ace, raising a brow
Marco smirked, gesturing towards his car
“Please go make yourself comfortable”
 
“I got some disturbing intel early this morning”
Ace frowned sharply, trying to get comfortable in the car
“Like what?”
“The yaminomi has apparently re-emerged”
Ace blinked, trying to scramble his brain, to remember exactly what that was
“Uh…remind me what that is? I know it’s an akumanomi”
Marco sighed loudly – Ace hated when he did that, made him feel like a total
idiot
“It’s the drug that basically turns you into patient 0. You’re more or less a
healthy carrier of conditions and syndromes but you can transmit it to anyone
and everyone you encounter” explained Marco, looking really worried
“You mean like Typhoid Mary?” asked Ace, hoping he was wrong – but Marco nodded
“You’re basically the ultimate biological weapon. They themselves won’t succumb
to the diseases it’s exposed to – but it will weaken them. But if they get
their hands on a fast-acting ailment, it could easily spell disaster for anyone
and everyone exposed”
Ace paused for a moment, but then his eyes widen
“Wait, that big shipment coming in from the government, you don’t think-?”
Ace had been informed that a delivery was being made to the World Government
was crossing through Goa soon – Marco had made stealing the items priority but
hadn’t explained why
“It’s probable; it’s why I’m not taking any chances. But we’re not the only
ones after this shipment. If it is what I think it is – and with the amount of
security, I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s going to sell for a pretty penny. So
others will want it too” explained Marco, pulling out his ipad and opening it
up
“It’s coming in at the end of the month, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, late November or early December, we’ll know more when the transport
actually starts”
“So, why you need me for this?” Ace frowned, wondering what Marco had up his
sleeve
Marco opened up a file and showed it to Ace
“The Buggy Gang is having a party tonight. I need you to infiltrate it and find
out if they’re after it or not. Also, I suspect that Buggy himself has ingested
an akumanomi, find out what it is” ordered Marco
“Huh? I thought Izo’s division was infiltration? Since when are you sending me
out to do that?” Ace was literally confused –he’s usually the fight this and
punch them person
Marco smirked
“Because we need your level of charm for this, you have this certain je-ne-
sais-quoi that will allow you to infiltrate this shindig”
Ace snorted, rolling his eyes; at least he’ll get to eat
 
Ace frowned, looking at all the clothes he laid out on his bed
He needed to figure out what to wear but he uh…apparently wasn’t good at this
at all
He needed something that would look good but not be very noticeable, he was
infiltrating after all
But most of what he had was uh…rather brightly coloured
Urghh, this was Izo’s job!
Izo and his division were the ones good at this kind of stuff!
“Ace! You’re home!”
Ace blinked, turning around to look at Luffy coming into the room, surprised he
hadn’t heard the other coming up
“Uh yeah, not for long though, just getting changed and I have to go”
“You’re not coming home again?” asked Luffy, looking a little disappointed
Ace chuckled, walking up to Luffy, ruffling his hair
“Hey, I thought you’d enjoy having the room all to yourself!”
“Naw, I like it when you’re here!” admitted Luffy and it broke Ace’s heart – he
kept forgetting how bad his little brother was with being alone
“You have a boyfriend now! Why don’t you invite him over more often?”
Luffy looked at Ace confused
“Why?”
“Uh, to do stuff? Where do you think I was?”
“You were with Smokey?” asked Luffy, genuinely surprised
“Yeah man, I’ve been sleeping over” admitted Ace, baffled that Luffy had no
idea
“Ahh, that sounds fun! I want another sleep over with Toroa! But after I’m done
with stuff”
Ace huffed, putting his hands on his hips
“What have you been up to, Luffy?”
He’s been suspecting for a while that his brother had been up to things he
shouldn’t be up to – the little turd better not lie to him!
“I’m just helping people!” admitted Luffy, but he looked to the side, trying to
whistle innocently
The little turd was lying to him!
 “When I have more time, me and Sabo are going to have a little talk with you,
Luffy! And you better get your goddamn story straight because if I find out
that you’ve been lyingto me, you’re gonna wish I had left you tied to the tree
when we were kids!”
Luffy smiled weakly, nodding his head, knowing very well he was busted
Ace growled, but then he noticed the time
Shit!!
He quickly grabbing a pair of fitted black jeans, a white tank top and a black
leather vest and threw it on with a bunch of other things on the bed, he didn’t
have time anymore!!
“I mean it, Luffy!!” yelled Ace as he ran out of the room
He wasn’t done with this!!
 
Ace took a deep breath, looking himself over in the mirror in the corner store
bathroom – he had to admit, he looked pretty good! He had a heavy silver belt
with a giant buckle of a ram around his waist, accentuated by the tank top that
was slightly tucked in behind the buckle and his usual black boots over the
jeans. His wrists had his usual bracelets and a few silver bangles and around
his neck he had his usual red bedded necklace and his trusty hat on his hat, he
had grabbed the black one though – wanting it to stand out a little less
Guess he was as ready as he could ever be
He quickly bought a Rockstar at the corner store, wanting a little bit more
prep and quickly downed it as he made his way towards the party location
It was literally in the temporary base of Buggy’s gang and a gang member
walking into another gang’s base was nothing short of a declaration of war –
which Marco told him not to do. He was there to make friends, make fun, get
info and get out
When Ace approached the base, which was an old abandoned circus themed club, he
could see a few of members of the gang, hanging out in front of the club,
drinking from red cups. Ace couldn’t help but laugh a little – so much for him
not wanting to stand out  
Ace of course I had forgotten a crucial piece of info about the Buggy Gang,
they all dressed like circus folks
Ace knew that if he tried the front door, he’d be turned away at the door. He
quickly made a wide circle around the area and climbed up a nearby building and
scouted the area
As he suspected, there was people placed all around the building – except on
the left side. Ace frowned sharply and loading up the layout of the club on his
phone – wow, they were dumb! The left side of the building was the fucking
bathrooms! Which was a perfect way to get in!
Ace leaped to the other building’s roof as quietly as possible and made his way
across the building, quietly scaling down the left side of the building. He got
to the window and pushed it open, shocked that it was unlocked. Ace climbed
into the bathroom and also found it completely isolated – this had to be a
trick?
Ace opened the bathroom door and walked into a party already in full swing –
nope, they were just really that dumb
He quickly bee lined to the nearest food table, hearing his stomach rumble and
started piling food on a plate and took a seat at a table near the VIP area,
listening to the conversation around him – but one voice stood out from the
rest
“YAHAHAHAHA!! See!”
“Guys, this is no time to horse around” said a woman, lying on a couch in the
back of the VIP area “If you can’t find out where Luffy is, how exactly are you
planning on beating him?”
Luffy?!
“Don’t be so uptight, Alvida! Nothing’s wrong with having fun for now, right?”
replied the clown looking guy – must be Buggy?
“Luffy you say? If you wanna know see Luffy, I’ll tell you where he is”
Ace wasn’t sure why these people wanted Luffy – but now he was basically sure
that he was going to kill his little brother
“See? He’ll tell us Luffy’s whereabouts” said Buggy (?) pointing towards Ace
But then his expression dropped as he looked at Ace, appalled
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Oh, sorry for interrupting your party” said Ace, turning to face Buggy “I was
brought forth by the smell of your delicious food. My name is Ace, nice to meet
you”
“Oh no, no need to be so formal! Nice to meet you too” answered Buggy, smiling
Ace nodded, grabbing another pig in a blanket from his plate and threw it in
his mouth
Suddenly Buggy’s expression turned back to one of anger
“I’m asking you what you’re doing here!! I don’t care about your name! What a
flashy insolent attitude!”
Welp, Marco picked the wrong guy – but Ace was pretty sure he could take all of
these guys
“B-Boss! This guys is Fire Fist!!” said another guy with really long bangs that
covered one of his eyes “Fire Fist Ace! Commander of the 2nd Division of the
Whitebeards!”
Everyone in the room yelled ‘Whitebeard’ shocked
Ace grinned
“Oh! You guys heard of the old man? That’s so coo-“
And then the world went black
 
“Oh! You guys know about Pops?”
“HE’S AWAKE!” yelled everyone in shock as Ace kept eating the food in front of
him
Ace stood up, grinning
“Hey, you guys! Don’t be shy! It’s a party! Let’s have some fun!”
“Y-YEAH!” yelled everyone, now somehow more afraid of him – oh well
He made his way to Buggy’s table in the VIP section, grinning
“Sorry for disrupting the festivities! I was in the area and this looked like
fun!” lied Ace but was relieved when he saw Buggy visibly relax, Alvida on the
other hand, still looked at him suspiciously
“No problem!!” said Buggy, his voice straining slightly “My party is your
party!”
“Haha, awesome!” said Ace, taking the bottle of vodka on the table and pouring
himself a drink in one of the unused glasses on the table
“So, what brings you in the area Fire Fist? This isn’t Whitebeard territory”
said Alvida
“Just call me Ace! And I was just doing parkour around here and I smelled the
food, that’s it!”
Alvida nodded, clearly not fully believing him, but didn’t have a reason to
doubt him either
“H-How fun!” said Buggy as Ace took sip of his drink
“Relax relax! I’m just here to have fun! To new friends!” said Ace, grinning as
he held up his glass, Buggy blinked, surprised but then laughed brightly as
they toasted 
 
“ACE! ACE! Look at what I can do!” said Buggy, laughing brightly as he
contorted himself into a giant knot
Ace clapped, laughing brightly as well, having had waaaay too many drinks at
this point
“Ahhh!! That’s so cool! Doesn’t that hurt?”
“Nope! I had an akumanomi! I can dislocate all my joints and it doesn’t hurt!”
Ace filed that information away – from what he can understand, unless it’s
straight up blunt trauma or explosive or anything else, it can’t hurt Buggy –
that’s kinda neat, like half of his pain receptors didn’t work anymore
“I can do fire stuff!! Someone get me something to play with!” said Ace,
grabbing a lit torch and swallowed it whole, making the whole room look at him
in awe, but then he quickly breathed the fire out, lighting up the entire room
and everyone erupted, clapping loudly
Ace was really drunk and he knew it – he was super thankful that it was Friday
night because holy shit, he was going to be hung over as hell tomorrow
“So, whatchu guys doing here anyways? Don’t you guys travel around? Like a
circus and stuff?” asked Ace, wobbling back to the leather benches in the VIP
area, sitting down besides Buggy who was taking himself out of the knot
The two at this point had done shit ton of shots, sang and danced together – so
they were officially bffs in Ace’s drink addled brain
“Heard of this sweet loot coming in! Gonna steal it!” admitted Buggy, making
Alvira gasp loudly, horrified
“Don’t tell him that!”
“Shh, Ace is my friend, we’re friends now” said Buggy, holding onto Ace, Ace
held back
“Yeah Alvira! We’re super friends!”
“Cosmic Friends!”
“Oooh I like that!” Ace clapped his hands, laughing “What kind of loot? CANDY?”
Buggy laughed, shaking his head
“Naw naw, some real fancy and rare jewels going up for auction!”
“BUGGY!” yelled Alvira, clearly pissed off
“Shhh, the Whitebeards don’t care about stuff like that!” said Buggy, waving
his hand to dismiss Alvira
“Damn right we don’t!” said Ace, grinning – sweet! They weren’t after the
akumanomi!
“BUGGY! BUGGY! WE GOTTA GO!” yelled the guy Ace found out was called Mohji as
he ran up to the VIP area
“Huh? Why? The party’s just starting!”
“Because! The Fuwas said they saw cops coming!”
“WHAT?!” screeched Buggy, Ace giggled
“Are they sexy cops? My Captain is so sexy” mumbled Ace, giggling
But then he paused
Wait cops?
“EVERYONE ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS UP! THIS IS A RAID!” yelled a rather
familiar voice through a megaphone as multiple police officers barged in and
Ace jumped out of his seat and took off down the stairs, towards the bathroom
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
 
Ace ran through the mob the best he could, trying to make himself discreet but
a smoke bomb was thrown in the room since nobody surrendered as everyone tried
to escape. When the smoke bomb activated, Ace quickly dropped to the ground and
covered his mouth, trying to crawl towards the bathroom, coughing slightly as
his eyes stung like hell
Fuck fuck fuck fuck
Finally he reached the bathroom door and threw it open and quickly rolled into
the room, closing the door and locking it – trying to keep the smoke out. Ace
quickly removed his vest and shirt to cover the gap between the floor and the
door. He looked around and cursed himself; he somehow got disorientated and
went into the women’s room! But the damn thing was on the right side of the
building! Ace opened his layout again and scanned it – if he escaped through
the window, there should be a narrow alleyway, which he could use to make his
escape
Perfect!
Ace opened the window and quickly climbed out – it was a bit of a height up,
but it was no problem for him! He jumped down, slightly messing up the landing
because as he distinctively forgot – he was drunk!
Ace moaned loudly in pain, landing on his already very sore ass but then stood
up and made a break for it down the alleyway
“STOP! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!”
Ace everybody froze for a second – it was the Captain!
He started running even faster down the alleyway, hearing the Captain picking
up speed behind him, chasing him
A fence was up ahead, so Ace leaped, thankful that he wasn’t drunk enough to
make the jump and made his way across the solid wooden fence. Ace then quickly
scaled up the building on the other side of the fence and made it on the roof
before Smoker made it across the fence
Ace watched quietly as Smoker looked around so any signs of him – clearly able
to see Smoker’s frustration at having lost who he was chasing
Smoker’s radio came to life and Smoker quickly answered and put it back in his
place and looked up
Ace and Smoker’s eyes met for a second before Ace scampered off, hoping it
hadn’t been for long enough for Smoker to recognize him
But Ace didn’t miss the look of horror and disappointment in Smoker’s eyes
So he ran
 
Ace ran long and hard until he was at the gate of High Town. He was shaking,
Ace swallowed down another sob, trying to convince himself to breathe as he
fumbled, trying to take out his cellphone
He quick-dialed and held the phone to his ear, needing the person to answer
“Hello?”
“S-Sabo, I-I fucked up, I fucked up, I-I want, I can’t come, I can’t deal with
cops again tonight and I can’t go home”
“Ace, listen to me. Where are you? I’ll come join you and we’ll go to the
treehouse okay?”
Ace nodded, sniffling, he hadn’t realized that he had started to cry
“O-Okay, I’m outside the gate, but I’m not where guards are, I’m near-“ Ace
paused, looking around, his sight was starting to spin a little “Bagel place?”
“Excellent! I know where that is! Stay put, Ace! I’m coming!” said Sabo “Stay
on the line, Ace, okay? I’m getting dressed”
“Sabo I fucked up, I fucked up bad, he won’t love me anymore, I fucked up”
babbled Ace, crumbling to the ground, crying harder
“No, no, don’t say that, we’ll talk about it, okay? I’m coming out the door
now”
“I just wanna sleep and never wake up, I fucked it up, like I fuck everything
up”
“Ace? What are you talking about? I’m almost there, okay? Don’t be so hard on
yourself, we’ll find a solution”
“I should of never have been born, Sabo! I’m a mistake!”
“I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself, Ace. I love you and if you
hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here today”
Ace nodded, sniffling loudly as another sob left his throat
“I-I love you too, I missed you, Sabo”
A car pulled up to Ace and Sabo quickly got out of the car and threw himself on
Ace, hugging him tightly
“I love you lots, don’t say things like that, you’re important to me”
Ace nodded as he allowed Sabo to help him up
“Let’s get you to the treehouse, okay? And you’ll tell me all about it?”
Ace nodded again, almost falling as Sabo let him go
Sabo paused
“Are you drunk?”
“I fuuuucked up” whined Ace
“Alright, let’s get you in the car”
 
Ace, once in the treehouse, calmed down considerably. He was still rather
drunk, but after telling Sabo everything that happened as Sabo listened
quickly, he was pretty tired
“Fuck…so you think he saw you?”
Ace nodded, sniffling, Sabo pushed some tissues towards him
“He’s gonna hate me now, Sabo! He hates crime!”
“Ace, he loves you. But you need to find out for sure if he saw you or not!
There’s no point of you getting this upset if he didn’t realize it was you”
“But you didn’t see the look in his eyes! He looked so disappointed in me!”
“Maybe he was disappointed because he didn’t catch the person he was chasing!
Maybe you’re looking way too much into this! You’re drunk!” pointed out Sabo
Ace blinked – that made sense!
“Oh…I didn’t think of that. He’s kinda hates losing”
“See? Everything’s gonna be fine. Just get some sleep, okay? We’ll go out for
breakfast tomorrow at Makino’s and everything will be okay”
Ace nodded, laying down, pulling the old sleeping bag over him as he closed his
eyes
“WHO’S UP THERE?”
Ace kept his eyes closed, frowning
“It’s just us, Dadan” yelled Sabo back as quietly as he could
There was a pause, but then he heard Dadan reply
“…Is everything okay?”
Ace heard Sabo turn his head to look at him for a moment, before he turned to
reply to Dadan
“…I sure hope so” the sadness in Sabo’s tone was impossible to miss
Ace turned slightly, his back facing Sabo as fresh tears rolled down his face
He had ruined everything
 
Chapter End Notes
     annnd there we go, conflict is beginning - AND BACK TO LAW NEXT WEEK!
     Also fair warning! Work is getting super busy and my health is a mess
     lately so if ever the chapter doesn't go up on time, it will be the
     next day or so!! I'm very sorry! But I'll do my very best!
***** -LAW- I Don't Want To Be In This Club! (Take the Leather Jacket Back!!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh! Thank you for all the well-wishes and such last week! And sorry
     for breaking your hearts! Here's Law's chapter! Happier-ish note!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
He could do this
He survived genocide
He hid under corpses to escape
He joined one of the most brutal gangs in the world
And he escaped them – alive
He also survived a terminal illness
So why was this making him so nervous?!
 
Law groaned, closing his eyes as he rubbed his brow – Bepo had made an
interesting point a few weeks ago
He and Luffy didn’t spend that much time together – but they always seem to
have different plans and honestly…Law didn’t really want to interfere with
Luffy’s
Luffy seemed so happy with his group of friends that he felt that prying into
that was kinda, well, mean
Law opened his eyes, trying to muster up the courage until Luffy came to join
him at the quad – but then he spotted a familiar head of red hair and his jaw
dropped
“KID?!”
 Kid smirked, turning around and made his way towards Law as he was coming out
of the office
“Hey! I was hoping to surprise your ass, but guess not”
“The fuck are you doing here?” Law couldn’t think of any good reason for Kid to
not only still be in town – but at his school?!
“Setting up a transfer” admitted Kid
“Why the fuck are you transferring here?!”
“Seems this town is more interesting than I thought – so I figured I might as
well stay around”
Law rolled his eyes, not impressed
“Marco hates your ass and you’re transferring to his school? The fuck is wrong
with you?”
Kid smirked at Law, tipping his head slightly
“Yeah, that fucker has a thing coming for what he did to me last time”
Law paused, frowning
“Are you out of your fucking mind?! Starting shit with the Whitebeards?”
“Fuck that noise, Law, I’m no bitch. I start shit with whoever decides to fuck
with me – and that fucker sealed his fate at the Halloween party”
Law didn’t know what to say – he knew that Kid had issues, but this was really
dangerous talk
“Anyways, I gotta bounce. I won’t be able to transfer here until like January
due to some…unfinished business”Law rolled his eyes again at the tone of Kid’s
voice – he meant he still had people to fuck up “So, if you were smart in any
way, you’ll drop that dumb Strawhat kid you’ve been hanging out with in the
meantime”
“Fuck off, Kid” spat out Law, flipping off Kid, who merely laughed and walked
out
Fucking great! Now he had to deal with Kid too!
 
“Torao!”
Law grunted as Luffy barreled into his back, holding him tightly around the
waist. Law couldn’t help but smile softly, closing his eyes as he held on to
Luffy’s hands
“Hey Luffy, thanks for coming”
Luffy grinned brightly, laughing against Law’s back
“Of course I came! I love hanging out with you! Where’s Bepo?”
Law closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he let go of Luffy’s hands and
turned around
“Hey…I wanna ask you…do you have plans this weekend?” Law felt so dumb being
this nervous
“Ahh, I don’t think so! If so, who cares! I want to hang out with you”
Law blushed furiously at Luffy’s enthusiasm, surprised by it
“A-Ah, well, I’m getting tattooed again this Saturday…and I know it’s not the
most exciting thing in the world bu-“
“Can I come?” asked Luffy, cutting in
“Well, that’s what I wanted to invite you to” Law looked to the side, unable to
look directly at Luffy right now, thankful that his hat hid a bit of his face
“That’s awesome! I totally want to go!”
Law was about to reply to Luffy but then spotted a bunch of familiar heads
looking over at them from around the corner – was that Luffy’s friends?! And
Miss Nico and Franky?!
Once they noticed they were caught, they all gave him a thumbs up, grinning
At least Luffy’s friends approved of him?
Even if they were embarrassing!
 
“Ah! Luffy! I’m so happy that you’re here to watch Law during his appointment!”
Law groaned, hearing Cora gush at the front door from his room – he was so
embarrassing
“Hi mister Rosisisi! You were really scary and badass on the night of the
party! I can see why people were scared of you! It was so cool!”
Law could hear Cora’s heart shattering in a million pieces; it killed him when
people were afraid of him
He made his way quickly down the stairs, wanting to stop this convo as fast as
possible
“A-Ah, so uh…how’s Ace?”
Luffy blinked, surprised
“Dadan told me not to disturb him this morning – so I don’t know. Why?”
“Hey Luffy” said Law, trying to be nonchalant
“Torao! Can I see the first tattoo? You said you’d show me today!”
Law blinked, surprised, but thankful that he wore a black button-up shirt, so
it was easy for him to undo the buttons and open his shirt – revealing the
still red and horribly peeling tattoo. Law had hesitated since it looked pretty
bad right now
“Whoah!! It’s so cool!! It’s mister Rosisisi – isn’t it?”
Law blinked, surprised at how quickly Luffy figured it out (ignoring Cora who
squeaked, trying to hold-in his gushing)
“Is it supposed to look like that?” asked Cora, worryingly, once he calmed down
“Don’t worry, Marco makes me show it to him every day at school, it’s fine”
He also threatened to rip off Law’s nails if he daredscratch at his tattoo –
but Cora didn’t need to know that
“Where’s Bepo?” asked Luffy, looking around
“Bepo? He had Karate today” Why did Luffy keep asking about Bepo?!
“Alright Law, put your shirt back together, we gotta get going~” said Cora,
sing-song-ly, grinning ear-to-ear
Law frowned – what was he hiding now?
 
They got to the mansion easily enough – it was weird that he was getting so
comfortable going to the Whitebeard mansion
It was ever weirder that for some reason, Cora now had the code to the gate?!
How chummy did they get last time?!
They quickly made their way inside the studio, Marco already inside setting up
the station; he looked up at Law, raising a brow
“You sure you want to do both forearms in one shot?”
“Yep” said Law without hesitating
“I’m going to remind you again that it’s a shitty place that hurts” stated
Marco
“I got it” Law was getting annoyed at the conversation honestly, Marco
responded by rolling his eyes
“Alright tough guy, get in the chair while Rosinante signs you over to me”
“But I want to keep him!” whined Cora playfully, chuckling as he took the
clipboard from Marco, signing another waiver
Luffy plopped himself in the chair in back of the studio, grinning as he looked
around
“Don’t touch anything, you little monkey” warned Marco, making Luffy chuckle
“That’s what Ace said!”
 
Law watched quietly as Marco placed the stencils on both of his forearms, since
the design was going to be the same on both arm
Soon enough, Marco started tattooing and Law grunted, biting his lip – Marco
wasn’t kidding, it wasn’t a fun location at all
“So, little monkey, do you have anything to do with our Mayor disappearing in
the middle of the night?”
Law froze, looking at Luffy surprised
The Mayor disappeared last night?!
Luffy was spinning slightly on the stool but his expression soon grew serious
“Nobody gets away with hurting people like that”
Marco groaned, rolling his eyes
“Well, he would have lost his post anyways since the cops got a full dirt
report on him and a police officer under cover was almost killed too”
Law discreetly looked towards Cora, noticing that he was discreetly listening
in – Cora did get home extremely late last night
“You Worst Generation! I fucking swear! You know the fucking mess that the city
is going to be without a fucking mayor?! You could have waited until he got
arrested!”
“He was trying to leave that night anyways! I just made sure he got a real good
trashing before!” defended Luffy, huffing
“Okay, who exactly are the Worst Generation? You guys keep dropping that term
as if I’m supposed to know what it is” said Law, looking really annoyed
“It’s you rookies that came onto the scene in the last year or so – but like I
said, you tend to not have any real direction, so you just fuck shit up!”
explained Marco
“Oye! Don’t put me into this list!”
“You’re already on the list, you dingbat, the second you declared yourself a
gang. Everyone’s been waiting for you to join the list anyways”
“Also, why the fuck do you call them rookies?” asked Law, wincing a bit as
Marco kept working onto the outline
“Because any new person doing gang work, so to speak, or starting a gang, will
draw the attention of everyone – so every major gang has their eye on them as a
potential recruit. So they’re rookies in that sense”
“Am I one of them?” asked Luffy, with a big smile on his face
Marco rolled his eyes
“Are you kidding me?”
“Are they all from around here?” asked Law, trying to get more info
“No, they’re literally from all over the world” explained Marco, sighing
“Keeping track of all of them is a real pain, but a few are local, thankfully”
“Like?”
“Well, you, the monkey, Zoro, Bonney Jewelry, Drake Eks and that’s it for now,
but I got word that a few seem to be migrating this way”
Law bit his lip, not sure he should tell Marco about Kid or not, he didn’t need
Kid on his ass if he found out
“Haha, Ace hates that Drake guy!” said Luffy, chuckling
“Speaking of Ace – have you seem him today? He never reported back in last
night” asked Marco, keeping a neutral tone
Law discreetly looked towards Cora again and noticed that the other had turned
his head – not even being discreet about him listening in
“He and Sabo were sleeping in the tree house this morning! Dadan forbid me to
go bother them though, she said that Ace was going to be in a really bad mood
so not to make it worst” admitted Luffy, frowning
 
Marco nodded as he kept tattooing, and then spoke really loudly
“Were you at the bust last night, Rosinante? That gang party that got raided?”
Cora squeaked loudly, jumping up in his seat as he loudly dropped his book
“I-I can’t tell you that!!”
“And that’s a yes” replied Marco with a big smirk on his face
“I said nothing of the sort! I’m a guardian today, for my child!”
Law snorted, a flustered Cora was always funny for some reason – but Cora’s
expression soon grew serious and he stood up, walking towards the counter
separating the waiting area and where Marco was tattooing
“Luffy…do you have any idea if Ace is okay?”
Law frowned sharply, not sure why everyone kept asking about Ace
Luffy sighed, pouting “If Ace and Sabo were in the tree house, it means that
Ace doesn’t want to see me”
“Why wouldn’t Ace want to see you?” asked Law, confused
Luffy sighed deeply this time, crossing his arms as he looked annoyed
“Ace doesn’t let me see him when he’s not in a good place. Even if he’s in a
pinch, he doesn’t want me to worry about him. He hates to show any weakness to
anyone except Sabo. If I go help him, he’ll just scold me anyways”
“Ah” Law couldn’t deny that it made a lot of sense, he was like that himself
Cora frowned deeply, looking really…sad. Cora must know something that Law
didn’t and frankly, it was starting to drive him completely nuts!
How does Cora keep gathering so many damn secrets and information?!
Well…he is a spy
“If you see Ace, tell him to goddamn come see me or fucking call, will you?”
said Marco, sighing as he moved to the other arm
Law blinked, oh, one was done!
 
The mood was really quiet in the room for a long while.
 Suddenly Ace walked into the studio from the mansion – and frankly, he looked
like he went through the ringer!His eyes were red and bloodshot, his face
looked swollen and the skin on his cheeks looked rubbed raw. His hair was a
dishevelled mess and he had massive bags under his eyes too and a sheen of
green on him. He was shirtless and his shorts were hanging low, as if Ace
hadn’t even bothered doing them up properly
Law was pretty sure he was hung-over – but he also looked like he had been
crying; a lot!
“Hey Marco, sorry, my phone died and –“ his eyes zoomed in to Cora and he
quietly tensed up
Cora turned around, frowning sharply as he charged towards Ace, grabbing his
arm and pulling him towards the door leading them outside
“I’m stealing him for a moment!” declared Cora as he stormed out, Ace in tow
Marco shrugged as he kept working on the tattoo, silence in the room
“Uh…you okay with that?” asked Law, surprised, a few moments later
Marco looked at Law smugly
“Do you honestly think there are not cameras everywhere?”
Well Law felt really dumb
 
Cora suddenly came back into the room, closing the door behind him, without Ace
“Where did he go?” asked Marco without looking up
“He said he was taking a walk” said Cora, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly
frustrated “He also said he was sorry for not checking in – his phone died last
night and he forgot that he hadn’t checked in this morning”
“He’s on shit duty for the next week” said Marco sternly, frowning
“What’s shit duty?” asked Luffy, tipping his head sideways, arms crossed,
looking confused
“Literally he has to pick up Stefan’s shit all week”
“Who the fuck is Stefan?” asked Law, what kind of degenerate they had living at
this house that they had to schedule someone to pick up his excrements?!
“Stefan’s the old man’s dog, Torao!” said Luffy, laughing
Well now Law felt dumb- clearly he was getting really tired
 
It wasn’t long after that Marco did the last few rows and the tattoos were done
Law groaned, slowly getting out of the chair, feeling a bit dizzy, looking at
the forearms before Marco started to wrap them up
“You remember everything I told you last time?” asked Marco as he started to
bandage them up
“Yep”
“Guess we’re not feeding you this time – too bad, you might have gotten to meet
Stefan, you know, the dog”
Law growled slightly, eyes narrowing
“I’m allowed to fuck up once in a while! Who gives people name to pets
anyways?!”
“Your guardian is named after a dumb horse” pointed out Marco, grinning as
Luffy fell off his chair laughing
“OYE!” snapped Law at Marco, getting riled up – he was exhausted and his
patience was running thin!
“Okay, okay, enough” said Cora, walking up to them “How about we get out of
here and get some food, okay? I’ll call Bepo and tell him to meet us at that
Thai place around the corner from our house?”
Law nodded, still feeling like a total dunce at his mistake
“Yeah, let’s”
“Luffy, do you want to join us for supper?”
Luffy smiled brightly, nodding
“Yeah! I wanna!”
Law couldn’t help but smile a bit at how enthusiastically Luffy accepted the
offer – but then again, it was for food
“Excellent! C’mon everyone” said Cora as he led them both out, clearly wanting
to diffuse the tension
Law sighed, but then he stopped them “Wait! I gotta pay-“
“Rosinante already paid for it. He put his card number down on the form for me
to charge him after”
“Give yourself a 20% tip, okay?” said Cora, smiling brightly
“Cora!” snapped Law, annoyed
Cora smiled
“Aww c’mon, let me pay for some too”
Law groaned, knowing there was no arguing with Cora like this
“I’m paying the next one!”
“Fine fine”
“Can I get one?” asked Luffy, turning around to look at Marco, who was cleaning
up
“Ace said he would skin me alive” replied Marco, not even looking up “He also
said you’d get something really dumb too”
Luffy pouted deeply, taking Law’s hand in his as they went outside
“Ace is a party pooper”
Law chuckled slightly at the comment but then frowned as he spotted Ace sitting
on the grass at the edge of the estate, looking at his phone, looking lost
What the hell had happened?
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! Cora's side is next week BUT I'm trying to
     crank out a little something something for 10 Days of Lawlu! Should
     be up on tumblr on the last day (I wanted T!) and I'll post it here
     too! So don't worry! So I'll have /two/ fics on this site!
***** -CORA- Motherhening Is A Full-Time Job (Where Are Your Adults?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     now it's time for Cora's side of the events!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
That scene was haunting him
It was as in a single moment; Cora saw all the pain that was coming in the
future
He had merely meant to go assist the Captain when he saw him in pursuit, but
Cora didn’t mean to witness the heartbreaking scene instead
Ace on top of the roof on an old building, looking distraught as he locked eyes
with the Captain who was looking up at Ace from the ground – mirroring the same
look
Cora felt that he had walked into something incredibly private and personal and
took advantage of his ability to be quiet as he stepped away from the scene
This was going to lead to so much trouble; he didn’t need the Captain knowing
he was aware of it
 
“Trafalgar, help us out here?” asked Bellemere, putting a few more of the
Buggy’s gang members into the police van
“A-Ah! Yeah!” said Cora, jogging up to the van, tripping at the last second and
slamming into the squad car, earning a loud screech from inside
Cora blinked, shocked
“What the hell was that?”
“Buggy” said Bellemere, sighing loudly “He’s a…a vocal one. Mind riding with me
as I bring him back to the station?”
“No, not at all” said Cora, sighing
“Officer Trafalgar, have you seen the Captain?” asked Tashigi, surprising Cora
“A-Ah, yeah, he…he was out looking for the guy he was pursuing!”
It wasn’t totally a lie – but Tashigi didn’t need to know who Smoker was
chasing
Not now anyways
“Alright, I’ll go looking for him!” declared Tashigi, Bellemere nodded
“Alright, good luck and radio us if you need backup”
“No need” said Smoker, coming out from a side alley, looking deeply frustrated
and once again with two cigars
How the hell does he keep doing that?!
“Captain, permission to drive the squad car with Buggy back to the station with
Trafalgar?” asked Bellemere
Smoker merely nodded
“Granted. I want to give one good look at this hideout before we leave”
Cora sighed, it sounded more like the Captain wanted more time to compose
himself
 
“EEEE LET ME OUT OF HERE!! THIS IS MALTREATMENT! I’LL SUE! I’LL SUE!”
Cora was ready to murder
But murder is bad
Bad
He’s pretty sure he’d be forgiven for murdering this clown though
“Pipe down, Buggy!” yelled Bellemere for probably the 100th time at this point,
honestly, Cora lost track a while back and now he had a pounding headache

“I KNOW MY RIGHTS!!”
“Who the fuck is this clown anyways?” asked Cora quietly, surprised at what a
big deal was made for such an idiot!
“Oh, Buggy here used to be in Roger’s gang but went solo after the execution.
He’s in one of those, probably harmless but shouldn’t risk it categories”
explained Bellemere, but then she frowned deeply “He’s also a major pain in the
ass”
Cora pursed his lips, mulling it over and then smirked
“Do you have sunglasses handy?” asked Cora, using some hand lotion that was
left in the car to slick his hair back, spiking it up a bit
Bellemere lifted a brow and handed over a pair of aviators to Cora who merely
smirked and put them on
“Watch this” said Cora as he turned around to look at Buggy through the screen,
smirking
“Listen here, you better keep that mouth of yours shut or I’m going to make you
regret you ever showed your face in this town, you get me?”
Bellemere looked at Cora stunned for a moment as she kept driving
Oops! He had never showed her how well he could imitate Doffy!
Buggy lost all the colour in his face and let out an extremely loud screech
“DOFLAMINGO?!”
And promptly passed out
Cora chuckled, taking off the sunglasses and handed them back to Bellemere as
he ruffled up his hair
“That was fucking terrifying, Rosi, holy shit”
“It’s every baby brother’s duty to learn to perfectly imitate their big brother
– even if he is a serial killer and a total psychopath. At least we’ll have
quiet now!”
Bellemere could only laugh
 
 Buggy’s gang had officially too many damn members
Registering all these goddamn new prisoners was taking so long and it was
already way past midnight
Smoker soon stormed in, looking mad as hell
Cora frowned, had the Captain found something at the scene of the raid? He has
been gone for over an hour at this point
“The Mayor has skipped town! Wiper was beaten almost to death but he had a rap
sheet on the son of a bitch a mile long and the fucker skipped town!”
Everyone at the office jumped out of their seats, looking at the Captain
shocked who promptly punched a hole in the wall
“While we were in the middle of the fucking raid – the Mayor skipped town! We
fucked up!” howled Smoker
Cora’s jaw dropped
“How’s Wiper doing?” asked Tashigi, overly concerned
“At the hospital now. He managed to call me before he lost consciousness and
told me everything. Kept saying ‘The Strawhats are here and they gave him a
good beating’!”
Cora froze – wasn’t that the name of Luffy’s gang?
Holy shit!
Bellemere looked at Cora instantly, pure horror on her face, and then she got
up
“Captain. I…I need to get home”
The Captain instantly glared at her, clearly pissed that she even dared to ask
at such a time but Cora stepped in between them
“I’ll stay as long as you need instead!”
Bellemere looked at Cora surprised and Smoker paused for a moment, instantly
softening up
“Fine, get some sleep. Trafalgar, get in the cell area and make sure they don’t
plan any shit” ordered Smoker before he stormed off to his office, slamming the
door
There was a moment of silence before Bellemere turned and hugged Cora tightly
“Thank you, so much”
“Go make sure Nami’s okay” said Cora, hugging her back before he headed off
into the cell area
 
Cora was expecting many things as he walked to the cells, but not…not this
He stood there in awe at the grotesque display of flexibility, pretty sure some
dislocated limbs as well, contorted into this weird mess
Buggy’s head was passed the bar cell and his body was weirdly twisted through
the largest opening of the cell’s door
It was revolting!!
“GET BACK IN THERE!” yelled Cora, giving the door a swift kick
Buggy let out a yip, looking up at Cora and started to laugh nervously
“HAHAHA I was just, I wanted to show you how easily someone could escape these
cells! Not safe! Doing you a favour you see!”
“Oh what the hell!! I’m not buying that! Get the hell back into the cell!”
“I-I was doing that right now!! Yes! Right now!!”
Cora growled, taking the police baton and started hitting the bars
“Now! Now! Now! GET IN THERE! I swear to god!”
Great! Now he had to put Buggy in an isolated cell – more paperwork!
Damn clown!!
 
It was well past 4am by the time Cora got home
He was exhausted and his mind couldn’t stop whirling
Poor Bellemere! Poor Smoker! Poor Ace!
One now deathly worried about their child, the other in a difficult situation
with their lover and the last now, probably heartbroken that he might have
ruined everything
Personally he didn’t know how he’d feel if he had caught Law or Bepo at a crime
scene
Would his heart be able to take it?
Cora sighed, crossing his arms as he looked at both boys, sleeping soundly in
Law’s room, leaning against the doorframe
He needed to make sure his boys were safe
It was finally calming him down to be able to watch them, sleeping soundly and
safe
Cora sighed again, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to relax for a moment
“Are you drunk?”
Cora’s eyes snapped over as he looked at Law, that was staring right at him,
looking completely annoyed
“What?! No!” replied Cora, trying to stay quiet for Bepo’s sake
“Are you okay?” asked Law, now in a soften voice, starting to sit up
“Just a hard night, go back to bed. You have a big day tomorrow and you need to
be in top shape”
“You go to bed too, okay?” said Law sleepily, falling back on his pillow
“Of course Law, I’m going right now”
“Love you, Corammm”
Cora chuckled, Law mumbling the rest of it
“Love you too, Law”
 
Cora was going to start associating the sound of the tattoo needle with being
stressed out
He was hoping that seeing Luffy was going to solve a few of his concerns, but
if anything, it worried him even more
But his suspicions were confirmed when Marco confronted Luffy about the Mayor –
he was responsible for it!
Luffy was filled with scratches and bruises, but honestly, Cora didn’t think
much of it because the boy was usually banged up. He was grinning brightly
though, not a concern in the world
Either he was blindly optimistic or incredibly nonchalant
Cora sighed again quietly, musing it over, it would make sense that Law would
like someone that’s a blinding ray of sunshine – he does need that in his life
Suddenly the door slammed open and Ace came down the stairs, looking like
absolute hell
Holy sweet mother of god – that kid was not doing well at all!
“Hey Marco, sorry, my phone died and –“
Cora turned around, frowning sharply as he charged towards Ace, grabbing his
arm and pulling him towards the door leading them outside
“I’m stealing him for a moment!” declared Cora as he stormed out, Ace in tow
 
Cora expected more resistance from Ace, but the other quietly followed along.
On the other hand, he looked utterly exhausted, many he didn’t have the energy
to fight against him either
He also kinda reeked of booze – damn, people were trying him today!
Soon enough they were outsides and Cora turned around to face Ace, letting go
of his arm
“Why were you at Buggy’s party last night?” Cora didn’t see the point of
beating around the bush
Ace instantly glared at him, not even trying to hide the hostility
“You asking as a cop?”
Cora frowned deeply, instantly tensing up
“No! I’m asking as an adult that actually cares about your wellbeing! Besides,
I saw you on the roof!”
It was heartbreaking to see Ace’s bravado instantly crumble, looking like a
kicked puppy
“I…I was just there to find out why Buggy was in town. I swear, that was it”
“I see”
“Did…did the Captain…he recognized me, didn’t he?”
Cora sighed, his heart aching, but he didn’t want to lie to the kid
“I recognized you and I’m not the one…” Sleeping with you? Dating you? “that’s
in love with you”
Cora winced; he clearly picked the wrong words because Ace looked completely
devastated once he said them
“You need to go talk with him, Ace. And as soon as possible. The longer you
wait, the harder it’ll be”
Ace nodded slowly, looking at the ground
Cora watched as his fingers curled into a fist as Ace struggled to choke the
words out, his voice sounded scratchy and raw
He probably cried, and a lot
“…But…What if he dumps me?”
There’s a million things that could be said at this very moment, but Cora felt
that he deserved the truth
“You should have thought of that before, Ace. Actions have consequences. Take
this from someone who spent years living a double life under cover. It never
ends well”
Cora wished he didn’t see the pain in Ace’s eyes as he nodded, looking at the
ground again, hands in his pockets now
“…I need to go think about things. Could you tell Marco that I meant to contact
him last night but my phone died and I forgot about it this morning?”
Cora nodded, smiling softly as he put his hand on Ace’s shoulder
“I can do that. Take care of yourself Ace, okay? The only advice I can give you
is to be honest with your feelings and be honest with the Captain as well”
Ace said nothing and didn’t move either so Cora took the hint to leave, going
back inside the studio
 
Cora couldn’t help but chuckle at how peeved Law still was at him for paying
for the tattoos – did he honestly think that Cora wouldn’t? Please
Bepo had met him at the Thai place and they had soon ordered their food. Bepo
and Luffy in animated discussion about the latest martial art movie they both
saw while Law happily listened in. He added his comments here and there, him
also having seen the movie
Law had a soft spot for ninjas – he’d never admit it though but Cora saw the
pile of mangas under his bed
Like please, Law
But his conversation with Ace was still troubling him – Ace had never looked so
– youngto him before
Deep down Cora kinda wishes he had been able to grab Ace before he went down
this road. Granted, Newgate did seem like a really good man – but Ace deserved
better than this. All the kids in this house deserved a chance to be living a
life that isn’t riddled in crime and not having to make difficult decisions
like this
Kids Ace’s age should be debating between colleges – not wondering if his gang
activity might have cost him his relationship
“You okay, Cora? You look kinda out of it?” asked Law, snapping Cora out of his
thoughts
“Sorry, just thinking about things” admitted Cora, waving Law’s concern away
“Is this about the big gang bust last night?” asked Bepo, grinning as their
food arrived
“How do you know about that?” asked Cora, surprised
“It was on tv this morning! Hack also asked me if you were okay since he said
that gang busts can get pretty violent!” explained Bepo
“Oh, yeah, I was there. But it was fine” said Cora, but then he looked at Luffy
“Captain’s mad though, since apparently when that happened, the Mayor skipped
town”
Luffy nodded, happily eating his food
“It’s okay though! We made sure he’ll never come back!”
“Luffy! You keep forgetting that Cora’s a cop!” snapped Law
“It’s fine” said Cora, sighing, honestly, was he much of a cop nowadays
considering how much he’s hanging out with gang members?
He sure as hell didn’t feel like one
“You see! Mister Rosisisi says it’s okay!” pointed out Luffy, grinning
“It still puts him in an uncomfortable position!” replied Law, sighing
“Luffy, why do you keep getting involved in illegal situations anyways?”
Bepo and Law looked at Cora completely shocked with the question
“I don’t mean to!” started Luffy, chuckling but then he frowned, a serious
expression on his face “But when I see things that aren’t right, I can’t just
stand by, you know! I gotta go help!”
Cora blinked, looking at Luffy a little surprised
Law on the other hand, looked at Luffy in awe, unable to stop the small smile
curling up at the corner of his lips
Cora nodded, not sure how to contest that
“Just…Be careful, okay, Luffy? I’d hate for something to happen to you”
“I’ll be careful, mister Rosisisi! I promise!”
Cora couldn’t help but chuckle, it was really easy to get caught up with
Luffy’s optimism
He just hoped that nothing would happen that would cause Luffy to break his
promise
Chapter End Notes
     and that's it! Now it's all in Ace's hands and hopefully he'll make
     the right decisions!
     Also I full-on Cora-ed this Thursday, face-planting right into the
     sidewalk, let me tell ya, not fun at all!
***** -ACE- Michael Polnareff Sang a Song About This (I Just Hope I Don't Sound
As Pathetic) *****
Chapter Notes
     And here it is! Ace's chapter! Hopefully you'll all enjoy it!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
We need to talk
We nee
Can we talk?
Can w
Are you available to talk right now?
Are you available to talk right now? Please?
Are you available to talk right now? Pl
Are you available to talk right now?
 
Ace sighed deeply, looking at his phone in his hand. He took a deep breath and
hit send, sending off the message
Never had he wanted one of the new phones more than right now, wanted that dumb
little notice that told you that someone had seen your message
Rosinante was right – he couldn’t put this off if he wanted any chance of
reconciliation and frankly, it was cowardly of him to be putting this off
anyways
And Ace D. Portgas was no coward!
Even though right now, he was kinda scared
Ace yipped when the phone suddenly vibrated, scaring him
Ace blinked, looking down and saw that he had a message
He quickly opened it and made a loud relieved noise when he saw the message
 
Chase <3
Meet me tonight at my house after my shift
 
Ace yelled out in victory, beyond thrilled that he got a reply. He pumped both
hands in the air and fell back into the grass, grinning brightly
“You seem pretty happy for someone that dared show up the next day, with no
contact whatsoever, during a job that involved a fucking police bust“
Ace merely smiled weakly at Marco
He had no idea when Marco started walking up to him, but there he was, standing
right behind Ace, glaring, arms crossed, clearly not happy
“Ehhh…I…I didn’t meant to-“
“I know. Got plastered with Buggy, huh?” teased Marco, snickering as he
untensed. Ace shifted, turning around and sitting up
“How did you k-?”
“You reek of booze, you dolt. I knew you two would get along though, hence why
I sent you”
Ace blinked, looking at Marco confused
“Oh! He was actually pretty great! I had a lot of fun with Buggy! Until of
course, we got busted. How come they busted him though? He seemed more or less
pretty harmless – that Alvida girl though, I’d watch the hell out of her
though”
If anyone made him feel super uncomfortable at that meeting – it was her for
sure. She was without a doubt the brains of the operation, but for some reason,
she was always drenched in sweat as if the place was like some sort of sauna.
Ace personally didn’t find the place that warm at all, especially not for
November! And she was wearing a bikini top!
“Because Buggy used to be in Roger’s gang. So the cops have their eyes on him”
Ace blinked, looking at Marco shocked as he shot up from the ground
“Eh?! You serious?!”
Ace honestly didn’t know how he felt about the fact that he was partying last
night with an ex-member of his old man’s gang
“So, what do you have to report?” asked Marco, sighing
“Uh, they’re here to steal some jewels”
“No drugs?”
Ace shook his head
“No, but Buggy can like, contort his body really weirdly! He can dislocate
limbs and stretch his skin a bit, not as much as Luffy, but enough!”
Marco nodded, listening carefully
“Anything else to report?”
“My boyfriend probably hates me now and I wouldn’t be surprised if he dumps me
over this?”
Ace didn’t mean to say it, but right now, he couldn’t stop thinking about it
and it just came out like word vomit
“Ace” started Marco, sighing deeply “If he does, I’ll make his life a living
hell”
Ace couldn’t help but smile at Marco’s comment – too bad it didn’t remove the
pit in his stomach
 
“And then Marco told me to beat it because all my pacing was driving him nuts”
“I can’t believe Rosinante lectured you” said Sabo, in awe
After being  ‘annoying’ for about an hour or so, Marco had kicked Ace out of
the mansion, saying that Ace needed some air to clear his head
But frankly, Ace didn’t want to be alone right now
So he had made his way to the Revolutionary Army’s café to see Sabo and give
him an update on everything that has happened since they last saw each other
“Why do cute blondes always want to take care of me, Sabo?” asked Ace
playfully, leaning over the counter towards Sabo, batting his eyes, showing
that he had no ill-will towards Cora at all, if anything, he kinda needed to be
lectured like that
Not that he would admit it of course
 “Well, you see Ace, you’re like a stray alley cat” started Sabo as he cleaned
the counter, gesturing Ace to get off it
“Excuse me?”
“You’re dirty, you’re smelly, you have your claws out and you yowl at people.
But we blondes have the ability to know that you only really need some good old
TLC and then you’re going to be a soft, purring kitten”
Ace had to laugh at the comparison; he can’t say he was expecting that!
“Mew?”
“Baww” teased Sabo as he petted the top of Ace’s head gently, making both of
them laugh
But then Sabo’s expression grew serious
“Are you ready to talk with the Captain though? Like emotionally?”
Ace sighed loudly, scratching the back of his head
“Honestly? Rosinante’s right. The longer I put this off, the worst it’s going
to be. And I’ll look like a total coward too, and I can’t stand that”
He didn’t need the Captain to think even worst of him right now
“Well, if you’re going to go talk to the Captain about last night, you need to
get cleaned up, Ace” said Koala, walking up to them with a tray filled with
dishes “You smell like booze and it’s just going to piss off the Captain”
Ace groaned, he had forgotten about that
“Shit! I don’t have time to go back home though, and Dadan gets pissed as hell
when we run the pipes during the day”
“Don’t worry, we have a shower down here!” explained Sabo, coming from around
the counter “I’ll bring you there”
“But what about-?” started Ace, but then he was caught off by Koala
“I’ll go buy you some clothes! There’s a nice local shop around here”
“But you don’t have my si-“
“I’m texting your sizes to Koala right now so she’ll have them” said Sabo
“You guys don’t have to-“
“Shut up, Ace. Let us” said Sabo as Koala left, grabbing her purse from around
the counter
 
“Okay, I have to admit, I feel a million times better. But Koala, you didn’t
have to buy me boxers too”
Koala scoffed, crossing her arms. Koala had returned in no time, but now it was
time to close the shop. With the sign flipped, they could relax a bit, with no
clients around
“Yes I do! Who knows how long you’ve been wearing those ratty old things!”
“How much do I owe you for all of this?” asked Ace, feeling guilty
Koala had gotten him some quality clothing! He was wearing a pair of black
slacks, with a nice belt and a burnt orange dress shirt with a small black vest
“Nothing! I don’t want a dime from you, merely news of how it all goes”
“But-“
“No buts! Let me spoil you once in a while, Ace!” argued Koala, huffing
“Especially after the really lovely purse you got me for my birthday!”
Ace smiled, blushing a bit, he was really happy to see that Koala was enjoying
the purse he got her for her birthday
“But it was your bi-“
“Consider this my early birthday present then! Considering-“
“It’s okay, really! Just come home safe, it’s all I ask! From both of you”
Koala and Sabo nodded, smiling
“We can at least do that much! Now C’mon, dig in! It’s supper time!” announced
Sabo as he brought out three plates for all them
Ace was beyond thankful he had them in his life
 
Ace felt a hand on his shoulder softly shake him
He opened his eyes and looked confused, yawning softly
Guess he fell asleep?
But suddenly his vision was filled with the image of a tired looking Smoker,
kneeling in front of him
Shit! Right!
After dinner, he had made his way to Smoker’s house and decided to wait it out
for the other on his front porch and guess he fell asleep?
“You could have waited inside. You still have the key” stated Smoker, not
exactly hostile, but not in the friendliest tone either
He was probably holding back his rage
“I…I didn’t want to impose”
Smoker looked at him quietly for a moment and then walked up the stairs past
Ace, unlocking the door
Ace quietly followed Smoker, watching carefully as the other removed his coat,
desperately wanting to touch the other man’s shoulders, hold him tight, burry
his face between those shoulder blades
But right now, honestly, he was terrified of instigating contact, he doesn’t
know what he’d do if Smoker recoiled at his touch
“I’m just going to get changes first” said Smoker, making his way up the stairs
Ace could tell the other had an awfully long day and now he felt awful for
prolonging it
Without really thinking about it, Ace went to the patio door and let Justice
in, who happily greeted Ace
Ace went to fill her bowl of water and the other with food and soon Justice
happily chomped down as Ace watched quietly
 
Moments later, Smoker came downstairs, dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweat
pants, seemingly pleasantly surprised with the scene in front of him
“You fed her?”
Ace jumped, surprised at bring addressed
“Oh, force of habit, I didn’t-“
“It’s fine, Ace”
Ace nodded slowly, unable to stop himself from looking down at the carpet, his
nerves eating him up
“…You can take a seat” offered Smoker, sighing loudly as he made his way to the
couch, sitting down himself as he took the cigar that was on the ashtray on the
coffee table, lighting it up
Ace soon joined him and quickly looked up at Smoker, surprising him
He needed to say it now! Before he lost the nerve!
“I was there to find out why Buggy was in town! That’s it! I crashed the party
to get intel! But we got along rather well, so I wound up staying for the rest
of the party but I swear! Aside from drinking, I wasn’t doing anything else
illegal!”
Smoker blinked, surprised at Ace blurting out the information and started to
sputter, frowning
“Ace, you still-! It’s illegal! You were present at a gang bust and you ran
away from an officer!” replied Smoker, clearly upset “That’s guilty by
association and evading arrest!”
“I know! I’m not denying that! I just…I wanted to tell you the truth of what I
was doing that night. I wasn’t dealing or anything, just gathering intel on
Buggy!” Ace mumbled the end, rubbing the back of his neck
“I’m supposed to report that you were at the scene, Ace! I’m compromising my
career and my reputation here by not doing it and-“ explained Smoker, clearly
trying not to blow a casket, making Ace panic
“I don’t want special treatment! Report me! I’m not with you because you’re the
Chief of Police, Chase! I’m with you because I love you!”
Smoker paused for a moment and then looked at Ace sadly
“I’m the Chief of Police regardless, Ace!” and then Smoker paused again,
closing his eyes, his shoulders sagging slightly as he rubbed his brow “ I’m
only going to overlook this because we have our hands rather full with Buggy’s
gang, but…If I catch you again…I’m going to have to-“
“Do what you must as Chief, Chase! Please! I’m not worth you risking everything
for me!”
Smoker looked at Ace suddenly seeming really hurt by the comment, making Ace
wince as he slightly pulled back
Ace bowed slightly from his spot on the couch
“I’m so so sorry for putting you in that position, I shouldn’t have even gone
or should have left hours before since I got the info rather fast”
Ace really wished he could stop talking right now, he knew he was rambling, but
the lack of sleep and the strained emotions he had all day was making him just
babble on
He just needed Smoker to know that he didn’t mean to put him in that position
“Ace, please” Ace suddenly stopped talking, now noticing that Justice was
whining, patting him on the leg, trying to get Ace’s attention “Stop
apologizing”
“I…I just…I don’t want you mad at me. But I totally get why you would be…I
really fucked up”
Smoker sighed, taking the cigar out of his mouth and exhaling
“Yeah, you did. But, you came here and you explained yourself, and that shows
that I’m not wasting my time with you”
Ace looked at Smoker hopeful, as he smiled softly
He still felt like shit, but that made him feel better
“…Can I…Can I hug you?”
Ace bit his lip, waiting for the answer as Smoker suddenly leaned forward,
pulling Ace into a tight hug
Ace melted into the touch, gripping the back of Smoker’s shirt as he hugged him
back, burying his face into Smoker’s shoulder
“…I’m not mad at you, Ace. I’m just pissed off that last night even happened”
Ace gripped Smoker even tighter
“What the fuck are we going to do? It’s not like you’re going to stop being a
Whitebeard and I can’t look the other way when I know illegal things are going
on. Not when they’re not justified either”
“I know, I know” mumbled Ace
Ace knew that getting involved with a police officer wasn’t the best idea
But he couldn’t help himself with Smoker
He was just so drawn to the other
Ace lifted his head and let go of Smoker’s shirt and reached up, cupping
Smoker’s face, not sure when Smoker put his cigar back on the ashtray, and
pulled him down into a deep kiss
But he loved him, he loved so so much
Smoker hungrily kissed him back, reassuring Ace as they lowered down onto the
couch. Ace groaned softly into the kiss, his arms now behind Smoker’s neck,
pulling him in closer as they continued to slowly kiss each other
With every kiss, Ace was feeling bolder and bolder and soon enough his hands
snuck down Smoker’s shirt, hands slipping underneath the t-shirt, feeling
Smoker’s chest. Smoker in response, sat up, off from Ace, grabbing Ace’s wrists
“No.”
“I-I’m sorry, I –“ Ace stared at Smoker, wide-eyed and panicked – he was so
used to things going this way lately, that he didn’t even think-!
Of course Smoker wouldn’t want him touching him!
What was he thinking!
He took too much! He was given an inch and he took a mile!
Smoker sighed, letting go of Ace’s wrists
“Sorry, it’s just; it’s not a good idea for tonight”
Ace nodded, pulling his hands back dropping them on his lap as he sat up
“I’m sorry, it’s too soon, I shouldn’t have tried anything, I was just
following our usual order, but I shouldn’t have assumed and-“
“Ace, no. I mean, we’re not in the right state of mind right now. I’m still
ticked off about the situation and you seem desperate right now, it’s just. I
had this sex before, Ace. Nobody enjoys having this kind of  sex and we’ll
regret it after”
Ace slowly nodded, feeling tears threatening to start welling up, but he didn’t
want to cry again
Smoker smiled softly, leaning in to kiss the top of Ace’s head
“I want sex with you to be only good memories”
Ace flushed brightly at the comment, smiling a bit as he looked up at Smoker
“I guess I should listen to the experiences adult about this, huh?” teased Ace,
making Smoker roll his eyes
“Oh shut up. It’s late, do you want to sleep over?” asked Smoker, getting up
from the couch as Justice trotted up to them, knowing that her master was
heading to bed
Then Smoker offered his hand to Ace
“Can I?” asked Ace, smiling, gladly taking Smoker’s hand as he got up
“I just invited you, brat” replied Smoker as he started walking up the stairs,
still holding onto Ace’s hand
“Well, I guess if I’m invited so nicely, I might as well go~” teased Ace, but
he felt butterflies going nuts in his stomach, feeling much better
“But no hanky-panky, I need to sleep. I was up until sunrise making sure the
jackass brigade was well-questioned”
“What’s hanky-panky? Is that old man talk?”
“I can take back my offer, you know” threatened playfully Smoker as they
arrived to his room, making Ace laugh
“Alright alright, I’ll behave, I guess” teased back Ace again, smirking
But it was all bravado
Because now Ace felt like his relationship might have an expiry date
Ace was going to need to make sure that he does everything in his power to make
sure that it never comes to that – otherwise he might lose Smoker
But right now, he didn’t want to think about that
Just of Smoker’s warm sheets, his musk of sweat, gunpowder, leather and smoke,
his cool touch, the rough feeling of Smoker’s face and the feeling of being in
the other’s arms as Smoker pulled him in close
Right now, Ace just wanted to sleep
 
“Ace?”
Ace blinked, looking up for him spot on Smoker’s chest, to look at the other.
They had settled pretty quietly in bed and there hadn’t been a sound in the
bedroom for a good 10 minutes now, the lights already all turned off
“Yeah?”
“Can you do me a favour?”
“Anything”
“Be here in the morning?”
The venerability in Smoker’s voice kinda scared Ace, but he still smiled as he
pressed a soft kiss on Smoker’s jawline
“Let’s go have breakfast at Makino’s tomorrow morning”
“Fine” said Smoker as he yawned, closing his eyes
Ace smiled softly to himself as he resettled on Smoker’s chest
Maybe there was hope after all
Chapter End Notes
     Actions have consequences, like Cora said, but hopefully Ace will
     find a way to fix this!
     I have some promised LawLu in the next chapter, so I hope you all
     look forward to it!
     (Also I made a calendar of events! So if you guys want dates for all
     of the events, let me know!)
***** -LAW- TV Novela Are Less Dramatic Than This! (Why Are Things So
Complicated?!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh! It seems you guys want the calendar!! I'll try to have it all up
     and ready for next week! Sorry about the slightly late update!!
     Getting home was hellish today!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
It had snowed
Honestly Law usually had nothing but bad memories of snow, it reminded him of
that time where was sure he had lost Cora
But right now, it was making him happy
Luffy’s hand was warm in his as they walked hand in hand through the lush
forest. There was barely any tracks in the forest either, making it seemed like
the whole forest belonged to only them. They weirdly clashed with Law’s long
black coat and Luffy’s white and red stripped coat but right now Law didn’t
care
What Law did care about is that Luffy had been rather distracted though, which
was a bit killing the mood in Law’s opinion. But mostly because it was making
him feel rather self-conscious, as if Luffy didn’t actually want to be with him
right now and would rather be elsewhere
“Luffy, if you have somewhere you need to go, we can just stop the date now“
Law didn’t mean for his comment to come out sounding so hostile, yet it did
anyways
Luffy blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as he looked at Law confused
“Huh? Why would I want to be anywhere else? I love being with Torao!”
“You seem bothered by something”
“Did Mister Rosisisi tell you what he and Ace talked about?”
What?!
Law didn’t think that this was what was distracting Luffy!
“No, when I asked, Cora said that it was between him and Ace and had nothing to
do with me, so I didn’t push”
Luffy huffed
“Damn! I was hoping you’d know, Ace has been in a real rotten mood since then!”
Law raised a brow, frowning a bit; Luffy was distracted during their date
because Ace was in a bad mood?
“Ah, I guess you’re worried”
Luffy shook his head, huffing again as he puffed up his cheeks
“No! It’s because he’s a real jerk when he’s in a bad mood! He picked on me all
morning!”
Now that, Law wasn’t expecting
“What? Like, Ace your brother? The one that mother hens you? He’s able to be
mean to you?”
“Oh yeah! Ace can be real mean when he wants to! This morning he shoved me out
of the way to use the shower first and then he used up all the hot water!  And
then he kept eating my food off my plate by distracting me with things and when
I asked to go with him in town, he left without me!” explained Luffy, huffing
more
Law had a really hard time wrapping his head around what Luffy was telling him
“Is this…usual for Ace?”
Luffy sighed
“Sorta?  When we first met, he spat on me and threw a log at me! And then he
tried to get me killed in this forest, knowing I couldn’t keep up with him!”
“Wait, how old were you?”
“I was 7!”
Law frowned, trying to put this information together for it to be logical
“Ace…almost killed a 7 year old? Rather…tried to kill?”
Luffy chuckled, tugging on Law’s hand
“C’mon! I’ll show you something!”
 
Luffy brought Law up to a massive tree in the forest. Law looked at it in awe,
kinda amazed at the size of it
“Ace and Sabo tied me up to this tree!”
Law’s expression sunk as he looked at Luffy in disbelief
What!?
“And then they said that they were gonna kill me because I knew now that they
hid all the money they’ve been looting for years. So I started to yell and
these guys showed up – they were looking for Ace and Sabo who had just robbed
one of their guys, but they found me instead”
“What happened next?” asked Law
“Well, the guys were from the Bluejam gang, and they asked me if I knew where
the money was and I said no, so they took me back to their lair and started to
beat me pretty bad, but I never talked!”
Law was surprised to hear that – what 7 year old would keep their lips sealed
as they were being beaten by adults?
“And then Sabo and Ace showed up and saved me! I was so happy! Ace really let
me have it though! He told me I should have just told them where the money was
and not gotten beaten up like that. But I really wanted to be friends with Ace
and I knew he wouldn’t be my friend if I tattled”
“Why did you want to be Ace’s friend so bad anyways? He was treating you like
shit”
“Because I had nobody else” replied Luffy sincerely
Law’s heart wrenched at that moment – he knew what that was like and he never
thought that Luffy would too
“But then Ace, Sabo and me became super close! We exchanged cups of sake and
then we became brothers! Then we built the- oh! I wanna show you that too!”
Law felt Luffy tugging on his hand and followed Luffy to whatever he was
leading him to
 
Law was soon enough in front of a massive cabin in a tree. He gaped, in awe at
it – he’d never seen one so big before! And so incredibly high up as well
“My brothers and I built this when we were kids! This was our hideout!” started
Luffy as he ran up to the rope ladder and started to climb, Law following
behind him
“It’s pretty big for kids to build, how long did it take you?”
“About two weeks! We went to Gray Terminal and collected all the materials
after scavenging for hours! Sabo made the plan!”
When they got to the top, Luffy told him to be careful of the rope running
along the entrance, saying it was a trap for intruders
Law was rather impressed, the foundation was a mix of childish and rather
sophisticated construction, but it was rather sparse. It had a ship’s wheel and
a mast and Law could spot a giant flag on top
“Was this…a pirate ship?”
Luffy grinned brightly
“Yeah! We played pirates up here a lot! Because the original gangs were
pirates, you know!” explained Luffy as he walked up to a pile of blankets,
sitting down
“Sit! This is my bed and those are Ace’s and Sabo’s!”
Law sat down and looked around the hideout. There was a thick curtain covering
the entrance, which Law only figured was changed for the winter months. Inside
there was some battery powered lights hanging from the ceiling of the cabin.
There were also a few old beanbags and a table. He noticed that the garbage can
was filled with used tissues and there was a bucket that had a sheet on ice in
it – so Law can only figure that it had been recently washed
Frankly he wouldn’t be surprised if it was Ace that puked in it – he looked
rather hung over the other day
“Did you guys often spend time here?”
Luffy nodded, smiling “Yeah! For months! But when we thought we lost Sabo, it
didn’t feel right coming back here without him. But then when we got him back
this summer, we had to clean everything up! But it was great to be able to come
back!”
“Sounds like it was really fun, I always wanted a club house when I was a kid”
admitted Law, smiling softly but then his smile turned sad “My dad had promised
to build me one actually, Lami and I were so excited about it”
“Who’s Lami?” asked Luffy, blinking
“Oh…She’s my little sister…well, was, she…she’s gone” Law felt bad suddenly,
what a shitty time to bring up Lami
“It kinda always hurts doesn’t it?” said Luffy, putting his hand on top of
Law’s, rubbing Law’s hand with his thumb
“Yeah, it’s hard. She was also just a kid, a really bright and cheerful kid.
She liked colourful things and loved music and festivals”
“Where you two close?”
“Yeah, we did everything together”
“She sounds like a lot of fun!”
Law blinked, feeling a tear run down his face as he smiled
“Yeah, I think you would have really liked her” admitted Law
He never thought that talking about his sister would actually make him
feel…good
Law froze slightly as he felt Luffy’s hand on his cheek, wiping away the tear
“Thanks for telling me about her, Torao”
Law smiled a bit, nodding
“Thanks for letting me talk about her; people…don’t seem to want to ask about
my family. Which I get because you know…I don’t know, I didn’t think it would
be nice to”
“You should tell Mister Rosisisi that! And the others! I’m sure they’d love to
hear all these stories about your family!”
“Yeah, maybe” Law closed his eyes for a moment and then turned towards Luffy, a
small smile on his face
Luffy chuckled softly, before his own expression grew a bit more serious and
suddenly, he leaned in, kissing Law softly
“I always want to hear stories from you”
Luffy’s words for some reason was making Law’s heart beat faster
“They’re not always nice though” admitted Law, frowning
“So? As long as they’re yours” replied Luffy earnestly, causing Law to blush a
bit
“Only if you tell me more of yours! You’re pretty tight-lipped about what’s
been going on with you”
“Huh? Oh! I don’t think about telling you about it, but I will if you want me
to!”
Law groaned, figures that Luffy wasn’t keeping it a secret – he just didn’t
bother to tell him about what was going on with him
“I’m your boyfriend, Luffy…I want to know about that kind of stuff” admitted
Law, blushing furiously as he looked at the ground, unable to deal with the
fact that he was actually admitting this!
“Okay! I’ll tell you all about my adventures!”
 
Somehow story time became makeout time
Luffy was practically in his lap, one hand on Law’s arm and the other was
resting on Law’s thigh as the two devoured each other’s mouths. Law was
gripping the back of Luffy’s coat, pulling him in closer with the other hand at
the nape of Luffy’s neck, a few of Law’s fingers in Luffy’s hair. Both of them
knocked each other’s hats off in the process. Thankfully, their body heat was
making it that the hideout wasn’t too cold, even in the cold weather
Law groaned softly as he felt Luffy’s tongue in his mouth, forever glad he had
showed him how to do that. Guess Cora’s books did come in use for them. Luffy
was a greedy kisser, which Law quickly realized. Once he realized it was
something he liked, he just wanted more and more. Law’s lips were quickly
getting swollen and a part of his mind was pointing out how this exchange of
fluids can’t be healthy for him – but he didn’t care right now. He had missed
Luffy in the last few or so weeks and it was nice to be able to have him all to
himself like this
Luffy made a soft moaning sound, shooting up a spark through Law’s spine. They
pulled back, breathing hard, trying to catch their breath. Law could see the
puffs of air as they exhaled, signaling that it was getting even colder. But
with Luffy’s flushed cheeks, his quick breathing, the glazed over look on his
face, the swollen lips – Law couldn’t help but think about how…eroticLuffy
looked at that moment
Law went to lean in to kiss Luffy again but was quickly stopped by a snowball
hitting him right in the face
“What the fuck?!” snapped Law, ready to murder whoever dared to bother them
“No shenanigans in the hideout! What the fuck, get a room!” roared Ace, lunging
for Luffy, smashing the clump of snow that he had in his hand, right into
Luffy’s face
“Oye Ace, c’mon, relax!” tried Sabo as he also walked into the hideout, pushing
the thick curtain aside and instantly stared at Law, a small smirk on the
corner of his mouth
Oh the son of a bitch! He was enjoying this!
“What about that time that you and Sabo were practicing kissing back then?! So
it’s only allowed for you two?! That’s not fair!” yelled Luffy, outraged and
annoyed at Ace, who was straddling Luffy’s waist, still trying to mush the snow
all over Luffy’s face
In a moment, Law saw both Sabo and Ace become a scarlet red
“W-What?! You were up?! I thought you were sleeping!!” squeaked Sabo, horrified
“You little brat!! We were kids! Don’t bring up ancient history like that!!”
yelled Ace, whapping Luffy’s head
Law lifted a brow – Sabo and Ace would practice kissing?
“Is there a reason you guys came here?” asked Law, trying not to sound really
annoyed – but he was really annoyed
“We gotta work on our metal works project” explained Sabo, taking out this
small machine from his giant messenger bag
“Couldn’t you have done it somewhere else?”
“I would like to point out that the three of us own this place, and right now
it’s two out of three who are here to work on a project together, which
meaaaans-“ started Sabo
Law sighed, standing up and walking up to Ace and Luffy, giving Ace’s shoulder
a shove
“Oye. Get off of him. We’re gonna leave”
Ace paused, shooting Law a dirty look
“You want to run that by me again?”
Law instantly stiffed up, not used to such hostility from Ace and returned the
dirty look, not in the mood to step down right now
If Ace is itching for a fight – Law will give it to him!
Luffy shoved Ace off of him and scrambled up, trying to brush off the snow off
his coat
“We’ll go keep talking our walk, have fun with your robot!” said Luffy,
grabbing Law’s hand  and they quickly went out of the hideout
Law made a point to keep glaring at Ace
 
Once they were down the rope ladder and back on their way, Luffy took Law’s
hand back in his, grumbling
“See? He’s being a jerk!”
“He’s probably being all pissy because he’s probably fighting with his
boyfriend or something”
Luffy blinked, looking at Law confused for a moment and then it looked like a
light bulb lit on top of his head
“Oh! You’re probably right! That would explain it!”
Law said it but now he really thought about it – Was Ace fighting with the
Captain? That would explain why Cora said that it was between them…did it
happen during the drug bust?
Tch, whatever
“C’mon Torao! I want to show you something cool down this way!”
Law happily followed
 
“Whoah, that’s a gorgeous house”
Law was in awe at the house that was right on the outskirt of the forest – and
rather isolated by the looks of it
Luffy trotted up to the gate of the fence and quickly punched in a number,
surprising Law
“How come you know the code?”
“Because it’s Franky and Robin’s place and they gave it to me!” explained Luffy
as the gate swung open
“Whoah whoah, like, from school? Like the teachers?!” asked Law, shocked
“Yeah! We’re friends!”
Law quietly followed Luffy into apparently his teacher’s yard, looking at all
the metal creations around the yard
“What the hell-?”
“Franky makes these! Robin thinks they’re cute!”
Law shrugged, to each their own
But then Law stopped, pulling Luffy back
“Wait…I hear voices…and they don’t sound too happy”
Luffy blinked, looking at Law confused. Law looked around and spotted that the
main doors were open of this large workshop and inside of the workshop there
was a rather annoyed looking Franky and a man dressed sharply who looked just
straight up mad
Law dragged Luffy behind a large metal sculpture that put them close enough to
hear, but not enough to really see
“Why are we hiding?! Franky said I can go say hello whenever!” Law quickly
clamped a hand over Luffy’s mouth, signaling him to be quiet
“Shh! Just listen! I think something bad is going on” whispered Law
 
“Oh I see – mister hot shot entrepreneur has come to visit me to brag about how
he’s been asked to step-in as Mayor?”
“Nma, it’s not about that and you know it! It’s about how your wife has
apparently gone missing”
“She has not! She’s just gone on an errand or something and she forgot to tell
me!”
“Then how come my workers have seen you looking around town for her? Nma, don’t
lie to me! I told you it was a mistake to marry her! What’s wrong with you?!
Tom warned us about her and you go and marry her!”
“You don’t even know her, idiotburg! You have a lot of nerve to come here out
of nowhere and talk crap about my amazing Robin!”
“When’s the last time you saw her?” asked Iceburg
Law frowned when Franky said nothing for a few moments
“…She came home all beaten up on Friday night, but said that she was fine and
then when I woke up Monday morning, she was gone. But I assumed that she just
went to school early, she does that sometimes. She likes to do research with
that Portgas kid. But when I got to school, apparently she never showed up. So
I lied, saying a family member of hers died and she had to suddenly go to a
funeral while I looked for her”
Law’s heart squeezed, he never heard Franky sound so dejected
“I never trusted her! Did she steal the plans?” hissed Iceburg, clearly pissed
off
“Dude, she doesn’t even know I have them. I kept my word. I haven’t said
anything about them. This isn’t like her to run off!” then Franky paused,
groaning “Okay, it is! But not from me! We’re honest with each other!”
“We should go” whispered Law, seeing that Luffy was shaking from rage
“He can’t just say all those mean things about Robin-!” yelled Luffy, but Law
clamped his hand back on Luffy’s mouth, so most of it just came out sounding
really muffled
“Let’s go” stressed Law again, dragging Luffy away who clearly wanted to fight
this ‘idiotburg’
   
“Robin would never abandon Franky! Or us!” yelled Luffy once they were back in
the woods
“Us?”
“Robin’s part of our gang!” admitted Luffy
“Not Franky too?” Law remembered Luffy saying that he wanted to recruit them
both
“Naw, apparently Franky said that he didn’t want to be a target or something.
But Robin said that it sounded fun to join us! So I don’t get why she’d leave
like that! Something must have happened!”
Law sighed deeply, this date definitely just ended
“Do you want to go looking for her?”
“Can we?” asked Luffy, hopeful
Law nodded in response, taking out his cellphone
“I’ll call Cora to see if he might have heard of anything; let’s get going back
to town though!”
 
“Robin Nico? What do you want me to tell you about her?”
Law frowned, it sounded like Cora had some kind of work-up on her already
Cora told him to meet him at the station because he wasn’t comfortable telling
Law the information over the phone
“You sound like you know stuff”
“Well” started Cora, typing on his monitor “I know this much”
Cora turned the monitor towards Law and signaled to him to keep quiet
Law couldn’t believe his eyes
Miss Nico was wanted?!
“B-But how is this-?!”
“She is but, I don’t understand how an eight year old can be wanted, so when I
met her, I ignored it. By the looks of it, she stays in a town long enough for
someone to identify her and then she splits. But for her credentials’ sake, she
has to use her actual name. It’s actually impressed to have been that qualified
as a child though. She can read dead languages too!”
Cora sounded like he was actually gushing over Robin
“Shit…Maybe someone has reported her” muttered Law, frowning
“Has she gone missing?” asked Cora, surprised “Nobody at the station reported
her though? Usually it’s when the authorities find her that she splits”
“Cora…if anyone d-“
“I’ll tell you right away” reassured Cora, smiling
“She’s apparently Luffy’s friend and means a lot to him and-“
Cora raised his hand, stopping Law right in his tracks
“No need to explain yourself. Go, Luffy probably wants news”
Law smiled, running off and out of the station
 
When he ran out, Luffy was nowhere in sight, but he had a message on his cell
from Luffy saying that he was going to check out the main street and to meet
him there
Law made his way there clearly and was surprised to spot Sanji talking to a
girl with a rather large backpack. The girl in question was clearly a tourist,
but what was confusing him at this moment was Sanji
Law frowned sharply when he realized that he couldn’t understand what Sanji was
saying to the girl – not because he was too far or anything, but because Sanji
was talking in…German?
Since when did Sanji know German?!
Actually, now that he thought about it – Sanji was another one who didn’t
really talk that much about himself – but he knew that he spoke French at home
Suddenly Luffy came out of nowhere and Sanji quickly cut the conversation,
gesturing to the girl who walked off, it seems like he was giving her
directions and then they had started chatting
“Sanji! Sanji! Robin’s missing!”
“What?! My sweet Robin is missing?!” yelled Sanji, shocked as Law trotted up to
them
“Did you find out anything Torao?!” asked Luffy, slightly panicking
“She’s wanted apparently by the World Government. Apparently she has a track
record of splitting the minute the authorities get on her scent”
“Robin wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye! She wouldn’t!” stated Luffy, with
no room for arguments
“How do you know she’s missing? They said at school that she was gone to a
funeral” pointed out Sanji, lighting a cigarette
“We overheard Franky telling some guy that she’s been missing since Monday”
explained Law
“And if she’s wanted, he can’t file a police report” added Sanji, looking
frustrated “I’ll go looking for her in not-favorable locations!” declared Sanji
before running off
Luffy then turned towards Law and Law sighed deeply
“I’ll go stay with Cora and give you news if any come up, okay?”
Luffy frowned nodding, but then he smiled a bit. He leaned up and gave Law a
quick kiss
“I have to go meet up with everyone”
“I get it; a member of your gang went missing. It’s only logical”
“I’m gonna dump snow in Ace’s bed tonight for bothering us though, okay?”
promised Luffy, determined
Law merely chuckled, leaning down to steal another quick kiss
“Okay Luffy, I hope you find her, okay?”
Luffy grinned brightly at Law
“I know we will! Bye Torao!”
And then Luffy ran off
Law frowned, kicking a patch of snow once Luffy was out of sight, he would like
to have at least one normal date with Luffy!
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Alas, a good thing ended too soon-! It's gonna be a rather eventful
     Cora chapter too! So get ready for that! We're heading somewhere
     fast!
***** -CORAZON- Justice Is Supposed To Be Blind, Not Crooked (I Want My Rose
Coloured Glasses Back Please) *****
Chapter Notes
     So a very active Cora chapter! Put on your seatbelts and let's go for
     a ride!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“So, good news, Luffy said that Miss Nico would be at school tomorrow“
Cora let out a relieved sound at the news. Even though the newly appointment
Mayor Iceburg got shot the other night by none of other than Robin Nico –
things were quickly cleared up somehow and Iceburg dropped the charges and
publicly apologized for accusing her
Which was weird, but whatever
Law had been in an odd mood these last few days since he had come to see him
about getting help finding Robin Nico but simply because, well, he was mostly
sulking about it more than anything
When Cora had asked him about it, Law had stated that he didn’t want to be
involved because he was starting to think that things might get a little messy
Cora had learned fast enough that that was probably Law’s way of telling Cora
that what Luffy was doing wasn’t quite uh…legal
But hadn’t they been out on a date?!
 
Law currently was hanging out with Cora at the police station, doodling on a
notepad, obviously trying to keep himself distracted. Cora was used to Law
falling into more dark moods where he just wanted to be alone – well, as alone
was he allowed himself to be. So basically he would stick with Cora. Bepo
usually would come hang out as well, but today he had an extra karate lesson
but he was going to swing by and pick up Law so they could meet up with the
others
“Is Luffy okay?”
Law blinked, looking at Cora surprised at the question and smiled a bit,
nodding
“Yeah, just, banged up as usual. Zoro told me to keep an eye on him because he
might have a concussion”
Cora nodded
“I’m sure you’re good for that”
“Honestly…I’d like to look him over myself, but I trust Chopper”
Cora frowned, surprised
“He’s the medic? That’s the small boy, right?”
Law paused slightly before answering
“He…He has advanced mental capacities due to something he…ingested”
 OH!
Cora paused and then he sighed
“An akumanomi, huh?”
“Yeah, just like the one you gave me” accused Law, frowning, not impressed
Cora chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head
“Haha, guilty. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the full details”
Law hmphed
“I demand reparations”
“Excuse me?!”
“For lying to me about what you stabbed me with!”
Okay, when he put it that way, it sounded really bad
“Alright, alright, what’s your demands, you tyrant, just keep your voice down!”
“I want a snowboard for the sky trip” said Law, crossing his arms and smirking
“That’s a dumb demand; I was going to buy you two new equipment anyways”
Yeesh, Law always forget how much Cora loves to spoil him and Bepo
Law frowned sharply
“Oye! No! I want to blackmail you into it!”
“Fine fine, I’m blackmailed, ooooh” teased Cora, throwing his arms up in the
air mockingly
 
“Law! Don’t blackmail, Cora! What the hell?!”
Cora and Law turned, looking towards Bepo who just walked in, wearing his gi as
he walked up to the two of them
“I’m trying to get us new equipment for the trip, Bepo”
“But Cora already told me he was getting that for us?” replied Bepo confused,
making Cora snort
Law frowned sharply at Bepo, making him ‘eep’ and put his head down
“How about this – you guys think about how you want to blackmail me and get
back to me?” suggested Cora
Law blinked and then shrugged
“That’s fair, okay” replied Law, grabbing Bepo’s arm “C’mon Bepo, let’s go meet
the others”
Law and Bepo left and Cora sighed, lying back on his chair
All this time and Law figured out what he had done anyways; guess there was no
point in really hiding it from him
 
Cora soon got back to work, trying to find any hints of what happened last
night and quickly found nothing at all
If Luffy had been up to something – shouldn’t it have been reported?
Suddenly he felt his cell vibrate. Cora took it out of his pocket and he looked
down – a message from Skype?
But then Cora gritted his teeth, scowling
 
D.DQ
Good news, little brother!
I might get a chance to see you earlier than I had planned!
We should get lunch ;)
 
It took everything Cora had not to smash his phone right there and then
He was shaking as he typed back, asking Doflamingo what the hell he meant by
that
 
D.DQ
I got summoned to Goa by the World Government. I had to rearrange things, but
how could I pass this up?
Cora hissed, this basically confirmed it!
reiichihachi46
You’re a Warlord?
 
D.DQ
Ahh! You guessed it! Here I was hoping to keep you in the dark a little longer!
I need to stop thinking my little brother is lame. But now the question is;
How are you going to keep me away from Law now?
 
Cora jumped out of his seat, ready to reply but saw that Doffy had just signed
out
That son of a bitch!!
Cora turned, shoving his phone into his pocket and grabbed the phone on his
desk, quickly punching in a number and putting the receiver to his ear
Cora waited for a moment, feeling his blood pressure rising
When nobody answered, he slammed the phone to hang it up and picked it up
again, punching in another number
He waited a bit until finally it got answered
“He-“
“Get me Sengoku now”
“Excuse me?! Sir! You can’t just call and demand to see-“
“You listen to me and you listen good. You tell Sengoku that it’s his son and
that he needs to talk to him right away! You understand me?!”
The person on the line mumbled a yes and Cora could hear him running away. He
was feeling a bit bad, but right now he was so furious that he was not going to
stand for anything stopping him from finally having this goddamn conversation
Soon enough, the other line was picked up
“Since when do you make demands?!” barked Sengoku, clearly mad
“Since you gave a total psychopath like my brother a post in the Warlord
program!”
Sengoku was completely silent from the other end for a moment and then Cora
heard a loud sigh
“Get to the airport. I’ll have a plane ready for you”
“Excuse me?! I’m in the middle of work! Do you really think I can just leave my
work place because you want me to go gallivanting on a plane?!”
Suddenly the door of Smoker’s office opened and Smoker came out looking very
perplexed, holding a piece of paper
“Trafalgar! Why the fuck was I just emailed a summons from the World Government
telling me to dismiss you for the day?!”
Cora blinked, looking at Smoker in shock
“…I’ll see you in a couple of hours”
And promptly hung up
 
Cora groaned, going through his bag to make sure he had grabbed all the
appropriate folders. If he was going to confront Sengoku, he was going to be
ready! He was a bit annoyed that he didn’t have anything to get changed into,
but it wasn’t like he was expecting to fly today!
He then took his phone, looking out the window as the landscape out the window
as the cab kept driving. He didn’t feel like paying for parking at the airport
right now
Cora took his cellphone and quickly texted Bepo and Law, letting them know that
he won’t be home tonight due to sudden business but that he would explain once
he got back. After he quickly wired some money into Bepo’s bank account from
his phone, enabling them to buy themselves supper
This was such a pain in the ass
Once Cora got to the airport, two men dressed in black approached his cab and
quickly paid for his fare and escorted him to a private area of the airport.
Cora sighed, not enjoying the attention this was giving him from everyone else
in the airport
“Real discreet, guys” hissed Cora, frowning, not in the mood to play games
Cora reviewed his notes once he was in the private jet, it soon taking off.
Even though Sengoku said that he would get him a flight, he can’t say he was
expecting to be literally the only person on board. Soon enough though, one of
the men dressed in the black suit approached him and handed him a package
“Sengoku said you would appreciate a change of clothes”
Cora blinked, taking the package and heading off into the bathroom. When he
opened it, he frowned
Ah. His old suit.
Cora huffed as he made his way out of the bathroom, now completely decked in
his World Government suit. Cora stomped to this seat, plopping down in it,
crossing his arms, thankful that at least the flight to the private island of
Marineford would be quick because he could not be more annoyed right now
 
Once he arrived inside of Marineford through the private landing strip, Cora
stormed off, out of the plane and quickly made his way to Sengoku’s office.
Once there, he banged on the door, arms crossed as it swung open
Apparently Garp was the one greeting him at the door
“Rosinante!”
“Garp, as lovely as it is to see you, I have to have a word with Sengoku in
there” said Cora with a strained voice
“Yeesh! Apparently you’re also in a mood! The old goat back there was just
kicking me out!”
“GET OUT, GARP” bellowed Sengoku from inside the office
Garp jumped slightly, walking past Cora and down the hall as Cora walked in,
closing and locking the door behind him
“How did you find out?” asked Sengoku, rubbing his brow as Cora walked in
“Doflamingo told me today via skype that he had been summoned to Goa. I asked
him point blank if he was a Warlord and he said yes”
Cora tried to remain calm as he walked up to Sengoku’s desk, but lost it when
he got close enough and slammed his fist down on the desk
“How could you?!  You directly invited Doflamingo to Goa?! You put Law and
Bepo’s lives in danger!”
Sengoku sighed loudly, rubbing his brow
“It isn’t like that Rosinante. I was going to invite you and those boys to
spend the holidays in Japan to keep you all away from him. I thought if I could
keep it quiet, you wouldn’t know that Doflamingo was coming to Goa. The orders
came from higher than me – you know this, Rosinante” explained Sengoku
Cora blinked, and then frowned sharply
“You planned on keeping Doflamingo’s presence a secret from the police as well?
Because otherwise I would have found out anyways!”
“Yes. To be honest, I have limited faith in the police department of Goa
because everything seems to be happening under your noses”
“Mind elaborating on that?” Cora tried to think of what Sengoku could possibly
be talking about
“Well, where do I begin? Many of the Warlords in Goa have been taken down and
the other night, this gang called the Strawhats declared war on the World
Government and took down my Cipher Pol agents I had placed in Goa!” roared
Sengoku, fist clenched on top of the desk, Cora could see his face was all red
Holy shit, Luffy
Cora quietly sat down in the chair facing the desk, crossing his arms and
lifted a brow
“How do you expect me to be upset that a group of vigilantes is taking down
gangs and crooked politicians?” honestly asked Cora
Like, yeah, he was worried about Luffy, but it didn’t sound like Luffy and his
friends were doing anything bad…per say
He didn’t want to know the details, honestly
“As much as I don’t trust the Warlords, I can’t take the chance of our biggest
operation of failing. I need the Warlords for this and I need you to make sure
that you keep the cops out of it” explained Sengoku, relaxing and straightening
himself out
Cora looked at Sengoku completely surprised
He was not expecting this!
“Uh, I’m just an officer. It’s the Captain that makes the calls, and if you
think Smoker is going to ignore a huge gathering of gang leaders, I don’t think
you know him enough” pointed out Cora
“I’ll give you back your World Government Agent status and promote your rank to
Rear Admiral so you outrank the Captain” offered Sengoku
Read Admiral?!
“That’s-! You honestly think Smoker will listen to me because of my rank? I
know they used to call him the Stray Dog because he did what he wanted and
couldn’t be controlled and you think a rank will convince him otherwise?”
Sengoku growled, clearly displease as he stood up, slamming his hands on the
desk
“I was against his relocation to Goa! I tried to get them to push it until next
year because he does amazing work but like you said he’s uncontrollable!”
Cora raised a brow
Until next year?
Where they planning on striking before then?
“Honestly, I admire the Captain’s sense of justice. I’m honestly surprised he
left the World Government Marines with such a strong sense of justice like
that”
Cora wasn’t lying; the Captain was probably the most honorable man he knew
“He didn’t leave the forces, Rosinante. He was dismissed for refusing orders,
causing his own men to refuse orders as well. He was court marshalled and
stripped of everything and then dismissed” explained Sengoku, calming down and
taking a seat at his desk once more
Cora blinked, not expecting that – he was dismissed?!
“What kind of orders did he refuse?”
Sengoku then shook his head
“I can’t disclose that, Rosinante”
Cora shrugged slightly, fair enough
“So, Japan? Please? For my peace of mind?” asked Sengoku, now in a much calmer
voice, but Cora could distinctively hear the fear and worry in his voice
Cora know this wasn’t happening, but he needed to play along
“I’ll have to think about it. This isn’t just my decision, it’s also the boys.
They already have a trip planned with some friends, I don’t want to take them
away from that” explained Cora
Sengoku nodded, rubbing his brow, closing his eyes
“Please get back to me quickly, Rosinante. I can’t stand the idea of you being
in danger once more because of me”
 
“Welcome home, Cora!”
Cora blinked, looking up from his daze at a smiling Bepo and Law
He wasn’t even sure how he got back honestly
After the conversation with Sengoku, he had to go handle things and then was
quickly put on a plane right back to Goa and into a cab. Now it was late, and
both of the boys should be in bed because they had school tomorrow – but Cora
had no idea why he didn’t expect them staying up to wait for him
He’s not even sure he had time to really muddle everything
“So, where the hell did you go? And what’s with the monkey suit?” asked Law,
curled up under a blanket on the couch, wearing his black pyjamas
Right – He was still wearing his uniform and not his police one
“Uh…Marineford”
Both Bepo and Law looked at Cora absolutely shocked
“Why the hell did you go there!?” asked Bepo
“Sengoku wanted to talk to me privately, so he had a plane sent for me”
“Good use of tax money” snarked Law, frowning
Cora blinked and then looked at Law, frowning
“Your boyfriend declared war on the World Government?”
Law looked sheepish as he smiled nervously
“Ah, you found out”
Cora rolled his eyes and plopped down onto the other end of the couch
“The fuck is this?! Are you wearing a World Government Marine uniform?!” asked
Law, sitting up and whacking the epaulettes on the coat hanging off his
shoulders – guess he just noticed the back of the coat
“I didn’t have anything else to wear so they sent this over” explained Cora,
waving his hand “I just forgot to take it off because I was tired”
“You should burn it” hissed Law, sitting back down in his pile of blankets
“Don’t deflect!! Luffy and his gang drew the attention of the World
Government!! What the hell happened?!”
Law sighed
“I don’t know much details. Luffy’s not one for them, but if I understand
right, it was the World Government who blackmailed Robin into coming with them
and to shoot Iceburg because she could read some dead language? Anyways, they
got her out and apparently one of the…Pigeon guy? Anyways, he said that they
were declaring war on the World Government by attacking them, so Luffy and his
gang and this guy called…Sogeking? Anyways, they burned the World Government
flag at Innes Lobby”
Cora looked at Law shocked, not sure what to even say to all of that
“The World Government Headquarters in the next town over?! They set the flag on
fire?!”
Law nodded
“Yeah, Luffy said they then beat up the guys who hurt Robin and brought her
back home and Iceburg apologized to Robin and stuff”
“Law, that’s insane” declared Cora, not even sure where to begin with all of
that
Yeah, he didn’t want to know what Luffy was up to
“What about you? Running out like that to fly off to meet Sengoku? What’s up
with that?” asked Law as Bepo quietly sat on the ground besides Law
“Doflamingo told me he was summoned to Goa for Warlord purposes. I called
Sengoku and demanded an explanation. Basically I think they’re going to attack
Ace and take advantage of the fact that the Whitebeards will come get him to
attack them and take both down at once. That’s my theory anyways. I don’t see
any other reason the World Government would need so many high hitters at the
same time” explained Cora, running his hand through his hair
It was the only sensible explanation for this whole mess
“Doflamingo is coming?! Here?!”
“But just Doflamingo” stressed Cora, waving his hand “You’re never allowed to
bring the rest of your gang to a Warlord summonings…I think. I don’t know
honestly, but if I remember the report I read”
“Is Sengoku crazy?!” blurted out Bepo, but then he bowed his head “I’m sorry
for insulting your father figure, Cora”
Cora laughed softly
“Don’t worry, I was ready to say much worst to his face! But yeah, that’s what
I asked him too. I was furious that he was bringing so much danger to you two.
Apparently Sengoku wants to fly us over to Japan during the holidays to keep us
out of this”
“Hard pass” said Law, frowning from his now blanket cocoon “I don’t want jack
shit from that man”
“Same!” said Bepo in solidarity with Law
Cora laughed again, leaning forward to ruffle both their heads
“I thought so – I wasn’t going to agree to it anyways. With what he said, I’m
sure they’re going to attack Ace before the New Year. Speaking of, Law, I’m
going to need you to keep Luffy as far away during that period”
“We have the skip trip planned, remember? We won’t be coming back until January
2nd” pointed out Law
Cora sighed in relief
“Right, the ski trip”
Cora then paused, his expression growing serious
“Law, Bepo, listen. We’re going to have to set up an alternative in case
anything happens to me. Doflamingo told me that he wanted to see me – which
means he’s probably going to try and finish the job. There’s no guarantee that
he won’t succeed. You know how he is, Law. There’s a chance I might not see
next year if he’s in town”
Law frowned sharply, looking down and nodded, clearly agreeing
Bepo whined softly
“Cora...”
“We have to be realistic about this Bepo” said Cora, smiling softly “You’re not
kids anymore; I can’t lie to you about this”
“Can we talk about this tomorrow” asked Law, sitting up “It’s late”
Cora blinked and then looked at the clock – holy shit, it was nearly 1am!
“Ack!” yelled Cora, suddenly getting up, tripping on the corner of the coffee
table and hitting the ground
“CORA?!” yelled both Law and Bepo as they stood up
“Urgh, I’m fine, just go to bed! You have school tomorrow! School!” said Cora
as he sat up, groaning
Law and Bepo nodded and quietly made their way up the stairs
“You go to bed too” said Law, from on top of the stair case before they
disappeared into Bepo’s bedroom
Cora smiled softly in their direction
“I love you boys! Goodnight!”
“We love you too, Cora! Goodnight!” replied the two from inside of the bedroom
 
Cora waited a moment until they were well in bed before he crumpled down,
laying on his back on the living room floor
He was going to miss his quiet suburban life
Cora then rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his new World Government
ID, staring at it
He hoped he made the right decision
Chapter End Notes
     So there we have it!
     Also the calendar is MORE OR LESS done? Basically I'll add to it as
     the chapters get published, but it's only November for now, I'll have
     to backtrack to do the other ones and it might take me a little
     longer! But here's the link! (I know there's other tabs but don't
     click them, they lead to the template I used dhlkskdhl)
     https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B51lZL_ARHCrRXNvT0k2aUlCN0U
***** -ACE- My Boyfriend’s Back And You’re Gonna Get In Trouble! (No Seriously,
He Wants To Cave Your Face In) *****
Chapter Notes
     It's now time to go back to Ace! Things are brewing for sure - but
     hopefully, things won't get too bad
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“And when you’re rubbing the knots out on his back, slowly lean in, letting
your bare chest touch his back for just a brief second, teasing him“
Ace was furiously writing down notes and make crude sketches, trying to draw
exactly what he was being taught in front of him. Izo was dressed in a loosely
tied kimono that exposed his chest, his hair in a loose braid on the side, as
he showed Ace how to give a sensual massage. They had set up in an empty room
in the Whitebeard mansion using a few mats they had from the training room so
that they were at the same level from each other. Izo currently was straddling
Thatch’s back, who graciously volunteered to be the person Izo gave the massage
to
Thatch claimed it was because his back had been hurting for a while so it was a
win-win, but Ace also thought that he had ulterior motives. Either way, it was
helping him
Things had been…tense between him and the Captain
It had been over a week, nearing on two since they had their fight, but things
hasn’t exactly gone back to normal. It wasn’t that they were fighting or angry,
they just seemed…unsure around each other. Like they lost that intimacy they
had. So when he had brought it up with Izo, the other had recommended that they
reconnected and brought back the intimacy. And for that, he recommended a
sensual massage
So here they were
Izo had showed him how to set the mood with the low lights, the body oils,
which scents and oils were better for relaxation (and which could double as
lube and which could not, thanks Izo!) and then started to show Ace how to do
it, and which way to move himself to be as sensual as possible
“You must tease him, make him crave you. Your intention isn’t to hump his back
like an animal in heat. Soft touches, run your finger gently down his spine as
you’re working your way back to his lower back” explained Izo, making Thatch
groan as he kept working out the knots
“That feels fucking amazing, Izo”
Izo chuckled softly
“I’m a pro, what can I tell you?”
 
Suddenly the door opened and Marco popped his head into the room, frowning
sharply
“What the fucking hell is going on here?”
“Ace is indulging in voyeurism” teased Izo, making Thatch laugh
“You know me, I just love to watch” replied Ace, cocking his eyebrows as Marco
rolled his eyes
“Real cute guys. Honestly, what are you guys up to?”
Ace blinked, surprised – Marco usually didn’t ask point blank, something must
be up
“I’m just showing Ace how to give a sensual massage, that’s all. He wanted more
tricks up his sleeve to impress his beau” explained Izo, chuckling as he
resumed massaging Thatch’s back
“And Thatch is the one getting the massage because-?”
Thatch stuck out his tongue at Marco
“Because I volunteered- you jealous?”
Marco sighed loudly and theatrically
“Kinda yeah, my back is killing me”
Everyone laughed at that
“I’m sorry Marco-! I’ll do you next, okay?” offered Izo
Marco chuckled, walking up to the trio and promptly sat down on the floor
besides Ace
“Naw, I’m teasing, but I might bank it if you don’t mind”
“No problem, boss-!” said Izo, giving Marco the OK signal
“You looked pretty stressed out Marco, what’s up?” asked Ace, frowning
“Just…a lot of shit going on. By the way, your brother declared war on the
World Government”
Ace just felt all the blood escape his face
“WHAT?!”
“Oh shit” said Thatch as Izo remained silent
“Yeah, so your brother started a gang called The Strawhats and has been
basically taking down heavy hitter one by one, like Arlong’s, the Black Cat
gang and so on, to name a few. Well, the other week, has it been a week?
Anyways, he decided and his gang, to take down the Cipher Pol agents that had
been planted in the city and went to Innes Lobby and set their flag on fire. If
I understand correctly, they had taken possession of Robin Nico and Luffy
wasn’t having any of it. So they beat up the agents. So yeah. Oh, and last
night they beat the shit out of Moriah Gekko, you know, horror movie producer,
warlord and leader of the Thriller Bark gang. So, yeah”
Ace stared at Marco, not even sure how to process the information that was
being given to him
On one hand, he was furious
The one goddamn thing he had asked his brother not to do – and yet he did it
On the other hand, he was so goddamn proud
“Marco, I think you just broke Ace and that isn’t very nice” chided Izo, making
Thatch snort and cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing
“I want to be so fucking mad at him, but holy shit, it’s impressive as hell”
admitted Ace, making the others laugh
“Isn’t it? He also beat the shit out of Eneru before he bailed! Your little
brother is something” said Marco, smiling slightly
Ace sighed, rubbing his brow
“Fuck though, as if the Captain had enough to deal with me doing this shit
though, now my brother?”
“Wait until he finds out your other brother is a terrorist!” pointed out Marco,
making Izo and Thatch laugh and Ace groan even harder
“Why, WHY, did you have to remind me of that?!”
“You’re going to have a talk with him, right? Luffy I mean, not the Captain.
I’m going to have to ask you to keep this information away from the Captain”
asked Marco
Ace sighed
“Honestly I already suspected that something was up, but this basically
confirms it. Luffy’s been getting pretty beaten up lately and there’s no way
he’s picking fights with small time people with the injuries he’s getting. I
guess I’m kinda mad that he kept it a secret”
Honesty was always the biggest thing between the three brothers, but on the
other hand, Ace knew that Luffy feared his wrath
“Aww Ace, cut him some slack. You know he just didn’t want to disappoint you”
pointed out Izo
“Yeah, your little bro admires you a lot, and it’s like, the one thing you
asked him not to do, so of course he’s gonna feel kinda bad about doing this to
you”  added Thatch
Ace stuck out his tongue at both of them, pretending to be annoyed, making them
laugh again
They did have a point though…
“Well, I have to get going; I have things to figure out”
“Is it about the mission on the 12th?” asked Thatch before letting out another
groan
“Yeah, Teach really wants to be on any of the raids for some reason. But I
don’t like crossing members over from other divisions and that’s your division
on that night”
“Aww, I’ll take him, it’s fine with me. How about it, Ace? Do you mind lending
me Teach for a night?”
Ace blinked, of course he didn’t – Teach creeped him out
But something felt…wrongabout this request
Meh, he was probably overthinking it
“Of course there’s no problem! Take him if he wants to!”
“There! Problem solved! See Marco? Sometimes, you just gotta delegate to us,
you know? We can offer you advice and such!” stated Thatch, arching his back a
bit “Alright Izo, off you go! It’s almost getting too late for you to be able
to brush out your hair before bed”
“Oh-! You have a point” said Izo as he hopped off of Thatch’s back and then
offered his hand to the other
Ace smiled at the two, and then Marco grabbed his arm
“C’mon Ace, let’s go talk while these two clean up the room” suggested Marco as
he and Ace skipped out of the room
 
“Marco, we can’t leave them unsupervised, that’s how babies are made!”
Marco laughed brightly as he went down the stairs with Ace as they headed into
the kitchen
“Oh my god, Ace, shut up! You’re giving them waaayy too much credit right now.
They haven’t even realized it yet, jeez”
Ace chuckled softly, looking back
“But they like each other so much! It’s so cuuuute”
“Speaking of – sexy massage lessons?” asked Marco, raising a brow as he walked
into the kitchen and sat on the island in the middle of the kitchen. He grabbed
an apple from the fruit bowl on the island and took a huge bite out of it
“Does it scream desperate?” asked Ace, biting his lip, feeling a little
embarrassed
“Hmm, just a little. But haven’t things gotten any better between you two?”
“Well” started Ace, scratching the back of his head “It’s more like, things
haven’t gotten back to normal. We’re just kinda a bit on eggshells right now”
“Well, duh. The major issue with your relationship came into light and you’re
both not dumbasses so it’s not like you can ignore it now like you used to”
said Marco as he took another bite of the apple
“Huh?”
“C’mon Ace, you know this relationship actually working out long-term is nearly
impossible, right? He’s a freaking cop, and a straight and narrow one, and
you’re in a gang. The only way for this to really work is for you to quit the
gang or for him to quit the force. Basically one of you has to drop something
that’s really important to you – which isn’t something that can be asked of so
early on in a relationship, you know?” explained Marco
Ace felt his heart drop in his stomach
“Yeah…I guess so…Hey! I thought you supported this!”
“I never said that. Pop said he was fine with it so I went along with it. I
just want you to be happy, Ace but I’m just seeing choppy waters ahead”
But then Ace perked up happily
“He did quit the Marines!”
Marco rolled his eyes
“Oh my god Ace, you’re not worth dropping a career for like two months in. No
offense! Unless, you’re like, incredible in bed”
“Maybe I am! You don’t know! He could do another job! Why, I think he’d be a
great high school principal!”
“You just want to be fucked on the principal’s desk! God, you and your weird
teacher fetish!” accused Marco
“Hey hey hey! Don’t judge me! My boyfriend is fucking hot! He would be
amazingly hot as- oooh, how about a gym coach? Wearing sweats and no shirt and
hmmm, I’d join a sport team for that! Like if he was the coach for the
wrestling team and he’d show me all these holds and -”
“Holy shit Ace, don’t get hard in the kitchen. Go see your boyfriend and go
fantasize with him”
“Man, it wouldn’t be that hard to break into the school? Maybe if he’s in a
really good mood he’ll come with me and-“
 
“Ace has a boyfriend?”
Ace and Marco both stopped and turned to look at who had just entered the room
and Ace froze
It was fucking Teach!
And he didn’t look happy. If anything, he looked like he was a mix of furious
and shocked. Ace instantly felt nauseous
“Oh, Teach, didn’t see you come in. So Thatch said he had no problems with you
joining the mission on the 12th” reported Marco, taking another bite of his
apple
“Ace has a boyfriend?” repeated Teach, seeming shocked and pressing the
question
“Uh…yeah. We’ve been together for a few months now” explained Ace, feeling
uncomfortable
“What?! How come I wasn’t informed?” asked Teach, looking at Marco for an
explanation
Why the fuck was he so mad about this!?  This isn’t any of his business!
Marco merely shrugged his shoulders
“I don’t see how that’s relevant to you in any way, really. I don’t report on
everyone else’s going on’s” explained Marco
“But he’s my commander! I should know if he’s seeing someone!” roared Teach
Ace was really uncomfortable right now – why the hell was he getting so mad?!
“Sorry Teach, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just trying to keep it on the
down-lo, you know? It’s not like he’s part of the gang or anything”  offered
Ace, trying to diffuse the tension in the room
“Oh yeah? Then who is he? I’d like to meet him. Gotta make sure he’s worth your
time, you know” said Teach, making the hairs on Ace’s arm stand on end – was
that a threat?!
“He’s Pop’s biological son so clearly he’s worth Ace’s time. He made up with
Pops a while back and the two hit it off, that’s all” stated Marco with no room
for arguments
Ace was confused as to why Marco even brought that up until he saw that Teach
clearly back down
Of course! Nobody would try to start shit with Pop’s biological son! Especially
not Teach-
“Hmph, I still would like to meet him! See what kind of man he really is! Ace
isn’t just anybody, you know! He deserves someone worthy of his time! Ace is a
real special person!”
“Uh thanks?” said Ace, raising a brow at the comment
“Yeah yeah, of course. Why are you here tonight anyways? I thought you’d be at
the Casino?”
“Naw, that damn place ran me dry again! Figured I’d sleep here tonight though”
Oh fuck no!
 “Oops! That’s my phone, I gotta get going!” declared Ace, taking out his phone
from his pocket, pretending it just vibrated
“Alright Ace, have fun tonight”
“Where’s Ace going?!”
“I have plans! With my bo-brothers! My brothers! You know how it is! Sabo’s
leaving for a trip soon, so we’re doing early Christmas! Yeah! So, I gotta go!
Bye Marco! Bye Teach! Say thank you to Izo for his help earlier!”
And Ace bolted out of the room
 
“What the fuck was that?!” yelled Ace as he sat in the park, wondering what the
hell he was going to do now!
Ace was supposed to stay over himself because Dadan and the others were pulling
a job and they told him to make himself scarce
He’d actually go see his brothers but Sabo was actually working a job tonight
himself. The Army is doing a lot of prep before they go do their big overseas
mission. The only reason that Ace mentioned Sabo was because Teach knew the
other was the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army and he wasn’t dumb
enough to go confront Sabo. Luffy was out tonight as well, hanging out with
Zoro
The Captain was currently at work too…but he didn’t feel too right bothering
him at work right now
Then Ace paused
Hopefully he wouldn’t mind
 
Ace quickly ran over to the Captain’s place. He hoped that once Ace explained
himself that the other wouldn’t mind. Ace unlocked the door and carefully went
in. Even though the Captain was at work and told him it was okay if he did
this…he just…didn’t feel sure
Especially not after what Marco told him
Ace quickly took care of Justice and plopped himself on the couch, bringing his
knees up as Justice joined him on the couch, laying her head in Ace’s lap
“I don’t know what to do, girl. I love your master so much, but I love Pops
too. I could never leave Pops, but I don’t want to leave your master to – what
would you do?”
Justice blinked, looking at Ace confused before leaning in and licking Ace’s
cheek, making him laugh
“Man, some people have all the solutions, huh girl?”
But then he sighed, scratching Justice behind the ear
“Can I tell you a secret, Justice? I started looking over those college
pamphlets and you know what? I think I’d be really cool to be a teacher. I
think I’d really enjoy that and I could probably scrounge the money together if
I tried and there are bursaries and scholarships. I think a poor orphan is a
good sob story for scholarships too – but I’m a thug. Who would want someone
like me like a teacher? And the second my criminal past comes out, I’m done.
So, what’s the point, girl?”
Justice merely whined softly, licking Ace’s cheek again, making Ace chuckle
softly
“Good evening”
Ace jumped slightly, turning around to see Smoker behind the couch, looking at
him
“W-What are you doing here?”
“I walked in maybe a few moments after you did. But you went outside to get
Justice and I went to get changed. How come you ran to the house?”
Ace paused, looking at Smoker horrified – that meant he heard everything!
“C-Chase, listen, about what I just said”
Smoker sighed as he sat down on the couch besides Ace, on the other side of
Justice
“Relax Ace. I’m not going to ask you to leave the old man’s gang. But you’re
right, if any school board heard about your past or if you get a criminal
record, you can kiss that goodbye”
Ace paused slightly, smiling shyly
“So…you think me becoming a teacher is a good idea though?”
“Honestly? I think it’s fantastic. You’d have the chops for it, for sure and
people can easily relate to you. You’re also self-disciplined and hardworking,
which is always a good thing for teachers. And your life experience makes it
that people from all walks of life will find a common ally in you. But your
gang activities can very well shoot that in the foot”
As well as destroy our relationship
“Ah…well, thank you” said Ace shyly, scratching the back of his head “Sorry
about breaking in”
“It’s not breaking in if you have the key and I told you, you were allowed,
Ace. But I didn’t like how I saw you come in though. You looked like you were
panicking and stressed out”
Ace sighed loudly, rubbing his face
“There’s a guy that’s part of the gang…and he kinda makes me…super
uncomfortable. And tonight he got super mad when he found out that I had a
boyfriend and I just had to get out of there!” explained Ace, hugging himself,
frowning as he shivered
“Can you do anything about him?” asked Smoker, Ace was surprised to see him
almost snarling around his cigar
“Naw, he’s been in the gang a really long time. Shit, when Marco said it was
‘Pop’s son’ that I was dating, he seemed to know exactly who you were! Like,
you existing, not that you’re the chief of police or anything. It’s the only
reason he backed off. Because he was insisting on meeting you  to make sure you
were good enough for me or some shit! He was super mad that we hadn’t told him
that I had a boyfriend!”
“He did? What’s his name?” asked Smoker, frowning
“Uh, Teach Marshall?”
“That scumbag?! He’s still around?!” Ace blinked, shocked at Smoker’s
declaration
“Yeah, and he’s in my division and when he gets drunk, which is often, he gets
all handsy with me and goes on and on about how he’d love to start a gang with
me and that together we’d be amazing and uurghh, it just, creeps me out”
admitted Ace
Smoker reached past Justice that was between them and took Ace’s hand in his,
giving him a squeeze
“If he tries anything, I’ll clock him. I don’t give a shit if he’s the old
man’s gang. You have to play nice, I sure don’t fucking have to”
Ace chuckled softly, giving the hand a squeeze back
“Nice to know you’ll beat him up for me. But be careful, he did a really number
on Shank’s face back in the day”
“Hm, that’s right. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll teach that piece of shit to
keep his hands to himself”
Ace smiled softly, tugging Smoker’s hand slightly, pulling him in as Ace leaned
in forward to meet Smoker in the middle, with Justice crouching between them as
they shared a kiss
Usually Ace would be riled up at anybody talking about fighting someone for him
– he wasn’t a damsel in distress, he could handle himself just fine! But this
protective streak the Captain had was kinda…really hot
“Staying over?” asked Smoker as they broke apart, Ace smiled brightly
“Of course! It’s hard to say no when a handsome man said he’d beat up someone
for you – how did you know that was the way to my heart?” teased Ace
“Hmph, I think I know you by now. And frankly I’d kick his face in just for the
hell of it. C’mon, it’s getting late”
Ace grinned, happily following Smoker off the couch and up to his room, Justice
trotting along behind them
Maybe he didn’t need sexy massages after all-!
 
Ace lay awake in Smoker’s bed
It was probably one of the most annoying things about his narcolepsy is that it
often more than not, kept him awake during the night. More often than not,
especially with the Captain, Ace would only fall asleep for a bit, and then
when the other was asleep, Ace would wake up
Ace kinda loved these moments honestly
The world was nice and quiet; there was nobody to stop him from looking at
Smoker as much as he wanted. Look at the curve of the man’s jaw, how he looked
almost relaxed in his sleep but once in a while would furrow his brow. Ace
would carefully run his fingers through the other’s hand, enjoying the fact
that he simply could
Right now, his entire body ached
Apparently Smoker’s protective streak carried off into the bedroom. While the
Captain had basically, well, ravished him, Ace found himself with some rather
obvious love marks scattered on his neck and the curve of his shoulders. Where
people would see.  But he didn’t mind at all, but it also pained him slightly
because as more time went by, Ace could hear in his head echoing a ticking
clock
Deep down, he knew Marco was right – Unless there was some major changes, they
couldn’t last
Ace was just really lost at what to do
Maybe he didn’t deserve this
Honestly, it was dumb of him to think he deserved to be happily in love like
this
It was bound to end eventually
Ace had never wanted time to stop more than now
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Did you guys see my shout-out to the AU that originally got me
     interested into MokuMera/SmoAce??
     Ahh, it was so long ago! I was a wee-babe in middle school I think!
     On that note, Happy 20th Anniversary to One Piece!!
***** -LAW- When It’s Time To Reveal All (Can It Not Be Right Now Though?!)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Did someone rec me or something? I feel like I'm getting more traffic
     than usual! That said! Hello new and old readers! I hope you enjoy
     it!
     That said - YOU ALL READY FOR A CHAPTER WHERE WE LEARN A BUNCH OF
     STUFF? HERE WE GO!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“I think it’s as clean as it’s gonna get…“
Law frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave the living room
another long look over. He had vacuumed, he had dusted everything, the kitchen
was all cleaned, and basically every room was done. Minus of course, Cora’s
room. But Law couldn’t think of a single situation that would lead to him
taking Luffy to Cora’s room
He was beyond nervous, Luffy was coming over to binge a new Netflix series
together. Bepo was out with Nami and the rest of the Navigation club to go map
out some part of the Mt Corvo forest (with apparently Ace’s explicit
permission, which holy shit dude, you don’t own the fucking forest)
Law might still be a bit mad from what happened the other week during their
date
At least he knows that he won’t be bothered by either Bepo or Cora during this
date because Cora was also gone to work, but speaking of Cora…
The other had been a little odd… since he came back from his impromptu trip to
Marineford. He has been working non-stop using a laptop that Law didn’t
recognize. And while he was looking up stuff, Cora was writing notes on paper.
That bit didn’t surprise Law though – Cora always preferred to write important
things down – claiming that it helped him remember it better but also because
letters can be burned and letters can’t be hacked. But it was odd to see him
working so hard off the job and Law really wished he would tell him what the
hell was going on
 
The sound of the doorbell knocked Law out of his thoughts and Law quickly made
his way to the door. But once he got to the door, he suddenly got really
embarrassed at his enthusiasm
God he was such a nerd
 He took a deep breath but before he could open the door, the sound of the
doorbell got more and more insistent, surprising Law who quickly opened the
door to a brightly smiling Luffy
“Toroa!”
Luffy quickly hugged him and Law hugged back, taking a moment to hold Luffy
against him, slightly knocking over his familiar straw hat. Law closed his
eyes, slowly breathing in Luffy’s scent
When they pulled apart, he smiled at Luffy, taking his hand and bringing him in
“I have everything ready for us”
“Yeah? I’m so excited to watch this series! Usopp said it was super cool and
really exciting!” said Luffy as they made their way to the couch
“Umm…I made us some snacks, so I’m gonna go get it now. So take a seat” offered
Law as Luffy plopped down on the couch
Law went to the kitchen to grab the platters of food he had prepared and the
bottles of soda and juice and quickly brought them to the living room on a
tray, with two glasses
Afterwards Law quickly set the TV to Netflix and plopped down himself on the
couch as he loaded up the show
“I heard it was really good too” admitted Law, but the end came out a little
high because Luffy had shifted to cuddle right up to Law, making Law blush
“Me too! This is going to be so fun!”
 
Sorry Netflix, they weren’t watching anymore
Luffy was sprawled on his back on the couch; his shirt had started to ride up
his stomach. But mostly it was due to Law’s hand under Luffy’s shirt, feeling
the other’s chest.  The two had barely taken a breath of air since they started
sharing deep kisses. Luffy had one hand in Law’s hair, pulling him in closer
while the other hand was tracing his spine, also pulling Law in closer. Luffy
was entangled around Law, his legs wrapped around Law’s waist as the two moved
together, slowly rocking back and forth on the couch. Law groaned softly, his
tongue entering Luffy’s mouth, Luffy merely moaned in reply, greedily accepting
it. They slowed down their kisses slightly as their movement sped up slowly and
surely – revelling in each other’s presence
Law shifted slightly, breaking apart for a moment, as Luffy removed Law’s shirt
and threw it to the side. Law smiled warmly at Luffy who grinned back and they
restarted kissing, arms thrown around each other. Law had started to remove
Luffy’s tank top when suddenly the front door slammed open, making both of them
jump
“Law! Law! I need to talk to you and L-“
Law sat up suddenly, making Luffy fall backwards but thankfully he managed to
grab onto Law’s neck, holding himself up
Law turned and glared darkly at Cora who had just stumbled into the living
room, ignoring the scene in front of him
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?!” yelled Law, his face entirely red from
rage as he suddenly realized his very obvious lack of shirt
“L-Law! Listen! This is important!” said Cora, huffing, clearly trying to catch
his breath
“We were in the fucking middle of something!!” roared Law, beyond frustrated
that twice now he and Luffy were stopped
“I get that! Law! Luffy! I’m really sorry! But this just came in and I figured
you should see it!” explained Cora as he took out that goddamn laptop again and
set it down on the coffee table – which was the only thing preventing Law from
pummeling Cora right now. Law took the moment though to lean over and grab his
discarded shirt, quickly putting it back on
Cora quickly woke up his laptop and turned it to face Law and Luffy. Suddenly
Law was shown what seemed to be a detailed report with a really bad drawing of
apparently…Sanji?
“HAHAHA!! That thing looks so ugly!!” said Luffy, howling as he pointed to the
picture
“Urgh yeah, they uh, didn’t quite get Sanji’s looks, but look what it says!
It’s a missing child report! It was sent out this morning!”
“Uh…that makes no sense! I came from the Baratie! Sanji and everyone had lunch
together there! Sanji’s old man was totally there too! So I don’t know why he’d
file a missing child report, that’s kinda weird” replied Luffy, looking
confused as he tipped his head
Luffy looked really cute with his hair all messy like that, goddamn Cora!
Cora frowned, his expression getting serious as he stared right at Luffy
“Luffy. Do you know anything about Sanji’s biological parents?”
“Huh? Isn’t the old man his dad?” asked Luffy, genuinely surprised
“Zeff? No, not at all. Sanji was adopted, I have his record here. He was only
officially adopted by Zeff when he was around 8 years old. Before that, we have
nothing minus the report that just came in” explained Cora as he turned around
the laptop and typed something real quick and then turned it around again to
show them
Law stared at it completely shocked
It was a full profile on Sanji – well, full enough, it was just missing key
information
His last name is Vinsmoke?!
“Cora what the fuck is this?!”
“Uh, it’s Sanji’s World Government profile”
“Why does he have one of those?!”
“Because he’s wanted now” admitted Cora, sighing
Law stared at the laptop, not sure how to handle the information in front of
him. Why was Sanji wanted?!
Wait…Vinsmoke? That told him something…
“Do I have one?” asked Luffy, somehow…excited to know?!
“You sure do” said Cora dejected as he turned the laptop again, and quickly
showed Luffy and Law that Luffy did, indeed, have a wanted profile
“Oh wow! What’s that money amount under my name?” asked Luffy, all excited
“Your bounty”
“Whoah! They want a lot for me! 300,000,000$? That’s a lot!” expressed Luffy,
laughing, proud of himself
“People still have bounties?” asked Law, raising a brow
“Nngh, it’s complicated and that’s the best way to explain it. It’s like your
bail bond” explained Cora, but then he shook his head
“Regardless! Luffy! Why the hell did you go after Moriah?” asked Cora, slamming
his fist down on the table
Law immediately clamped his hand over Luffy’s mouth, not letting him answer
“First, I want to know why you’re asking all these questions and how the hell
did you get these profiles?! Those don’t look like district police records”
snapped Law
Cora sighed
“So, remember how I said that Sengoku offered me a much higher rank?”
“Yeah”
“Well I accepted it” admitted Cora, sighing
“What?! That means you’re going to try and stop Smoker from-“ Law paused
instantly, looking towards Luffy who was looking at him confused
“I’m not doing that, jeez.  A freaking hurricane wouldn’t stop Chase Smoker.
But I’m gonna ‘try’ to stop him. No, I needed the higher rank to have access to
more secure information instead of having to go through Hina to get me the
info. That’s putting her in way too much risk for information that I want. Now
I can access the information myself, so I’ve been reading up these last few
days” explained Cora, pulling out his files from his bag and putting them on
the table
Law couldn’t help notice how neatly labeled they all were
“Look” started Cora, scratching his head “This information is conflicting with
what I have from the government and what I know of you. Basically these reports
are all in the perspective of the World Government and if I learned anything,
it’s tainted as hell. So Luffy, all I’m asking is for your side of the story –
is that okay? I’m not gonna make any arrests or anything, I really just want to
understand”
Law removed his hand from Luffy’s mouth, who had oddly been watching the scene
in silence
“Sure Mister Rosisisi! What do you want to know?”
“Why did you go after Captain Morgan that was stationed in Shell town?” asked
Cora, opening up a particular file only labeled R.D
“Uhh, that was that axe guy right? He put Zoro in jail for protecting this
little girl from his dumb son’s mean dog and then threatened to execute him by
making up false charges! But he had promised Zoro to let him go if he went a
month without food! So he lied! And was gonna kill Zoro! We weren’t friends
yet, but I knew he was a good guy! So I beat Morgan up!” explained Luffy
happily
Law blinked, surprised
He had no idea of this!
Cora merely nodded, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lit it up, wincing
when he burned his finger with the lighter
Christ Cora
“Alright, so next up is; a commotion in Orange town with Buggy’s gang?”
“Yeah that guy’s a real jerk! I beat him good with Nami and Zoro for what they
did to poor Chouchou who was only defending his master’s shop! They had a lion
attack him!”
“A lion?” asked Law, completely confused
Cora groaned
“It checks out. They had a lion with them when we arrested the gang earlier
this week”
“…okay” replied Law, not sure what to say to that
Minus the fact that he kinda wanted to see it now
“Mayor Boodle was found unconscious”
“Yeah! Buggy did that!” answered Luffy “But we took the blame and got chassed
out of town”
“And you dropped a bag containing a considerable sum of money?”
“Yeah! It was for them to rebuild the town! It got pretty beaten up!”
Law couldn’t help but notice the smile on the corner of Cora’s mouth as he
tried to stay serious about it all
“In the Syrup district-“
“Oh! Usopp’s part of town! Yeah, this jerk called Kuro was trying to kill Kaya
for her money, so we beat ‘em up good!”
“This incident at the Baratie?”
“This guy called Don something was trying to take Sanji’s old man’s restaurant
to use as a base! So we beat ‘em up!”
More and more, Cora couldn’t hide the smile on his face, warning up Law’s heart
as he kept listening
“Incident in Cocoyasi district?”
“Huh?” Luffy tipped his head, looking confused
“Ah..Nami’s district?” offered Cora, hoping to clear things up
“Oh! Yeah! Arlong and his gang controlled that district! And they tried to kill
Nami’s mom! They were forcing Nami to work for them and Nami was trying to
collect the money to buy off the district from Arlong! This was before Nami’s
mom was a cop! But we beat him up good and I told Nami that she was my friend,
so she knew I’d always help her!”
“And in…Loguetown?” Cora suddenly seemed really surprised, as if he realized
something and quickly opened up the file “Holy shit, you had an altercation
with Captain Smoker?!”
Luffy blinked and then hit his palm with his fist
“Oooh!! That’s where I know Smokey from! Haha, to think he’s Ace’s boyfriend
now!”
Law looked at Luffy in disbelief – it wasn’t like Smoker was hard to recognize
or something?! How did Luffy not realize it was the same guy?!
 
Cora nodded, and then he pulled out a much bigger and thicker file
“Apparently you guys went traveling last summer?”
“Yep! We met Vivi and she needed help, so we went to her country!”
Law looked at Luffy completely shocked, not sure how to even comprehend this
“How did you convince Ace?” asked Law shocked
“Oh, Ace didn’t care, as long as I showed signs of life once in a while!”
“So, I’m seeing a lot of infrastructure damage in this country to begin with-“
“Huh?”
“Uh… you guys broke a lot of buildings and stuff” explained Cora
“Oh! Yeah, probably, we do that a lot” admitted Luffy, Cora looking at him in
disbelief
Goddamnit Luffy!
“So sum it up for me, will you?” asked Cora, clearly not willing to go through
the entire file with Luffy
“Umm, well, we actually met Vivi while we were traveling around overseas and
then we met Chopper because he used to live over there. He joined us to travel
while his grandma moved here and then Vivi told us she was trying to make this
real bad guy called Croco something and he took Vivi’s country and was treating
people real bad! Anyways, we beat him up and his gang and made him give Vivi’s
country back to her dad! That’s also when we met Robin! She’s so cool! Also
Smokey was there now that I think about it! I can’t believe it’s the same guy!”
“Wait a minute, you disposed of a tyrant?!” asked Law, completely shocked
“Now you see why I ran over, right? Luffy, you realize that you and your
friends broke a lot of laws, right?” stated Cora in a serious tone
“Yeah, but who cares? If people do stuff that isn’t right, I’m gonna try to
help them”
Cora paused for a moment, looking at Luffy in silence before he spoke again
“Eneru? Moriah?”
“They were jerks who were treating people really bad!”
“Moriah? Like the movie producer?” asked Law, surprised
Oh no, he liked his movies!
“Yeah! He like, blackmails people and steals stuff that’s important to them and
made them work at his studio and didn’t pay them, basically they were slaves,
trapped there! And then he did it to me and my friends too, so we beat him up!”
Law frowned sharply – he was gonna get rid of all the movies he had from
Moriah’s studio
Cora sighed, unable to stop smiling as he closed the folders
“It’s really hard to me mad at you for anything of this, Luffy”
Luffy chuckled, grinning brightly
“But as a cop and a World Government agent, I can’t condone this behavior…but
as a person, I’m awfully proud of you for all these good things you did!”
“Yeah! Mister Rosisisi! Wait until you see our new van! It’s so cool! Franky
just finished building it!”
Law blinked, surprised
“A new van? What happened to the old one?”
“Oh…Merry broke pretty bad. There was no fixing her” said Luffy, rather sadly
“A van?” asked Cora, surprised
“Yeah! We get around in a van! Franky built us a new one and it’s called The
Thousand Sunny!”
“Are you taking the van to the ski trip?” asked Cora, happily continuing the
conversation, surprising Law a bit
“Yep! I’m so excited! I just feel kinda bad since I’ll miss Ace’s birthday”
admitted Luffy
Law couldn’t help but smile a bit at seeing two people he really cared about
interacting together
“Oh? When’s Ace’s birthday?”
“January 1rst! But Ace usually has a party thrown by the Whitebeards anyways!
So Sabo and I are gonna celebrate his birthday on the 2nd!”
Cora’s expression suddenly looked really relieved; Law lifted a brow, confused
The hell was that about?
Suddenly Luffy’s phone rang, surprising Luffy
“Oh! I gotta go! I have to be at home for supper tonight since Gramps is
coming!”
“Ah! Well, you can’t keep Garp waiting, do you need a ride?” offered Cora,
smiling
“No, no, thank you though mister Rosisisi!”
“I’ll walk you to the door” said Law, standing up and walking to the door with
Luffy
As sad as he was that his date had been disturbed, he was a bit relieved
He had a lot to talk about with Cora now
 
“So, mister super secret spy, are you done keeping secrets?”
Law crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Cora who was now sitting on the
ground, taking down notes
Cora pouted, puffing up his cheeks
“Don’t be mean about it! I was gonna tell you, I just got distracted once I had
access to all this information! You know how long it’s been to transcribe
everything?! I can’t take screenshots or print anything without Sengoku being
notified! So I have to write it all down!”
“So all of Luffy’s friends are in there?”
“Yep, combined bounty of 667 000 050$”
Holy shit, Luffy
“Any news on Ace?”asked Law, mulling this all over
“Yep. Seems they basically confirmed that he’s Roger’s son. Now they’re just
waiting to strike and they have about a month to do it and to this point
nothing is confirmed” explained Cora, seeming frustrated
“Well, we know it’s before January 1rst, that’s the deadline, right?”
“Yeah, the statute of limitation is his 18th birthday which is why I need you
to make sure that Luffy doesn’t hear about any of this. I need him at the ski
trip”
Law frowned sharply, seeing red
“Why?! Why can’t he know that his brother is in danger?! That’s fucked up,
Cora! He should have the right to try and help his brother!”
“Because they’re going to try and kill him too, Law. He had a high bounty and
they’re aware that he’s Dragon’s son”
Law suddenly felt completely disgusted
“But he’s a minor and-
“This is the World Government, Law. If I learned anything recently is that they
won’t care. I had to argue long and hard for you to get off because they were
going to put you in jail with a death sentence, Law. They only agreed not to
because I was taking you in legally as my charge” admitted Cora, looking
frustrated
“What!? They wanted me in jail?! I thought you said I was excused of all
crimes!”
“You are, but, the way this works” said Cora, gesturing to the laptop and the
files “Is that your bounty is determined by how much they consider you a
threat”
Law frowned, thinking it over, but then his eyes widen in horror as realization
set in
“I have a file?!”
Cora nodded slowly, quickly pulling up the file on his laptop
“I was told that this wouldn’t exist for your protection. But apparently they
lied to me as well”
There it was
On the screen
With a 200 000 000$ bounty
“What about Bepo?” asked Law, his hands in fists, he was shaking because he was
so mad
He was doing everything he could to keep his hands clean and the government
didn’t even care – they had already decided that he was garbage and a threat
“He also has one. Bounty of 500$, but it seems it’s because his brother was in
a gang called the Nox Gang but lost his life during a confrontation with the
Big Mom Gang” explained Cora, pulling up Bepo’s profile, but like Cora had
said, his was rather bare
“Well, that’s real fucking rich, Cora! We’re playing nice here and all along
the government has already decided that we’re threats and want to get rid of
us!”
“Oye!” yelled Cora, standing up, looming over Law “Don’t you think for a
goddamn minute that I’m not beyond furious myself! I’m overwhelmed with how mad
I am! You kids are doing good things that wouldn’t be happening if the World
Government hadn’t gotten so goddamn corrupt! Why the hell is a bunch of kids
taking down a tyrant?! We’re just letting atrocities happen left and right but
turning our backs to it! For what?! Money!? Convenience?! It’s disgusting! I’m
as sick of it as you are, Law! But I can fight this from inside from now, so I
will! I will do my damn best to do what’s right!”
Law paused for a moment, staring at Cora in awe and then he sighed, dejected
“Can we just run away and travel the world like we said we would years ago?”
offered Law, a small sad smile on his face
Cora only smiled sadly at Law
“After all this? We might not have much of a choice, honestly”
Law shrugged
Not like he wasn’t used to being a fugitive
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! The Strawhats activities have all been revealed
     and Law now knows he has a bounty on his head - so what shall he do
     now?
     Welp, guess we won't know for a bit - next chapter is Cora's and it's
     gonna be a busy one!
***** -CORAZON- Ice Man Cometh (‘Cept Not the X-Men, Please Don’t Get Your
Hopes Up) *****
Chapter Notes
     And we're moving on the days! Unexpected visit and serious talks -
     are you all ready!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“I’m so so happy you’re doing okay!”
“Get off me, Trafalgar!”
Cora was so so happy right now – Wiper had gotten thankfully discharged with
minimal long-term injuries. He’d be stuck on desk duty for a while, but it was
better than being forced to retire, so Cora was thrilled! So thrilled through
that he couldn’t stop hugging the aforementioned Wiper
He was also completely thrilled with the extra help processing the overwhelming
amount of paperwork mounting up
The Whitebeards were out of freaking control!
Day after day reports of break-ins and damages and thousands in stolen goods!
At first Cora thought he was just hyper aware of Whitebeard activity but now he
knows he’s not just seeing it – it was getting so constant!
It was almost as if they were on the hunt for something particular because very
little was actually being stolen! There usually were one or two things tops and
the rest was left alone! Or they seem to have broken in and taken nothing!
Cora only wished he knew what they were trying to hunt down! But none of the
places broken into ever wanted to divulge what exactly was stolen! They just
said it was ‘precious material’ with a massive price tag – which of course
didn’t help the police at all!
And then it got worst
Some kids happened to be trying to play a courage game near the last place that
was hit last night. These kids apparently had been hanging out at the docks way
past the hours, messing around and had the displeasure of witnessing everything
that went down at the last break-in. They said the Whitebeards showed up, broke
in, looked through everything and found a small vial. The vial was taken and
the Whitebeards left. Unfortunately, the kids described Ace perfectly to them.
It seems they thought he looked really cool so they concentrated on Ace
personally
Good job, Ace
The Captain’s expression turned steely during the interview and Cora knew there
would be severe consequences. They couldn’t pretend it wasn’t Ace anymore. The
Captain himself wrote the report and clearly stated Ace’s name – which shocked
Cora completely!
 
 The Captain had been cooped up all morning in his office – not coming out.
Worst is that nobody dared to go bother him either. Cora could only imagine the
mood he was in – his own boyfriend described at the scene of a crime!
Ace had come along though, as usual, with his coffee mug in hand; ready to give
it to the Captain but Tashigi had interfered. She told Ace that the Captain
didn’t want to see him right now. Ace looked confused and had asked to try to
talk to him, but Tashigi wouldn’t have any of it – saying it was for Ace’s own
sake that she was saying this
So Ace left hurt and confused
That broke his heart honestly
Soon after, Wiper walked in and everyone’s mood picked right up
Cora was so happy that he was okay! He was worried after what happened with the
Mayor, but this was a good sign
 
“Excuse me, sorry to bother you but can I see the Captain please?”
Cora blinked, looking up from his desk at the receptionist who was looking up,
seemingly nervous
 “Is tha-?!”
Cora stood up, looking at the man at the desk, completely shocked
“Kuzan Aokiji?!”
Kuzan blinked, turning to look at Cora, rather surprised
“Aren’t you Sengoku’s boy?”
“Y-Yeah! What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see Smoker. The old coot called me over here to talk about
something, so here I am”
“Smoker? Called you?” asked Cora, raising a brow – he didn’t know the two of
them were so close
“Oh! Kuzan! I’ll tell the Captain that you’re here!” said Tashigi as she got
up, quickly, slightly bashing her knee into the desk before she made her way to
the Captain’s office
“So uh…how’s…life?” awkwardly asked Cora, not sure how to really breach the
question; it’s not like he and Kuzan really uh, interacted before
“You don’t need to small talk, Sengoku’s boy. It’s fine. That boy you took in,
he keeping his nose clean?”
Cora frowned sharply, instantly on the defensive
“Yes. Yes, he is”
“No need for hostility. I was just asking, I’m not in the mood to start trouble
right now”
 
Smoker then came out of the office, putting his jacket on
“Tashigi will be acting Chief for the rest of the day” announced Smoker, still
in a grim mood “I have to go with this one to discuss something. Don’t burn the
place down, either one of you” warned the Captain, glaring at both Cora and
Tashigi
Holy shit, it was just a wastebasket! And it was one time!
“Have fun today,daddy” said Wiper loudly from his desk, eyes down, typing away
his report as everyone in the station’s jaw dropped
Oh my god, he did it
 Smoker turned a dark red, sputtering as Kuzan pushed him out the door, making
everyone burst into loud laughter
“Fuck! Now we owe him money!” declared Bellemere once Smoker was out the door
Cora laughed even harder – he didn’t even care, it was worth it for what it did
to the mood
“Ahh, I hope that whatever he’s gonna talk about with the Captain will make him
feel better though!” said Cora, sighing happily as he wiped a tear out of his
eye
“Smoker going to go talk with Kuzan is never a good thing!” blurted out Tashigi
“Oh? How come?”
Tashigi clearly looked uncomfortable for a moment, not sure she really wanted
to proceed or not
“Kuzan is…an old friend of the Captain’s” started Bellemere “He’s…not the most
sympathetic guy, he can be, don’t get me wrong, he can be merciful but his
opinion on things can be…a bit…uh well”
“Well, tactless and blunt” finished Tashigi, looking worried
“You mean, if this is about A-“
“Yeah. I don’t think it’s gonna be the nicest advice” pointed out Bellemere, a
little worryingly
“Isn’t that better though? Sometimes people need to hear the truth” stated
Wiper, again, not looking up from his work
“Ah, Wiper does have a point” Cora couldn’t disagree with that at all “You
think he’s gonna tell the Captain to break up with him?”
“Wouldn’t you?” replied Bellemere sadly, biting her lip “Especially after last
night’s incidents?”
 
Before Cora could say another word though, the front door burst open
There was Garp, storming into the police station, shoving aside a young man
that was waiting in line to talk to the receptionist
“Boy. You need to leave now” snarled Garp at the young man in line who quickly
scampered away
Garp then turned to look at the officers behind the desk
“I need to speak to the Captain – NOW!” yelled Garp
Cora was a little horrified
Never in his life had he seen Garp look so mad!
There was Garp wearing a garish Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts (in
December?!) but he was almost a crimson colour right now. His hands were into
fists and he was shaking, teeth showing clearly
Now Cora understood the ‘Mad Dog’ moniker
Tashigi gulped, shakenly getting up
“The Captain isn’t here. Can I help you?”
“My grandson is mentioned in your latest report! You’re not allowed to mention
him! You have no proof! This is slander!”
“I’m sorry, but this morning, these kids described Ace perfectly, we can’t deny
it’s him – he was even wearing the same clothes that the Captain saw him in
yesterday and-“
“That’s bullshit! It’s all speculations! And-“ cut in Garp
“Mind cutting out the crap, Garp. Nobody here is fooled; we all know what Ace
is up to” stated Cora, frowning sharply
He wasn’t gonna sit here and let Tashigi get verbally assaulted like this!
“What did you say to me?!" asked Garp, pissed even more as he opened the
counter separation and stormed up to Cora who quickly stood up
"I said – everybody here knows exactly what Ace has been up to! And you can't
keep cleaning up the record like this, pretending that your grandsons aren't
out there causing chaos left and right!"
"Rosinante" Bellemere said worryingly, clearly not sure where Cora was going
with this
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" argued Garp, making Cora roll his
eyes
"Stop playing dumb! Acting like this is going to get Ace killed! You're being
way too nonchalant about this! Be serious for once, you senile jackass!" howled
Cora, slamming his fist on his desk
Garp paused, looking at Cora surprised as everyone else in the station merely
looked at both of them in total silence, not quite sure what to say
"You know, you and Sengoku are a lot more alike than I ever thought, Rosinante"
Cora blinked, surprised at the calmness in Garp's voice and suddenly the happy
façade on Garp's face dropped, suddenly, he looked old and exhausted
"Come outside with me?" asked Garp "Let's go talk in private"
Cora merely nodded, stepping around his desk and followed Garp out the back
 
"Why do you care so much about Ace?" Cora blinked, surprised at how blunt
Garp's question was
"I've gotten to know him over the time I've been here. He's a good kid. He's
nice; he's friendly, hardworking and full of potential. I would just hate to
see something to happen to him – especially if it can be avoided" admitted
Cora, sighing sadly
It was weird when people asked him why he cared about someone
He cares about people, that's just it
"Sounds like you're his boyfriend or something! BWUHAHAHAHA"
"Huh? No? I'm not! That's the-"
Garp suddenly paused, looking completely surprised as he grabbed the collar of
Cora's shirt and pulled him down so they could see face to face
"Are you telling me that my grandson has a boyfriend?"
Cora instantly froze – not sure where to continue with this
Was...Garp...okay with this?Or not okay with this? Did he know about Luffy?!
"A-Ah, I uh...can't disclose that because it's none of my business!" explained
Cora hastily, laughing nervously and Garp let him go
"That bastard! He didn't say a damn word about having a boyfriend! I even saw
him off this morning before he ran to school! Wait! He left at the crack of
dawn! Did he go see his boyfriend first?!"
Actually, yeah
"I can't wait to meet this punk and tell him exactly what I'd do to him if he
hurts my grandson!" threatened Garp as he slammed his fist into his hand
"So...you don't mind about the whole boyfriend thing?"
"Eh? Why would I care? Luffy's dating that kid of yours, isn't he? That's what
Sengoku told me anyways"
"HUH?! Sengoku told you?!" Cora didn't think that they talked about things like
that!
"But Ace...he's different. If your kid dumps Luffy, he'd probably get over it
fast enough, but Ace...this could devastate him. He doesn't seem like it, but
he's kinda of, I don't want to say sensitive, but he's prone to going to a bad
place and fast" explained Garp, the best he could, looking really uncomfortable
disclosing this
Cora blinked, surprised to hear that
Ace was prone to getting depressed?
He can't say that he expected that or frankly, expected Garp to be aware of
that
"It's kinda sweet that you're looking out for him like this, Garp" admitted
Cora, chuckling softly
"Well yeah, he is my flesh and blood after all, you know!"
"Is he though?" carefully asked Cora, still smiling softly
The mood around them instantly got very tense as Garp stiffen up, frowning
sharply at Cora
“What do you mean with that question, boy”
“I’m just saying” started Cora; being nonchalant “I don’t see much resemblance”
“There’s a mother involved, you know”
“Well, Luffy looks a lot like you! Well, when you were much younger anyways,
Sengoku showed me the pictures. But Ace? Hmm, Ace not so much”
“Are you done playing stupid? Who told you?” asked Garp, clearly not messing
around
“Your grandson has a big mouth. The little one, not Ace”
Sorry Luffy~!
“Goddamnit Luffy! Well, what are you going to do with that information?” asked
Garp, trying to keep his voice leveled, but Cora knows a threat when he hears
one
“Like I said, I want Ace to be safe and alive. If anyone should know that blood
doesn’t make you who you are, it’s clearly me” pointed out Cora, rolling his
eyes
“I don’t know, you’re pretty ruthless right now if you ask me”
Cora scoffed
“Don’t compare me to Doflamingo! That’s insulting!” 
“So, you know, huh?”
Cora nodded quietly, sighing
“Yeah, and that I’m aware of it, apparently so does his beau, so you have
nothing to worry about concerning that. They know and they don’t care either”
It would be weird if he did considering he’s Whitebeard’s son
“Does Sengoku know?” asked Cora
Garp’s expression turned to one of pure remorse and guilt
Holy fuck, he told him!
“No…No, he…he doesn’t. If he did…he would…but he won’t. Because he doesn’t”
He told him! He told him! He told him!
“Because if he knew, Ace is in danger” Cora hoped with everything he got that
Garp would understand what he was trying to say
“Yeah, I know” said Garp, scratching the back of his head
But then Cora realized something
That’s why he was here!
It was only December 5th, too early for Christmas or anything; he was here to
make sure Ace was safe!
“So, you in town long?” asked Cora, trying to change the mood
Garp sighed, shaking his head
“Naw, only for a week or two. I wanted to stay until next year, but my request
got denied pretty hard. Apparently I’m needed at base for something later on or
some shit, I don’t know. I wanted to spend Christmas with my grandsons”
lamented Garp, clearly frustrated
Cora frowned sharply, his eyes widening
This was done on purpose! They wanted Garp as far away as possible from Ace
when all of it goes down!
“Willing to take some advice?” offered Cora, knowing he might be crossing a
line
“Out with it”
“Do…whatever you can to stay close to Sengoku towards the end of the year.
Just, trust my gut on this, Garp”
Garp frowned and nodded but then he sighed loudly, running a hand through his
hair
“This is all so complicated”
Cora sighed in return, lighting up a cigarette
“Family is complicated, Garp” offered Cora, smiling a bit
Garp only laughed loudly in response
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Alas everyone - say goodbye to Cora for a bit! He won't be back until
     chapter 76! But it will be rock and roll, so let's go!
***** -ACE- Combined You Two Are Like R2D2 and C3P0 (Except With More Emotions
and A Speedo) *****
Chapter Notes
     I feel bad since so many of you are mourning the loss of Cora for a
     bit! Don't worry, he'll come back!
     EDIT: Thank you so much Mirykirigum for catching my typo!!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“And then she was all like ‘he doesn’t want to see you now, Ace’ Like
seriously?! “
Sabo sighed as Ace continued to rant as they headed to their next class
together
Ace was still pretty ticked off about this morning! He had barely gotten any
sleep because he was out most of the night, yet he still rushed to Makino’s
this morning, barely making it, his hair still wet too , got his boyfriend his
morning coffee, rushed to the police station and he was denied?!
DENIED!
“Well, maybe he was ticked off at you and Tashigi saved your ass from getting
rimmed o- wait, maybe you’re into that now” pointed out Sabo, with a smirk
Ace rolled his eyes, shoving Sabo slightly
“Why the hell would he be mad at me though? Things have finally been going
really good between us since the fight, so why the fuck is he mad at me?!”
“Uh…You’re kidding right? You Whitebeards have been out of control lately, how
can he not be mad at you?”
Ace frowned; Sabo did have a bit of a point there
Since they were sure the shipment that Marco was looking for was coming in this
month, they have been a tad aggressive looking for it. But it’s not like they
stole anything else though! The instructions are clear! Only akumanomi vials!
Now, Ace had to admit he wasn’t the uh, most discreetvial-getter and may have
caused a significant amount of damage, especially him and his whole team
Okay yeah, he can see why Smoker would be mad at him
“Shit, do you think he suspects me of causing all that damage?”
Sabo lifted a brow
“Uh, I think the fact that it’s you Whitebeards are responsible is enough to
put him in a bad mood”
“Uurggh” groaned Ace, running his hands through his hair, knocking his hat back
“I was afraid of this”
“You had to know this would happen, Ace. You guys aren’t a discreet bunch”
“I don’t even know how to make this better, honestly” bemoaned Ace
“Give him some space and let him contact you first is my advice. He’ll need to
cool down”
Ace sighed, taking out his phone and looking at the last message he had sent to
Smoker, which ironically enough was a simple ‘goodnight!’
“I guess”
 
They both walked into the metal works class and spotted Franky looking over a
big detailed map which seemed to be a big, complex project
“Oye! Franky! I saw the van you built for Luffy, looks fantastic!” said Ace,
grinning
Franky blinked, looking up from his map and grinned brightly
“Thanks! Isn’t the Thousand Sunny gorgeous? I’m so proud of her!” boasted
Franky
“Franky, mind me asking you a question” asked Sabo, his tone serious
Franky frowned a bit, raising a brow
“Go ahead, bro”
“There was a sub today in History class, is Robin okay?”
Ace was surprised that Sabo asked straight-up, he had wondered that himself.
After Robin’s last kidnapping and incident – he was a bit worried that
something had happened to her again. But he was surprised at how upfront Sabo
was – but then again, he wasn’t the beating around the bush type of person
“Uh, well, I guess I can tell you guys. See, we were coming into work this
morning and usually we walk because Robin likes to people watch and stuff, and
she spotted someone that well, she can’t see. So it put her in a really bad
state, she was shaking and everything. So I brought her back home. I asked her
if she wanted me to stay with her, but she said no. But I’ve been annoying and
skyping her all day though and facetiming, she seemed to be doing much better
now though. So she’ll be in tomorrow” explained Franky, crossing his arms
It was clear on his face how upset the situation made Franky, Ace was feeling
really bad for him
“Wait – The Blue Pheasant is in town?! How did I not hear about this?” stated
Sabo, completely shocked
“The what?” asked Ace, not sure what was going on here
“Yeah!  Well, she said she saw him but I don’t know what the dude looks like.
But with how Robin reacted, I’m not doubting her, you know?”
“Oh no, he’s hard to mistaken for someone else. She probably saw him” assured
Sabo
“Uh, for the guy that’s confused, mind clearing things up?” asked Ace, pointing
to himself
Franky and Sabo both paused, looking around as more students started pouring in
“After class, dudes?”
Ace nodded; clearly this wasn’t a conversation to be overheard
 
“Sooo…bird dude?”
Ace didn’t mean to sound impatient, but he hated being out of the loop
Once all the students had left, Ace and Sabo had stayed in the class as Franky
went to close the door and lock it
Ace quickly realized the severity of the situation
“The Blue Pheasant is actually the code name for Kuzan Aokiji. He’s one the
major Admirals of the World Government” started Sabo; frowning as he crossed
his arms “This is bad – that’s two Admirals from the World Government in town.
Dragon is going to be pissed off about this”
“Okay, so this guy is high placed – wait, two? The other one is Akainu, right?”
Franky nodded
“Yeah dude, but Akainu isn’t an issue for Robin. But Aokiji is – see, Robin’s
actually from the town of Ohara and-“
“Isn’t Ohara that town that like…blew up? Due to some chemical gas problem or
something?” asked Ace, frowning sharply
He recalled reading about that somewhere? Probably during his many ‘6 Clicks to
Hitler’ games on Wikipedia
“That’s what the World Government said to cover-up what they really did”
explained Sabo “Go on, Franky”
“So yeah, anyways, she’s the only survivor. Apparently it was a city of
scholars and they were studying the Poneglyphs and the Void Century and when
they World Government got wind of it, they decided to destroy the whole town
and make it look like an accident”
“Wait, wait, so they killed like, hundreds of people because of a handful of
scholars?”
Sabo merely nodded, frowning
“It was more than a handful, but you get the idea”
Ace frowned sharply, clenching his fist – he hated the World Government so
fucking much!
“The only reason Robin escaped was because her mom and some guy called Saul who
risked their lives to save her. But just as she was getting away, Kuzan showed
up, took down Saul but let Robin escape out of curiosity or something ?
Anyways, he also told her that if she ever did anything illegal – he’ll be the
first to come after her. Robin was only 8 years old at the time, so everything
really traumatized her, you know?”
Ace grit his teeth – what kind of person does that to someone?!
“So, Robin escaped?”
“Yeah, but then she spent her entire life running away from the law and stuff
but trouble followed her around like the plague. It really bummed her out and
made her not really able to trust people, you know? But I went through kinda
the same stuff, so when I was working as an airplane mechanic a few years back,
I met her and we kinda hit it off. Especially since we were both running away
from the World Government” explained Franky, frowning
“So…Do you think he’s in town for Robin? Because of the whole Impel Down
thing?”
Sabo shook his head
“No. The World Government would have gone after Luffy more than anything. He’s
not exactly hiding”
 
Franky jumped, surprised
“Wait! You guys know about that?”
“Yeah. We do.” replied Ace, his expression flat
“Does Luffy know about Robin and your past? It’s important for the leader of
the gang to be aware of their member’s baggage” stated Sabo, also with a flat
expression
“Oh man” started Franky, scratching the back of his head “Luffy thinks you guys
don’t know, he’s not gonna be happy when he finds out. How much do you dude
actually know though?”
“Enough that we’re gonna have a little chat with Luffy soon about what he’s
been doing in the past year or so” hissed Ace, crossing his arms
“Aww man, go easy on Luffy, will ya? The little guy’s got such a good heart and
he’s trying to help people” pleaded Franky
Ace sighed loudly, pushing his hair back
“I get that, I do, but man, I worked my ass off to make sure that Luffy can
live a straight and narrow life. I’ve put tons of savings, worked multiple
jobs, cared and took care of him. I made sure he did well enough in school and
everything and then he goes behind my back and does this shit” explained Ace,
not able to hide the frustration in his voice
“Luffy isn’t exactly discreet either, but it’s too late now anyways” stated
Sabo “But we will give him hell for lying to us. ASL doesn’t keep secrets,
that’s rule number one and Luffy broke it”
Franky laughed
“Alright dudes, I get that, he broke the bro code, he’s gotta pay”
“Yeah, we’re just gotta beat him up a little that’s all!” said Ace teasingly,
but suddenly he felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket
Shit! That’s right! He had a mission tonight! It was probably Marco asking him
where the fuck he was!
 
Ace took out his phone and smiled brightly – it was from the Captain!
“What is it, Ace?” asked Sabo, trying to look over Ace’s shoulder
“It’s Chase! He wants me to go meet a friend of his and he’s inviting me to
dinner at Makino’s diner!”
Sabo frowned sharply
“Ace – be on guard”
What?
Ace blinked, looking at Sabo confused
“Eh? Why? You know something?”
“I’m suspecting something – let me call Koala quick”
Ace watched as Sabo took out his cellphone and walked to the back of the room
for better reception; Franky merely snickered, grinning at Ace
“Is Chase this ‘Smokey’ that Luffy says you’re dating?”
Ace turned bright red at the notion
“W-What? He talks about it?”
“Well, he just said that you were dating some dude called Smokey, but by how
your face lit up, I’m assuming it’s him”
“Well…Umm – Goddamnit Luffy!”
 
“I was right!” hissed Sabo as he stuffed his phone in his pocket and walked up
to the duo
“About what?” asked Ace
“Koala just confirmed to me that Kuzan and Smoker are actually good friends and
have always had a good relationship. Actually at Smoker’s trial, Kuzan was the
only one who defended him, along with Tashigi and Hina. I think we were right
when we deduced that Kuzan wasn’t here for Robin. He’s here to meet Ace”
explained Sabo
“What you trial? Why was Smoker on trial?”
Why was it the first time he’s heard about this trial?!
“He didn’t tell you? Smoker didn’t leave the Marines, he was forced to leave.
He was trial for dishonorable discharge for refusing orders. Koala only found
out recently though – I figured he had told you?”
“Oh fuck! You think that’s who Chase’s friend is?! Am I in trouble? Should I be
worried at all?” asked Ace
This was bad! An Admiral was here to meet him?!
But then again…
“But…Chase…He wouldn’t purposely put me in danger like that, he…”
Loves me?
Ace frowned, getting quiet – he felt presumptuous saying that Smoker loved him
Smoker had told him that he wasn’t one for words but actions
And things have been well, goodbetween for a bit now
But this morning Smoker had refused to see him
How he fucked things up again?
Would this be the end of it?
 
“ACE!”
Ace blinked, staring at Sabo who had both his hands on Ace’s shoulders, shaking
him slightly
“Huh?”
“You..You went to thatplace again” explained Sabo, keeping his voice low
Ace rubbed his face, trying to calm down his heart
He was so so thankful that Sabo was back in his life for moments like this
“So, if Kuzan is here to see Ace, why would that be a problem?” asked Franky,
frowning
“Er…well…there’s people looking for Ace too” explained Sabo, Ace sighed
smiling, thankful that Sabo was trying to be discreet
“World Government out for you too, huh?”
Ace blinked, surprised
“Are you talking about Robin or yourself here?”
“Oh, both me and Robin, I clubbed a Cipher Pol agent right in the fucking face
a few years back and tried to kill them by putting myself in front of their
train. Didn’t kill them – but that’s how I wound up needing a serious amount of
injury” explained Franky, laughing afterwards
Ace laughed softly as well – he didn’t think the accident was due to him trying
to take down some World Government agents!
“Damn, that’s so cool, Franky!”
“Thank you, dude!”
“Any way you can just…not go, Ace?” asked Sabo
Ace didn’t miss the twinge of fear in Sabo’s voice
Goddamnit Sabo
“What gives man? From what I understand Akainu’s a bigger problem than this
guy”
Sabo sighed
“Yes, but as a high school principal – he has to be really careful of his
actions and technically he’s undercover right now – Kuzan isn’t. Meaning he can
act as he wishes” explained Sabo, frowning
“Oh, I didn’t think of that” admitted Ace, frowning “But, we’re going to
Makino’s, it would be kinda dumb to try something on me there, wouldn’t it?”
“Ace, just for the love of everything, be careful”
 
Ace has literally been to this dinner a million times
Ever since Makino came to visit them when they were kids and brought them
clothes to wear, Ace has made his way to the dinner
Granted, at first he would peep through the window just to watch the girl that
was really nice to them work – not wanting to bother her
But once she caught him and invited him inside, Ace has never hesitated to go
in – well until now
He has now been standing in front of the door for a good five minutes, cursing
himself for being such a coward
On one hand, he wanted to be at his best and impress his boyfriend’s friend
On the other hand, there was the miniscule chance that the man he loved sold
him off
And goddamnit, it was terrifying him
“Ace? Are you okay?”
Ace blinked and jumped, once again, Makino caught him looking in. There she was
at the door, holding it open, looking right at Ace with a big smile on her face
“A-Ah yeah, I um-“
Makino smile turned into a concerned expression as she stepped outside, closing
the door
“Ace? What’s wrong?”
“Um…I…I have to meet someone and-“
“Nervous?” asked Makino, frowning still
“Kinda…yeah” admitted Ace
Man he felt like an ass right now
“Well, they looked like they were in a good mood. They were in a serious
conversation, but the mood wasn’t hostile or anything” stated Makino, looking
upward, in thought
Ace blinked, surprised to hear that
“Ah…you know who I’m meeting, huh?”
Makino giggled
“Hard to miss your beau, Ace! He is a rather large man”
“Um…Makino, if anything happens…mind calling Sabo?” asked Ace, taking a step
forward, towards the door
“Oh…sure? Ace, are you sure you’re okay?”
Ace sighed deeply, groaning
“No. But I’m only going to get worst if I don’t go through those doors”
Makino nodded, opening the door and stepping aside, letting Ace go inside
“You’ve got this, Ace”
Ace grinned at Makino, giving her the thumbs up
“Sure do!”
Here’s to hoping she’s right
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Hopefully the meeting goes well? Right? Right?
     Anywho! Here's the calendar for the fic! Right now only November is
     completed though and I started on December, I'll do the backlog when
     I can!
     https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PS8kshT169-
     yidWNebPirXsuow2DJY9Dm1z8F2YSfb8/edit?usp=sharing
***** -LAW- Time to Turn Up Eye of the Tiger (But Less Rocky Balboa and More
Marjane Satrapis) *****
Chapter Notes
     Law's getting another tattoo and decisions need to be made!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Law frowned, staring at the small map that Bepo made him
He never went to the Whitebeard mansion from school so he wasn’t quite sure how
to get there
Cora had offered to come pick him up and bring him in. But Law had declined –
apparently work has been considerably busier lately and the last thing Law
needed was to disturb Cora even more. Bepo on the hand had an important club
meeting and Law didn’t want him to skip out. He was old enough to get to his
own tattoo appointment by himself!
If anything, he could always get a cab or something…
 
“You coming?”
Law jumped slightly as Marco walked up to him, Izo, Thatch and Haruta behind
him
“Eh?”
What did he mean? Of course he was coming?
“Well, it would be kinda dumb for you to walk to the mansion when I can just
give you a lift. It would start the appointment faster anyways, I’m back-to-
back tonight” explained Marco as Law nodded, quietly following him to the car
“Isn’t Ace usually with you guys?” asked Law, frowning
“Ace is off gallivanting with his beau” mumbled Marco, looking annoyed
Izo chuckled, getting into the car
“Forgive Marco’s mood. Ace suddenly had to meet up with the Captain and Marco
doesn’t like his schedule disrupted”
“But Ace promised he’d be back in time before the job, so Marco needs to
chiiiilll” teased Thatch as he sat down besides Izo, Haruta sitting on the
other side of Izo
Law blinked, guess he had shotgun
Law got into the car, sitting beside a rather annoyed Marco
“Well he better hold that up, I don’t have the room for fuckups right now”
Law wisely didn’t say another word
 
The mood in the car stayed tense and as they got to the mansion, Thatch, Izo
and Haruta quickly bailed into the mansion, not saying another word
Law frowned slightly, quietly following Marco into his studio
Law watched as Marco quietly walked into the studio. Law stayed at the entrance
as Marco disarmed the alarm and turned on all the lights. Once that was done,
he took off his heavy winter boots
“Take off your shirt and get in the chair, I should be ready in a moment”
Law nodded, setting his bags down on the couch. He took off his hat and then
his coat, throwing them also on the couch. Once he got to the studio chair, he
quickly took off his shirt and sat down
Soon enough Marco walked up to him, wearing his familiar rubber gloves and
stencils in hand as he handed over the waiver to Law. Law quickly took it and
filled out the familiar questions
“So” started Marco as he sat down on his rolling stool, shifting towards Law
“Today you wanted to do both shoulders? Next appointment, we’ll do your back
and we’ll finish with the fingers, okay?”
Law nodded again, lying back on the chair, letting Marco grab his arm, putting
on the stencil
Quietly Marco checked the stencil, making sure the design was precise and
perfect
“This what you want? Right position?”
Law nodded again, smiling at himself in the mirror
“It’s perfect. Thank you”
Marco nodded again, sitting down as he prepped up his tattoo machine, letting
out a heavy sigh
“You okay, man?”
Law was starting to get nervous – if Marco didn’t want to do this today, they
could just reschedule
“Yeah. It’s fine”
“You seem tense, if you don’t want to do this today-“
“Relax, Trafalgar. It’s not this. I just have a bad feeling lately that’s
following me around. But I’m damn good at doing tattoos. It’s not this”
stressed Marco, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Law’s arm again and started to
tattoo
Law grunted, not expecting him to start right away
“It’s about Ace, isn’t it?”
Marco paused slightly, glaring at Law
“Spill what you know, you little turd”
“That he’s Roger’s son and that the World Government knows too”
Marco groaned as he kept tattooing Law
“Ah. Your guardian tell you that?”
“No, Luffy did- well, the fact that he’s Roger’s son. The World Government part
is from Cora, yeah”
“Does he know anything else?”
Law bit his lip
“He thinks they’re planning some sort of coup to take you guys down at the same
time”
Marco lifted a brow
“Us too? How do you figure that? We’re a lot”
“The Warlords have been summoned”
Marco instantly lifted his machine off of Law – looking at him completely
shocked
“Excuse me?!”
“Doflamingo taunted Cora with that information a while ago. He wouldn’t have
done that if he wasn’t actually coming”
“Fucking shit, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about. Shit, well, thanks
for the info. It’s really good to know” admitted Marco as he went right back to
work
 
Marco kept tattooing in silence for a good while, until Law spoke up again
“Listen, if you guys want help to beat down the World Government, I’m in”
“No” replied Marco instantly, not even looking up
Law felt the blood rush to his face
“Why not?! I want revenge for what they did to my family! My home! I have the
right!”
“What you do by yourself is your call. But the Whitebeards are allied with many
gangs already and also Pops promised Corazon that he wouldn’t get you or Bepo
involved in any of our jobs. Pops is not going to allow us to go back on a
promise between men – especially not when it concerns their children. It’s not
that your help isn’t appreciated, it’s just that it’s really out of my hands”
explained Marco, sighing
Law huffed, feeling really put off
“But, if you have any ideas on keeping Luffy away, that would be appreciated. I
don’t want him to get involved”
Law frowned – not this crap again
“He’s gone on a ski trip from the 26th to the 2nd”
“Excellent. That’s good news” replied Marco, looking rather relieved
“Why the hell do you people always want us out of the way! We can help! Shit,
Luffy already took down two Warlords!”
“It’s more complicated than that, Law” started Marco, keeping his voice calm
“Cora asked for a peace of mind; he doesn’t want to have to worry about you
kids. Ace is a different story. When Luffy’s around – Luffy’s safety is his
number one concern. Even if they’re targeting Ace in this, Ace will set it
aside to protect Luffy. Which means Luffy can be used as a hostage or worst.
Basically I don’t want to risk Ace getting hurt badly because he’s worried
about Luffy. That’s why I need Luffy to not be around at all”
Law blinked; he forgot how protective Ace apparently was over his little
brother. He knew that Ace looked over Luffy’s homework, made sure he was fed,
bought him his clothes and supplies, made sure he got to school on time every
day; okay, Ace was a total motherhen
“Ace has a bad habit. He never turns his back to an enemy if his friends are in
danger. Which could wind up being disastrous for Ace; they are trying to kill
him”
Law nodded, it made sense
“What about Sabo though? Wouldn’t it be the same issue for him? Why are we all
worried about Luffy?”
Ace did have two brothers!
“You do know that Sabo can crush a skull with one hand, right? Ace doesn’t fret
over Sabo; the two of them see each other as equals. But if Sabo was in danger,
Ace would easily step in. But I don’t have to worry about Sabo, since he has to
go overseas for a Revolutionary Army job. Apparently they’re going to break
apart a human trafficking ring over there that’s World Government protected.
Sabo personally asked up to keep a very close eye on Ace until his 18th
birthday”  explained Marco and then pulled back
“Alright, we’re done this side” Marco quickly wheeled his stool over to the
other side of Law and got started on the other arm; making Law wince
“And after that – Ace is free from this?”
“Hmm, sorta. He’s not free of the stigma of being the King of Gangs’ son, he’s
going to live with that for life. But he wants to legally change his name to
Portgas at least”
What?!
“Ace’s legal name isn’t Portgas?”
“Nope, it’s Gol. His mother apparently really wanted him to have his father’s
name. Rouge was genuinely in love with Roger. The two had a short but very
happy marriage” explained Marco as he kept tattooing
“Also he wants Pops to legally adopt him. If you ask Ace though, he’ll tell you
that his only father is Pops, so it’s not like it’ll change much. He’ll move in
here and at least that part of his life he can let go”
Law lifted a brow, smirking a bit
“Just that part, huh? Any other part you want him to let go?”
Marco lifted a brow right back at Law, not looking impressed
“Are you trying to get me to bitch about something?”
“You seemed kinda mad that Ace blew you guys off for the Captain”
Marco rolled his eyes
“I just find that Ace is wasting his time with the Captain, that’s all. There’s
no future there and Ace is the one that’s really going to get hurt. And then
I’m going to have to kill the Captain, which is more work for me to do”
Law had to laugh at that one
 
They soon fell in a comfortable silence
But Law’s mind couldn’t stop buzzing
He had a chance here to take down the World Government
When he joined Doffy’s gang, his one and only operative, his one and only goal
was to destroy everything
He wanted the world to burn because of what they did to his family, his
friends, his home
But now, things were different; Law knew it was the World Government that was
to blame
Taking them down wouldn’t be possible alone; shit, the Revolutionary Army’s
been at it for years!
But he could be trouble for them
A lot of trouble, and with Cora’s information, he could find out how to stay as
hidden as he could
Be notorious but unknown
Once inside – he could take Doflamingo down
Murder the man before he tried to take what was left of who he loved
Even if he went to jail – or died in the process, if he murdered Doflamingo, at
least Cora could live happily and in peace for the rest of his life
But if he was to do this; he needed to make sure he had everything
Transportation
Supplies
People
Uniforms
The whole works – actually form a real gang!
He didn’t want to fall behind anymore
Law was tired of finding out shit behind the fact and if people, the World
Government especially, already think he’s a thug?
Then he’ll fucking become one
Law’s pretty sure he saw an ad somewhere that looked interesting and he’s
pretty sure he bookmarked it too
 
Law shifted slightly, making Marco pause and glare at him but Law merely looked
at him sheepishly as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket
“Sorry sorry, needed to check something”
Law quickly unlocked his phone and started to dig around and then smiled
brightly when he found what he was looking for
For sale; a yellow 2011 Ford Transit Yellow Van
It would be perfect for exactly what they did
The only problem is that in the next town over. But Law’s pretty sure he could
just take a greyhound over and grab it. They would need a safe place to stash
it though, so he’ll have to go looking around town for a spot that would be
safe and not under another’s gang’s jurisdiction either
“Oye, Marco – is there like a map of who controls what area?”
“Yes. But it’s a map we made and you live with a cop” pointed out Marco
“I just want to see it to make sure I don’t step on somebody’s toes” replied
Law, getting a bit annoyed
“That can be arranged”
“And is making fake license plates hard?”
“They do them in prison, pretty boy, what do you think?”
“Good point”
“Whatever you’re planning, I’d be careful if I was you – you live with a
government spy” warned Marco as he finished up filling in the shoulder piece
“You guys have any beef with Doflamingo?” asked Law; he knew that Doflamingo
stayed as far away from Whitebeard’s territory, but it sounded like it was more
due that they were a hassle more than anything
One time Law asked, and Doflamingo’s answer was that attacking a herd directly
was always a bad strategy
That one needed to wait until they were injured or scattered, then you attacked
But was it a mutual feeling
“Pops hates him. Think he’s utter trash”
“Would you ever attack him directly?”
“No” started Marco as he wiped the tattoo down, making Law sigh happily, he
loved the feeling of the cooling cloths “Doflamingo goes after civilians, Pops
can’t stand that. If he ever attacked us; we’ll attack. But we’d never
purposely go after him”
“Okay. Good to know”
Marco frowned, raising a brow
“You planning something dumb?”
Law snorted, shaking his head
“Naw. But do you have time for more?”
Marco raised a brow
“Like what?”
“Do the fingers now shall we?”
Marco looked at Law long and hard. But then he sat up, going back to his
cabinet and pulled out the stencils
“Your funeral, Trafalgar”
Law smirked
“Naw, it’s not mine – not yet anyways”
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there you have it! Next week - we're going right back to Ace!
***** -ACE- Why You Gotta Be Like That? (Would A Rose By Any Other Name Would
Smell As Sweet?) *****
Chapter Notes
     Time to see how this meeting goes down! Hold on everyone, it's going
     to be a bumpy ride!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Ace! Over here“
Ace nodded as he nervously approached the back booth
His heart sang when he saw Smoker, sitting there. He wasn’t wearing his
uniform, only a dark grey button up shirt unbuttoned enough for Ace to get a
nice view of his pectorals inside the shirt
Frankly that wasn’t fair; he had no right to look so sexy in a public space
like this where Ace had to keep his hands to himself!
That bastard
Smoker instantly shifted over, giving Ace room to his besides him in the booth
Ace quickly sat down and shrugged off his coat, placing his bag on the ground
besides the booth and quickly looked up at the man sitting across from them
Whoah, he was a tall fellow!
“Ace, this is Kuzan Aokiji, an old friend of mine. Kuzan, this is Ace D.
Portgas”
Ace smiled the friendliest smile he could muster with his nerves going crazy
and stuck out his hand
“It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Kuzan nodded, taking Ace’s hand and shaking it
Ace instantly had a frozen chill run through his body
This man’s skin was so cold
So incredibly cold
Ace couldn’t remember the last time he felt this cold
“Pleasure to meet you Ace. Chase here has told me a lot about you”
“Hahaha, hopefully only good things?” offered Ace teasingly as he rubbed the
back of his neck
“Are you only good things?” asked Kuzan, promptly shutting up Ace
Nobody would say that he was, let’s be real here
“Don’t be an ass, Kuzan” warned Smoker, taking a sip of his coffee
 
Suddenly Makino showed up, putting a large chocolate milkshake in front of Ace.
Ace blinked, looking at Makino confused who only winked at him
“Alright gentlemen, have you decided on what you’d like today?”
“Ace, you can order anything off the menu, I’ll cover it” offered Smoker as he
handed Ace the menu
“U-Um, the usual, Makino?” asked Ace, his voice more strained than he would
have hoped
“Of course, Ace! And you two?”
“I’ll take the special” said Smoker, handing Makino the menu
“Same” replied Kuzan as he also handed her over the menu
“Alright! It shouldn’t be too long!” said Makino as she headed into the kitchen
to give the order to Party
Ace nervously started to drink his milkshake, trying to stop himself from
shaking
“So Ace. Chase told me that you’re not quite out of high school yet. What do
you plan on doing after?”
Ace blinked, surprised at the rather normal question
“Um, I’ve been looking at maybe going to school to become a teacher. Not sure
to what school yet. But the guidance counsellor said I still had time to
decide”
“Hmm” replied Kuzan “Noble profession teaching. Do you work?”
“Oh! I do a few odd jobs here and there. I actually work here once in a while.
I’ve done odd jobs for the Galley-la company too. Right now I’m helping a
teacher with her research part time. She said she could hook me up with a
student librarian job at the library of any school I pick, which is really
great!” said Ace, smiling happily
Smoker, blinked, looking surprised
“I didn’t know that last bit”
Ace shrugged
“She told me only yesterday and uh…I didn’t have the chance to talk to you”
Because you locked me out this morning!
“Oh” replied Smoker taking another sip of coffee
“What’s your family situation like?” asked Kuzan, taking a sip of water
“Uh, well, my grandpa takes care of me. And I have two brothers, I’m the
oldest”
Suck it, Sabo!
“No parents?”
“Don’t be an ass, they died” hissed Smoker, frowning
 “My apologies, I didn’t know” said Kuzan, waving his hand
“No, no, it’s fine! But yeah, I’m an orphan.  Hence the gramp thing”
“His grandfather is Garp” pointed out Smoker and Kuzan instantly erupted in a
loud laughter
“You’re kidding me? My sympathies, kid, that’s a hard bar to have to live up
to”
Ace blinked, that’s not usually what people said about his Gramps
“It’s why I’m going in another direction” teased Ace, making Kuzan laugh more
“Wise choice, kid”
Ace smiled, relaxing a bit, but he couldn’t get rid of the buddle of nerves in
his stomach
“Alright guys! Food’s up!” said Makino as she arrived with their meals
Ace smiled at her, letting her know that everything was going well
She winked back
Guess he was worried about nothing!
 
“Ngorb?”
Ace lifted his head from the table, looking around
What was-?
Right he was eating? Shit! Guess he fell asleep!
Ace looking around – Smoker was gone! But Kuzan-
He was very much there; in front of him
“Where’s-?”
“Outside. Just left for a smoke”
“Oh...” said Ace, looking outside and seeing Smoker by the side of the building
smoking his cigar
“And now that he’s not here to stop me-“ started Kuzan and once again Ace’s
blood ran cold
“I know exactly who you are, Ace D. Gol. And there is no future in your
relationship with Chase whatsoever so do him a favour and disappear”
Ace stared at Kuzan shocked, not even sure what to say
“O-Oye, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Stop playing dumb. Government’s after your ass, it’s bad enough that you’re
underage and a Whitebeard to boot but you’re also a government fugitive.
Meaning no matter what, you’re either going to hurt him when you chose your
loyalty to your gang over him, get him arrested for statutory rape or ruin his
career simply because of his association with you when this all goes public.
Either way, there’s nothing worth it in this to make it worth his time or the
risks”
Ace could only stare at Kuzan as he kept talking, saying all the things that
Ace told himself a million times
“In the end, you’re only going to hurt him. Chase deserves better than this. He
deserves someone who’s not going to drag him down to the pits of hell with
them. But then again, what else can we expect from the devil’s son?”
All the colour drained from Ace’s face at those words. He didn’t know if he
should be angry or upset, so in the end he did the only thing he could do
He ran
He bolted out of the booth, accidentally knocking over the milkshake glass,
shattering it to the ground
Kuzan watched silently as Ace looked down at the mess he caused in horror, his
limbs shaking as all the eyes in the dinner turned on him
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t me-“
He couldn’t breathe
“Of course you didn’t” said Kuzan
And Ace grabbed his bag and ran out, not looking back
 
Ace didn’t know how long he ran for
He just knew that now he was now in front of the Whitebeard mansion, shaking
He had his phone in his hands, having turned it off after the first time it
vibrated, not able to handle anything right now
Ace needed a distraction – and bad
“Oye! Ace, you done being a lovesick idiot?”
Ace blinked, noticing Marco walking out of the studio with Law in tow. For some
reason Law’s hands were bandaged up
“You sure you don’t want a ride? I tattooed you a lot today” offered Marco to
Law. Ace watched as Law shook his head
Oh, that’s why
“No thanks. Gonna meet up with my friends
anyways”                                                        
Ace watched in silence as Law walked off the property and Marco walked up to
him
“You coming on the mission tonight, right? I need the 2nd Division there. It’s
going to be a rough one and you guys are destructive but fast”
“Uh yeah, man, no problem, it’s why I’m here for” said Ace, still trying to
calm himself down
Marco frowned sharply
“You okay?”
“Of course I’m okay? I just ran here from Makino’s man, so I’m a little out of
breath” explained Ace as he pushed his hair back, hoping he was shaking as much
as he felt that he was
“Where’s your coat?”
Ace blinked, looking down
Fuck! He forgot his coat at the diner!
Shit shit shit!
“Uh, I was running dude. I’d get overheated and stuff, you know” defended Ace
Marco hesitated for a moment but then rolled his eyes
“Alright scatterbrain, c’mon, we’re about to discuss the plan”
Ace nodded, following Marco inside the mansion
He was calm. He could do this.
 
“So you remember where your team needs to go?” asked Marco for like the
millionth time
It wasn’t like Ace was spacing out that bad
“Yeah yeah, I take security exit E and go down the hall and enter the fifth
room and search that warehouse room for vials”
“Good. Be fucking careful! If you get caught in that area, they can secure the
building completely in a matter of second and your chances of being caught are
very high!”
Marco was starting to be annoying
“Hey man, if you don’t think I can do this-”
“No you jackass, I think your team is the only one who can do this, just for
fuck’s sake, don’t do anything dumb!”
Ace snorted, rolling his eyes
 
“So far so good” muttered one of the men from his team
Ace sighed; it was rather un-guarded for a highly guarded government facility
-there is no future in your relationship with Chase whatsoever so do him a
favour and disappear
Ace grunted, shaking his head
Not now!
“You okay?”
Ace nodded his head
“I’m fine, stop henning on me; it’s bad enough that Marco couldn’t leave me
alone”
“Alright, alright”
Stop playing dumb. Government’s after your ass, it’s bad enough that you’re
underaged and a Whitebeard to boot but you’re also a government fugitive
Stop!
Meaning no matter what, you’re either going to hurt him when you chose your
loyalty to your gang over him, get him arrested for statutory rape or ruin his
career simply because of his association with you when this all goes public.
Either way, there’s nothing worth it in this to make it worth his time
Shut up!
In the end, you’re only going to hurt him. Chase deserves better than this. He
deserves someone who’s not going to drag him down to the pits of hell with
them. But then again, what else can we expect from the devil’s son
Ace snarled, Kuzan’s voice bouncing in his head
He didn’t need to be told all this crap! He knew it!
But now he felt bad
Because he had ran out, he hadn’t been able to tell Smoker goodbye, and that,
that wasn’t okay
He…He needed to make it up to Smoker
Show him that his time was worth it-!
 
“We’re here!” announced one of his men as they broke the lock and walked in
The warehouse was pretty small so thankfully it would take less time to go
through it than they thought – but before Ace would start going through the
boxes, he needed to do something real quick
Maybe it would help him calm down
“Okay guys, raid the boxes. You know what we’re looking for; I just got to
answ-…send an update text to Marco real quick”
Ace quickly turned on his phone and saw tons of worried text from Smoker
It was warmed his heart
All the texts were of him asking what Kuzan said to make Ace bolt out like that
And that apparently Makino had slapped Kuzan for upsetting him and kicked him
out?!
Damn Makino!
 
But before Ace could answer, he felt a deep burn in his shoulder causing him to
stumble forward as he grabbed his right shoulder, dropping his cell
Ace pulled his hand back from his shoulder, staring at the red liquid on his
hand that was now seeping through his shirt
Blood?!
Did he just get shot?!
Ace turned around and spotted this young looking guard, shaking pretty badly as
he held on to his gun
Ace’s expression turned dark as he glared hard at the man
“Keep at it, boys. I’m going to deal with this one”
The guard kept trying to shoot at Ace but this time he was too scared to
actually aim properly. Quickly relieving himself in his standard uniform pants
as Ace lunged for him, taking him down quickly
“You fucking shot me?!” yelled Ace as he punched the guard hard with a left
hook – the loud clanking of his metal glove echoing through the room as Ace
straddled the guard and kept punching him
“I’m going to fucking teach you!” in a moment, Ace’s glove lit up, on fire as
he punched the guard again, the man already unconscious as the loud cracking
sound filled the room
“Ace”
“You piece of fucking shit! I’m so fucking tired of uniformed bastard thinking
they can fucking do what they want with me!”
“Ace! We have to go! There’s nothing here!”
Ace kept punching the man, way beyond the point he could stop, he was just so
mad at everything
Fuck authority!
Fuck the World Government!
Fuck the cops!
Fuck this guard!
Fuck his parents for bringing him into this world only to leave him alone!
Fuck his father for leaving him all alone with his the consequences of his
actions!
Fuck this world! Fuck everything!
 
“ACE! STOP!” suddenly someone punched him right in the injured shoulder,
causing Ace to fall forward, letting out a cry in pain
“Who the fuck d-“ started Ace as he whipped around, staring right at a worried
looking Deuce – who was frowning sharply at him
“Ace! What the hell? C’mon! Let’s go! You’re injured and the guy’s
unconscious!”
Ace blinked, his anger dissipating and then he turned to look at the guard
Holy fuck
He did a real mess on the guy’s face, his nose is easily rather broken, a few
teeth got knocked out, pretty sure he busted a bunch of veins and he was badly
burned
Fuck fuck fuck fuck
“Sh-Shit Deuce, I-“
“Just c’mon Ace!” said Deuce, grabbing Ace’s good shoulder and pulled him up
Ace fucked up
And bad
 
“What the fuck was that?!” yelled Marco, his face red, he was furious
They had gotten back to the mansion in one piece thankfully. But Ace was the
only injured party and Ace would never want his men to lie for him. So of
course when the truth was told to Marco, Marco came to rip him a new one. And
because he was in the middle of treatment in the infirmary at the Whitebeard
mansion, he couldn’t exactly hide from him
It’s hard to run when you’re getting stitches done
“It’s just a nick, that’s what the medical team said anyways” mumbled Ace, not
willing to have this conversation right now with Marco
“Ace, you nearly beat that man to death!”
“He shot me!”
“Ace, be sure not to apply to much pressure on the shoulder, okay?” said the
member of the medical team, smiling “And I’ll give you something so you can
sleep off the pain, okay?”
Such a nice lady, giving him drugs
“Well maybe you would have fucking noticed him if you weren’t in the fucking
middle of texting your goddamn boyfriend! Seriously Ace?! During a fucking
mission?!” screamed Marco as he waved the phone in Ace’s face
Fucking hell! The screen was all busted up now!
“I’M SORRY!” yelled Ace back, getting pissed off
“Stop making his blood pressure go up, Marco! He’s going to rip his stitches
and if he does, I’m going to rip a chunk of your hair out!” snapped the medical
aid as she handed Ace two pills and a small glass of water
Ace quickly took them, his shoulder was fucking killing him – nicked or not
And now Marco was giving him a fucking headache!
“Fuck! You’re right! It wasn’t the goddamn time to make that text! I just felt
fucking bad okay! I just wanted to say I’m sorry because I ran out of the
dinner tonight!”
“Wait, you ran out? What the fuck happened?” asked Marco, his voice now filled
with concern instead of anger
Ace closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears
“Can…Can we be alone?” asked Ace in a small voice
Marco nodded, holding out his hand to help Ace up
“Let’s go to your future room, shall we?”
 
Once they got there, Marco helped Ace get changed; him not really allowed to
use his right arm was kinda a pain in the ass and got him into the bed, good
thing Ace slept in boxers usually
The drugs were starting to hit him hard
“I…his friend, I met his friend tonight and he’s Aokiji Kuzan and he told me
that he knows exactly who I am, which means the World Government does and I
panicked okay?”
“Ace…You should have told me. I would have never let you go if you were
distracted like this”
“I know, I know, I just, I needed to do something else than just wallow and I
wound up fucking up bad”
Ace still couldn’t believe he lost it that bad
“Look. Get some rest; we’ll talk more about what we’re going to need to do
about this in the morning. One thing’s for sure – no missions for you until
your damn birthday”
“Marco!”
“No. I’m not risking it. I got word that they’re trying to find a way to use
you as bait for us and I’m not giving them that chance”
Ace blinked, shocked
“Holy shit”
“You’re staying supervised for the rest of the month, Portgas” stated Marco,
with no room for argument as he walked out of the room
 
Ace waited a good while until Marco was good and gone and took his busted up
phone from the dresser
He could barely see the screen now, but thankfully he could still text, he
needed to text Smoker something, anything -
 
I’m sorry I love you
 
-were the only thing Ace managed to text until the drugs knocked him completely
out
Chapter End Notes
     I'm so happy to be able to add new characters like Deuce! Have you
     all been keeping up with the One Piece magazine?? SO MUCH NEW ACE
     CONTENT! Makes me so happy!!
***** -LAW- Hard Not To Love Someone Who Fights Injustice (Especially With A
Great Right Hook) *****
Chapter Notes
     You all ready for the longest Law chapter I've written so far?? I
     thought about breaking up in chapters but naw, let's do this!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“I swear to god if he texts me one more unhappy face, I’m gonna smash his
phone!“
 
“Luffy’s still mad, huh?”
Law groaned as he kept slapping his thigh softly with the back of his hand –
fuck his tattoos were itchy!
“He’s not mad per say, he’s just being annoying that we bailed from the ski
trip! He still has plenty of time to find people to take our places, it’s not
that hard!”
“I think it’s more that he wanted to spend private time with you – you guys
were sharing a bed you know” pointed out Bepo as they walked into the school
“If you think I’m having sex in the same room as Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper
and you guys, you’re nuts”
Law shivered at the thought – he was many things, but he wasn’t an
exhibitionist
“Think Zoro and Sanji are gonna do it?” asked Bepo, smirking
“Naw, Sanji weirdly enough isn’t very open about his relationship with Zoro”
pointed out Law, honestly if he didn’t know – he would of never have suspected
it
“I don’t like lying to Cora, Law” bluntly said Bepo, looking worried
Law sighed, unlocking his locker
He didn’t want to go back to this topic
“We have no choice, Bepo. Cora’s gonna be in danger with Doflamingo around and
he was ready to ship us off somewhere to get us out of harm’s way. I’m going to
protect him – whether he likes it or not! He isn’t going to martyr himself
again – not for my sake!” stated Law, putting his things inside the locker and
pulled out the books he needed and closed the locker
“Is everything set up in the van?”
“Yessir! It’s hiding under that abandoned quarry by the dock! Fake plates
installed, also all the modifications you asked for have been installed by
Penguin and Shachi, so we’re in tip top shape, Law!” reported Bepo, grinning
“That’s great news, now let’s go to homeroom”
 
But just as Law and Bepo turned the corner, they saw the Strawhats all huddled
in together, looking frustrated – oddly enough even Franky, Robin and Brook
were with them
“What’s going on?”
“Torao! Our friend Camie got kidnapped!” said Luffy, looking a mix between
upset and mad
Law didn’t like this look on him
“Wait? What? Can I get the full story, from the beginning?”
This was insane
“Well, see, yesterday there was a series of events and in the end we were at
the Sabaody Amusement Park and our friend Camie got taken” explained Nami,
looking frustrated, Vivi was clutching her hand, trying to calm her down
Law’s mind was whirling – the Sabaody Amusement Park sounded so familiar, and
he couldn’t figure out why
Shit
Why did it ring bells?
“Duval says he hasn’t found anything yet” muttered Sanji, looking furious at
his phone
“I think we should skip school today and keep looking for her” suggested Zoro,
arms crossed as he leaned against the locker
“No. We agreed to this. It would look too suspicious” pointed out Nami
“I just hope nothing bad has happened to her” said Robin sadly
Shit
Shit!
Now he remembered!
“Wait, That…That amusement park is a hot bed for human trafficking!” pointed
out Law, horrified
 “What?” said the whole group shocked
Law bristled as everyone in the hallway stopped to look at the group
“Can we…discuss this elsewhere?”
“Yes, let’s go to my classroom” suggested Brook “The walls are soundproof!”
 
“So, explain young Law, please, from the top”
Law sighed
“Okay, so technically human trafficking is illegal. But the World Government
makes great profit from it, so they look the other way since it’s usually
Celestial Dragons or Nobles usually doing the buying and a cut of it goes to
the World Government”
“That’s horrible!” cried out Chopper
“So you think Camie-!” started Nami, before clamping her hands on her mouth,
horrified
“Probably…Is she…uh…from Fishmen District?” asked Law, trying to remain
delicate about the issue
“Yes? What does that have to do with anything?” asked Zoro, frowning
“Well uh, girls from that district are known to uh…go ‘missing’ and not be
noticed when they do…or taken too seriously when it’s reported” explained Law,
feeling like a total asshole for saying so
Now that he remembered about the amusement park – he was able to connect the
dots
“WellI noticed her missing!” yelled Luffy “We have to go find her! We have to
go save Camie!”
“You won’t be able to though, not until tomorrow night” pointed out Law
“Tomorrow night? What’s tomorrow night?” asked Usopp
“The auction. Since the auction houses are technically illegal as well as the
sale of humans, they’re roving. So they only go live on the 2nd Friday of every
month” explained Law
“How do you know all of this, Law?” asked Vivi, looking rather uncomfortable
Law frowned
No point in lying
“Because Doflamingo had a hand in these sales and kidnappings…so uh, I was
privy to the information”
I was being prepped to be the right hand man-
“Did you ever abduct someone?” asked Sanji, clearly letting his anger get the
best of him
“No! I uh…I was too small to do that” admitted Law “You use an adult to steal
people”
“So, what’s our chances of getting her back?” asked Franky, crossing his arms,
frowning
“Eerr…First you have to find where the auction is taking place and find a way
to get invited inside. If they suspect you in any way – you’re not going in”
explained Law “It’s really complicated – All I can recommend for now is to try
to find the auction house”
The group nodded, their expression serious
“I’m already asking Duval to find it” informed Sanji, punching away on his
phone
Who the fuck is Duval?
Before anyone else could say a word, the bell rang and the group split up –
quickly heading off to their homerooms
 
“Okay, so we have shitton of prep to do”
Penguin and Shachi nodded as Bepo came down to the basement with a large box.
Tonight they were at Penguin’s place because he had the house to himself
tonight and Law was afraid of Cora walking in on them
“We have less than 24 hours before the auction house opens. We have to locate
it and try to get this girl called ‘Camie’ out” explained Law as he leaned over
the table in the middle of the room. Bepo went to sit on the couch besides the
two other boys as Law sat on a chair across from them
“I’m suspecting that the auction house is going to be located here. It’s in
nobody’s territory and it’s close enough to Sabaody district that they don’t
have to go far to transport the people they kidnap” explained Law, pointing on
a map “But, there’s also the chance they’re in one of these buildings across
the district to. The distance between the two is nearly an hour – the auctions
only last an hour. We can’t fuck this up”
“Is there any way we can get this info?” asked Penguin, scratching his head
Law frowned
“There is…but it’s…I’ll handle it” promised Law
“Our overalls are ready! They look so cool!” said Penguin, jumping up and going
up to the box that Bepo brought down and pulled them out “Aren’t they cool!
We’re gonna wear white and Bepo gets orange since he’s the right hand man!”
Law nodded, getting up
“Alright. And the van’s all ready as well? We won’t have time to mess around
tomorrow – we’ll have to get right to it since Friday night is when Bepo and I
have supper with Cora” explained Law
“It’s all good, boss!” confirmed Shachi
Law smirked – perfect
 
“So…did you get the info?” asked Bepo to Law as they sat around the table,
waiting for Cora to come with the take-out
“Uh…No. It’s in the filing cabinet upstairs and I haven’t been able to crack
Cora’s code” admitted Law
He had been working on it all night and as much as he could before school but
he hadn’t been able to crack it!
“Seriously? Law! What are we gonna do?” asked Bepo, freaking out
“I don’t know – if we don’t have the location, we have a 50% chance of failing”
“Can’t we ask the Strawhats to go to the other location?” asked Bepo
Law sighed
“I guess. I just wanted to help out Luffy, you know?”
“What’s going on?” asked Cora as he walked in carrying take-out containers
Law paused – what did he have to lose?
“Cora, can I ask you something but you don’t ask me why?”
Cora froze instantly, putting the containers down on the table
“Law. What are you involved in?”
“Listen – it’s important! Luffy’s friend got abducted and we’re pretty sure
it’s to be sold off and-“
“You need the address to the auction house that Doffy owns in this area, don’t
you?” asked Cora, frowning sharply at the two boys
Bepo eeped, bowing his head down but Law locked eyes with Cora
“Yes. We’re going to try to rescue her”
“Is that why you’ve been playing with my filing cabinet?” asked Cora, still
frowning
Shit! Of course Cora would have safeguards in place!
“Yes. I’m sorry. I figured I’d do you a favor if you didn’t know” admitted Law
Cora sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck
“You’re right, I don’t want to know. I also refuse to allow you to do this!”
declared Cora loudly as he turned his back to both boys and went to the
cupboard, slamming it open to take out plates and cutlery
He could feel the anger growing in him – how could Cora say this to him?!
Law was about to say something before Cora cut him off
“Law”
“What” hissed Law
“Left 10, right 7, left 64”
Law blinked, confused for a moment and then smirked
“I can’t believe you’re forbidding me from doing this!” teased Law, unable to
stop his smile from growing
“I could never allow my son to do something so illegal like infiltrate an
illegal slave trade to save an abduction victim even though the cops should do
something about it but we have our damn hands tied!” loudly and theatrically
declared Cora as he came back to the table, putting down the plates as Bepo
chuckled along to both of them
“Cora?”
“Yes Law?” asked Cora sweetly, trying to hide his own smile
“Thanks for looking out for us”
Cora sighed
“Just…Be safe”
Law nodded as he took a plate
 
“I got the info!” declared Law as he jumped into the van, setting his nodachi
between the seats as he put a briefcase on his
lap                                                                                                                    
Penguin and Shachi brought it over after they watched Cora leave to go back to
the station. Once they saw Law, they jumped into the back seat. Bepo was
driving and Law would ride shotgun
“We should be there before 9! Thankfully it doesn’t usually start until around
9:30, so we’ll have time to settle in. We even have the password and about 200k
in cash!” explained Bepo happily as Law showed them the suitcase
“W-Why do we have so much money?!” asked Shachi, shocked
“It’s Cora’s…” admitted Law, feeling kinda bad
“You stole Cora’s money?!” asked Penguin, horrified
“No! Cora kinda…left it for us. On the couch. With a note that said ‘use it
well’” admitted Law, smiling
“So…Cora knows that we’re doing tonight?”
“We are openly disobeying Cora’s orders” stated Law
“…But he left you money” pointed out Shachi
“Yep”
“Ooooh, it’s one of those situations!” started Penguin, before grinning “Man,
Cora’s great!”
“C’mon! Time to concentrate! We have to get there in good time and stash the
van out of sight, so you two keep a lookout for good hiding spots” instructed
Law
He only hoped he had enough on him
 
“So, it’s in there?” asked Penguin as he looked around the corner
“Yeah, that small metal door on the side is the only door in and out. Minus the
back for merchandise” explained Law as he leaned the nodachi on his shoulder
“C’mon, let’s go”
Bepo, Penguin and Shachi followed behind Law as Law walked towards the door as
if he owned the place. Once Law got to the door, he rapped on the door, waiting
until the tiny door open
“The fuck are you?” asked the person behind the door
Law merely shrugged
“Here for the show”
“Why the fuck should I let you in?”
“Joker told us about this place” stated Law
The man suddenly shut the little door and then unlocked the door, opening it
wide for the group
“Come in~! Come in~! Friends of Joker are always welcomed here!”
Law merely walked right in, not even giving the guy at the door a second glance
as the three others quietly followed Law in
Once inside, they all looked around. The room looked like a massive auditorium
with a massive stage in the front. Law merely took a random row of benches and
sat down, not saying a word. The three others quickly scrambled to sit besides
Law
“Uh…Who’s Joker?” asked Penguin quietly, the two others tensed up, leaning into
Law, waiting for an answer
Law lifted a brow
“Oh, it’s Doflamingo’s black market title. Cora’s notes said that it was
usually enough to be let into the auction” explained Law as he carefully looked
around
The room was quickly filling up, he was actually rather surprised
It was good to know all these people were fucking garbage
Soon enough everyone started to make a big fuss as these real goofy looking
people walking in – everyone was crying ‘Celestial Dragons!’ so Law figured
that’s who they were
“Hmm? I know that face…”
Law groaned, of fucking course
“It’s Law Trafalgar …I’ve heard lots of bad stories about him”
Law turned around to flip off Kidd, who merely smirked at him
“And he’s got bad manners”
Guess Kidd was here with his gang? Law couldn’t be bothered to question him and
as far as he was concerned – Kidd could stay at the fucking door
Soon enough, the lights dimmed and the show began
Law frowned, all he knew about this girl was that her name was Camie, he hoped
that it was enough
“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The Monthly Grove
1 Human Grand Auction will now begin!-“
Here we go-
 
The show has already begun and a few people had already been sold off
Law was feeling sick to his stomach, but he couldn’t afford to buy them all
Suddenly he heard a small ruckus behind him but chose to ignore it – it just
sounded like another pompous Dragon named Charlos or something
Law couldn’t give a fuck
After a man tried to kill himself on stage, they soon scrambled to try to bring
out the next person. Disco came right back onto the stage, trying to play it
off as if nothing has happened
“So anyway, number 16, Lacuba, was so nervous that he got a nosebleed! He
passed out, so we’ll auction him again at a later date! But ladies and
gentlemen, the product I will now introduce will make you forget this trouble
in an instant! It’s our greatest start attraction!”
There was a huge cage on stage and suddenly Disco removed the cloth, showing a
beautiful young lady with short green hair
“ – I won’t say any more! See for yourselves! From Fish-Man District comes
Camie!”
Oh! That’s Camie!
Law sat up slightly, getting ready for the opening bid
“ALL RIGHT! THEY’RE SELLING A GIRL FROM FISHMEN DISTRICT! I BID FIVE HUNDRED
MILLION!”
Law felt his blood go cold – shit! He didn’t have nearly that much!
“T-The hall has fallen silent! Uh…Do I hear…More than 500 million?! If not, the
bidding will stop!” announced Disco, still shocked
Fuck!
Fuck!
Law was panicking – he didn’t know what to do!
“Time’s up! Today’s star attraction; the girl from Fish-Man District goes to
the World Noble Saint Charlos for 500 million dollars!”
 
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!’
Suddenly there was a huge crash behind them, busting the door in
“LUFFY?!”
Law blinked, looking behind him – wasn’t that Sanji’s vo-
Oh fuck
There was his boyfriend, coming out of the rumble, yelling at a weird dude and
a busted up bike that apparently went through the door?!
“COULDN’T YOU HAVE  LANDED A LITTLE BETTER?!”
Landed!?
“NO! I HAD TO DIVE IN!”
“HEY CAMIE!” yelled Luffy as he started to bolt down the aisle but was pulled
back by a guy who looked like he was from Fish-Man District
“CAMIE! I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU! I’M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU!!”
“No!! Stop, Luffy! What are you going to do?!”
“I’m gonna save Camie!”
“Yes, but she’s wearing an explosive collar! We can’t set her free! Besides,
the Celestial Dragons are here”
“IT DOESN’T MATTER”
“EEEEK!!” yelled a man in the crowd
“A man from Fish-Man district?! How disgusting!!”
“I’ll save you, Camie!” yelled Luffy
Law could only stare in shock
“CAMIE ISN’T SOMETHING YOU CAN SELL!”
Suddenly the crowd started yelling and screaming obscenities at the man that
came with Luffy, Law scoffed, disgusted with the blatant racism from the crowd
A bunch of workers of the auction house jumped on Luffy, trying to hold him
back, Law was about to get up to interfere but -
A loud crack broke through the air, stopping the commotion all at once
The fucking Dragon had shot Luffy’s companion!
“MWAHAHA! MWA HA! MWA HA! I GOT HIM! I KILLED THE FISH-MAN!”
Law stayed put, watching the scene unfold – he wanted to do something,
anything, but he knew the risk of it right now, and he couldn’t
“FATHER!! LOOK!! I CAUGHT A FISH-MAN!! I CAUGHT HIM MYSELF, SO IT’S FREE, ISN’T
IT? WHAT A BARGAIN! A FREE SLAVE! FREE! FREE!”
Luffy suddenly charged towards Charlos, but the shot man grabbed his arm
“Wait…Straw hat.Wait!! No…huff…huff..don’t get…angry. It’s…my…fault”
The man was coughing, his voice weak, only coming through because of the
absolute silence in the room
“You promised…not to cross the Celestial Dragons even if someone got shot. I
was in a gang once!! This is what I get for the bad things I did! Huff…huff…I’m
sorry, I’m sorry! …I didn’t mean for this to happen! I wanted…to make it up to
Nami, even just a little…I j-just wanted to h-help you” suddenly the man
completely collapsed onto the ground
Law suddenly spotted Nami in the back, her hand over her mouth as she watched
in horror
“Hachi…”
Law frowned; the man’s name must be Hachi then
“I’ve always messed up…Everything!! Really. In the end…I caused you trouble.
I’m sorry!!”
“STUPID FISHMAN! I SHOT YOU, BUT YOU’RE STILL CHATTERING AWAY!! YOU ANNOY ME!”
yelled Charlos
Luffy got up from his kneeling position besides Hachi and stood up, glaring
darkly at Charlos
“STOP, STRAW HAT LUFFY!” yelled a small man with beanie “YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY
WITH IT!”
The crowd suddenly got very agitated, chattering loudly in suspense
“You annoy me too!” yelled Charlose, shooting at Luffy, making Law tense up
He was about to intervene but Bepo, Penguin and Shachi all pulled him down
“Law, no! Not now!”
And suddenly Luffy winded back and clocked Charlos right in the face, sending
him flying back
Law’s jaw dropped
Luffy just punched a Celestial Dragon across the face!!
Law was torn between being horrified and incredibly turned on
His boyfriend just clocked a Celestial Dragon in the face!
Boy, this was the wrong time to get hard
“Sorry guys…Now that I punched him, a World Government Admiral will be bringing
a squad back here” said Luffy, looking back at his gang
Huh, looks like they were all there
Minus…Vivi? How come she wasn’t here??
“Because you beat him up first, I didn’t get a chance to slash him” said Zoro,
putting one of his swords back in it’s sheath
Nami was on the ground, quietly talking to Hachi, helping him up
“Now then…” said Sanji as he lit a cigarette
“We basically have no choice now” mentioned Franky in passing
“I think the keys to Camie’s collar should be somewhere in the back. I have to
tend to Hachi’s wounds – can you go find them?”
“BROTHER CHARLOS!! EVEN FATHER HAS NEVER LAID A HAND ON HIM!” yelled the female
Celestial Dragon, catching Law’s attention
“HOW DARE YOU LOWLY COMMONERS TOUCH MY SON!!” screamed the other Celestial
Dragon as he started to shoot at Luffy “WE ARE DESCENDED FROM THE CREATORS OF
THIS WORLD! YOU’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH US-!”
But soon enough, Sanji kicked the gun right out of his hands, shocking the
Celestial Dragon
Well shit – here we go
 
Soon enough, a big fight broke out inside the room. People were fleeing left
and right as the Strawhat gang attacked the bodyguards who were trying to kill
them
Law stayed put with his gang, watching the chaos erupt around them
“-We’ll have to go as soon as we get that bomb off her neck!! The World
Government agents and an Admiral are coming!” yelled Luffy
“The World Government Navy’s already here, Straw hat”
Luffy blinked, stopping as he turned around and spotted Law
“Torao!!”
“They were here way before the auction started and were surrounding the hall
the entire time” explained Law
Well, that’s what Cora’s note said anyways
“What?! Really?!”
“Headquarters has a station post here in Sabaody district” continued Law “I
don’t know who they wanted to catch, but they probably never imagined that the
Celestial Dragons would get beaten”
“Ooh! Why are you here anyways?” asked Luffy, hugging Law tightly
Law grunted, his face flushed – he was trying to calm himself down and Luffy
wasn’t helping!
“I was trying to save your friend discreetly! But in the end, I couldn’t afford
to-“
“P-P-PLEASE WAIT, SAINT SHALRIA! THAT MERCHANDISE HASN’T BEEN PAID FOR YET!”
pleaded Disco but was shot by Shalria
“SILENCE, COMMONER! I’M GOING TO KILL THE WOMAN THEY’RE AFTER!”
“OH NO! CAMIE!!” yelled out Sanji, horrified
Shalria cocked the gun at Camie grinning ear to ear
“Now die, fish!!!”
Camie looked horried, staring at Shalria, her hands shackled up in a glass cage
– but suddenly
Shalria fell to the ground, unconscious
Law stared on, shocked, not sure what just happened but from behind the screen
emerged two figures, one drinking from a flask
The man said a few words and suddenly Law saw the people in the front losing
consciousness and covered his mouth, signaling to the others to do so as well
Gas?!
Row by row, people started to pass out. Law quickly sniffed the air – there
was…nothing? Then how?
The man walked up to Camie and somehow quickly removed her collar, throwing it
in the air, causing a small explosion
“If that old man was able to knock out all the guards here at once…It means he
uses some kind of magic!” exclaimed Usop shocked “Luffy, how do you know him?”
“I don’t know him! Really!!”
“The thing he used is called ‘Haki’ I think…I don’t really understand it
either” admitted Hachi, now seeming much better with Chopper’s first aid
“Sorry boys, seems you’re just gangs here for the show” said the old man,
grinning
Now Law recognized him! Holy shit, a living legend!
“Seeing how you withstood that…you’re all quite strong”
“That was close, I almost passed out” muttered Shachi, holding his head
Law grinned – he understood it now! It was a drug! But it only worked when you
were in a mode of panic! Since he remained calm – they were fine!
“I didn’t think I’d see such a big name in a place like this…” started Law,
grinning
Today couldn’t get more awesome!
“ ‘Dark King’ Rayleigh Silvers!! What’s a living legend doing here?” asked Kidd
Law internally groaned – he forgot about Kidd for a second
“I’m just an ordinary coating craftsman on this island. People call me Ray.
Don’t call me by that other name. I’m just an old soldier. I only want to live
in peace” explained Rayleigh
“You’re not going to die, are you, Hachi?” asked Rayleigh, kneeling besides
Hachi “I’ve told you to stay away from this area of the district”
“Nope…Sorry” muttered Hachi
“Thank you. You saved my friend” stated Rayleigh
“So why did you say you wanted to see me?” asked Luffy
Law blinked – is that what Rayleigh said earlier?
“Hmm, we’ll talk later! Let’s get out of here first” suggest Rayleigh
“We’re completely surrounded outside, boss” said one of Kidd’s man
Oh fuck
Suddenly a loud voice boomed through the room, coming from outside
“Release the Roswald Family right now!!! The Admiral will arrive soon so we
recommend that you surrender immediately!! We won’t be held responsible for
what happens, rookies!!”
Law rolled his eyes – oh great
“Seems like we’re not even seen as victims, just accomplices”
“I just got to see how crazy Straw Hat Luffy is, the rumours were right! I’ve
got no complaints but I don’t want to deal with an Admiral” pointed out Kidd
Law smirked, teach him to underestimate Luffy!
Man, he was so proud of his boyfriend today!
“Oh, I’m not going to use Haki again, so you’re on your own. If the World
Government finds out who I am, I won’t be able to stay here” explained Rayleigh
“The longer we wait, the more men will gather. So I’m going first” started Kidd
as he turned around, his men following him out the door “I’ll just be on my
way. I’ll save you guys”
Law could feel the rage bubbling up in him as he glared at Kidd, snarling
“I’ll clean up the mess outside, so you don’t have to worry”
That son of a bitch!
Law got up, quickly making his way to the door, his group following him as
Luffy went out the door with him
 
“THERE THEY ARE!” yelled one of the World Government’s men “TAKE AIM!!!”
“Those three are all gang bosses!”
“They’re going to spearhead the attack!”
“You guys can stand back” announced Luffy, crossing his arms
“I’m telling you two to stand back” stated Kidd
“I’ll obliterate you if you tell me what to do again, Eustass” warned Law
Suddenly the World Government men all cocked their guns at them and shot
 
And the world slowed down
Law blinked, surprised
He could see every bullet coming at him, as if his sight had gotten super
precise
Shifting slightly, every single bullet missed him
Law’s eyes widen – what was this?
This razor precision? As if everything in a specific zone was under a
meticulous scrutiny?
Law smirked
As if it was all under his control!
Law stepped forward, taking out his nodachi and managed to evade another string
of shots carefully and approached a series of the World Government’s men to
disarm them
He managed to cut them just enough to get them to drop their weapons but not
enough to mutilate them
What was this?
Kidd and Luffy were doing their own job, taking down their own people but soon
enough everyone had scattered
Law couldn’t say he was surprised. He knew that Kidd produced a weird magnetic
charge that drew metal to him and away from him, so he could repulse every gun
from aiming at him. And Luffy with his weird rubbery skin, things bounced off
of him more than anything. So unless he was shot directly, everything just
ricochets off him
They were a weird bunch together
But Law never knew he was able to…control a zone like that?
It was weird
Soon a full-on brawl erupted between the remaining officers and not only the
bosses. At this point; The Strawhat gang, Kidd’s gang and the Heart gang had
all showed up
During the fight, Law noticed someone that he had noticed up for auction
earlier
Jean Bart, a former gang boss!
Guess he got captured and made into a fucking slave, disgusting
“You want to come with me, boss Jean Bart?” offered Law
Jean Bart turned around as he knocked a man over his with massive fists – he
was a huge man!
“It’s been a while since I’ve been called that. I will gladly work under you in
gratitude for freeing me from the Celestial Dragons!” announced Jean Bart
Law chuckled
“Save half of your thanks for the Strawhats”
 
Bepo kicked three guys out of the way, the officers not able to handle him
“That kid is so quick!! We’re helpless against him!”
Man, he was so proud of Bepo too!
“Hurry up, Bepo!!”
They needed to bail now, not keep fighting – they can’t afford to get caught!
Law took off running, Penguin and Shachi following after him. Bepo and Jean
Bart followed behind them
“You’re new here, so you’re under me” declared Bepo to Jean Bart – As if now
was the time?!
“I don’t care as long as I’m not a slave” replied Jean Bart
“CAPTAIN! LOOK!!” screamed Shachias he pointed towards Kidd that was fighting
with –
Holy fuck
No!
No!
“Why is a Warlord here?!” yelled Law, shocked
Cora said that the Summons was for the end of the month?! Why was he already
here?!
“Law Trafalgar!!” stated Kuma and Law felt his blood grow cold
“You know my name!”
Suddenly Kuma pulled out a massive grenade launcher and aimed it at them
Holy fuck!
Law only barely managed to evade the shot, thankful again for his weird
abilities
“CAPTAIN!!” yelled Bepo, clearly scared
“This place is close to the Headquarters! You shouldn’t be surprised by who
shows up!” explained Jean Bart
“The military’s coming from behind!!” announced Shachi, him also starting to
panic
This was bad, they needed to get out and fast!
“He’s attacking indiscriminately!!” explained Kidd “Trafalgar, you’re getting
in my way”
You fucking with me, Kidd?!

“You want to get obliterated? I thought I told you not to tell me what to do”
started Law “I seem to have met a lot of big names today. I really don’t want
to add an admiral to the list”
Especially since Cora would kill him!
“We’re going to force our way through, Kuma Bartholomew!” declared Law as he
started to run forward
“Follow me everyone! After we go past him, split and meet up at the van!”
ordered Law
They had to make it!
 
Law huffed slightly as he turned the corner, back against the alley wall
Between Kidd’s men and his own and the overall chaos, Kuma didn’t quite know
who to go after
From the looks of it, his team got out as well, thank god
He didn’t give a shit what happened to Kid!
Law pulled out his phone, unlocking it and sent out a quick text to Luffy. He
hadn’t seen him in a while; he was starting to get worried
                                        
Did you get out okay?
 
Law frowned, looking at his phone, waiting for a sign of life
Luffy:
Yep!! We’re with Rayleigh now! He’s really cool!!
 
Law smiled at the phone, his shoulders sagging, relieved as he started to make
his way towards the van
Soon enough, he got to it. He quickly climbed in, happy to see Bepo in the
driver’s seat and Penguin, Shachi and Jean Bart in the back, exchanging
introductions
“So, I see you’ve all met Jean Bart?”
“Yeah! He’s gonna stay with Penguin since they’ve been looking for someone to
rent the basement room” explained Shachi as Penguin nodded
“Awesome” said Law, trying to catch his breath
“Sooo…how dead are we when Cora finds out about tonight?” asked Bepo as he
started driving
“We’d be wise to buy our burial plots tonight” admitted Law
They were so fucked
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Sorry about being slow answering comments and updating the calendar!!
     Things have been a little rock and roll on my end but I'll catch up
     this week, I swear!!
***** -CORAZON- In The Eye of the Hurricane There is Quiet (If Only For a
Moment Longer) *****
Chapter Notes
     Now we're going back to Cora to see how things went on that end! I'm
     glad everyone seems to have enjoyed the last chapter! It was a little
     different than usual, but I wanted to mentally place you all to where
     we're at storyline-wise!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
What the hell did he just witness??
 
Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon?!
Law, Luffy and this other guy fought off a bunch of World Government agents?!
Law and the other guy broke through Kuma Bartholomew’s defenses?!
Cora saw Law and the others scamper into a yellow van and Cora frowned sharply
What the hell is that van?!
Cora quietly and carefully tailed the van in his cruiser, trying as much as
possible to not be seen. Soon enough the van drove to the docks and Cora
watched the van go under the docks
The fuck?
Cora carefully parked his cruiser and by foot made his way down after quickly
checking something on his laptop. By the looks of it – it seemed like there was
an abandoned quarry down there. Cora climbed down and entered the quarry. He
could feel his blood boiling
He wasn’t mad per say
But Law, Bepo and the others put himself in so much danger tonight that Cora
thought he was going to have a heart attack!
 
Soon enough, he heard the muttering of the voices inside the quarry towards a
brightly lit area. Cora entered the area and was surprised to see that the
inside had been renovated to be a small hideout. There was a big gate that
could be slid closed and locked tight but right now it was open, allowing Cora
to walk right in
“Man, when Cora finds out about tonight, we’re so dead“ stated Bepo
worryingly              
“Look, let’s not worry about it for now and concentrate on getting home without
another altercation” explained Law as Penguin, Shachi and Bepo listened
carefully to Law and…a big guy?
Who’s the he-
Isn’t that Jean Bart?!
“Man, do you think Cora’s going to forgive us for this?” asked Shachi,
nervously
“Who’s this Cora you guys keep talking about?” asked Jean Bart, frowning
“Hi, I’m Cora. It’s actually Corazon but Law started calling me Cora and it
kinda stuck for everyone!” said Cora happily as he walked up to the group,
smiling brightly and waving his hand
 
Cora would be lying if he didn’t enjoy the look on everyone’s face right now
(minus Jean Bart, he didn’t seem to really care)
The others though look like they shit their pants
“C-CORA?!” yelped Bepo, horrified
“Hi, you guys had a busy night, huh?” said Cora, crossing his arms, a frown on
his face
“Here’s your money back, we wound up not being able to use it” Law walked up to
Cora, handing him back the suitcase – He was trying to look though but Law also
wasn’t able to keep eye contact
“Yeah, I saw. Look, I don’t know exactly what went down since I was outside.
But holy shit?? But, I have a question”
“Yeah?” asked Law, swallowing hard
“Did Luffy’s friend get out okay?”
Everyone, but Jean Bart, sighed in relief at the question
“Yeah, Camie got out. Actually, all the slaves got out. Including this guy, I
asked him to join us and he agreed” explained Law as he pointed to Jean Bart
“You’re Jean Bart right? Former gang boss? You disappeared a few years ago,
sorry to hear you were sold” Cora stuck out his hand, smiling
“Yeah, pleasure to meet you Corazon” said Jean Bart, shaking Cora’s hand
“I’m Law and Bepo’s legal guardian, so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other!”
“Is that why they’re all afraid of disappointing you?” asked Jean Bart, making
Cora laugh
“Kinda yeah, but it’s hard to be too mad at a bunch of kids who freed people
who were about to be sold into slavery you know? Glad to have another adult on
board though!” admitted Cora, chuckling “But now, how about we get these kids
home? We’ll talk over beers another time!”
 
“Sooo…you’re not mad?” asked Shachi in a small voice from the back of the
patrol van – it was borderline a miracle that everyone could fit
“Oh, I’m mad. Congrats guys. Law has been identified and reported already and
so did Luffy and some guy called Kid”
“Ignore him, he’s trash” snapped Law, frowning sharply
“Uh clearly, he killed a few people already” pointed out Cora
Law looked at him completely surprised
“Like…for real? I thought he was just bragging or some shit”
Who brags about murdering pe- nevermind
“Yep. His bounty is at 315,000,000$ because of it”
Law grunted, crossing his arms, frowning deeply
“Of course that asshole has a higher bounty than me” grumbled Law
“This isn’t a contest you want to win, Law!!” shrieked Cora, horrified at Law’s
statement
Cora took a deep breath, trying to regain his patience, he could do this
“Jean Bart? What are you going to do now?” asked Cora, looking at the man in
the rear-view mirror
Jean Bart raised a brow, surprised that he was addressed
“This guy here said I could rent out his basement apartment” explained Jean
Bart as he gestured towards Penguin with his thumb
“You’ll need first and last month’s rent, right? But, you don’t have any money”
stated Cora
Jean Bart grunted in confirmation
“O-Oh! It’s okay! I’ll figure out what to say to my parents!” explained
Penguin, grinning brightly
“No need, Law, give him the suitcase”
Law blinked, looking down at the suitcase and then looked back up, smiling
“Oh! That’s smart!”
“200,000,500$ should be enough to keep you going for a while and off the
streets” Cora hummed softly as Law passed the briefcase back
“That’s an awfully specific amount, Cora” pointed out Bepo, frowning
“It is for a reason. It’s yours and Law’s bail money”
Law blinked, looking at Cora shocked
“What?! Why did you have –“
“In case you guys get arrested or caught, I would have the money ready”
explained Cora sighing “It’s not like a bank would just give up that amount
right away, so I had it ready just in case”
Law smiled softly, clutching his nodachi that was leaning against his shoulder
“Thank you, Cora”
“Oooh, don’t thank me yet, we’re not home yet”
 
“I can’t believe we’re grounded” muttered Law as he ate his supper.
The air in the house has been tense since this morning. When Cora came back
home he tore the boys a new one. The panic of the night’s events finally
hitting him as he realized that he could have easily have lost both of his
children in one night. So the next morning, when they came down for breakfast -
he grounded them both until the winter holidays which Law didn’t take so kindly
“Well, I have to do some responsible adulting. You have to learn that actions
have consequences. And It’s only until school’s out anyways. You should be
studying, not going on dates” stated Cora as he took a spoonful of his soup
Today was a bitterly cold day and he just wanted to warm up his insides before
his long overnight shift at the station. After last night, he can only imagine
the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him. Especially considering his
own ward’s names were on the reports!
“Aww, it’s not so bad, Law! Like Cora said, we should be studying for exams
anyways” said Bepo as he ate his own soup
“Still, we did a good thing” pointed out Law
“Ahh yes, but you also did illegal things to achieve this good thing. Again,
actions have consequences”
“This is bullshit” muttered Law again; angrily eating his soup “I had a date
tonight!”
“Well, tell Luffy that you can’t go because I’m the bad guy who grounded you”
Cora frowned
Law was getting really annoying about this!
Law whined loudly, surprising Cora – Law usually wasn’t this bad!
“Law’s a little pent up since last night…apparently he uh, really enjoyed
seeing Luffy punch that Celestial Dragon in the face” whispered Bepo to Cora
Cora blinked slowly, trying to process what Bepo had just told him
And then bit his lip, shaking as he tried to hold in his laughter, tearing up
“Oh my god, Law”
“Bepo you told him!!”
“I’m sorry, Law!!” said Bepo, bowing his head
“Oh my god, Law!” repeated Cora, now bursting into loud laughter
This was too funny! He was horny!
“Shut up! Stop laughing!” yelled Law, his face now a deep scarlet
Cora only laughed harder
 
“-And then he was like, beat red!” 
Bellemere laughed loudly as Cora retold the story, even Wiper chuckled a bit!
Cora was right, when he got to the station, there was a mountain of paperwork
waiting for him on his desk with a small not that said ‘deal with your brats’
on it written on a post-it
Thanks, Boss
Thankfully they were a good crowd tonight, the usual suspects but minus Smoker
for some reason. Tashigi said that he was taking an early night due to a
meeting
Which is sooo code for a date date date!
Cora was kinda relieved honestly. He was afraid the conversation with Kuzan
would have scared Ace off! Honestly, Ace hadn’t come to visit for a couple of
days, Smoker holding on to Ace’s coat for some reason. But, soon enough, on
Monday, Ace showed up with a coffee, looking like a kicked dog
Smoker didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he gave the other a big hug and
then started to berate him on some sort of cryptic text message Ace had sent
him. Cora tried to listen in more but Tashigi caught him and totally gave him
hell for it all – oh well!
“That reminds me of this one time that I caught Nami and Vivi wildly going at
it in the hot tub! I just turned on the spot lights – they were mortified!”
Cora laughed brightly with them as the stories kept continuing
After the hell that was yesterday, it was nice to be able to relax a bit
Speaking of relaxing a bit, Whitebeard activities have been at an all-time low.
After that poor guard was found nearly beaten to death, Cora was thankful for
the news.  There was still raids, but they were really in a smaller scale and
they seemed more…careful?
Overall, the problem with the reduction in Whitebeard activities was the rise
of other gang activities
Many gangs that Cora had only heard in passing were suddenly appearing in Goa.
The Kid Gang, the On Air gang, Hawkins gang, Fire Tank gang and the Fallen Monk
gang. But also there was a rise in activities with the Bonney Gang and the
Drake gang. Honestly it was making him suspicious – were they trying to show
off their prowess so they can enter the Warlord program?
It would make sense; it wasn’t exactly a secret that there was two – now
threeAdmirals in town!
Cora got news of Kizaru entering the scene last night.  Thankfully Law, Bepo
and the others didn’t come face to face with them
But they did with Kuma Bartholomew though…
Cora groaned, running a hand through his hair, this was going to make him go
grey before his time, he swears!
 
Suddenly his phone rang, Cora frowned – why was the EMS dispatcher calling him?
“Hello, Goa Police Deparment, how can I help you?”
“Hello, this is Marie, so we just got a dispatch request for an ambulance to
the Whitebeard estate but police presence was denied”
Cora frowned sharply – what?!
“What was the injuries?!”
“It seems someone got stabbed? A young male. Apparently he was stabbed in the
back, the dagger was removed and isn’t present. I asked if the person who did
the stabbing was still there, but it seems that they found the victim in the
room alone” explained Marie
Cora’s heart stopped
Was it Ace?!
“Wait, if police presence was denied – why are you telling me this?” asked Cora
“Oh, because we have a note here that if EMS dispatchers are ever called to the
Whitebeard Estate, that we notify the police right away. The note is from
Captain Smoker?”
Cora couldn’t help but smile a bit at that – Newgate was getting rather old,
Smoker probably wanted to keep an eye on his father’s health
But typically Smoker, he chose a weird roundabout kinda way to do it
“Do you know what hospital the ambulance was going to?” asked Cora, grabbing
his keys off the table
“Yep, they’re going to the Goa General Hospital – Oh! I have a note here saying
that they checked in”
“Perfect! Thank you, Mary; I’ll pass the word along to the Captain!”
Cora finished the call and quickly dialed the Captain’s number – hearing only
the Captain’s voicemail message
Shit!
Shit!
Wait!
 
“Tashigi! The Captain’s on a date with Ace right now, right?”
Everyone in the office got really quiet as they all looked at Tashigi
Urggh, stupid unsaid secrets that everyone knew
“Uh…well…”
“A 911 dispatch call was made to the Whitebeard mansion. Young man with a stab
wound – I need to know if Ace is safe” stated Cora
He didn’t have time to fuck around!
“Ace should be with the Captain, yes” admitted Tashigi, sighly loudly
“Then who-“ started Bellemere as Cora put on his coat
“I’m going to go see – Police request was denied, but I need to know”
Tashigi nodded
“Good. Give us news, okay?”
 
Cora quickly made his way to the hospital. It took everything he had not to put
the sirens on! Soon enough he made it and directly made his way to the
Emergency ward – only to see that it was filled to the brim with men he
recognized
The Whitebeards!
Even Newgate Edwards himself was seated in one of those tiny plastic seats – it
would be humorous any other time, but the look of grief and helplessness on his
face was breaking Cora’s heart
Before Cora could say anything, he felt someone shove him hard against the
chest, pushing him back
“I said no police presence!”
 Cora frowned sharply, looking down and spotting a really distraught Marco
“Marco?”
“Leave! Now! You’re not wanted here!” kept yelling Marco as he shoved Cora’s
chest again
Cora soon realized that Marco wasn’t seeing him in his distress – he just saw
his uniform. Even though it hurt when Marco was shoved him, Cora knew it was
coming from the pain that Marco was probably feeling. Cora took off his hat and
started to speak calmly
“Marco, it’s me. It’s Rosinante. I’m here in case you guys are in any danger.
I’m here because I’m concerned, not here as a cop”
Marco’s actions suddenly stopped as he looked up, recognizing Cora
Shit, he’s clearly been crying
“S-Shit, I’m sorry, I saw the uniform and –“
“It’s okay, you’re clearly in pain. What happened?” asked Cora, speaking softly
“I…I have to go find Ace. I have to go find him now” stated Marco, trying to
move around Cora
Cora in return grabbed his arm, pulling Marco back in
He needed an answer!
“Can I help you look? I can bring him back right away if I do!”
Marco hesitated for a moment
“I don’t want the police involved”
“I’m offering my service as a friend”
Marco hesitated again, turning to look at Newgate who was watching the
situation carefully
“Thatch got stabbed” started Whitebeard
“What?” asked Cora, horrified “Do you know by who?!”
“Yes. By Teach. We found the boy in the storeroom, alone and bleeding out. 
They’re not sure he’s going to make it. Teach ran like a coward” explained
Whitebeard
“I’ll…I’ll help you guys find Ace” replied Cora, trying to swallow down the
lump his throat
 
Cora quickly made his way out of the hospital, getting back in the squad car.
Cora quickly scrambled into the car, slamming the door shut and put the keys in
the ignition – but he didn’t turn them. He took a deep breath, trying to calm
himself down. He couldn’t help but associate the situation to one of his boys
and the terror was ripping through him
Thatch was a good, nice kid, with a nice smile and a bright laugh
And now he might die?!
Cora exhaled, wiping the tears that had formed in his eyes as he turned on his
squad car – he had to go find Ace now! He had a right to know what was wrong
with his friend!
Suddenly he remembered that Ace was on a date and could be literally anywhere
right now
Son of a bitch!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I'm working on the calendar RIGHT NOW! So when you click on it, it
     should be up-to-date (well, November/December) I swear I'll get to
     filling in Sept/Oct soon! I'm changing jobs right now and opening an
     online shop too, so I've just uh, been kinda busy! Sorry!! Next week
     - we're back on Ace!
     Calendar Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PS8kshT169-
     yidWNebPirXsuow2DJY9Dm1z8F2YSfb8/edit?usp=sharing
***** -ACE- When a Ballad Turns Into a Requiem *****
Chapter Notes
     You've all stuck around for this long - thank you all so much! We're
     in the last month of this part of the fic! Hopefully it won't take me
     a year to finish up this part!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Ace…can I talk to you for a minute?“
Ace froze as he put on his jacket – what did Dadan want with him now??
“What?”
“Listen…” started Dadan, looking uncharacteristically nervous against the
doorframe
Ace was running late and he was going to miss his bus at this rate!
“Garp and I have been talking and –“
Ace grimaced; this could only go so many ways
“And…we’d like it if you brought that boyfriend of yours over for dinner
sometimes. We’d…like to get to properly know him”
“Huh?”
Wut?
Ace wasn’t sure he had just heard that properly – did Dadan just ask him to
bring his boyfriend over to meet…the family?
Wasn’t that kinda…too normal for them??
“Well, you two have been seeing each other for a while…and Garp…yes Garpwould
be more comfortable if he properly met the man you’re seeing. You know…for
security reasons and stuff” explained Dadan, fumbling around everywhere as she
rubbed her neck, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation
“Uh…well, I could…ask him, I guess?” offered Ace, not really sure how to
respond to the request
Dadan exhaled, relaxing
“Alright, all it’s all I-I mean, we ask, it’s all we ask…GARP asks!”
Ace snorted, rolling his eyes, but unable to hide the small smile at the corner
of his lips
“It’s fine Dadan, I’ll ask”
 
“There you are”
Ace grinned brightly as he jogged up to Smoker, who was waiting for him in
front of a small chain bookstore
“Sorry! Dadan totally jumped me at the door and I wound up missing the bus!”
explained Ace, grinning still as he looked at Smoker
Even though the dinner together went to literal hell due to Kuzan, they had
thankfully reconciled and Smoker gave him a real verbal thrashing for sending
out the text. This had been their first date since that night and Ace was happy
that he could go into it in good spirits
“Getting kinda nippy, isn’t it” remarked Smoker, looking to the side as a small
flush made its way on the man’s face
Ace chuckled softly and moved in close, wrapping his arm around Smoker’s waist.
Smoker had such a weird round-a-bout way to ask for Ace to cuddle that Ace
couldn’t help but find it really cute
Smoker wrapped his arm around Ace’s back, pulling him closer by his arm. Ace
couldn’t hold back the shiver in delight at the action. Since they’re now so
close to Ace’s birthday, Smoker seem to be giving less and less of a fuck about
who sees them together and Ace couldn’t be happier about it either. It made him
feel like they were a real couple, not hiding behind closed doors. One that the
whole town could know about and Ace felt so happy about it
“Let’s walk around, it’s a nice night” suggested Smoker, Ace only nodded in
agreement, softly inhaling the other’s scent as he nuzzled Smoker softly
It was really a lovely night-!
 
“You cannot in a million years get me to go skating!”
Ace would be annoyed that Smoker was currently making fun of him for being
absolutely horrible at skating, but Smoker’s loud booming laughter was too nice
to really stay angry
Of course they had to have walked in front of the massive outdoor public rink
that was just built in the middle of the town’s square. Apparently skating was
something Smoker enjoyed – Ace, uh, not so much
“I could teach you” offered Smoker, still chuckling a bit
“Nope! No way! I looked like such a jackass last time I tried to skate that you
can’t fucking pay me to try it again!” argued Ace, frowning sharply as he
puffed up his cheeks
He was not going to look like such a jackass in front of his boyfriend! No way!
“How about I just hold you up as I skate around?” offered Smoker, smirking,
clearly very much enjoying finding this out about Ace
“Hmmm” mused Ace outloud – the prospect of Smoker holding him tight for hours
on end did seem enjoyable, but he would be on blasted skates “Maybe. But only
if you feed me after”
“Deal”
Oh right
“Uh, speaking of feeding-“
“Are you hungry again? We just ate about 30 minutes ago!” asked Smoker, a
little appalled
“No, no!” said Ace, waving his hand to dismiss the idea “Ah…Dadan…well, she
asked me to ask you if you’d be willing to come over for dinner one day? To
properly meet you and shit. Apparently Garp wants to as well?”
Smoker looked at Ace, completely surprised and didn’t say anything for a moment
Uurggh, he fucked up! He knew he shouldn’t have mentioned Garp’s name!
“Sure, we’ll have to figure out a time where it works for everyone” answered
Smoker, albeit a bit nervously
Was he nervous at the prospect of this supper?!
Ace couldn’t stop the happy grin on his face from growing
“Yeah! Let’s see when we can set that up!”
“Hmm” replied Smoker, but then he looked at Ace with a look that Ace recognized
by now very well
“How about we head back to my place now…to warm up”
Ace bit his lip lightly, groaning slightly
He knew what that meant-!
“Lead the way, gorgeous”
 
Ace thinks it’s a miracle that they made it to Smoker’s house
Ever since the suggestion, they two had been all over each other. Hands feeling
everywhere they could, needy, insistent kisses, pressing against each other at
every opportunity and Ace is pretty sure that they almost gave a granny walking
her pooch a stroke when she caught them hotly making out against the lamp posts
– oops!
Ace’s entire body felt on fire right now and he felt like the only thing that
could subdue that fire was Smoker. By the time they got inside the house
though, Ace’s coat was half off, his shirt had been pulled out of his jeans and
even those were unbuttoned by now due to Smoker’s wondering hand
Man Smoker’s leather gloves felt wonderful on his bare skin
Apparently Ace wasn’t the only one feeling needy!
Ace pulled Smoker in close by the man’s scarf, kissing him deeply, which Smoker
happily returned
“I’m trying to take off my coat, you brat” chided Smoker playfully as he broke
the kiss
“Hmm, I can undress you if you want, old man, you’re taking too long~” teased
Ace as he quickly threw his own coat on the ground
Smoker snorted, hanging his own coat on the coat rack by the entrance and took
off his scarf, hanging it as well
“I’m afraid you’ll damage my clothes”
Ace laughed, grabbing Smoker’s belt and pulled him in so that their chests were
now touching
“Well, maybe if I wasn’t so badly wanting you, that wouldn’t be an issue~”
Smoker chuckled low, making a thrill of pleasure run through Ace’s spine as he
put his hand on Ace’s shoulder
“Maybe someone needs to learn p-“
Ace never heard the rest of Smoker’s words
Because a searing pain ripped through him as Ace screamed loudly in pain as
Smoker’s hand tighten it’s grip on Ace’s shoulder. Ace pulled away from Smoker
with a strong jerk, instantly putting his own hand protectively over his
shoulder
Fuck fuck fuck fuck he had forgotten about this fucking shoulder fuck fuck fuck
fuck
 
Smoker looked at Ace completely stunned, not sure what just happened. But then
his expression grew dark quickly as he quickly grabbed a handful of Ace’s
Henley shirt, tugging on it
“Show me”
“H-Hey, no! It’s fine! Don’t worry about it” contested Ace, trying to regain
his balance after the initial shock
“Show me!”  howled Smoker, clearly angry as he harshly pulled the shirt off,
Ace too surprised at the tone to resist
Smoker had never spoken to him like that!
“That’s a bullet wound! A bullet fucking grazed your shoulder?!” yelled Smoker,
his expression torn between being shocked, horrified and furious
“Hey, it’s fine, don’t worry about it”
“When the fuck did you get sho-! That night! The guard-“
 All the blood drained from Ace’s face
Of course Smoker knew about it. Of course Smoker would connect the dots so
fast. Of course
“Chase-“
“No, Ace! I can’t…I can’t do this anymore”
“W-What”
Ace was pretty sure he had heard those words in his nightmares
“I can’t keep doing this! I have nightmares at night about having to find you
dead in the middle of a gang raid or a shoot-out! I tried to push it aside! But
I can’t anymore!” yelled Smoker, putting his hand over his eyes as he snarled,
trying to regain his emotions. Smoker removed his hand, closing his eyes and
inhaling and exhaling, opening his eyes – the fury unmistakably still there
 “It’s only a matter of time until something awful happens to you or I have to
arrest you! I don’t want to have to identify you, Ace! Whether it’s in a police
lineup at the precinct or in the goddamn morgue!”
Ace starred shocked – Smoker was full-on yelling at the top of his lungs,
clearly exploding
Has he been holding on to this since the beginning?!
“I-I could get shot in the grocery store-!” desperately argued Ace, he knew it
was a weak argument, but right now, he was playing with no cards up his sleeve
“There’s a difference between being an innocent bystander and purposely putting
yourself in the line of fire, Ace! Don’t play dumb!” argued Smoker, his face
red as his entire body was shaking
“B-“ stuttered Ace, his mind scrambling for some sort of counter-argument
“I can’t stand how callous you are with your own life! Wasting it away for
something so fucking stupid like being in a gang!”
“Hey hold up!” yelled Ace, his anger getting the better of him “The same shit
could happen to you as a cop! Don’t fucking play that!”
Ace was not going to stand here and have how important the Whitebeards to him
downplayed like this!
“Don’t even go there, Portgas!” snapped Smoker, taking a step forward to lean
over Ace, pointing at him “I don’t have the threat of going to jail! Because I
stay on the goddamn straight and narrow! Do not compare what I do to what you
goddamn chose to do!”
Ace stood there shocked – he wasn’t even angry anymore because Smoker was right
He was so right
He had done to himself
Ace’s bottom lip started to tremble when the reality of it all dawned upon him
He had no counter-argument for what Smoker was saying to him because it wasn’t
an argument
It was statements
“I’m…I’m not worth it, am I?”
Smoker’s fury suddenly calmed down as he groaned, closing his eyes. He pushed
his hair back, exhaling as he reopened his eyes. He quickly took two cigars and
lit them up, inhaling deeply and then he exhaled again
“No. You’re misunderstanding me. It’s not that you’re not worth it, it’s that
you’re worth too much. You’re too valuable. I just can’t stand to watch you
waste yourself away like this” started Smoker, speaking so calmly and clearly
that Ace couldn’t move
Ace couldn’t say anything
“Kuzan’s right…I have to…before I get too attached emotionally…more than I
already am. And it…destroys me. Ace…I love you, I really do but-”
Ace couldn’t breathe
“But…I can’t do this anymore”
And there it was
The words he had feared for so long
Ace nodded silently as tears suddenly started to fall down his cheeks,
surprising him
“I love you Ace…I haven’t been this happy with someone in so long…but you have
really heavy baggage”
“Y-You mean me being Ro-“
“No!” roared Smoker, making Ace jerk back slightly, knocking him out of his
shock “You being one of Whitebeard’s ‘sons’!I would never fault you for being
Roger’s son! That’s not your fault! But you chose to be in a gang, Ace. And I
can only imagine how much it helped you, and what it means to you, but Ace…I
don’t have the right to ask you to leave it but –“
“…I don’t have the right to ask you to live by my choice either” finished Ace
Smoker was right
This was just too much to ask of the other
Marco had been right
“Ace…I hate to…to end things like this” started Smoker, looking towards the
ground, a pained expression on his face
It was hurting Ace how much this conversation was clearly hurting Smoker
Ace chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood a bit
“Had I known it was our last date, I would have tried to make it funner” said
Ace, trying to force himself to smile
He’s pretty sure he didn’t succeed
“Ace, every date with you was perfect. I want you to succeed in life and be
happy. You truly do deserve it” admitted Smoker, himself trying to smile, but
like Ace, it came out weak and half-hearted
“You too…I…Thank you, for everything – really. It was much more than I ever
deserved” said Ace as he dropped to the ground and scrambled to pick up his
coat and discarded shirt, quickly putting it all back on
“Ace-!”
“I gotta go. I gotta go now” muttered Ace as he quickly got dressed, wiping the
tears out his eyes – this wasn’t the time to break down!
“Do you want me to give you a ri-“
“No! Please, don’t. It’s taking all I have right now to not fall apart and I
don’t need to be in your car right now, because I fell in love with you in your
stupid car so I don’t want to be anywhere near it!” snapped Ace, looking at the
ground as he pounced towards the door
Ace bolted, quickly swinging the door open and started to run down the street
He’s pretty sure he heard Smoker call after him, but he couldn’t look behind
him
He couldn’t
He had just ruined something wonderful in his life
Now he just needed to run, be as far away as possible from Smoker
 
Ace collapsed on the side of a building, in the side alley. It took all of his
remaining strength to go down the alley just enough so that people walking by
wouldn’t see him. His legs felt like jelly and he wanted to die. His entire
body was shaking as Ace let out a loud sob, tears erupting at a great speed
down his face as he finally let himself break down. His eyes stung, his vision
was blurry from the tears and he could feel the snot running from his nose. But
he didn’t care right now
He let out a small whine, shaking as he curled up, bringing his knees up, and
hugging them tightly
It was over
What he had feared for months finally happen
Smoker had enough – he couldn’t stand Ace’s bullshit anymore
He had ruined it, like he ruined everything else
That’s what he was, an absolute fuck up
Moments like this he really wishes he had a mom to go to
Just wanted to be held tight and feel safe, loved and wanted
Just like…Smoker had made him feel…
Ace let out another pained sob as more tears ran down his cheeks
It took every ounce of Ace’s self-preservation to take out his cell. Shaking,
he hit redialed and put the phone to his ear
He needed help, he needed someone he could trust to see him like this
Ace closed his eyes as the dial tone rung and suddenly the line was picked up
“Yeah?”
“Sabo,please, he dumped me, It’s over, I fucked up, I-“
Suddenly the line went dead
Ace blinked, shocked and pulled back the phone from his ear to look at it and
was greeted with a very black screen
Of course –the fucking thing was dead!
 The battery’s been total shit since he smashed it up during the mission
“FUCK!” yelled Ace as he threw the phone against the small, completely smashing
it
Ace exhaled, feeling empty and drained as he continued to struggle to breathe.
He looked around; apparently it had started to snow rather hard
He was feeling so raw and torn apart right now that he didn’t even care that he
would be buried in snow in no time
Whatever, he’ll just stay here and die
It wasn’t like anybody’s lives would be that different if he died, if anything,
everyone’s lives would probably be much easier without him
“Sorry Dadan, guess I’m not bringing anyone over for supper” muttered Ace as he
closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him
Nobody could hurt him when he slept
 
“ACE!”
Ace groaned slightly as he felt someone shaking him
He looked and saw Sabo kneeling in front of him. His face was flushed and panic
was clear on the other’s face. He was wearing a thick dark blue coat with a
large woolen scarf and his top hat – but Ace would clearly see the build-up of
snow on the other
How long has he been out for?
“Ace, holy shit, thank god I found you – you’re freezing!” exclaimed Sabo as he
pulled Ace into a hug
“S-Sabo?” asked Ace weakly, shaking as he tried to hug the other back
He was cold?!
Sabo felt so nice and warm though…
“C’mon, we have to get you somewhere to warm up! Shit, what would even be open
at this hour?” mumbled Sabo as he forced Ace onto his feet, but Ace only
stumbled and fell back to the ground, landing in the pile of snow with a thump
Sabo looked at Ace stunned as Ace laid there
Of yeah, his legs were aching really bad
“Just…Just leave me here”
Not even a moment later, Ace made a stunned noise as Sabo’s coat fell on him
and Sabo picked him up like a princess and ran out into the street, carrying
Ace
“Good! There’s a 24 hour Karaoke place right there!” yelled Sabo as he ran to
the door of the karaoke lounge, quickly pushing the door with his back
The woman working the counter stood up shocked as Sabo barged in, carrying Ace
“Hello! Here’s my credit card!” announced Sabo as he slapped the card down
somehow as he was carrying Ace
“Uh-Okay?” said the girl, shocked
“I’m reserving a booth for us! For all night! All night! I want that room until
I’m good and ready to come out!” explained Sabo further, holding Ace closer to
his chest
Ace only slightly shivered in response, his head now pounding
“Aren’t you Robin’s friend? Koala’s boyfriend?” asked the girl, raising a brow
“Huh? Yes!” exclaimed Sabo
The girl went around the counter and led Sabo to the last room down the hall,
opening the door for them  
The room was honestly rather garish with red vinyl couches, odd lights flashing
in the room and a long wooden table in the middle with tons of binders on them
and a few microphones scattered about. The large tv was on the wall at the end
of the room
But right now Ace was more concerned with how the hell the girl got her hair to
look so square
“I’m Kiwi, Franky’s friend. If you need anything, let me or my sister know,
okay? You can call us using the phone there” explained Kiwi, pointing to the
phone against the wall in the booth
Sabo only nodded, smiling as he carried Ace into the couches and set him down
on the vinyl seat
Ace groaned slightly, holding onto Sabo’s coat tightly as he brought his knees
up, trying to curl into a ball
“I’ll bring you guys some warm tea” said Kiwi as she walked out
 
Sabo fussed over Ace as Kiwi came back with the tea and set it down on the
table
“You should have just left me there” muttered Ace, closing his eyes again
He wasn’t in the mood for goddamn karaoke right now?? What the hell was Sabo
thinking?!
“No! I don’t even want to hear that from you!” yelled Sabo fussing through the
books of songs and quickly punched in a number a little too aggressively
Ace raised a brow, did Sabo actually want to sing?
And then he frowned sharply when “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor came on
“Very funny, Sabo” mumbled Ace, curling up on the seat
“Okay, from the top, tell me what happened?” asked Sabo as he softly rubbed
Ace’s back
“He dumped me, Sabo. I don’t know what to tell you”
He felt so tired right, just so goddamn tired from even trying
“But did he give you a reason?! You were all happy that you had a date tonight,
if he asked you out just to dump you, I’m going to have to fucking bash his
head in, so you better tell me otherwise before I go murder him”
Wait what?!
“It’s not his fault, Sabo! It’s mine! It’s my baggage! It was too much!”
protested Ace, not wanting Sabo to go murder Smoker “He saw where I got fucking
nicked by that shot last week and he admitted that he kept having nightmares of
having to find me dead!  Or having to identify me in a line-up! And he said
that he emotionally just couldn’t take it anymore! And I don’t blame him, I
don’t blame him at all, Sabo! I’m not worth the trouble!” admitted Ace feeling
the tears welling up again in his eyes
Fuck, he was too tired to cry again
Sabo listened to Ace quietly, handing the other a handkerchief from his pocket
which Ace took, blowing his nose and when he was done, Sabo merely shook his
head, punching in another number into the selection pad for the karaoke. A
moment later, another song started
“Dreaming of You” by Selena, Christ Sabo
“Ace, no. You are so worth it. One day you’ll find someone out there who won’t
care that you’re in a gang. That will be able to see past that. He’s a cop; it
makes sense that it would be a problem”
“No, I’m so done. There’s nobody in the world who wouldn’t give a shit, unless
they were in a gang themselves! Or like, really accepting? Or believes in me
and my abilities to not get killed but that I won’t goddamn have to worry about
them either! The only person like that would be like…you”
Sabo cleared his throat, looking away
“Ace. Do not go there.” warned Sabo “True, I do love you, but right now you’re
vulnerable and I don’t want to see you hurt because you’re latching on to me
because you know I wouldn’t drop you from my life because you’re in a gang. It
would end badly for both of us”
Ace sighed, Sabo did have a point there and besides he doesn’t want to lose
Sabo as his brother
That meant more to him than anything, honestly
“Also I’m nobody’s rebound!” teased Sabo, giving Ace a soft whack on the
head              
Ace chuckles softly, smiling a bit
“Sorry, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking saying that”
“It’s okay, like I said; you’re hurt right now and vulnerable. People do dumb
shit in those states. But I’m very honored you would have picked me though~!”
said Sabo teasingly, grinning
 “Now sit up, drink the tea, you need to warm up”
Ace nodded, sitting up slowly, feeling his body protest as he moved it. He
grabbed the tea cup on the table and sipped it slowly, feeling it warm up his
insides
It was sorta making him feel a little better – but he still wanted to just curl
into a ball
“You’re just going to have to allow yourself to be hurt for a while, Ace. Cry
it out, we can talk it out if you want or get plastered too. This place serves
booze” pointed out Sabo, pulling out the menu
“Hmm, yeah, maybe.  All I know is that I’m so fucking done with giving myself
to people” admitted Ace, closing his eyes
He was in so much pain right now; he never wanted to feel like this ever
again                
The last time he hurt this bad was when he thought Sabo had died
“Ace, no. That’s not the solution!” argued Sabo, slamming his cup down,
thankfully it didn’t break
Sabo huffed, groaning as he ran his hand through his hair, knocking his hat off
his head
“Okay, this is going to sound horrible to you right now, but from what I
understand, it sounds like he dumped you out of love”
Ace paused, looking at Sabo confused
What the hell was he talking about?!
“How does that make any fucking sense?!” asked Ace, pissed
“Ace, he loves so much that he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand seeing you in
a bad position where he couldn’t help you. So his solution is to distance
himself from you, so in case it happens, maybe it wouldn’t hurt him so much. If
sounds weird, but it sounds like he dumped you because he just loves you so
damn much that he couldn’t deal with the idea of losing you. Basically, it’s
self-preservation for him. It’s not on you really, well, it is, but it’s more
like, he loved you too much to want to handle losing you, so he burned the
bridge himself instead of waiting to see if it might possibly be cut in the
future” explained Sabo, smiling sadly
Ace looked at Sabo, not sure what to even say to that
He really wasn’t sure it made him feel better, he can at least say that much
But…maybe, just maybe
“Do you think…one day…maybe one day…he’ll want me again? Or maybe…we could be
friends or something?” asked Ace, a little hopeful as he shifted to lay his
head in Sabo’s lap
“I think you need to keep your heart open. You were happy with him, happier
than I’ve ever seen you, honestly. It was wonderful to see you swept up in
someone like that, knowing that someone out there, loved you for you, wanted to
take care of you like that and didn’t care where you came from. It’s going to
happen again, but for that to happen, you have to keep your heart open to it.
Because you are so so worth it” admitted Sabo, running his hand through Ace’s
hair
“Mmatired” replied Ace, feeling drowsy
“Okay, sleep then, I’ll stay here besides you and keep messing with the
Karaoke”
“You sing Telephone without me, you’re dead, blondie” weakly threatened Ace,
his words getting slurred
Man, getting dumped is more exhausting than Ace ever thought it would be
“How could I sing that without you as my Beyoncé?”  answered Sabo chuckling
“Get some sleep, Ace. We’ll talk more when you wake up, okay?”
Ace nodded softly as he closed his eyes, getting comfortable in his position as
he let the drowsiness take over him
The last thing Ace heard was Sabo softly singing
“-When you’re alone and life is making lonely, you can always go – downtown-“
Chapter End Notes
     I can't give any spoilers, but I can say that Ace and Smoker's story
     isn't over!!
***** -LAW- I Will Not Shoot The Messenger. I Will Not Shoot The Messenger. I
Will Not Shoot The Me- *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm very glad that the last chapter was more or less received! Now
     let's go back to Law!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“This is such bullshit!”
Bepo only weakly chuckled in response
They were around the kitchen table, actually reviewing their notes of the
semester and actually studying for the upcoming midterms
You know, instead of going on a date like he was ACTUALLY supposed to be doing!
“It could have been much worse, Law. Honestly, I thought Cora would get really
mad at us when he saw the base and the van, instead he was rather chill about
it. I think punishing us just for almost getting arrested or killed is
reasonable” explained Bepo as he turned the page in his binder
“Hmph!” replied Law, frowning and crossing his arms
“It’s weird to see you so unlevel-headed like this, it can’t just be the date
thing” pointed out Bepo
Law groaned, pushing his bangs back
Of course Bepo had figured it out
“It’s not; Luffy didn’t answer his phone when I tried to call him to tell him
our date was off. I left a message but he didn’t call me back” explained Law
“So you’re afraid that he’s going to meet you at the movies anyways and feel
stood up or something?”
Law sighed deeply nodding
“Yeah, it’s exactly that”
“Well, when Luffy checks his phone, he’ll see the message right?” assured Bepo
“He can’t be that mad”
“But I keep blowing him off” muttered Law, looking down at his Spanish notes
“Ooooh, now I get it”
 
But before either one of them could say another word, the doorbell rang
Bepo and Law blinked, looking at each other
“Were you expecting something?” asked Bepo, surprised
“No? And Cora told us to never answer the door unless we were expecting
something or someone”
“Maybe it’s some kid selling chocolate!” pointed out Bepo enthusiastically
“At this hour?? It’s super late”
“Maybe she’s really ambitious, Law! Won’t go home until a shitton of sales are
made!” Bepo got up and made his way to the door as the bell ringing got more
and more instant
“Yeah and maybe it’s Baby 5 here to plug a bullet in your skull” argued Law,
frowning as he followed Bepo, grabbing his Nodanchi along the way, just in case
“She can shoot a gun?!” asked Bepo, surprised “Whoah, a cute girl who can
shoot!”
“Uh…she’s an artillery expert, Bepo. She can handle literally any weapon with
insane precision” explained Law, ignoring the fact that Bepo called her cute
But then he paused, wondering how it was even possible for someone to be so
instinctively capable with weapons – as if she just knew how they worked after
watching it only once
 “Oh”
Law blinked, broken out of his thoughts as Bepo casually opened the door
“It’s Luffy!”             
Law blinked again, looking right at Luffy who was at the door, grinning
brightly in his stripped winter coat and still wearing his straw-hat, even in
the dead of winter
“Why are you here?”
“Well your message said that you couldn’t come out, so I decided to come over!”
explained Luffy happily as he walked in and took off his…sandals
Luffy, for God’s sake it’s snowing!
“Uh…Luffy, that’s not how grounding works. It means I can’t have people either”
pointed out Law, flushed; he couldn’t believe that Luffy decided to come over!
“I’m sure mister Rosisisi won’t mind at all!” exclaimed Luffy as he shrugged
off his coat and hung it up on the coat rack at the door
Law was at a loss to what to even say as Bepo snorted and started going
upstairs
“You two kids keep it down, okay! I’m going to go study upstairs!”
“Uh…okay” replied Law, still confused
“And no gross hanky panky on the couch either! I am not explaining a weird
stain to Cora!” yelled Bepo from the top floor, where he was safe the bastard,
making Law turn bright red
“OYE!”
“I brought a movie! I went to Zoro’s and got the movie we were gonna see!”
explained Luffy as he  just made his way to the living room as if he owned the
place
No big deal
“Uh…how did you get that movie? It just came out”
“Oh, Zoro’s dad gets all the movies ahead of time! For like, promotional
reasons or some stuff? I don’t know, I think his sister just demands them”
Law groaned, that sounded like Perona
Luffy just sat on the couch, grinning, waiting for Law to join him
But Law hesitated
He was a little mortified right now
 
Last night after he got home from the mission, for the first time in a long
time, he wanted to sleep alone
Bepo accepted it with no problem and went to his own room
But Law, once he was alone, his face was flushed, groaning as he ran his hand
down his own chest, pulling down his boxers with his other hand, freeing his
hard dick
Now that he was home, the adrenaline was kicking like nobody’s business and the
memories of what happened that night flooded his mind
Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon
He had never been so incredibly turned-on by Luffy in his life
Luffy has this warm glow to him, this naivety and such
It always made Law want to take care of him, to make him happy, to make him
feel good
But seeing Luffy take charge like that, to see Luffy head-strong, not give a
fuck, punch out a Celestial Dragon because the bastard fucking deserved it
Especially with that fierce look in Luffy’s eyes
Just set off this…fire in him
Law had never masturbated so hard in his life
All night, groaning, curled up onto himself as he stroked himself to completion
over and over again, imagining the strong, determined look Luffy had on his
face when he punched out that bastard
He had to wash his sheets that night in the sink, unable to sleep on that mess
and slightly mortified
And now here was Luffy, on his couch
 
“Yeah…movie, I should go put it on”
Luffy whistled innocently as Law opened the dvd case and frowned
“Luffy…this case is empty”
“Oh is it?”
“…Luffy…why did you give me an empty case?”
“I didn’t know it was empty” This boy was the worst liar in the world
“Luffy…why?”
“Well, we never actually watch the movie when we try to watch a movie
together…so I figured, why pretend?”
Law never knew he was one to pounce on someone
 
Apparently Luffy was pent up too
“Law, you were so so cool yesterday” muttered Luffy as he aggressively kissed
Law again, Law only groaning into the kiss
Both of them were sprawled on the couch. Luffy was on his back as Law straddled
his lap, his fingers entangled into Luffy’s hair
Which was irritating his new tattoos right now, but he didn’t give a shit right
now either
They were moving in turn, rubbing against each other, knowing very well that
they couldn’t go any further right now
Law didn’t feel like actually getting murdered by Cora tonight
Law could feel the slight sting of his lips being swollen from how hard and
rough they were kissing each other. Luffy’s hands had slipped under Law’s
shirt, feeling Law’s chest, his abdomen muscles, rubbing his thumb on Law’s
nipple, making him groan
Who taught him that?!
Luffy chuckled slightly at Law’s reaction, making a thrill of pleasure run down
Law’s spine
And then Luffy’s hands slowly worked their way lower and lower, the
anticipation building up in Law’s stomach – was he really going to?!
Luffy started to undo Law’s jeans and Law couldn’t stop grinning into the kiss,
so excited at what was to come-
Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door
 
Both Law and Luffy instantly broke apart, looking back towards the front door
as the banging persisted
Who the fucking fuck was at the goddamn door?!
“OPEN UP, NOW!” demanded the voice on the other side of the door
“FUCK YOU!” yelled Law “GO FUCK YOURSELF!”
Suddenly Law heard someone fiddling with the lock and stood up, shocked
Was the person seriously fucking breaking in?!
Law hopped over the couch, charged at the door, unlocking it quickly and
throwing it wide open; he was so fucking pent-up that whoever was at the door
was going to fucking die
He can’t say he expected to kill Marco tonight
“What the fuck do you want?!” snapped Law, just wanting Marco to piss off
“Is Luffy here?!”
Yeah, Marco was a fucking dead man
“Did you seriously fucking come here to come see Luffy? Because I’m going to
fucking pluck every single one of those hairs on your head and feed them to
you”
Marco glared darkly at Law for a split second. Suddenly grabbing Law by his
throat and slammed Law against the wall, holding him up by his throat
Law merely stared in shock, surprised at how easily Marco just manhandled him
and squirmed, trying to break Marco’s hold, but was unable to
“Listen here, I asked you a fucking question. Is Luffy here? Do I look like I’m
in the mood to play these fucking games with you?”
Now that Law got a good look at Marco – the other seemed so…wrecked
His eyes were red and swollen, stress was apparent all over his face and if
looks could kill
“Torao!” yelled Luffy as he quickly made his way to the door
“Law?!” said Bepo, coming down the stairs “Put him down or I’ll make you,
Marco!”
“Luffy! Do you know where Ace is?!” asked Marco as he let go of Law suddenly to
face Luffy, startling Law who almost fell to the ground
Thankfully his weird ability kicked in and he was able to make sure his legs
were under him and ready to handle his weight as he was dropped
“Ace? He’s on a date tonight too! He’s supposed to be with Smokey! But around
this time they’re probably back at Smokey’s place to have sex” explained Luffy
as-matter-of-factly
Surprising the hell out of Law – how did Luffy know that his brother would be
having sex by now?!
“Fuck, I was hoping you wouldn’t say that” muttered Marco “He isn’t answering
his fucking cell and when I went over to that bastard’s house, he howled at me
that Ace wasn’t there and threw a fucking beer bottle at my fucking head”
“MAYBE” started Law, pissed “He was pissed off at you and fucking lied because
you were cockblocking!”
Like you are doing right fucking now!!
“I stayed on the property after and saw him go back to the living room to down
a whole bottle of Jack Daniels, I’m not blocking shit”
Luffy took out his cellphone and dialed a number, putting the phone to his ear,
waiting for the line to be picked up and then put the phone on speaker and
brought it down to a level where everyone could hear
“Hello?”
“Hey Koala! Do you know where Ace is? Does Sabo know?” asked Luffy
“Sabo isn’t answering his phone” stated Marco “I tried that”
“Sabo doesn’t answer his phone often period” explained Koala frustrated “Unless
it’s Luffy or Ace, he screens his calls and calls back when he feels like it”
Law frowned, what a jerk!
“But actually, Sabo left in a hurry about an hour ago. Ace called in distress
and he left go find him because Ace’s line went dead. But the idiot left his
cellphone behind so I can’t reach him either. I tried to call Ace back and got
nothing, I think his battery went dead” explained Koala, sighing heavily once
more
“FUCK!” yelled Marco, visibly more distressed
It was really weird to see him falling apart like this
“Is Ace in danger?” asked Law
“No. It’s just, I need to relay information to Ace that’s really important”
explained Marco, pushing his hair back
“But, if Ace is upset, doesn’t that mean that he probably knows? Maybe he’s
trying to find you?” suggested Luffy
“Uh…no” started Koala “Ace clearly said in his message that he got dumped
because Sabo yelled ‘Ace just got dumped, I need to find him now’ before he ran
off”
Everyone looked at Luffy’s phone visibly stunned at the news
“Of fucking course he had to get dumped tonight of all nights! Fuck, couldn’t
the bastard have waited or done it fucking earlier?!” yelled Marco, stomping
his foot, clearly trying to refrain from punching a wall
Please don’t punch the wall, Cora will murder us
“You’re never going to find Ace now” explained Luffy, puffing his cheeks “Ace
hides when he’s upset because he doesn’t want anyone to see him like that”
Law blinked, not sure what to say either of their comments and clearly neither
did Bepo
Marco sighed deeply
“Luffy, if you see Ace, please call me ASAP. It’s really important that I tell
him this information” said Marco
“I’ll keep trying to find Sabo, they’re probably together at this point and
hiding out somewhere, but I have eyes on the street” stated Koala
“Thank you, Koala. It’s really appreciated. We had a 217 and I need Ace to
know”
217?
Law frowned, what was that code for again?
Guess the Whitebeards used police scanner codes too
Wait
Assault with the intent of murder??
“Holy shit” replied Koala, shocked herself “10-45C?”
…is it serious? It has to be with how Marco was rather distraught
“Yeah…Critical right now, so we have no idea if Thatch is going to pull
through” admitted Marco
It’s Thatch?!
“I’m going to hang up now to start calling other people to find them, want me
to send him to the hospital if I contact him?”
“Please” replied Marco as Koala hung up
“I’m going to keep looking, if you hear anything-“
Luffy nodded “I’ll call you right away”
“Thank you” said Marco as he walked out without saying another word
 
They were all quiet for a moment before Law sighed deeply as he closed the door
“I guess you want to go look for Ace, huh?”
Luffy nodded
“I’m going to go home and wait for him to come there. He and Sabo might have
gone to the tree house” explain Luffy “Come wait with me?”
Luffy took Law’s hand as he made the suggestion, but Law frowned sadly
“I can’t…I’m grounded”
Luffy nodded, leaning up and kissing Law’s cheek
“Okay!” said Luffy as he let go of Law’s hand “I gotta go, we’ll pick up from
where we left off next time, okay!”
Law nodded as Luffy left, his heart breaking
“You can’t always be there for him, Law” pointed out Bepo quietly
“I don’t always have to let him down either” pointed out Law as he locked the
door, feeling like a total asshole
What a fucking night
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Maaan, Law really can't catch a break, can he?
     Next week, we're going right back to Cora!
***** -CORAZON- A Drunk Man’s Words Are A Sober Man’s Thoughts (You Reek Of
Booze, My Friend) *****
Chapter Notes
     Now back to Cora! Let's see how he's doing!!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“…How is Luffy over if I grounded Law?“
Cora frowned, staring at the text message in front of him
Of course Bepo notified him, not wanting him to come home and find Luffy there
and get mad
. Apparently it had been Luffy’s idea entirely and Law tried explaining to him
that he couldn’t come over
Well, he can’t say he was personally too bothered, he had bigger fish to fry
right now!
He had been driving around for over an hour now and absolutely no sightings of
Ace. Cora had asked at all of Ace’s usually spots and nobody, literally nobody
had seen him!
Cora groaned, ringing up the station
“Hello?”
“Hey Tashigi, any news on Ace or any sightings to report of him or the
Captain?” asked Cora, pushing back his hair as he took a sip of his coffee from
his thermos
“Uh…sorta. The Captain texted me saying not to mention Ace’s name in his
presence unless it’s relevant to a case”
Cora paused, surprised
That was…weird
“Any idea why?” asked Cora, frowning as he took another sip
“Uh…well…One can only assume…” started Tashigi, but Cora could tell by her
voice that she was feeling rather uncomfortable
That they broke up
“I’m going to go confirm it, okay?” offered Cora as he turned the cruiser on,
getting ready to head out
“No! Rosinante! You don’t understand! Do not go over there! Even Hina isn’t
going over there right now!” warned Tashigi, panicking
“Yeah,well, I have a kid to find, so I’m going to have to risk it. Thank you,
Tashigi”
And Cora cut the call
Cora groaned, now he had to go over to Smoker’s house, but frankly he was a bit
uh…
Scared
Yeaaahh
Taking a deep breath, he started to make his way over
 
“Please don’t be having sex please don’t be having sex please don’t be having
sex”
Even though Tashigi said they might have broken up, it didn’t mean they did –
maybe they had a fight and now they’re making up!
Honestly, he just really didn’t want to see his boss’ dick
Cora carefully rang the doorbell, biting his bottom lip and waited for the
inevitable
But there was nothing
Cora frowned sharply, looking around – clearly someone was goddamn home! The
lights were on and everything! He rang the doorbell again, waiting for an
answer
He listened carefully and he could hear a dog whining, he could hear movements,
heavy steps in the house
But not towards the door
Cora huffed, blowing up his cheeks – he will not be ignored!         
Here started to aggressively ring the doorbell, knocking on the door at the
exact same time
Ignore this!!
 
Soon enough, he heard someone stomping towards the door, angrily opening it
And Cora was now face to face with a really furious looking Smoker
Cora thought that it was only in cartoons that steam could be coming out of
someone’s ears
“WHAT”
“I’m looking for Ace, it’s urgent”
“He ain’t here! Go away! Leave me alone!” howled Smoker as a German Sheppard
trotted up to the door, whining as it rubbed it’s head against Smoker’s leg,
clearly trying to calm him down
Cora wasn’t sure how the hell the dog was going to help when the man reeked of
booze and was smoking two cigars at once
But it was sweet of her to try
This must be Justice though!
“No, I’m not leaving; I need to know where Ace is! It’s an emergency and you’re
the last person who saw him!” argued Cora, coming forward and forcing himself
inside the threshold and slammed the door behind him, making Smoker back up a
bit, surprised
“He ain’t here and I don’t know!” growled Smoker, taking a step forward,
clearly trying to reclaim his dominance in the conversation
“You two had a date and now Ace is missing and you’re drinking and clearly
upset. What the hell happened?!”
Like, he had an idea, but he wasn’t for sure at this point
“Listen here, you nosy son of a bitch! You need to back off and now!”
“Not until I get my answer!” snapped back Cora, not taking this
“What the fuck is so important that you need to find him right this fucking
minute?!”
“Thatch got stabbed. We’re afraid that Ace might be in danger too, so we need
to find him ASAP”
Cora knew he was lying, he didn’t suspect for a moment that Ace’s life was in
danger aside from you know, but maybe this would be what set off the other man
“What?! Who the hell stabbed him?!” asked Smoker, shocked
Cora blinked slowly, surprised that Smoker was concerned about Thatch
“Uh apparently it was Teach Edwards? He’s also missing” explained Cora
But then he jumped as Smoker loudly growled, baring his teeth, Justice started
to growl as well
“That son of a bitch?! I never trusted that fucker! You need to find Ace! You
need to find him now! That asshole has his fucking eyes on Ace! He’s in danger!
I’m going to fucking kill him!” raged on Smoker as he opened his closet door
and pulled out probably the biggest jitte that Cora had ever seen
“WHoooah there cowboy!” said Cora, stepping in front of Smoker, pushing him
back “You can’t have the chief of police drunkenly killing someone! Besides, I
lied about the danger part! Marco just wants Ace to know that Thatch got
stabbed and he’s in critical care!”
Smoker paused for a moment, glaring at Cora, pointing at him with the jitte
Oh shit, he can use the damn thing one handed?!
“You know, I can’t fucking smell you, Trafalgar. I can’t tell what fucking side
or who’s fucking side you’re even on!”
Suddenly Cora found himself on the floor, jitte jabbed right into his chest
How did he get down here so fast?!
“Huh?” Cora blinked, surprised at the accusation as he lifted his hands up,
showing Smoker that he had no intention of fighting back
“You think I don’t fucking know about your new rank with the World Government?
That I don’t fucking know about your little dinners and being all chummy chummy
with Newgate Edwards? I can’t fucking tell who’s side you’re actually on,
Donquixote!”
Okay, low blow, Edwards
Cora paused for a moment, sighing heavily as he allowed his body to go limp,
showing that he wasn’t being hostile at all
Of course the Captain would be all over this
“I’m on the side of what’s right, Smoker. And to do the right thing, I will do
whatever I can to accomplish that” explained Cora “So if it means accepting a
World Government post to get all the intel and play nice with the big gang boss
so that he feels he can trust me and I can trust him to keep my kids out of
trouble, I’m going to do it”
“So you’d double cross us all, huh?” accused Smoker, jabbing the jitte harder
into Cora’s chest
Cora grunted slightly, man this was getting painful!
“I have never double-crossed you, Chief.Ever.  Because I trust you to always do
what’s right, no matter what. We have the same goals, so I don’t need to betray
you” admitted Cora
“What about the World Government?”
“I’ve done it once. I stand by what I believe in, not the orders I get”
Smoker kept glaring at Cora, growling slightly for a moment and then he sighed,
relaxing as he pulled the jitte off Cora and turned his back to him, turning
around with a grunt
“I guess”
“I’m also a giant snoop though! I love knowing everything that’s going on, so
being a spy is really great sometimes!” admitted Cora, chuckling as he rubbed
the back of his neck and sat up
Smoker rolled his eyes, putting the jitte back in the closet and closed the
door and started to make his way into the living room. Cora got up and followed
“It’s super creepy how a man your size barely makes any noise when he moves”
pointed out Smoker as he trudged to the living room as Cora followed him,
Justice as well
Except she kept looking at Cora warningly
Nooo, doggie! We have to be friends!
“Haaa, you have no idea!” Cora cleared his throat, not in the mood to explain
his relationship with an akumanomi vial “So, I really need to go find Ace, so
if you any clue to where he would be or went, that would be great!”
“I don’t know where he is. He was really upset when he left” admitted Smoker as
he plopped down on the couch, rubbing his face with his hands as Justice went
up to him, again, trying to comfort the Captain
It was hard to miss the big collection of booze on the coffee table
“What happened?”
“Because I ended things between us”
Cora paused, looking at the Captain surprised
So it was true!
Ace had looked so happy, so glowing when he went to bring the Captain his
coffee this morning
What could have possibly have tor-
Ah
Probably the same reason he would have-
“Couldn’t stand the nightmares anymore, huh?”
“How did you-?” asked Smoker, looking at Cora shocked
“I’ve been there you know. I am there. I know the signs of someone going
through the same thing. I’ve worried for years over someone in a gang. It’s
really hard to not constantly imagine the worst day after day. You trust them
to take care of themselves, but you never know what’s going to happen.
Especially when they put themselves in the line of fire” admitted Cora as he
walked over to the couch and sat down besides Smoker, putting a hand on the
man’s back
“How did you deal with it?” asked Smoker, still looking down, not really
concentrating on anything as he crossed his arms slightly
“Well, for one of them, I stopped caring. I rid myself of all of the love I had
for him. The other, I loved him too much. So much that I removed him from that
life”
Smoker blinked, turning his head to look at Cora, raising a brow
“One is clearly Law…who’s the other?”
Cora sighed deeply
“Doflamingo. He’s my big brother. Growing up, I loved and admired him. He was
always there for me, protected me, made sure I was happy and laughing even
though we went through some horrible shit together…But the day he killed our
father, he scared me so bad and I ran away. But I still loved him regardless.
And I wanted to save him from himself so bad…but when I went undercover, I had
to accept that there was nothing to save. That my big brother was a monster.
But I had to make him believe that I still loved him, so that he didn’t knew
that I had grown to hate him at that point. I had to stop loving him and it was
hard to flip that switch when you’ve done something for so long” admitted Cora
His throat and his heart felt heavy. It was weird; he had never admitted all of
this to anyone before – not even his mandatory therapist
It was hard to explain the strong love he used to have for his brother
“How did you do it?” asked Smoker, frowning “Flip the switch?”
“I fell in love with someone else actually” started Cora, chuckling softly
“When I met Law, he was a little angry prick! He treated me like shit and
actually stabbed me!” explained Cora, raising his dress shirt, untucking it
from his pants, to show Smoker the scar “But…I knew it was because he was in so
much pain inside and that he was lashing out. The world has ripped everything
away from him and he was just, so angry. And suddenly, all I wanted to do was
save him! Show him love; bring him to a better place! I got lucky with Law
though; it was actually pretty easy to take him away”
“Why? Did he wind up loving you more than Doflamingo? Decided that you have
shown him the light and that he should strive for a normal life” asked Smoker,
but the sarcasm wasn’t lost on Cora
“Oh no! He was a really small kid due to his illness so it was super easy to
just pick him up and take him away!”
“Wait…you kidnapped him?” Smoker looked at Cora, completely stunned
“Yeah! I literally stole him! He didn’t have a damn choice and he came kicking
and screaming, believe me! He wind up changing his tune a little down the line
thankfully!”
Smoker kept looking at Cora completely shocked for a moment and suddenly burst
into peals of laughter
Cora watched quietly as Smoker howled, laughing hard, tears welling up in his
eyes and suddenly Smoker bent forward, head in his hands and Cora ignored the
fact that he was sure that he just heard a sob
“I fucking…fucking hell…you…I didn’t want this”
“I know” said Cora, trying to look anywhere but at the Captain right now, so he
chose the ceiling
“He…He would tell me all the time how he felt so safe and happy with me and I
hurt him”
“I know”
“He was this beautiful bright burning sun and I just…I just wanted him to be
happy and instead I devastated him”
“Yeah, but maybe, this is for the best” said Cora, crossing his arms and
swinging his leg over his knee, looking forward as he pulled out his pack of
cigarettes and quickly lit one up using the lighter on the coffee table
Fuck he needed a drag right now
“Why the fuck…Why the fuck would you say that?”growled Smoker, looking up,
glaring right at Cora
Cora raised a brow; clearly they didn’t break up because they weren’t in love
with each other
Making this much more complicated than he thought
Shit
Play it cool, play it cool
“Because there’s 18 days left until New Years and at least now Ace doesn’t have
to worry about his relationship with you on top of everything else” explained
Cora as he grabbed one of the bottle of Jack Daniels and unscrewed the cap and
took a little nip
“You’re a real bastard when you want to be, Trafalgar!” snapped Smoker “Also
you’re on the fucking clock!”
“Naw, I just prioritize well. Right now my concern is those children’s lives”
replied Cora as he took out his phone and shot a quick text off to Marco “Also,
I think my boss right now isn’t in a state to punish me”
 
And quickly got one back?
Huh.
 
“You sure about that?” warned Smoker, taking his unfinished glass and downing
the whiskey
“Sure am, because you tried to assault a minor tonight- You threw a beer bottle
at Marco’s head? Good luck trying to punish me now~” pointed out Cora, smirking
Smoker narrowed his eyes, glaring at Cora
“How do you know that?”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” pointed out Cora
Like he was going to tell Smoker that Marco just told him that
“That little bastard deserved it!” snapped Smoker
“Is there a reason you hate him?” and he hates you?
“No” grumbled Smoker, leaning back into the couch “He’s just a dumbass son”
Cora lifted a brow
“Are you…jealous that Edwards adopted him?”
“No” grunted Smoker, frowning, looking away from Cora
“Oh my god, you so are!”
Smoker’s face was completely red now
Man this was fun!
“I am not! Who gives a shit if my father got himself another son! I don’t give
a flying shit!” roared Smoker, making Cora laugh loudly
“Hey waitaminute, wasn’t Edwards going to adopt Ace? Doesn’t that mean you two
would be brothers? Man, that would be of been uh…special, maybe it’s a good
thing you two ended things!”
“Shut up! Shut up! I hate you, Trafalgar”
Cora snorted; guess he had to take care of this kid tonight
He was soooo asking for a raise after all this was over
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Annd now that's that! We're back to Ace with the next chapter and it
     will be the next day!
     Now, I just want to make a little note; if for whatever reason I
     don't update, please check my twitter https://twitter.com/
     joseethefirst
     I'll always post updates to what's going on with me there, so I'll be
     sure to notify around this time if the chapter is going to be delayed
     or not for whatever reason!
     Also, (oh god, I needed to be talked into this) I now have a ko-fi
     account! So if you feel like it and want to help me out financially a
     bit, it's up to you! It's right here!
     https://ko-fi.com/joseethefirst
     I also have a shop where I started selling my original design! Right
     now I only have a patch! Feel free to check it out!
     http://happyakubears.tictail.com/
     As usual, thank you for reading!!
***** -ACE- I'm Looking For a Man Called Teach (The Bride Will Seem Like A Joy
After I’m Through) *****
Chapter Notes
     Back to Ace now, who's life isn't going to get any easier at this
     point
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“RA RA RASPUTIN! LOVER OF THE RUSSIAN QUEEN! THERE WAS A CAT THAT WAS REALLY
WAS GONE! RA RA RASPUTIN! RUSSIA’S GREATEST LOVE MACHINE! IT WAS A SHAME HOW HE
CARRIED OOOOOON“
Ace was screaming at the top of his lungs
And my god did he know it
But right now, he really couldn’t care less
“-FOR THE QUEEN HE WAS NO WHEELER DEALER! THOUGH SHE’D HEARD THE THINGS HE’D
DONE, SHE BELIEVED HE WAS A HOLY HEALER WHO WOULD HEAL HER SON-“
His head was throbbing, he was emotionally drained, hurt beyond belief and
kinda drunk – so screaming his head off seemed like the best idea
“-RA RA RASPUTIN RUSSIA’S GREATEST LOVE MACHINE! IT WAS A SHAME HOW HE CARRIED
OOOON”
Sabo, being the best brother ever, was yelling his head off with him as they
both stupidly danced and thrashed in the karaoke room, not giving a shit about
anything
Okay, the full table of empty drinks might have helped both of them along
The place had a rather stocked alcoholic drink menu
Ace wasn’t sure around what time he woke up, but he didn’t care either
“-FOR POWER BECAME KNOWN TO MORE AND MORE PEOPLE, THE DEMAND TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS OUTRAGEOUS MAN BECAUSE LOUDER AND LOUDER”
Who cares if Smoker didn’t want him anymore? His loss or some shit
Ace was just, so over it right now, so over everything
“-THOUGH HE WAS A BRUTE, THEY JUST FELL INTO HIS ARMS! THEN ONE NIGHT, SOME MEN
OG HIGHER STANDING SET A TRAP, THEY’RE NOT TO BLAME! COME TO VISIT US THEY KEPT
DEMANDING AND HE REALLY CA-“
“OW!”
Ace blinked
Ow?
“That’s not the line, Sa-!”
Ace blinked again
Sabo was hunched over, holding his head as Koala kept backhanding him over and
over again
“I’ve been looking all night for you, you jackass! How could you forget your
phone like that?! How could you?! I’m so tired, you’re going to get it, I
swear!!”
“You’re interrupting our song!” yelled Ace, not in the mood to deal with this
lover’s quarrel
How dare these assholes flaunt their love in from of him?!
“How did you even find us?!” asked Sabo, shocked
“This place is owned by Franky! So I asked Robin if she had seen you two
knuckleheads and Franky contacted his associates and lo and behold!” explained
Koala, slamming her foot down, blowing up her cheeks as she frowned
Man, she looked completely exhausted
What time was it?
“And you! Why didn’t you answer your fucking phone?!” yelled Koala, pointing to
Ace
“I smashed it against a wall, I don’t have a phone anymore” admitted Ace,
huffing his cheeks in return
Okay, maybe he was being a little bratty
“Well, you better sober the hell up fast and get your ass to the hospital!
Marco’s been looking for you all night too! I already told him that I found you
two dolts, so get going!”
Ace frowned sharply – what the fuck was going on?!
“Why the hospital? I’m not at risk”
“No! Thatch got stabbed pretty bad last night! He’s in critical condition!”
Ace couldn’t feel the floor anymore
 
Ace shoved the doors of the hospital open as he forced his way in. He ran into
the waiting room, ignoring the nurse yelling at him from behind to stop running
“Ace!”
Marco stood up from his chair and ran up to Ace, hugging him tightly
“I’d be so fucking mad right now, but Koala told me that your phone broke! I
told you to dump that piece of shit ages ago”
Ace loosely hugged Marco back and then slightly pulled him back, gripping
Marco’s arm as he looked at him
“What the fuck happened?!”
Marco paused, the exhaustion and worry obvious on his face
“It’s Thatch…he’s”
“I know, but like, what’s the story here?!” asked Ace, shocked
Thatch was such a great guy and Ace didn’t understand how the hell he got
stabbed
Who would do that to Thatch?
Was it during his mission?!
“We found him lying on his stomach in the deposit room. He was lying on his
stomach and there was a large stab wound in his back and blood everywhere. The
door was wide open, so it drew my attention because since when did we ever keep
that room’s door open? Last time I saw Thatch he was going in there to drop off
the spoils of last night with Teach. An hour later, I find Thatch in that state
and Teach is missing”
“…Teach?”
Holy shit
Teach had asked to join tonight’s mission
Ace had said yes
Thatch didn’t see a problem with it
Now Thatch was in critical care and Teach was missing
“Did…did you- was anything taken?!” yelled Ace, horrified
Marco quickly clamped a hand on Ace’s mouth, looking around until people stop
staring at them and then he continued, whispering
“We found it, Ace. But…Teach took it”
“As in – ingested it or just physically took it?!” asked Ace, trying to keep
his voice low
“We have no idea. We just know that Teach took it with him and probably stabbed
Thatch to get his hand on in”
Ace could only see red
“I’m going to go find Teach” declared Ace, turning around and trying to head
out of the room
Quickly Marco lunged and grabbed Ace, pulling him back
“Like hell you are!”
“I have to go find Teach! It’s my duty as his commander! This is my
responsibility!” argued Ace as he struggled against Marco’s hold
“No! It’s too risky right now! I won’t allow it!”
“I have to! The rules are clear on this one! I have to collect his fucking
head!” yelled Ace as he kept struggling against Marco
He’s the one who agreed to let Teach join the job!
This is his fault!
Ace grunted when he felt more and more of the Whitebeards come up to them and
try to hold Ace back
Why where they all trying to stop him?!
“No! Pops doesn’t want to take the chance of anyone of us getting killed! It’s
too dangerous, Ace!” yelled Marco, struggling to hold Ace in
“No! I need to go! This is for Thatch! How can Thatch get the justice he
deserves if we let Teach go free!”
“Ace! No! Stop!”  yelled one voice
“Ace! This isn’t worth your life, he’s too strong!” and another
“Ace, you can’t take this risk! Not now!” another
“You can’t do this Ace!”
“Ace!”
“Ace!”
“ACE”
“WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET!”
 
Suddenly everyone stopped and then turned around to see not a nurse angry at
them for being loud but…Izo?
Izo looked wrecked
His hair was undone, in a large knotted mess, disheveled completely, his makeup
was streaked all over his face and his clothes looked slept in
Izo’s eyes were red and puffy, he looked utterly exhausted and at his wits end
Ace’s heart instantly broke
“This is a hospital! This is not how we behave in one!” stated Izo before he
stormed off to the other waiting room, closer to the critical patients ward
Ace instantly calmed down, going lax against the hold of everyone holding onto
him. They all slowly let him go once they were sure he wouldn’t bolt
“Marco…I need a new phone” stated Ace, looking at the ground, frowning
“If you think I’m stupid enough to let you go alone, Ace, you’re out of your
mind” hissed Marco, narrowing his eyes
“Deuce, you want to come with me?”
Ace turned to look at Deuce who walked up to the duo
“Yeah sure, I’ll feel more useful than waiting here”
Marco hesitated for a moment and then sighed, defeated as he took out his
credit card from his wallet and handed it over to Ace
“Fine. Deuce, go with Ace to make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid or try to
buy a stupid phone. Get him top of the line”
Deuce nodded as he joined Ace
Ace wordlessly nodded as he walked out with Deuce
 
Once they were far enough from the hospital, Deuce sighed loudly
“We’re not actually going phone shopping are we?”
Ace snorted
“We are. If I don’t have a phone, Marco is going to have both our asses and
he’s not dumb. He gave you the credit card so he can check exactly when we buy
the phone. So, because you’re good at that kind of shit, you’ll pick whatever
phone you think is going to work and then we’re going back to the estate and
I’ll tell you the reason I really need you for”
Deuce groaned loudly, pushing back his hair
“We’re going into dumb plan territory, aren’t we?”
“Do you doubt that for a second, Deuce? How long have we’ve been together?”
Deuce only snorted at that
Deuce had been the first member to join his original Spade gang.  Ace hadn’t
known much about him at the time minus that the other was a runaway from a very
well-off family and was a medical school drop –out. In reality, his name wasn’t
even Deuce, but he didn’t want to talk ever about his roots and Ace didn’t
blame him. All he knew for sure is that Deuce just wanted to be a write and had
real skills in engineering
He quickly became Ace’s second hand man and even when they integrated with the
Whitebeards, Ace knew he could always count on Deuce. The man was a magnificent
strategist and much like Sabo, an incredible engineer – which is the reason Ace
needed him right now
 
The loud clacking of the garage door as Ace and Deuce slipped into the
Whitebeard’s massive garage couldn’t have been louder, making Ace groan
Ace was rather annoyed, the sun was bright as hell, apparently it was now
around 10am, and so between the slight hangover and everything else, he wasn’t
really in the mood for the loud noise
Everything was finally catching up with him and Ace just felt annoyed at
everything
Once they entered the garage, Ace heard a loud mewling from the back of the
garage
Ace chuckled, grinning brightly as he opened his arms wide
“Kotatsu! C’mere!”
A lynx ran across the full garage around the vehicles and right into Ace’s
arms, making Ace laugh brightly. Ace sat down and Kotatsu curled up into Ace’s
lap, purring loudly as Ace happily petted and scratched him
“Oooh, who’s my big baby! You are!”
“Sooo” started Deuce, crossing his arms “What’s your big plan?”
“I want the Stryker in working order” ordered Ace, leaving no room for argument
Deuce blinked, surprised and groaned
“Why didn’t I figure that out myself?”
Deuce made his way over to a small vehicle with a large tarp over it. Once he
got there, the removed the black tarp with flames on it to reveal a yellow
modified Norton 16H Motorcycle
“You’re going after Teach, aren’t you?” asked Deuce as he walked up to the work
desk and pulled out his tool box and brought it up to the bike
“Yep. But Teach is going to have a major head start before I can get going, so
I need something fast and all-terrain and I know my Stryker can do it”
explained Ace as he kept petting Kotatsu
“Yeah, she also overheats like crazy” pointed out  Deuce
“Which is why I’m the only one who can use it” stated Ace, smirking
He isn’t a fool. Once upon a time, he got stranded in an abandoned factory with
no way out of the isolated area in the middle of a winter storm. Originally he
found Deuce squatting there but the other was actually as trapped as he was.
They had talked for a bit, argued for a bit, and then Ace had found a weird
vial, assuming it was a drink, he took half and shared the other half with
Deuce – worst shit he ever drank
It was an akumanomi
Now Ace’s tolerance to heat was insane – hence why he was the only one who
could use the bike that Deuce had restored in that factory. It was just
tolerable as a passenger, but when you’re driving, you get the entirety of the
heat. Ace figured that’s probably why the World War II era bike had been dumped
in that factory – who needs a bike that overheats?
Ace got lucky
“Look, I’ll do it because it’s what you want and I’m not going to argue with
you”
“Thatch deserves justice” stated Ace, crossing his arms, frowning
“I agree and honestly, this road-trip might do you some real good right now”
Ace frowned sharply
How did he-
“No idea what you’re talking about” stated Ace, glaring at Deuce
“Marco told us all that you got dumped and not to bring it up” admitted Deuce
as he started to work on the Stryker “But I don’t pussyfoot around you and I
don’t intend to start now”
“Are you fucking kidding me?! Since when is my business for the goddamn gossip
board?!”
“Oh c’mon Ace, you know it’s something we need to know” replied Deuce, rolling
his eyes “You know what your problem is though? You keep attracting goddamn
cops, that’s your problem”
Ace lifted a brow, still frowning as he restarted petting the loudly purring
lynx
“My real problem is that they won’t let Kotatsu stay in the house”
“Kotatsu scared the shit out of Stefan so bad that the poor thing wouldn’t stop
peeing everywhere, Ace”
“He just wanted to play!”
“Yeah, but Stefan is like, snack-size to Kotatsu!” replied Deuce “And don’t
change the topic!”
“Pfft, what the hell do you mean I keep attracting cops? Chase’s the first guy
I ever dated”
“I said ‘attracted’ not ‘dated’” Ace rolled his eyes
Goddamn writers and their fucking word choices and shit
“Oh god, are you talking about Isuka?”
“You know I am”
Ace snorted, man, now that was a blast from the past
“Remember when she tried to arrest us on the Ferris Wheel at Sabaody Park?”
“Of course I do, you freaking climbed out of the gondola and escaped and left
me there!”
Ace laughed softly, man, he hadn’t thought of that in years!
Little fourteen year-old him got into weird trouble, man
“Maybe you’re right, you want to be my next boyfriend? You’re not a cop, it
works, right?”
Deuce snorted and chuckled
“No thanks, I’m very flattered but I’m going to have to respectfully decline. I
love you, Ace, but I ain’t going anywhere near your dick or your ass, my
friend. But whoever is going to be next, is going to be someone really lucky, I
promise you”
Ace sighed loudly
“Yeah sure, Sabo spewed the same crap.  Why are you all so hopeful that I’m
going to find someone anyways?”
“Because one day, boss, you will see your own worth as we see it”
Ace blinked, surprised to hear the words from Deuce and then looked down at
Kotatsu in his lap
“How about you? You want to be my next boyfriend? When I get my own place down
the line you’re gonna live with me anyways!”
Kotatsu merely purred loudly in response, making both men laugh
“You can’t date a lynx, Ace. I draw the line at writing bestiality”
“Hey hey, nobody asked you to write about me, you chose to do that yourself!”
“Do me a favour and keep a log of your time chasing Teach? I’d hate to miss out
on that”
“Yeah, I can do that for you. Might help me work some shit out too”
Suddenly it dawned upon Ace that he needed to go collect his dagger from home
He was going to need it to collect Teach’s fucking head
Ace couldn’t wait to write that story down
 
 
[deuce] [Kotatsu]
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! I added the pictures of Deuce, Kotatsu and
     Isuka! They're all from the Ace novel!
     Once again, if an update is delayed for whatever reason, please check
     joseethefirst on twitter! I'll post a reason why! This fic means a
     lot to me so I won't forget to update it, but I'm in the process of
     changing jobs (trying to) so I might lose track of time, but I'm
     going to try to stay hard to stay on track for all of you!!
***** -LAW- Add Your Own Background Music To The Training Montage (Please At
Least Something that Sounds Cool) *****
Chapter Notes
     WARNING!
     This chapter contains actions that could be constituted as self-harm!
     It is not the intention but if that is triggering for you, I will use
     the star system like I do with NC-17 scenes so that you have the
     ability to skip it!
     WARNING!
     Alright! Let's continue on in our month of December and see what kind
     of consequences we're dealing with!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Did you hear about Thatch?“
“I can’t believe he got stabbed! And at the Whitebeard Estate!”
“I heard he lapsed into a coma this weekend! They have no idea if he’ll live!”
“What did they expect anyways? That’s what you get for being in a gang!”
“Shh! Be quiet! A Whitebeard might hear you!”
 
Law sighed loudly as he closed his locker
People haven’t stopped gossiping about Thatch all day. It didn’t help that they
announced over the intercom today that Sanji was going to take over the Cooking
Club until further notice
Or that school assembly they had out of nowhere this morning, reminding
everyone about the dangers of organized crime and being associated with it
Law had rolled his eyes to that one
Law had also asked Luffy about his brother – apparently the next day, Ace came
home super late and scrambled up inside the treehouse and refused to come
inside and keeps not being home
Clearly he didn’t want anyone to see him
When Law had seen Ace today, the guy didn’t even pretend he was in anything
else but a foul mood.
Everyone left a wide space between themselves and Ace, minus Marco of course,
but Izo was also absent all week
Law was kinda missing the nice scent of the perfume that Izo used, it was a
weirdly comforting smell
He’s pretty sure his mom used the same stuff
“You going to practice?” asked Bepo as he followed behind Law “But Cora told us
to go straight home, we’re still grounded, remember?”
“He told us to go to school and then go home. Club is part of school” argued
Law as he made his way down the hallway, carrying his wrapped up Nodanchi
“…Law, there’s no more club now. Since it’s exam time”
“And Cora doesn’t know that”
 
“FUCK!” loudly yelled Law as he hit the ground rather hard
He’s pretty sure he’s going to have a bruise the size of a tennis ball on his
ass later
Zoro got him down again!
Zoro straightened out for a moment, walking up to Law to offer the other his
hand, to help him up
“You’ve gotten much better”
Law snorted, he hope he has after the weeks of extra training he’s been doing!
“Thanks”
“Also, sorry about your date the other day. Luffy told me what happened”
explained Zoro
“Urgh, yeah, I still can’t believe he came anyways and that line he pulled on
me” stated Law, eyes narrowing slightly, hoping Zoro took the bait
“You mean that stupid line with the empty dvd case actually worked?” exclaimed
Zoro, shocked
“Aha! I knew he was put up to it! That was way too smooth for Luffy!” accused
Law, completely red
He still couldn’t believe Luffy had said that to him!
“Oye! I had nothing to do with it! It was all curly brow! Luffy just came over
to borrow the dvd and then said it was funny that he was borrowing it, but that
you guys never actually get to watch anything since you always wind up making
out! So Love Cook told him to give you that line!” explained Zoro, crossing his
arms
Law lifted a brow
Wasn’t he dating Sanji?
Why was he insulting him?
“If anything though, I wouldn’t be too boastful for figuring out that it wasn’t
Luffy who came up with that line – because he told me you fell for it” pointed
out Zoro, smirking
Law was never going to live that one down
 
“Alright, that should be good enough” muttered Law, trying to move the gurney
he just installed in the back of the van – but nope. She was steady as hell
It had been a lot easier to do work in the van now that Cora told them to put
it in the garage of their house
Cora had agreed that registering it would be really stupid if they were going
to use it for gang activities – but Cora pointed out that he didn’t want anyone
who happens to come across it to mess around with the van. Which was a legit
fear, so they agreed to move it to the garage
Law looked around in awe at his fully finished mobile hospital. He was really
proud of himself, it looked really good and everything was fully stocked and
ready for anything. He even had everything he needed in case he needed to
perform surgery – which was Law’s main goal
Speaking of-
Law stood up, unbuckling his belt as he did so. He quickly pushed his pants
down past his knees and sat down on the gurney
Law reached over and grabbed his prepped IV needle and quickly inserted into
his arm, grunting in the process
He waited a few moments to let the liquids go through him before he hooked
himself up to the heart monitor
Without even wanting to, his heart beat was getting faster and faster
Law wasn’t sure if it was because of what he was doing – or because he was
afraid of getting caught
He quickly sanitized the location, a small strip on his thigh and took his
scalpel
It was time
*
Law brought the scalpel to his thigh and pressed it down – he winced at the
first cut but then suddenly it happened again
Everything slowed down
He could hear his heart beating in his ears slowly get muffled
He could see every little movement he was doing, hyper aware of everything
around him
The pain suddenly disappeared and Law kept pressing the scalpel in
 
Suddenly, he could see his muscles
He could see his own muscles moving in his thigh as he breathed in and out –
the muscles moving at the same time
He could see his blood pumping, slowly enough for it to be easy enough for him
to sponge up
Every movement was slowed down and he felt nothing
No pain, nothing at all, it was amazing
*
Law quickly sewed himself up, not wanting to get caught and removed the IV.
Once he was done, Law quickly pulled on his pants, but not before noticing all
the other incisions he had already done on his legs
Law knew how bad it would look if anyone saw all the cuts and stitch jobs he
had all over his body at this point. Forever thankful that Law didn’t have gym
this semester and since it was winter time, he had started to wear long pyjama
pants to bed and a shirt
The last thing he needed was someone thinking he was self-harming for
psychological reasons and trying to get him help
He didn’t need Cora worrying over him like that
 
Law groaned – he did have his last tattoo appointment tomorrow though
 It was weird that Marco had scheduled it on a Tuesday to begin with, but he
wasn’t even sure if it was still on after their uh…confrontation during the
weekend
Urgh fuck
Law sighed, looking back down at his scalpel – he knew it worked wonders on
himself, but he really wishes he could practice on someone else, honestly
He needed to know if it was only when it concerned himself or it would work if
he performed on someone else too – did only his life have to be in danger or is
it anytime it happens and the situation is stressful.
“Law! Dinner’s ready!”
Law blinked, looking back at Bepo through the window of the van and smirked,
holding up the scalpel
Bepo gave him a horrified look and scrambled off quickly, making Law laugh
brightly
 
“I’m surprised you still have an appointment after how you tried to threaten
him on Saturday”
Law frowned, glaring at Bepo who quickly ducked his head and apologized
He didn’t need to hear this again!
Law sighed, walking up to the mansion
“I got a text to confirm the appointment last night – so, I don’t know why I’d
get it if I didn’t have it”
“Maybe it’s automatic?” offered Bepo as they walked up to the tattoo studio’s
door
Law knocked on the door and it was quickly opened
Law and Bepo both made surprised noises
Marco looked like shit
He was wearing this ratty hoodie, pyjama pants and a tank top. Thankfully it
all looked clean enough, but it didn’t look like Marco had put any real work
into his appearance and frankly he looked utterly exhausted
Honestly Law wasn’t sure if he should be letting him tattoo him today – but he
was also terrified of saying anything to Marco right now
“It’s weird that you’re tattooing on a school night” pointed out Bepo as he
walked in
Marco merely shrugged as he started to take his supplies out
“The Whitebeards are on total lockdown until next year, so I need to occupy
myself or I’ll go mad. I don’t know what to do with all this free time”
admitted Marco as he took out the stencil “Strip”
Law shrugged off his sweater and walked up to the chair, but now it was set up
to be more used as a bed
“I’m sorry about what happened to Thatch” mumbled Law as he walked up to Marco
and turned around, showing the other his back
Marco sighed, shaking his head as he placed the stencil on Law’s back
“Thanks. The whole situation is pissing me off honestly. I had a bad feeling
about it, and I still let that bastard go with Thatch” explained Marco
Law lifted a brow, surprised at how open and honest the other was being
Shit, Marco must really be in a bad place right now
“How does it look?” asked Marco as he stepped back
Law looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly
It was perfect!
Law couldn’t believe after all this time– he was finally looking like how he
wanted to!
“Perfect! It’s exactly right”
“Great. Get on the table, let’s get started”
 
“So…not to bring this up again, but what the hell happened anyways? Rumours of
all sorts are spreading around the school”
Marco grunted as he kept tattooing, Bepo listening quietly from the couch. Law
didn’t believe for a moment that he was actually reading his math book
For one thing, the damn thing was upside down
“Basically one of ours turned against us. He stabbed Thatch to get his hand on
the akumanomi we’ve been looking for”
Law froze
No!
“Waitaminute! That akumanomi?! We need to find him ASAP! He’s going to be the
next goddamn Typhoid Mary if we don’t find him!”
Marco pushed down on Law’s back, forcing him back down
“Forget it. Teach has been a member of the Whitebeards longer than I’ve been
alive. He’s the one who slashed up Red Hair Shank’s face, for fuck’s sake. He’s
too dangerous for you and your Scooby Gang”
“Oye” warned Law, not appreciating the comparison
“I mean it. Pops even forbid any of us of going after him. It’s too dangerous
and he knows us too well so we wouldn’t be able to get the jump on him anyways”
“So what the hell are you going to do then?” asked Law, trying to scramble his
brain for some sort of solution
“Leave him to the authorities. We already put out a police report on him”
explained Marco
“Wait, is that why Cora didn’t come home on Friday?” asked Law, surprised
It was a big deal for a gang to put out a police report – especially on their
own gang member and Cora didn’t come home until late Saturday morning
“Hmm, partially. He was out helping me find Ace originally but then he texted
me to tell me that he had to take care of the Captain and I assumed he just
stayed there. We did file the report with him on Sunday though”
When Thatch lapsed into the coma probably
Because now they had to admit to the authorities what happened
“Because of the break-up, I’m assuming?”
“Yes. Apparently the bastard took it pretty hard even though he’s the one who
dumped Ace” replied Marco, annoyance clearly in his voice
Law snorted as he lay on his forearms
This tattooing session was making him really sleepy
“Man, you really don’t seem to like the Captain, how come?”
Marco sighed loudly, clearly not enjoying the topic
“Frankly? He hurt Pops and bad. To me that’s more than enough. I understand why
the Captain did it, and I understand why he would want to cut ties with his
family like that. But, I can’t forgive him for hurting Pops like that. Pops
loved him dearly and did everything he could to be the best father possible to
that ungrateful brat and that’s his reward? He had to lose his wife and son
too? Bullshit”
Then Marco paused, lifting up the tattooing machine
“If someone did that to Corazon, would you forgive them?”
Law paused, mulling it over for a moment
Would he?
“No. I wouldn’t. Fuck anyone who hurts Cora like that” admitted Law
“Exactly. And then he goes and hurts Ace like that? I’ve never seen Ace is such
a bad place. He’s been moping or angry or a mix of both. We’ve worked so hard
here to help Ace come out of his shell and finally be happy and it just takes
that big brute to fuck everything up? If he couldn’t be with someone in a gang,
he shouldn’t have started to date Ace. I have no reason to like that man; he
hasn’t given me a reason to. With Eleanor, that’s three people I care about
that he’s hurt so far”
Law grunted slightly when Marco restarted tattooing
“Ace isn’t doing any better, huh?”
“Not really no. But it’s a combination of the break-up and Thatch. Ace feels
responsible since Teach was in Ace’s division, so Ace feels that Teach’s
behavior is directly his responsibility. He’s being monitored to make sure he
doesn’t do anything dumb”
Law frowned
“Is Ace planning on doing something dumb?”
“Ace…Ace is an unmovable force. Once he feels that someone he cares about has
been done wrong, he needs to go make things right. Even at the risk of his own
life. Pops mentioned weirdly enough that apparently his father was exactly the
same way” admitted Marco, chuckling a bit “Ace would be pissed off knowing that
though”
Law paused for a moment, trying to think everything over
“Luffy didn’t seem too concerned about Ace doing anything dumb”
“Well of course not, because Luffy would do the same thing, so to him, it isn’t
dumb, now is it?” pointed out Marco
Ah, touché
“Also, I was told you’re not going on the ski trip anyone? The hell is up with
that?”
Law’s eyes shot open – how the hell did he know that?!
“Don’t be too surprised. Your boyfriend laments your lack of presence pretty
loudly. The second you cancelled on him for the trip, he went to go whine about
it to Ace” explained Marco
“Ah. Well, because the Warlords were called, gotta keep an eye on Cora”
admitted Law
“How does Corazon feel about that?” asked Marco as he kept working on filling
in the design
“Uh…he doesn’t know. We’re gonna go live in the van”
“Going to lie to Corazon? Think that’s smart?” warned Marco
“I told him the same thing!” pipped up Bepo from the couch
Shut up, Bepo!!
“It’s for his own safety! There’s no way that Doflamingo isn’t going to try
something!! I’m trying to protect him here!” defended Law
“And if you get killed in the process? How will he feel about your ‘noble
sacrifice’?”
Law frowned sharply
“Oye! I’m pretty sure I’m paying you to tattoo me, not be my therapist!”
snapped Law, wanting the conversation to end
“Alright, but keep in mind that actions have consequences. We’re learning that
first hand right now, just giving you a chance to be smart about your choices”
warned Marco
Law only huffed in response
He didn’t need another goddamn ‘voice of reason’
 
Law was too busy pretending that a part of him wasn’t terrified of seeing
Doflamingo again
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there you have it! Law officially has all of his tattoos!
     btw, I TOTALLY fell asleep while they did my back piece! It was
     weirdly soothing after a while!
     Also a quick thank you to my mom and older sis (science teacher and
     pre-med) who tolerated my onslaughts of questions for this chapter!
     Going back to Cora next week and progressing further and further
     along the month of December! Pretty exciting isn't it?
     Once again, you can find at joseethefirst on twitter!
***** -CORAZON- Becoming Everyone's Guardian Angel Wasn't In the Plans (But At
Least I'll Earn My Wings!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Cora's having trouble with everything that's going on and is going to
     start confronting people!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“So the little brat is all moody right now and won’t even tell his beloved
grandfather what’s wrong! Teenagers are so damn difficult!“
Cora really wishes he knew why Garp was insisting on hanging off of him like
this, blathering away at his desk
Granted, it wasn’t like there was many around to entertain Garp either. Luffy
was at school and so was Ace, and by the sounds of it, Ace was being distant
and moody, which of course, made total sense
In the span of a day, he had lost his boyfriend and his friend got stabbed and
is now in intensive care and lapsed into a coma. It would make the most
mentally stable person a real mess for a while, so he could only imagine how
Ace was taking it
But Cora wasn’t sure how much Garp was actually aware of, so he didn’t want to
bring it up
The Captain as well was in a real foul mood since that night. People who didn’t
know the Captain would assume that he was just as grumpy as he usually was, but
Smoker didn’t have the habit of locking himself inside his office to do
paperwork. He loathed the damn thing, but this week he was diligently doing all
of it; clearly in an attempt to distract himself
Cora sighed; his heart went out to the both of them
“Huh?! What’s that sigh for? Am I boring you or something?”
Cora blinked, looking up at Garp who seemed…hurt?
“Huh? No! Sorry, Law’s on my mind and I’m having a hard time not worrying about
him”
It wasn’t a lie per say – Law was clearly hiding something from him
At first Cora thought that Law was just still mad at him for grounding him, but
it soon became clear that Law was plotting something
Every day he was clearly gearing up that van of his, receiving tons of packages
of medical supplies but the worst part was the bandages he kept finding in the
trash
Blood soaked bandages tucked away in every trash can
Law probably thought that if he put them under the regular trash that Cora
wouldn’t see them but he forgot one major thing
The distinctive smell of blood
Law having grown up in a medical environment probably has gotten rather
desensitized to it over the years, but Cora on the other hand was trained to
seek it out
Out on the field, if you smelled blood, that means someone needed help
Cora was starting to get seriously concerned
Who was bleeding that much?                           
It clearly wasn’t Bepo, the other seemed in perfect shape so the only other
option was Law himself
Was Law self-harming?
Cora wanted to confront him about it before it escaladed, but he knew very well
that if he messed it up, Law would only withdraw from him
It was driving him insane!
“Yeessh, Law, that dumb kid put Luffy in such a tailspin! Luffy keeps whining
about how sad he is that Law isn’t coming on the ski trip with him anymore!”
Cora’s eyes widen at Garp’s statement
Did he just say-!
“Haha, yeah, sorry about that! Sengoku’s parents really wanted to meet them,
you know? And at the ages they’re at, we never know-!” lied Cora, smiling
apologetically “I’m sure that Law and Luffy can go on another trip some other
time!”
He needed to talk to Law NOW!
 
“<Thank you as usual for your business, Trafalgar-san!>”
Cora bowed in return to Izo’s mother as he took the take-out bag
He had decided that if he was going to ask Law questions that might potentially
royally piss him off – he might as well butter him up the best he could!
Cora called ahead to the Firefox restaurant to order a large meal to go of many
different types of grilled fish and well, onigiri, which were Law’s favourite
“<Ah…Trafalgar-san, you haven’t seen Izo, have you?>”
Cora blinked, surprised
He had seen him at the hospital on Friday night – but that was five days ago!
“<Last I saw him, he was visiting a friend at the hospital? He hasn’t come home
since?>” asked Cora, getting worried
Izo’s mother shook her head, sighing deeply
“<No. He hasn’t been going to school either. The school has called me every
single day this week>”
“<Do you want me to file a missing person report?>” asked Cora, frowning
Izo’s mother once again shook her head
“<No, it’s alright. He’s a young man, he can take care of himself. I know if
something had happened to him, that man in charge of their group would have
told me>”
Cora nodded, quickly saying his goodbyes and letting her know that if she
changed her mind about the police report to contact him
Cora sighed deeply, running his free hand through his hair
The world was going to hell so fast he was having trouble keeping up
 
“Whoah! Rice balls and so much fish!”
Bepo stared at the spread in awe as Cora set the table
“Can you go get Law, Bepo?” asked Cora, trying to settle his nerves but he was
pretty sure his legs were shaking right now
He was getting so nervous, so scared about how Law was going to react – but
cancelling plans they had once looked forward to was usually a sign of
depression
Was Law hiding a severe depression that well from him?
What kind of parent was he to not see the signs?!
Had he been so concerned about the other people in his life that he had
neglected Law?
Had he messed up that badly?
How could he ever forgive himself?!
“Whoah, onigiri and grilled fish? How come? It’s not my birthday!”
Cora turned and looked at Law coming in from the side door leading in from the
garage with Bepo in tow
“I…I just wanted to get your favourites tonight, that’s all. Tomorrow, we can
do Bepo’s”
“Urgh, that means then we’ll have disgusting pickled plums one night when it’s
your turn, yuck” said Law, pretending to throw up as Bepo snorted, slapping his
hand on his face to try and contain his laughter
“Hey! Pickled plums are delicious! How dare you!” replied Cora, frowning deeply
That brat!
Law chuckled as he sat down, wincing slightly as he made contact with the chair
which drew Cora’s attention
And attention to the fact that peeking right under Law’s sleeve, it looked like
Law’s forearm was…wrapped up?
Why?!
His new tattoo was on his back and even that isn’t wrapped up anymore!!
Law started to eagerly dig in with Bepo as Cora quietly ate, watching the two
have a lively discussion but he couldn’t concentrate or even pretend to right
now
He just couldn’t stop worrying over Law
“Hey…You okay, Cora?” asked Bepo, raising a brow
“Yeah, you’ve been acting weird ever since you came home” added Law, taking
another healthy bite of the onigiri “Man, I’m so packing one of these in my
lunch for tomorrow”
 
“Why is your arm bandaged up, Law?” snapped Cora, frowning
Goddamnit Rosinante!! You were supposed to approach this calmly!
“Huh? Oh, hurt myself during sword fighting club, don’t worry about it”
instantly replied Law, not even pretending to be concerned
“They notify the parents when the student get injured, Law” snapped back Cora,
slamming his fist on the table
YOU ARE SCREWING UP, WHAT THE HELL
Law just shrugged his shoulders as he kept eating
“Guess Brook forgot to tell you, it happens”
Bepo sunk slightly in his seat, looking horrified between the two of them
And Cora snaps
“Okay! That’s it! Stop lying to me, you brat! Can’t you see I’m goddamn worried
about you?! You’ve been secretive, hiding away in your van for hours on end,
you’re distracted, cancelling plans left and right and now I’m finding bloody
bandages in the trash!”
Law stared at Cora completely shocked, not sure how to even react
And Cora just loudly burst into tears, everything overwhelming him at once
“I’m so so sorry Law that I didn’t notice that you weren’t doing well! What
kind of parent am I that I didn’t even notice that you’re depressed and now
possibly self-harming! I’m such a shitty caretaker but I’ll do my best, I
promise! I’ll do everything I can to help you! I’ll find the best help I
possibly can! I’ll find any and every way to accommodate you and help you! I’ll
quit my job and spend all the time you need with you, if you need to leave this
town, we’ll find a way! Please let me help you, Law, I don’t want to see you in
pain like this!”
Law kept staring at Cora as he sobbed, his voice cracking
Cora felt like such an idiot right now as he wiped his tears and snot with his
sleeves, not caring right now at all
His Law was hurting and in pain and he had no idea!
“Cora…you…you got this all wrong. I’m not self-harming, I’m practicing”
Huh?!
Cora blinked, sniffling as he looked at Law confused
“What?”
Law sighed loudly, getting up and removed his shirt – revealing that he was
filled with bandages all over his body. From small gauzes taped on, to full-on
bandages wrapped around his limbs. Law went to the one on his forearm that Cora
had spotted earlier and unwrapped it – revealing a neatly stitched up cut
“I’m trying to perfect my medical abilities. I know you’re probably going to
say that I’ll be doing that stuff once I enter medical school but let’s be
honest. I don’t have that kind of luxury right now. I want to be able to help
people when necessary and with this ‘war’ coming on, the better I am, the
better it is for everyone”
“Y-You stupid brat!” cried Cora, now unbelievably touched by Law’s self-
sacrificial act
Law lifted a brow, looking at Cora confused
“Also…I noticed something weird. That night that the World Government troops
shot at us, everything slowed down”
Cora frowned, sniffling again “What the hell are you talking about”
“Okay, so it’s like, the entire world slowed down and I was hyperaware of
everything around me! Every single bullet slowed down and was visible, so it
was super easily to deflect them! So I started experimenting and I realized
that if I’m in a high-stress situation, it’s like I have complete control of
everything around me. So when I do these incisions on myself, I don’t feel
pain, the blood slows down and doesn’t impact my work and everything is just,
completely under my control”
Cora listened carefully, trying to comprehend what Law was telling him
Oh!
OH!
“The…the akumanomi!”
“Yeah! I think this is what it did to me. We thought that it would just make me
able to kick the White Lead Disease to the curb, but now I think it’s more than
that. It makes my body hyperaware and capable in stress situations which is
perfect for me! But for it to work, I need to be the best doctor possible”
Cora sighed loudly, his stress melting away
“Law, why the hell did you hide this from me?!”
“Uh…because…I didn’t want you…to think I was self-harming” admitted Law,
looking sheepish
“Well that backfired, didn’t it?!” yelled Cora, not impressed
“Yeah, no kidding” said Law, scratching his head “I didn’t mean to worry you,
Cora. I’ve been doing it in the van to also check how well it works as a mobile
hospital”
“Wait – that’s what you’ve been doing in the van?! Making it into a hospital
and trying it out?!” Cora was completely shocked at what he’s been hearing
“Yeah, it’s like a mini version of my mom and dad’s hospital”
Cora didn’t know if he was proud or angry with Law right now
So he took a deep breath
“It’s not enough, Law”
“Huh?” said Law and Bepo, shocked
“It’s not enough to just practice on yourself! And that’s a huge strain you’re
putting on your body to heal all those wounds at once! How efficient of a
doctor can you be if you’re not in tip top shape!” pointed out Cora, shoving a
onigiri in his mouth
Now that he wasn’t so worried anymore – he was ravenous!
“Huh!?”
“Eat your damn supper! We’ll talk about this after I eat!”
 
“Damn, this van is really tricked out”
Cora was beyond shocked – it really looked like a mobile surgery ward! He was
really impressed with all the work Law had done in the van since he last saw
it. Bepo went to go hide, honestly Cora didn’t blame him right now, he and Law
did need some time alone together right now
“Tricked out, Cora? Seriously? What century do you think you are?” teased Law,
smirking as he crossed his arms
“Shut up, or we’re watching High School Musical for the next three days” warned
Cora as he kept looking around the van
“Annnd shutting up”
“Also, you’re forbidden from practicing on yourself for further notice. I want
you to use me” ordered Cora
Law jumped, shocked at the offer
“No way! I’m not doing that! You’re a recovering heart transplant patient! I’m
not putting your life in danger like that!”
“I have every faith in your abilities Law. Also I’m so big, that you’ll have
loads of room to practice!” said Cora, smiling brightly
“B-Bu-“
“No, you’re going to have to learn how to operate on people you care about,
Law” pointed out Cora as he sat down on the gurney
“I guess…Yeah, that’s true, huh”
“Also, I’ll see if you can shadow some paramedics once in a while”
“What?! Really?”
“Also, I’m pretty sure medical students practice on pigs, so I’ll see if it’s
possible for me to get you some. Or fish, Black Jack practiced his stitching
skills on fish if I remember right”
“Who?” asked Law, confused
“And I’m getting you every damn volume of Black Jack” Cora then sighed slightly
“Wow Cora, I didn’t think you’d be…so okay with this”
Cora sighed, shrugging
“You should have come to me in the first place about this, Law, I can be rather
accommodating when I’m aware of things”
“I know, I know, I just didn’t want to worry you” admitted sheepishly Law as he
rubbed the back of his neck
“And look how well that turned out”
“I’m sorry; I’ll let you know next time”
And now that that’s settled
Here goes
“You all ready for the ski trip?”
“Uh yeah, we’re going to be taking the van to get to the airport since it can
hold everyone and everyone’s gear instead of paying for parking for multiple
cars”
Cora frowned sharply
Law had just lied right to his face?
Seriously? After everything?
But at least now he knows that whatever Law is planning for the time that he
should be on the trip – that he’ll be in the van instead
“Hey Cora, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask since yesterday”
“Yeah, go ahead?”
“Marco said that they filed a police report about Thatch’s stabbing, so if you
guys go after Teach, are you going to too?”
Cora blinked – he didn’t realize that Law was worried about Teach
“I’d like to, personally. But the Captain said that the World Government took
the report from them and told us to stay out of it, that it was now a World
Government case” explained Cora, rubbing the back of his neck
Honestly the whole thing made him super uncomfortable
“Are they actually going to go after him though?” asked Law “The guy is super
dangerous since he stole the akumanomi that turns you into Patient 0 for every
outbreak possible”
Cora narrowed his eyes slightly – how come Law knew all of this?
“Yeah, I know, it was in the World Government report about the incident”
admitted Cora, groaning “And honestly, I’m afraid that the World Government
isn’t looking for him to uh…arrest him or anything. It clearly says in the
report to bring him back alive and to not…what was the word…’obfuscate him’,
meaning they want him of sound mind” explained Cora
Law frowned
“Why the hell would that be something to be concerned with?”
“Easy, it’s code for ‘we want to bargain with him’. Which means they’re not
trying to capture him because it’s the right thing to do and he deserves to rot
in jail forever, they want to try to deal with him”
“You fucking kidding me?! Why the hell do they want to bargain with
him?”snapped Law, shocked
“Honestly? If he could be utilized as a weapon, the World Government would be
unstoppable. Also all the information he has on the Whitebeards! He was with
the gang for over twenty years! He would be a super useful ally to the World
Government” admitted Cora
Watch they offer the bastard Warlord status
“I hope someone goes after him and fucking ends him before the World Government
gets their hands on him”
Instantly Cora thought of Ace and his blood ran cold
Shit!
“Actually, that’s what I’m more afraid of actually happening”
Please Ace, don’t put that kind of blood on your hands
 
Chapter End Notes
     So heads up - there /might/ not be a chapter next week! I'm going to
     try really hard to get it done but I got a new job and I still have
     to work the other job for another two weeks meaning I'll be working
     both jobs
     So uh, I'm going to try to write it between working 60 hours next
     week? I'LL DO MY BEST!
     EDIT: NEVERMIND, I MANAGED TO WRITE IT! WE'RE GOOD FOR NEXT WEEK!
***** -ACE- Turn It Off! (Find The Box and CRUSH IT!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ace has decisions to make that have some rather big consequences, but
     first, he'll need to empty his heart a little bit
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Promise me that I’ll see you on your birthday, Ace“
Ace scoffed slightly at Sabo’s concern. It didn’t take a genius to see that
Sabo was frustrated right now. He was about to leave for his mission, but he
couldn’t stop clutching Ace’s hands – desperate to not let go of him
As if he’d fly away or something
Ace feels like he wouldn’t be so annoyed if he hadn’t gotten the same speech
from Garp the day before, right before he left as well
“I’ll be fine, I swear. I promise that I’ll be super careful and stuff”
muttered Ace, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes
He didn’t need Sabo also trying to hold him back
But he also didn’t want to upset Sabo; so frankly, he just wanted this
conversation to end
Koala walked up to the pair and gave Ace a quick hug from behind
She looked really cute in her dark red outfit!
“We’ll miss you very much! Be good, okay? We want to see you in tip-top shape
on the 1rst! We’ll bring you a big cake, okay!”
Ace chuckled slightly
“Hey, you’re all worried about me, but you two are the ones going to an active
war zone!” reminded Ace, frowning
“We’ll be fine! If all goes well, it won’t be an active war zone when we’re
done with it!” boasted Koala proudly as she let go of Ace
“Look at you guys, changing the world” said Ace in awe
No matter what, he was always proud of his family, they were truly really good
people, no matter what the law says
“We do what we can! C’mon Sabo, we have to go, the ship is leaving shortly and
we can’t miss it” warned Koala as she tugged slightly at Sabo’s sleeve
Sabo frowned, pulling Ace into a tight hug. Ace could feel the leather of
Sabo’s gloves digging into his back
Please Sabo, you’re making this so difficult
“Please please please don’t do anything stupid, Ace. I know, I know how badly
you must want to go after Teach, but he’s so dangerous! I just, I just got you
back in my life, Ace. I don’t want to lose you again!” whispered Sabo in Ace’s
ear, clinging on to him tighter “I have such a bad feeling in my stomach; I
need you to promise me that you’ll do what you can to stay safe”
Ace sighed in relief
Sabo didn’t tell him not to go after Teach – but to be careful
Sabo clearly understood that Ace was going to go after him no matter what and
Ace thoroughly appreciated it
“I’ll do my best, Sabo, it’s all I can promise” answered Ace and Sabo pulled
back, holding Ace’s face in his hands
“It’s all I can ask”
“Sabo” said Koala, her voice tense – they really needed to go
Sabo merely nodded, pulling away from Ace
“I’ll miss you, I’m sorry I can’t contact you while I’m gone”
“It’s okay, I don’t think I’d be able to contact you anyways”
Ace really hoped he got to see his brother again
 
Ace wiped a tear away that fell once Sabo and Koala had left – Sabo wasn’t the
only person with a bad feeling in his stomach
But Ace wasn’t sure if it was about himself or Sabo, he was hoping it was
himself
Ace quickly made his way to the Whitebeard mansion, going straight for the
garage. He quickly opened the small side door and quietly walked in – not
wanting his presence heard
Deuce barely looked up from his spot on the floor besides the Stryker, as he
kept working on the bike, installing tires that would work well in the snow
“How is she?” asked Ace, looking around – Kotatsu quickly trotted up to Ace,
rubbing his head against Ace’s leg
“Really good, I’m just about done and she should be good to go”
“Great” replied Ace as he grabbed the bags he had stashed in the back of the
garage under a barely used car that was kept there and walked up to the bike
He chucked off his winter coat, quickly stashing it in one of the motorcycle
bags. Ace stretched out his arms, now only wearing a thin black tank top. He
quickly put on his yellow motorcycle jacket and pulled out his beaded necklace,
not wanting it pressed against his collarbone as he drove and slipped off his
sweatpants. He quickly slipped on his enforced motorcycle shorts and put a pair
of black jeans over them, slipping back on his leather boots
“You leaving today, right?”
“Yep, as soon as I can, I’m out of here. I’ve been trying to track a route that
the asshole might have taken, and it seems he’s hitting up a lot of nearby
towns”
“Oh yeah? How you figure?”
“I’ve been calling every place that sold cherry pies and described him over the
phone – so I was able to more or less track his movements” admitted Ace,
pulling out a very worn out paper map from his leather jacket pocket, showing
it to Deuce
Deuce frowned and stood up, walking up to Ace. He grabbed the map and looked it
over, frowning even more
Since Deuce had been his tactician when they were the Spade gang, he wanted the
other’s input
“Where the fuck is he even going?”pointed out Deuce
Of good, he isn’t the only one confused
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere in particular, to be honest. I feel like
he’s just fucking around” stated Ace as he took the map back from Deuce and
folded it up, tucking it inside his jacket’s interior pocket
“Or he’s setting up a trap, Ace” pointed out Deuce, frowning sharply “Ace, be
really goddamn careful. I wouldn’t put it past Teach to set up an elaborate
trap like this. He’s not an idiot – he probably knows you’re going to go
collect his head. He’s sticking around way too close for someone who’s supposed
to be on the run”
“I know” said Ace as he started to set up the bags on the bike “But it’s a
chance I need to take, Thatch deserves justice! You’ll text me if there are any
changes in his condition, right?”
Deuce crossed his arms and nodded
“Of course I will, don’t worry about it – but Ace, you sure about this? Marco’s
going to be really fucking mad”
“It’s a chance I need to take”
 
“Are you both fucking kidding me?!”
Deuce and Ace both whipped around, only to see an absolutely furious looking
Marco at the door. Kotatsu instantly put himself in front of Ace, hissing at
Marco
Damn! Kotatsu usually wasn’t that brave
“I fucking knew it! You dropped the fucking issue of going after Teach too
fucking fast! Ace, you fucking idiot! We told you no!”
Ace groaned, rolling his eyes – damnit! He was hoping to leave before he was
caught!
“Look Marco, the rules are clear about this; it’s my duty as Commander of the
2nd Division to discipline the men under me! Teach stabbed Thatch, with the
intention to kill him! Meaning it’s my duty to discipline him and the rules are
also really clear on that one – I have to collect his fucking head!” announced
Ace, getting on the motorcycle
“And I’m going to remind you that Pops said no and to drop it!” yelled Marco as
he quickly made his way to the bike, covering the ignition switch with his hand
and standing in front of the bike
Goddamnit Marco!
“This is my responsibility! I’m not going to let Thatch’s would-be-murderer go
free! You fucking hear me?!Especially not when I’m the one who agreed to let
Teach go on that mission with Thatch!”
“Ace…” started Marco, but then he turned his head and glared at Deuce “And you!
How dare you do this! Help him out of this stupid whim of his! You should have
known better and warned me about it!”
Deuce merely shrugged, his expression staying neutral
“I’m Ace’s right hand man first and above all, Marco. I’m loyal to the
Whitebeards, but mostly because I’m loyal to Ace”
Ace couldn’t deny how good it made him feel to have Deuce flat-out say that to
Marco
Now, Deuce was going to get it later – but it was nice of him to stick up for
Ace like that
Marco clearly was riled up by the comment as he grabbed the handle bars of the
bike
“Listen, Ace, you can’t do this!”
Ace sighed, straddling the bike properly as he zipped his jacket closed
“Marco, I’ll contact you all regularly”
“Ace, no! You’re not going!”
“Hey, think of it this way; if I’m on the run, the World Government can’t get
me” teased Ace, forcing himself to smirk
“Ace, please, it’s much too dangerous. There’s a real chance of Teach killing
you” pleaded Marco, his grip on the handlebars so tight that his knuckles were
turning white
“I know, but there’s also a real chance of me getting killed if I stay in Goa
too. I’d rather go down swinging for Thatch over being killed for being that
bastard’s son” admitted Ace, needing Marco to just let him go
Deuce remained silent, he was aware of who his father was, so Ace didn’t care
to talk about it openly in front of him
“This is something I need to do, Marco. I’ll ask Pops for forgiveness when I
come back with Teach’s head”
“Ace, if you do this, you’re going to be a murder. Are you ready for that
consequence and the problems that come with that? You’re going to be on the run
from the law for the rest of your life” stated Marco, really needing Ace to
understand
Ace scoffed slightly – good thing he was dumped by his police chief of a
boyfriend then
But then his heart ached badly
He needed to go
“Marco, I’ve been an outlaw my whole life, what the hell would this really
change? At least I would have earned it. There’s no future for me on the
straight and narrow – I owe Thatch this”
Marco paused for a moment, staring at Ace in silent contemplation and then he
sighed loudly, letting go of the handle bars and taking a step back
“You better goddamn call me every night, Ace. Call and hang up immediately so
you can’t be traced by the cops. Keep your phone off unless you’re making a
call. For this to work, you need to be completely off the map. If you need to
directly contact us – use a payphone or a public internet café, you know the
places I’m talking about” instructed Marco, looking dejected
Ace nodded, taking his phone out of the hostler on his thigh and quickly turned
it off and put it right back in the pocket – his knife right beside it
“Ace, please, for the love of everything holy – be careful out there” begged
Deuce, finally breaking his silence as he walked up to Ace to hand him his
helmet
His helmet was black with flames on it – Ace really loved it
Ace chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck as his other hand petted
Kotatsu on the head
“Man, people keep saying that to me today! Doesn’t anybody have any kind of
faith in me?”
Both Deuce and Marco sighed at this as Ace took the helmet
“It’s more like we worry about you, that’s all. You’re kinda of an impulsive
ass” pointed out Deuce, smirking
“You wouldn’t love me otherwise, c’mon now” teased Ace, grinning
“Ace…Please reconsider. Think this through – this is so dangerous and your life
is worth so much more than this” pleaded Marco, desperately
“My life ain’t worth more than Thatch’s. Thatch deserves this, he deserves
justice. I ain’t budging on that, Marco and you can’t make me change my mind
either” argued Ace, getting frustrated with the conversation
Marco sighed, nodding as he completely moved out of the way of the bike
Ace put on the helmet and quickly turned on the bike – the Stryker roaring to
life
Deuce went up to the control panel and pressed the button for the garage door
to go up
Ace could feel his heart pounding in his chest – he wasn’t sure if he was
angry, anxious or just…being reckless
But the moment the door went up; Ace waved to the two and quickly drove down
the path – leaving the Whitebeard Estate within minutes, not sure when he’ll
see it again…or if he would
 
Ace knew this was reckless, but he also knew that this might be the last time
he could come here
Ace stared quietly at Smoker’s house; he knew he should get going. And every
minute spent wasted – is another minute that Teach has to get away. Not only
that, there was a snowstorm announced for tonight, so Ace needed to get as much
out as he could and find shelter before the storm started
But his heart was yearning to see the house, one more time before he set off
Fuck it
Ace parked the bike on the sidewalk, attaching his helmet to the bike and
sprinted in the direction of the gate leading to the backyard. With his running
start, he was able to vault himself over the gate and landed directly in the
back yard
Justice instantly ran out of her doghouse and ran up to Ace with the intention
of attacking – barking loudly. But she instantly stopped when she recognized
him, wagging her tail
Ace smiled warmly at Justice, falling to his knees as he pulled her into a hug.
Justice in return let out a small worried whine and licked the side of his
face. He quickly looked towards the house and thankfully – it looked empty
“I’m going to miss you, girl. Going to miss you so much”
Justice nuzzled him in response
“I know you’ll still love me, no matter what. You don’t care about stupid
arbitrary morality rules and you don’t care that I’m in a gang or anything. You
love me for who I am, don’t you, girl”
Ace smiled as Justice kept nuzzling him – she really was such a good girl
“Animals are so much better than people, Justice. I have to go do something
that will make your master not forgive me when he finds out. If he had issues
with me being in a gang, he’s going to hate me for murdering someone”
Ace didn’t know why he was pouring his heart out to Justice right now, but
honestly, it made him feel good
Maybe for the first time since the break up
“I miss his touch every night, girl. I miss his scent, I miss the feel of his
bed, the sound of his breathing, I miss the smell of gunpowder and leather and
cigars that’s stuck on his skin and in his hair. I miss how he’d slightly
scratch my face when we kissed because of his stubble, I miss his hands on my
waist, and how he loved to run his hand through my hair. I miss the rumbling of
his voice and how safe and happy he made me feel. I miss lying on his chest and
listening to his heart beating. It’s only been a week and I feel like my heart
has been ripped to pieces and I hate how I can’t even be angry at him, I can’t
even make him the bad guy in my head, because he did nothing wrong and I just
love him so so much”  continued Ace, feeling the tears run down his face
Ace sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of the jacket as Justice
continued to nuzzle him and lick Ace’s cheek, whining softly
“I wish I could tell someone how much it hurts, but I don’t want people to
worry about me, you know? I’m still kinda embarrassed on how bad I was with
Sabo, but I can tell you everything, can’t I, Justice?”
Justice only looked at Ace in response, Ace chuckled softly
“I wish you could tell me if he misses me too. I think maybe it would hurt a
little less if I thought for a moment that he missed me just as much, you know?
Sometimes, I wish we could just…run away together. But I’d miss my family and
friends too much, I think”
Justice whined softly, nuzzling Ace’s face again
“Yeah I’d miss you too! Of course!” Ace then paused, scratching Justice behind
the ear “You know, I have to go collect this guy’s head because he tried to
kill my friend Thatch. Thatch is in critical care and we won’t know if he’ll
pull through. It’s my duty to do this for Thatch, but not only for Thatch, but
for Izo too. The poor guy hasn’t left the hospital since Thatch was admitted.
He’s too heartbroken. You see, he and Thatch really like each other, but they
never told each other, and now it might be too late…”
Ace frowned, shaking his head as he stood up
“I hope I’m doing the right thing, Justice. I know the law won’t see it that
way, but they already want me dead, so who cares what they think?”
Justice wagged her tail slightly, nuzzling Ace’s leg
“I’m not a bad person because I’m Roger’s son” declared Ace
Huh, he had never said that outloud before
“And I’m tired of being treated like it because of it. So either I get executed
by the World Government soon or I get killed by Teach, it doesn’t change shit
because the world will be a better place without me. Gramps can finally move
on, not have to hold on to such a big secret. Luffy has Sabo and he has his
friends, his gang, he’ll be fine! And the Whitbeards too! I believe in them and
their abilities, they can move on without me! Chase will find someone else,
someone good for him that he can depend on and won’t have to worry about like
he worried over me. Everyone can! Everyone will finally stop worrying about me
and things will be nice in Goa again” explained Ace, grinning
Justice let out a small whine, surprising Ace
I guess his voice betrayed him?
Ace then felt the tears falling on his face. Ace closed his eyes, rubbing the
tears away. He soon reopened them, wanting the clenching feeling in his heart
to go away
“I can’t even call what me and Chase had a mistake, Justice. Because I felt so
incredibly loved, during my time with him, I felt how much everyone loved me
and wanted me to be happy and it was wonderful. Now I’m just worrying everyone,
I fucked up”
Ace then blinked, spotting something at the corner of the house, right by the
roof
Was that a fucking camera?!
Ace gasped, horrified, he had no idea that Smoker had a security system! Fuck!
Shit! Fuck!
Everything he just said was recorded! Smoker was going to hear it!
Ace’s face went completely red as he forced the bile down back in his throat.
He quickly took off running, vaulting over the fence as he quickly took off
running towards the bike. He got on the bike and quickly turned it off and
drove off, embarrassed out of his mind
He was such a fucking idiot!! Of course the Captain would have a video
surveillance system!!
He was never going to live that down!
 
 
So do you guys want to see the bike? It's not yellow, but this is the one we
have at (old) work that I based Ace's on!


this is the switch that Marco covered! 
Chapter End Notes
     And Ace is off on his adventure! Don't worry, we're going to keep up
     with him even if he's not in Goa anymore!
     Next week we're back to Law, and again, I'm still in the two week
     period where I'm straddling both jobs, but once again, I'll try my
     best to write the chapter! But if it's not up, that's why 8C
***** -LAW- Yet Again, A Magical Moment Is Ruined By the Peanut Gallery (YOU
GUYS SUCK!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Thankfully I was able to crank out the chapter! I'm so happy!
     Everything should be good and dandy until the end of the fic from now
     on! (On that note, I know for a fact now how many chapters there
     actually is left! It's all planned out! But it's going to be my
     littler secret~!)
     EDIT: Thank you so much Edgar-Nyan for the correction in the Italian
     title! It's much appreciated!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“This thing is completely hideous, Cora“
 
Law grumbled, looking down, once again, at probably the ugliest sweater he’d
ever seen in his goddamn life
It was red and green and it had Christmas ornaments sewed onto it with “I LOVE
SANTA” written in big, bold letters and reindeers
Law still can’t believe he was wearing it
“It’s an ugly Christmas sweater party, Law! That’s the damn dress code, so stop
grumbling! You’re done school for the year! You should be relaxing! Be in a
better mood!” teased Cora as he hummed under his breath another damn Christmas
jingle
As usual, Cora went completely over the top and their house was decorated to
the nines with Christmas decorations – even the goddamn toilet! But Law
couldn’t relax no matter what – he knew very well what was coming at the end of
the year and he couldn’t let his guard down, no matter what
Cora chuckled as Bepo walked in, grinning ear to ear, proud of is choice of
sweaters
“Do you like it?”
“Oh man, Cora, I can’t believe you found this thing!” said Bepo in awe at he
looked down at his own sweater
His was a two toned blue shirt with a polar bear on it…well, throwing up, and
the worst part is that the vomit  lit up
“I knew how much you like polar bears, so I wanted to find you one with bears
on it!” explained Cora as he left the kitchen
Law sighed deeply, knowing very well what Cora was coming back with – and lo
and behold, he came back carrying a handful of presents
“Cora!”
“Nope! You can’t argue with me on this one! There’s something here for Mihawk,
Perona and Zoro, as a thank you for hosting the party! And there’s a little
something in there for Luffy too, but be sure to give it to him when you two
are alone, since there isn’t anything for everyone. Please tell Shachi, Penguin
and Jean Bart that they’ll get theirs when they come over on Christmas day”
explained Cora, handing over the presents to Law and Bepo, who quickly put them
into large reusable shopping bags
Law bit his lip, not wanting to argue with Cora – especially not when Cora’s
sleeves rode up and Law could see how bandaged up Cora’s arms were
Desperate, Law had taken Cora’s offer to practice on him – generally it was
going rather well, and they took all the precautions possible for Cora to not
suffer adverse reactions to being used like a lab experiment – but Law still
found it emotionally really hard to take
“Stop that!” snapped Cora, frowning at Law
Law blinked, surprised at Cora’s outburst
“You were staring at my bandages again! I already told you I was fine! You need
to emotionally get over this, Law!” lectured Cora, frowning as he pushed his
sleeves down “What happens if someone you care about gets hurt? Like Luffy! You
need to be able to treat them regardless of your feelings”
“I don’t know, if I hate them, maybe I won’t treat them” admitted Law darkly
“maybe I’d help it along”
Cora blinked and then laughed
“Oh jeez Law, people won’t know if you’re there to heal them or kill them!
You’re going to be like a surgeon of death or something!”
Law blinked, surprised once more
Then he smiled quietly to himself
Surgeon of Death doesn’t sound too bad, honestly
 
Law and Bepo gawked openly at the giant mansion
It was decorated so…weirdly
“Hey, you know when in the Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween Town tried to
do Christmas but uh, kinda got it all wrong?” started Bepo
Law snapped his fingers in realization
“Ohh!! That’s why these decorations look familiar!”
“Do you think they did it on purpose?”
Law shrugged
“It could just be Perona being…Perona”
“Ah, true! I don’t see Zoro getting all festive”
Law snorted at the mental image of Zoro in a Santa hat and an ugly sweater –
there was no way that Zoro was going to participate – regardless of it being
his party or not
Yet when they ran the doorbell and Zoro answered – they learned quickly how
very wrong they were
“Holy shit” muttered Law, staring in shock at Zoro
He was wearing a Santa hat, and an ugly sweater with a samurai snowman on it??
But he also had a large mug of eggnog in his hand
“Hey, com’in, party’s already started, we were just waiting on you guys” said
Zoro as he took a big gulp of his drink and turned to walk back into the house
“Uh…Cora gave me these to give to you and your family” said Law, handing over a
bag with Perona’s, Mihawk’s and Zoro’s presents to Zoro
Zoro merely chuckled, taking the bag
“Thanks, he’s really polite your old man” started Zoro “Everyone’s in the den,
feel free to eat and drink as much as you want”
Law nodded as he and Bepo made their way to the den. Once there, as previously
stated, everyone had already arrived, the Strawhats, his own gang (minus Jean
Bart who said he didn’t want to party with a bunch of kids) and others loudly
chatting away as they ate and drank merrily
Law wanted to carve his eyes out from how ugly everyone’s sweaters were –
especially Sanji’s ugly Christmas sweater suit
Law blinked surprised as he spotted Camie and everyone else that was at the
auction they busted
“TORAO!” yelled Luffy as he hopped off the couch and ran up to Law, hugging him
tightly – Law hugged him right back “I’m so glad you’re here! I want to talk to
you alone later, okay?”
Law blinked, surprised and then nodded, worried but Luffy instantly smiled
brightly at Law, leaning up to whisper
“I want to give you your Christmas present!”
Law smiled, instantly calming down, making Luffy chuckle
“Sorry for worrying you!”
“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have assumed the worst” admitted Law, feeling a bit
sheepish
“C’mon! Relax! Let’s have fun!”
Law nodded, already feeling his energy draining
 
Law quietly slipped away from the crowd – as much fun as he was having, all
this social interactions was really draining for him. He was thankful once more
that he had asked Cora if they could meet him at the station tonight and get a
ride home because he’s not sure he could handle this many people two days in a
row as most of them were sleeping over. He quietly slipped into the kitchen,
but froze, backing up when he heard two people talking inside
“I think you’re worrying for nothing”
That was definitely Zoro
“I’m…I’m not so sure. This…This is so specific, I…”
Was that Sanji? He sounded so…anxious?
“Look, Sanji. Listen, it’s like, a prank or something. It’s not a threat”
Whoah – what the fuck was going on?
Law quietly crouched by the door, quietly listening in
Fuck he was picking up bad habits from Cora
“You don’t understand! The email said ‘You need to disappear before it’s too
late’! Who the hell would send that to someone as a joke! And I tried to email
the person back, but apparently the email doesn’t exist anymore!” explained
Sanji, clearly frustrated
“Someone is just trying to freak you out and clearly it’s working. Anyone tries
shit with you; I’m going to stop them, so relax”
Sanji huffed
“I don’t need you to protect me, Marimo!” snapped Sanji, but then his voice
grew soft, quiet…almost scared “Especially not if this is what I think it
is…Zoro, listen to me. I need you to promise that if I need to leave, that you
will let me”
“No”
“Zoro!”
“No!”
Law pulled back from the door, not wanting to hear any more since he was pretty
sure that it was just going to erupt into a stupid fight anyways
And usually when those two fights, it goes from rated-G to rated NC-17 fast
Law sighed, getting irritated
 He wanted to find Luffy, but he wasn’t sure where the other went so Law
started wondering around the manor, hoping to bump into him without going back
to the den right away
 
Honestly, Law thought this place was totally his aesthetic as he kept wandering
around. Not sure he’d want a house that looked like this – but he thought it
looked really cool nonetheless
Suddenly Law heard a deep voice, laughing to whatever someone else had said.
Law frowned, not recognizing this voice either, but he quickly recognized the
second voice as Mihawk Dracule’s. Law slightly approached the doorway and was
surprised the find said door open. He looked in for a moment and couldn’t
believe his eyes
Inside was Red Hair Shanks!
“-So I’m going to go see Whitebeard tonight and try to get him to call back-in
Ace, going after Teach is too damn dangerous”
Teach?!
Ace went after him?!
“Why do you even care so much? If the boy craves death so much, let him” asked
Mihawk, taking a small sip of his wine
“Because I know what Teach is capable of” started Shanks, touching the scar on
his face “Luffy is going to be devastated when Teach murders Ace”
Law froze, pulling back from the door horrified
Why was Shanks so certain that Teach was going to kill Ace?!
This was bad! Very bad!
“Whoever is behind the door better come out” warned Mihawk, no teasing behind
his voice as he took another sip of wine
Law gulped loudly and turned the corner, going into the doorway and instantly
bowed his head
Maybe if he’s nice Mihawk won’t kill him?
“Sorry for interrupting you. I wanted to thank you for your hospitality but saw
that you were busy with someone else” lied Law, hoping the other one bought it
“Ah, yes, Rosinante’s boy. Tell him that he brought me a rather excellent wine
and I commend him for it” said Mihawk as he swirled the content in his glass
slightly
Shanks blinked slightly
“Rosinante? As in Rosinante Donquixote? He’s the good Donquixote’s kid? That’s
who this is?” asked Shanks, pointing towards Law
Mihawk merely nodded as Shanks turned towards Law, grinning
Law made a slightly startled noise as he noticed the pinned sleeve – he forgot
that Shanks had lost an arm and doesn’t wear a prosthetic
“Oh how cool! So you’re Luffy’s boyfriend, huh? Do me a favour and don’t tell
him I’m here okay! Luffy and I made a promise long ago, so he can’t see me
until then, alright?”
Law merely nodded, too stunned to really do anything else
Shanks was talking to him like a normal person and not like the living legend
he was and it was kinda spooking him out
“Now head back to your party” said Mihawk and Law nodded, quickly turning
around and leaving the room as fast as he could without running out
He was no coward!
But once in the hallways, he made sure to be as far away from them as possible
But Law didn’t go far until he bumped into someone else as he rounded the
corner
“There you are!”
Law blinked, looking at Luffy and his heart instantly clenched
He should tell Luffy
“C’mon! It’s time for the White Elephant Party!” said Luffy, smiling brightly
as he grabbed Law’s sleeve, dragging him back down to the den
He couldn’t
Not now
Later…he’ll do it later
 
“Oh man, these are great!” yelled Luffy, holding up his new bread loaf slippers
“I’m going to bring these to your house, Torao! They’ll be my slippers when I
visit, okay?”
Law was pretty sure he was going to be blinded by Luffy’s smile one day
“Yeah sure, Cora will get a real kick out of them too” replied Law, barely
paying attention as he was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to just kiss
Luffy
“Your monkey is really funny too!” replied Luffy, pointing to the cymbal
clanking monkey that Law got
Law’s pretty sure it’s the most hideous thing he’s ever seen with the sweater
He’s so going to stick it in Cora’s bed tonight when the other isn’t looking
Man, Cora is going to screech like a banshee!
“Are you guys hyped to leave on your trip?” asked Shachi to the group – but
clearly the girls more than anyone else
Shachi was many things – but he wasn’t smooth, that’s for sure
“Yeah, apparently I heard though that the Amazon Lily girls are staying in the
giant cabin near ours! Isn’t that a wild coincidence?” stated Nami, grinning
Law snorted, he knew what she was doing there
“AWW MAN!” yelled both Shachi and Penguin at the same time as they both looked
at Law with pleading eyes
“No” merely stated Law, taking a sip of his eggnog
“Besides, you guys can’t come anymore! Camie, Hachi, Pappug, Raleigh and Shakki
have taken your places” explained Nami, smirking at the whining boys
“Sorry” said Camie meekly, clearly feeling bad but Law shook his head
“Don’t. I’m happy someone took our places, I’d rather the trip didn’t get
wasted” assured Law, shaking his head “Besides, knowing those two, they would
have tried to sneak into the Amazon Lily cabin anyways, so I’d rather we stay
away”
But now shehad a chance to mack on Luffy for a week
Fucking hell
Law then turned towards Vivi who was sitting beside Nami to his right side on
the couch
Right, he’d been meaning to ask her about something he’d notice
“Vivi, been meaning to ask – how come you weren’t at the raid of the auction
house?”
More and more Luffy and Law’s paths were crossing when they went out into the
streets, and he noticed that Vivi ran with the gang, but she wasn’t there
during the raid
It had been bothering him
“Oh! It’s because I’m foreign royalty, so most if not all the people in that
room would have recognized me which means the word would get back to my father”
explained Vivi
Oh yeah, Law had forgotten she was an actual princess
“You excited to go back home?” asked Law, remembering that the other was
leaving soon after new years
But Law instantly felt Nami giving him a dirty look – shit! Guess it wasn’t
something to bring up!
“Well” started Vivi, smiling sadly “I miss my father and my family back home,
but I’m also going to miss everyone here terribly too. I just wish I could
combine the two, you know”
Law nodded suddenly feeling like a real jerk
Good job, Trafalgar
“I’m sorry for bringing it up” apologized Law, looking downwards as he rubbed
the back of his neck but Vivi shook her head
“Don’t! It was nice of you to ask! We haven’t had a chance to really talk ever
since you transferred to our school, Law. Luffy is so fond of you so I’ve been
meaning to talk a bit with you, so it’s great that we have this chance”
Law blinked, surprised at Vivi’s words and blushed a deep red, embarrassed
“Ah…well, um”
“Torao! C’mon! Let’s get some air!” said Luffy as he grabbed Law’s arm, pulling
him off the couch
Law didn’t miss the large bundle under Luffy’s arm
“Uh yeah, it, it was nice talking to you, Vivi” said Law, not sure when he’d
see the other again
Vivi merely giggled
“Don’t worry; you’ll just have to come visit me in Alabaster with the others,
won’t you?”
Law nodded, smiling at the other as he was dragged out by Luffy
 
They were suddenly outside and Law shivered slightly under the cold air
The temperature had really dropped in the last couple of days – thankfully it
was snowing slightly so Law knew it couldn’t be that cold outside
“I’m so excited to give you your present!” declared Luffy, giving the big
bundle over to Law
Law grabbed it and frowned instantly – it was a book?
It felt like a book
He unwrapped it and his eyes widen in complete shock
There was written on the cover ‘Teoria e pratica della medicina del Dottor L.W.
Trafalgar e Dott.ssa L. Trafalgar’
Theory and Practice of Medicine by Doctor L.W. Trafalgar and Doctor L.
Trafalgar
It was his mother and father’s book
“H-How?” asked Law, feeling himself tearing up as he stared at the forgotten
relic in his hands
“I found it at a used book store! I saw that it had your last name on it, but I
don’t know how to read Italian! But Sabo knew a bit of Italian so he was able
to translate the title, so I thought you’d like it” explained Luffy, grinning
from ear to ear
Law was so touched he didn’t know how to handle the information that was just
given to him. Luffy went scourging in book stores to look for the perfect thing
for him for Christmas and happen to come across a rare copy of his parent’s
book – one that technically would have burned with everything else when they
burned the city to the ground, but now in his hands he had a copy
A memory of his parents
Because of Luffy
Tears started to stream down his face and Law quickly wiped them away with his
sleeve, feeling embarrassed
“T-Thank you, thank you so much, Luffy, I…I don’t think mine measures up after
this though” admitted Law, feeling the small box in his pocket
“You got me something?” asked Luffy, surprised, but clearly excited
Law blinked
“Of course I did! You’re my boyfriend!” replied Law, taking the small wrapped
box from his pocket and handed it over to Luffy
Luffy enthusiastically took off the wrapper, smiling as he opened the small box
– revealing a small gold bracelet
Luffy smiled brightly, taking it from the box and looked it over, grinning when
he spotted the engraving inside
“’From my heart to yours’, that’s what it says, right?” asked Luffy, smiling
shyly up at Law
Law turned bright red, nodding slowly – good to know that Luffy sure earned his
marks in Spanish class
“Thank you so much, Torao!” said Luffy, instantly putting on the bracelet “I’m
always going to keep this on!”
“Y-You don’t have to do that! If you don’t like It, I can-“
“Stop! Torao! I love it! I want to keep it forever! I can’t wait to show it to
everyone!” replied Luffy, interrupting Law “I’m so happy you gave me this!”
Then Luffy lunged forward to give Law a kiss, which Law readily accepted,
kissing Luffy back
“Luffy, I want you to know, that I’m always going to be there for you! No
matter what adventure you’re on; I want to be part of it!” confessed Law,
flustered
And then mentally beat himself for even saying
God, that sounded corny
Luffy probably thought he was such a loser right now
Luffy smiled back, taking Law’s hands in his
“I always want you there too, Torao!”
“Luffy, I love you”
Holy shit he did not just-
“I love you too, Law” replied Luffy sincerely, Law’s heart clenching at his
name being said “I’m so happy you’re here in my life”
Law was pretty sure his heart was going to stop
“Me too”
The two of them leaned in, kissing each for a moment but Luffy broke the kiss,
snorting
“What’s wrong?” asked Law, confused
Luffy merely chuckled, pointing upwards
Law looked up and saw that above their heads; a mistletoe
Law snorted – of course        
Luffy laughed, putting his arms around Law’s neck, pulling him in closer. Law
smiled softly, hands around Luffy’s waist as he pulled him, making sure not to
drop his book, leaning down as the two softly kissed
Law didn’t think this moment could be any more perfect as the two kept kissing
in the soft moonlight. The air was crisp, but their individual body heat
brought together made it just a comfortable temperature as they enjoyed each
other’s company. Exchanging soft kisses with the music from inside softly
resonating – but neither of them really noticed it, too enraptured with each
other at the moment
 
And then there was a series of bright flashes
The two instantly broke apart, turning around, looking shocked towards the
source of the light
Only to see everyone outside, whistle and hollering at them but what Law saw
instantly was Nami in the middle of the group, holding an instax camera in her
hand – grinning from ear to ear
Oh son of a bitch, they took a photo of them!!
Law turned scarlet, completely embarrassed as Luffy laughed brightly
“You guys took a photo of us?!”
“Of course we did~” purred Nami, taking the photos out, showing them to the two
Photos?! Why is there so many?!
Everyone laughed, dragging Luffy inside as they all went back in but Law stood
back slightly, waiting for Nami to start going in before he tapped her on her
shoulder, getting her attention
“Uh…Nami…” started Law, looking to the side, frowning
“Hmm?” asked Nami as she turned around, grinning at Law
“Is there…could I have one of those pictures?” asked Law, muttering, unable to
believe he has to ask for something like that!
“Sure!” said Nami, grinning brightly “For 100$”
Law frowned sharply, looking at Nami shocked
“What?!”
“100$ a picture~” restated Nami, taking one out
Law grumbled, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket as he shifted the book
under his arm to hold it up
Did he even have 100$ on him right now? Does Nami take e-transfer?
“Nami! Don’t charge Law for the photo! That’s now very nice! Just give him
one!” chided Vivi gently, giggling
Nami sighed playfully, rolling her eyes as she handed the picture over to Law
“I wasn’t actually going to take his money, Vivi~!”
Law snorted, not too sure about that, as he took the picture and stuck it in
his wallet; smiling gently at it before he closed the wallet and put it in his
back pocket and followed Nami and Vivi back inside to join the party
Desperately wanting to forget what was to come
He had to find some way to tell Luffy
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Ahh it was so weird to write a Christmas chapter while Halloween is
     happening but here it is!
     I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
***** -CORAZON- Immigrants, They Get the Job Done (Even If It’s Just A Shoulder
To Cry On) *****
Chapter Notes
     MERRRY CH- Wait, it's Halloween! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! This
     chapter is more on a sadder note but what can we do? They can't all
     be happy and stuff, now can they?
     Thank you so much as usual for reading! This chapter actually almost
     didn't come to be because I was so caught up making my Halloween
     costume and working on a Christmas present that I TOTALLY forgot
     about everything and almost forgot to write it - ooops! Still getting
     used to the new routine with the new job, but let's do this!
     Posting it a little earlier than usual because I have a party
     tonight! Hope you're all celebrating!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Wow, those two can really sleep anywhere, huh? “
Cora blinked, looking up from the report he was typing up to a smug, amused
looking Bellemere handing him a cup of coffee
Cora laughed quietly, graciously accepted the sweet sweet beverage of the gods
“Oh yeah, but Bepo it’s totally a talent he’s always had while Law had to work
at it, you see” explained Cora teasingly as he casted a warm look towards the
two bundled up on the floor against the wall near Cora’s desk, sleeping
soundly, leaning on each other with a thin blanket over both of them
Cora had offered them the couch in the waiting area, but they had both refused,
wanting to be near Cora as they retold their adventures of the night before
they fell asleep – Coradefinitively wanted a copy of Law’s picture though!
That’s going right on the damn mantle!
“I’m surprised they didn’t stay at the party like everyone else, there was this
big brunch planned and everything” pointed out Bellemere, sipping her own
coffee
Cora though shook his head gently
“Naw, Law’s very much an introvert. The brunch would have been too much for
him. He needs to come home and recharge his battery in peace. He likes that
group, but they’re a bit much for him in large doses, you know?” explained Cora
as gently as possible, hoping that Bellemere wouldn’t take offense due to Nami
being part of that group
Bellemere merely snorted
“’A bit much’ is putting it mildly! They’re a giant ball of energy, which is
good for Nami, because they took her out of her shell, but I can completely
understand why someone would want a breather from them after a couple of
hours!” said Bellemere, laughing
“Yeaaah, besides, they’re going to be busy tonight, so I’d rather they get some
rest now”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we do a meal on Christmas Eve and then stay up super late, waaaay past
midnight! Traditionally, Law’s family would have gone to church, but he doesn’t
practice. So we just stay up, playing games, unwrapping presents and the next
day, their close friends are coming over and we have a huge feast! So sleep for
now will be good for them” explained Cora, grinning
“Did you use to go to church as a kid? For Christmas mass or just in general?”
asked Bellemere, taking another sip of her coffee
Cora blinked, a little surprised at the question
Bellemere didn’t often as about Cora’s past – but when she did, it was always
sneakily slipped in
“Oh no, my parents wanted to when we lived in Spain’s mainland but –“ we were
completely ostracised from society because we were former Celestial Dragons “-
we somehow never got around to it, due to my mother being ill and you know? And
Sengoku’s very much Buddhist! Christmas isn’t really a national holiday in
Japan either, it’s seen as a really romantic thing though! So it’s celebrated,
but mostly because it’s so pretty you know? It’s low-key celebrated, so I just
stuck to what I knew from I did when I lived in Spain. Thankfully, Law’s
traditions from Italy are similar enough” answered Cora, knowing very well he
was babbling at this point
“What about Bepo?” asked Bellemere, looking towards the either
Cora shrugged slightly
“He said that his family never celebrated Christian holidays, but he loves the
idea of Christmas, so he wants to participate to this one” explained Cora,
chuckling
 
“Alright, time for you two to go home”
Bellemere and Cora blinked, looking at Smoker coming in with Tashigi, surprised
Was it six am already?
Wait
Why did the Smoker look so…flushed?                          
Embarrassed?
Hurt?
Angry?
He looked like he had a million emotions running through him at once
 “You okay, boss?” asked Bellemere, raising a brow
Smoker suddenly turned bright red, grumbling loudly before going right to his
office, slamming the door shut
Bellemere and Cora looked towards the office, completely shocked
“Is…Is he okay?” asked Cora, not sure what to make of the other’s actions
“Uh…sorta”  answered Tashigi nervously as she made her way to her own desk
 “Tassshiiiiiggiiii” started Cora, leaning in towards her “What’s going
oooonnn?”
Tashigi exhaled, knowing she had lost the fight
“He…uh, had an intruder in his yard a few nights ago and he’s been like this
ever since he saw the footage last night” explained Tashigi carefully
Cora frowned, mulling the information over
The Captain had an intruder a few nights ago and didn’t bother to look at the
footage until now?
That means that Smoker had to get himself to watch the footage -
Oh man, only one intruder could get him to act like that!
“An intruder? Does he want to file a report?” asked Bellemere, shocked
Cora snorted
“It was Ace, wasn’t it?”
Tashigi nodded slowly as Bellemere made a shocked choking noise
“Well, that’s what I think too. From the footprints that Hina and I saw, they
led right over the gate and to Justice’s dog house. If it wasn’t someone she
knew, she would have easily mauled them pretty bad. Justice always caught her
perp before she retired” explained Tashigi, boasting proudly
Cora frowned – if only he could get his hands on the footage, whatever happened
must have been more than just a friendly visit to go pet a dog!
Even though, to be fair, he’d totally break into the Captain’s backyard to go
pet his dog
Wait no, he’s a cop, he can’t do that!
“On that note though, I’m going to tell you guys, but keep this on the down-low
and do not bring it up with the Captain! He raged furiously about it earlier”
started Tashigi, lowering her voice
Cora instantly leaned in with Bellemere
“Ace went after Teach.  Seems he left on Friday night”
So he waited until after Garp left – clever kid
 “Does he have a death wish?!” yelled Bellemere, furious “He’s going to get
killed!”
Cora groaned deeply, running a hand through his hair – he knew this would
happen
Suddenly, Cora stiffened up, hearing a shift in Law’s breathing
Ah, Law’s up
“Did we really expect anything less though? Ace is too loyal to his friends to
let that drop – speaking of, is Thatch doing any better?”  asked Cora, biting
his lip
Bellemere shook her head
“No, still in a coma”
“Damn, I was hoping for a change”
Bellemere chuckled sadly
“Hoping for a Christmas miracle? Didn’t take you for a romantic, Rosi”
Cora teasingly scoffed, dramatically gesturing to himself
“Please, bella! I have the romantic blood flowing through my veins!” teased
Cora, making the others laugh as he did some flamenco steps and clapped his
hands and snapped his fingers, making everyone laugh
Well, also because he tripped on his own feet and hit the ground pretty hard,
laughing himself
But he couldn’t keep his mind off Thatch
Poor kid
 
“You’re going to the hospital?” asked Law, surprised, sitting on Cora’s bed in
his pyjamas
Cora had instructed both boys to go right back to sleep once they got home.
Bepo happily crawled back into bed but Law had followed Cora back to his own
room as Cora got changed
“Yeah, I wanted to go bring some flowers for Thatch – it would be a shame to
wake up to an empty room, you know? Also, I’m worried about something, so I’m
going to go check it out”
“Want me to come with you?” asked Law
Cora didn’t miss the slight crack in Law’s voice
What was he worried about?
“No, no, I think he’ll be a bit embarrassed if I bring you along” explained
Cora as he threw on a sweater
“He?”
“Yeah, but I’ll explain when I get back, okay? I have to go find myself a
bouquet of peonies”
“Peonies?”
“Yep, one little extra flower as well, but I’ll explain everything when I get
back, okay?” assured Cora, patting Law on the head gently
Law only frowned, clearly not convinced
 
Cora shivered slightly as he walked into the hospital’s intensive care unit,
pulling his coat on tighter
Bleah, he still couldn’t stand hospitals, even after all the time he spent in
one
Walking right up to the waiting area, what he saw instantly broke his heart
Sitting there, as if he hadn’t moved since the day of the incident was Izo
His hair was a real mess, tangled and knotted, clearly hasn’t been washed in
ages. Izo’s eyes were very red, swollen and puffy and he was wearing this
massive orange hoodie that Cora quickly suspected wasn’t his at all.
Underneath, it looks like he was wearing a simple kimono with his sandals
kicked under the bench he was sitting on, dirty socks in plain sight.
Currently, he was curled up on the bench, knees to his chest, staring at a sign
Cora took a quick glance towards the sign and his heart broke even more
It was the information board – it looked like Izo was quietly and patiently
waiting for a change in Thatch’s status
Cora quietly walked up to Izo and quietly sat down beside Izo, gently handing
over the bouquet to Izo
Izo blinked, shaken out of his thoughts as the bouquet of peonies were suddenly
in his face
“A-“
Izo then turned and looked at Cora, who merely smiled sadly at Izo
“<I brought them for Thatch, but right now, I feel you need them more>” Cora
instantly went to talking in Japanese, not wanting to mentally push Izo into
talking in his second language
Izo stared at Cora, surprised and Cora’s heart broke even more
The other looked so incredibly exhausted
“<Peonies…bravery and good fortune>” muttered Izo as he took the bouquet,
holding it to his chest
“<And one daisy!>” said Cora, handing the single flower to Izo “<I bought that
for you specifically>”
“<Daisies…faith…why?>”
“<Your mother told me the other day that hadn’t seen you in a while, so I
strongly suspected you where still here. I wanted to give you a small pick-me-
up!>”
“Someone needs to stay with Thatch” stated Izo, in English, as if he had
rehearsed it “He doesn’t have any blood relatives yes. We Whitebeards are the
only relatives some of us have”
Cora resisted the urge to roll his eyes
The poor kid didn’t need that right now
“<That’s awfully noble of you>” started Cora, continuing in Japanese, trying to
remain as gentle as possible “<But there’s so many of you, how come you’re not
taking shifts? You look like you can use some rest>”
Izo stiffened up, looking like a deer in the headlights
“I-I”
“<It’s alright. You want to be the one that stays for Thatch, right?>”
Izo softly nodded, looking at the flowers
“<That’s awfully kind of you, I’m sure Thatch would really appreciate it. Now,
I don’t know him that well, we’ve only met a few times, but he seems awfully
fond of you>”
He looks at you like you’re a treasure
“<He’s my dear friend>” defended Izo, holding the flowers closer
“<Oh? Dear friends are important but wouldn’t he be worried if he saw you in
such a state?>” pointed out Cora
Izo’s eyes narrowed
“<I hear that enough from the nurses! I don’t need to hear it from you too!>”
snapped Izo, abruptly standing up
Cora put up his hands defensibly
“<Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t trying to offend! I’m merely worried, that’s all>”
explained Cora
“<I don’t need your worry!>” hissed Izo “<Is this truly worry or are you just
trying to meddle in everything as usual?>”
Okay ow
Cora shrugged
Fair question though
“<My intentions are pure, I swear, I hate seeing kids in pain like this, I have
no ulterior motives>” admitted Cora “<I just don’t want someone else to end up
in the ER and you’re well on your way, when’s the last time you’ve eaten
properly? Sleep properly? Showered?>”
Izo sat back down, lowering his head like a scolded dog
“<…not since Thatch…>” admitted Izo
Cora sighed, running a hand through his hair
He had suspected as much
“<Cora-san, please do not worry about me>” started Izo “<You worry about too
many foolish children as it is, I do not need to be added to your list>”
“<Izo, listen, this is something I do by choice, I don’t feel obligated to do
so! I see someone in need, I want to help them>” argued Cora
Izo merely shook his head
“<Once Thatch wakes up, I will be okay>” stated Izo, assured “<Like you said, I
must have faith>”
“<Izo->”
“<He has to, because I have so much to tell him>” muttered Izo, lost to the
world
 
But before Cora could say another word, a large hand placed itself on his
shoulder
“<Thank you, Rosinante-dono, but I shall take it from here>”
Dono?!
Who the hell talks like-
Cora turned around and found himself staring right into a man’s crotch,
slightly shocking him as he looked up
Now there’s something he wasn’t used to doing!
There was standing in front of him an extremely tall Japanese man, roughly his
own height, wearing a kimono and getta sandals
In winter?!
It’s snowing outside!!
“<K-Kin?! What are you doing here?>” asked Izo, completely shocked
Well at least they knew each other
“<Our honored mother called me, saying you were in need of your family but she
knew that you wouldn’t appreciate her presence, so she asked me to come>”
explained Kin
But then the man turned around to face Cora and took a step back and bowed
deeply, Cora quickly returned the gestured, not sure what the hell was
happening
“<Thank you so much, Rosinante-dono for taking care of my little brother! My
honored mother told me so much about you! Your kindness is deeply appreciated!
My family is indebted to you!>”
Cora’s head was spinning from the old-fashioned way the other was speaking – it
was hard to keep up
“<Ah-! It’s no problem! Truly! It’s my pleasure!>” Cora then stood up, sticking
out his hand “<Just Rosinante is fine! You seem to know about me, but I don’t
think we’ve met!>”
The other man took his hand, shaking it slightly
“<I am Kozuki Kin’emon! I’m a textile and clothing designer at Kozuki
Designs!>”
Huh? Kozuki isn’t Izo’s family name…
“<Oh! I heard of that company! I love the stuff you guys makes!>”
Cora especially loves them since they make clothing for men his size! Which is
rather shocking for a Japanese company - But seeing Kin’emon, he now completely
understands why
Kin’emon then turned towards Izo, who merely stood up and put his sandals back
on quietly, the fight gone in him
Guess Izo couldn’t turn down his brother telling him to go
”<Come little brother, let’s go home. The hospital will call us if there’s any
changes in your friend’s condition>” instructed Kin’emon
Cora sighed slightly watching as Izo quietly went up to his older brother as
the two of them started to make their way towards the door
“<Cora-san?>”
Cora blinked, turning around completely to look at Izo who was looking back at
him, clutching the bouquet of flowers and he slightly bowed, silently thanking
Cora
Cora smiled gently, nodding his head in return as he spotted Jozu walking into
the waiting area and took Izo’s previous spot on the bench
I guess the Whitebeards were informed that Izo was going to be picked up
Cora groaned slightly once the pair was gone, scratching his head, trying to
wrap his head around what just happened
Well, he might as well get going to join his own family
“A moment, Corazon”
Cora blinked, surprised at Jozu addressing him
“Yeah?”
“Pops wants me to pass along the message to you to not do anything foolish in
the coming days”
Cora was confused for a moment but suddenly the image of Doflamingo popped into
his head
Cora merely snorted
“Foolish is all I do and all I know, but tell him I appreciate the concern”
said Cora, making Jozu merely snort
Cora then turned around, walking out of the hospital
 
Once outside, Cora frowned, slightly put off by the interaction
If he can keep his kids safe, who cares about himself?
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! New character! hohoho! I actually have a big
     old crush on Kin'emon, I don't even know whyyyy
     Also next week's Ace chapter is gonna be a pretty long one! So get
     ready for that!
***** -ACE- Adventures with the Milkmaid (And Then Some Personal Milkin- Okay,
That’s Bad, I’m Sorry) (NSFW) *****
Chapter Notes
     Alllrrriiight! It's time for Ace's Adventures while he's out looking
     for Teach!
     Once again, the rule remains that * signals the start of the NSFW and
     * signals the end of the NSFW!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“COME BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD!“
Ace huffed, frustrated as he tried to pick up the speed a little bit as he kept
running
On one hand, he’s kinda impressed this old man had been chasing him for four
blocks now – never would have guessed the man had it in him just by looking at
him
On the other hand, it was Christmas day! Shouldn’t he be jolly and forgiving?
Willing to spread joy and happiness? Be with his family??
Now, if Ace was able to – he’d be at home right now, opening presents and
eating a big meal in the evening with the Whitebeards like he usually does!
Instead he feels like he’s being led on this giant goose chase all over the
neighboring towns in a weird pattern.Teach was messing with him – Ace isn’t
doubting that one bit so far, but he wasn’t sure if Teach was being elusive on
purpose or that he figured out that he was being chased
Either way, it was starting to seriously piss Ace off, if he wasn’t already
chasing him to kill him – he’d fucking kill him now for sure!
Ace quickly scrambled up the side of a building, hoping he had ducked into the
alley fast enough that the old man hadn’t seen him
“COME DOWN FROM THERE!!” yelled the old man, shaking his fist from the street
Ace exhaled, noticing his breath clearly
Man, it was kinda bitter cold today – not that he could really tell with his
weird body
“Sorry for not paying~” teased Ace from the top of the building,
grinning                     
Okay, he might have just eaten and ran – but his funds were limited!
It’s not like he could go take out money! He needed to stay off the map
completely!
 
Ace continued to go around the town on the rooftops until he saw a few people
gathered around the main bridge of the town by the river
Oh, this was perfect!
Ace climbed down the building he was on and approached the group, all smiles,
as friendly as possible
People in small towns and villages didn’t take well to strangers, so Ace had to
be extra nice
“Hey hey, sorry to bother you all on this fine Christmas morning, but I was
wondering if any of you have seen this man?”
Ace pulled out the picture he had of Teach, not a good one, mind you, but Teach
notoriously didn’t like having his picture taken
Now Ace knew why – the fucking bastard
As he discussed with the three men by the bridge, he spotted Teach’s
unmistakeable presence from the corner of his eye
Holy shit
It was a Christmas miracle!
Ace quickly turned around and ran towards Teach, not giving the other a chance
to run away
He needed to knock out Teach and fast! And a kick to the head would do such a
thing!
Ace launched himself into a high kick, landing a heavy and hard kick to the
back of Teach’s head, knocking him right to the ground
Teach didn’t move – guess he was unconscious!
Ace grinned brightly; thrilled that he finally finished his mission! He just
needed to drag the bastard to somewhere quiet where he could finish the fucking
job and just go home!
Maybe if he did really good time he could see Luffy before the other left for
his ski trip tomorrow morning! He did feel kinda bad leaving Luffy’s present on
his bed with a note – but he didn’t want Luffy getting any dumb ideas like
coming with Ace in guise of seeking adventure
Luffy didn’t have to assist with his murder
That’s going to be on Ace’s hands alone
Ace rolled over Teach forcefully, not wanting to give the man any kind of mercy
and then he froze
This-
This wasn’t Teach at all
Holy shit! Holy shit!
He fucked up!
He fucked up!
 
“Did that man just kick Dr.Blackbeard in the head?!”
“Oh no! Wasn’t he on his way to do a housecall to little Billy’s house?!”
“What the hell is wrong with that man?!”
“GET HIM!”
SHIT SHIT SHIT
Ace didn’t even have the time to react before he felt many hands grabbing at
him, pulling on him and tugging him
Next thing he knew, he was being lifted up by the crowd
Next thing he knew, he was in the air
Next thing he knew, he felt the horrible sting and burn of freezing water after
he felt himself crash through something
DID THEY JUST THROW HIM IN THE RIVER?!
WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN?!
IT’S DECEMBER!
 
Ace coughed loudly, snapping up as he sat up, looking around in the room he was
in
Last he remembered he had blacked out?
YEAH, BECAUSE SOME CRAZY TOWN PEOPLE THREW HIM IN THE GODDAMN ICY RIVER
YEEESH
Ace blinked, looking at his surroundings and it looked like he was in a bed in
a cozy little cottage room
Huh? How did he get here?
Ace then looked down and was surprised to see that he had been stripped down
completely but when he looked up he saw that his clothes were hanging outside
on a clothes line, clearly drying
I guess it makes sense considering they were soaked to the bone FROM BEING
THROWN IN A RIVER
Oh good! His bag was there!
Ace quickly spotted the things that were in his bag drying on the desk in the
room as well, minus his phone, which seemed to be in a big bowl of rice, drying
up
Man, whoever found him clearly took care of him!
Ace quickly put on the clothes that had been laid out for him, a big sweater
and some sweatpants and he made his way through the small house
It looked lived-in clearly, but it was rather small, one person or a small
family lived here
Ace wandered outside, looking for a sign of life and finally found it in the
shape of a teenage girl crouched outside tending to some cows
“Uh, hey?” greeted Ace as he walked up to the girl
The girl smiled at Ace as she stood up
“Oh! You’re awake! I was starting to get worried!” said the girl, grinning
“Uh, yeah, did you fish me out of the river?” asked Ace as he approached her,
she was kinda short or maybe she was younger than she looked?
“Yes! I saw you coming down and I went to get you out! Apparently you caused
quite the ruckus in town! I was going to call and ask for a doctor to come over
but instead I was warned to watch out for a young man who assaulted
Dr.Blackbeard” explained the girl
“Uhhh…” started Ace, rubbing the back of his neck “My bad about that, I thought
he was this murderous bastard I’m kinda hunting down”
“Oh? You’re like a…what are they called again…a bounty hunter?” asked the girl,
her curiosity picked
Bounty hunter?
Oh, he could work with that!
“Yeah, a bounty hunter! But yeah, it was a total mistake, but I didn’t think
I’d get thrown in the river!” admitted Ace, still shocked
The girl chuckled slightly
“This is a small village, people are very protective of our own, also
Dr.Blackbeard is our only doctor for miles and miles, so people are rather fond
of him. Also we don’t have a police force or anything, the state troopers are
the ones that come if we need help, so the villagers take it upon themselves to
be the town’s justice”
Ace sighed deeply, okay, that made sense
“I’m really sorry for the ruckus I caused, err..?”
“Moda! My name is Moda!” said Moda, handing Ace a jug of milk “Here, drink
something! Your clothes should be dry soon”
“Oh thanks!” Ace took the glass of milk and gulped it down
Holy shit
“This has to be the best damn milk I’ve ever had!” cried Ace, surprised
“Thank you! We’re a small dairy farm here but our girls make wonderful milk!”
boasted Moda, smiling brightly
“Wow, they sure do! Hey, thanks again for saving me, Moda. Is there anything I
can do as a thank you?” offered Ace
He might be a hoodlum, but Makino taught him manners, damnit!
Moda hesistated for a moment, biting her lip nervously before she nodded
“Could you…” started Moda
Ace waited patiently, wondering what the hell could be making Moda so nervous
Shit! She didn’t want him to marry her did she?! He’d be a shitty husband, she
deserved so much better!
Maybe she just wanted to get laid? Uh, I guess he could do that – it would be
weird, but she did save his life
“…deliver this letter for me?” finished Moda
Ace blinked, surprised at how simple the request was
“Uh, of course, yeah, I can totally do that – I just need to find my bike”
“I’ll help you!” offered Moda, smiling brightly “Your clothes should be dry by
now!”
 Ace sighed, relieved and grinned at Moda
“Awesome! Let’s get going! Daylight’s burning!”
 
“Vice Admiral Comil at the G2 base, huh”
Moda had helped Ace find his bike, discreetly too, making sure none of the
locals spotted him and Ace quickly sped off in the direction of the base
He knew there was a high risk at going to a World Government base, but he owed
Moda his life, it was the least he could do
Now he was a good mile away from the base, taking a bit bite of the bread that
Moda had given him before he sped off. Ace needed some sort of infiltration
plan because he couldn’t just waltz into the base. Being Garp’s grandson isn’t
a way to get into a base – but maybe he could pretend to be someone else
Ace parked his bike deep in the forest near the base and then on foot quietly
made his way towards the base. He was thankful that there hadn’t been a
snowfall in a couple of days so there wouldn’t be any distinctive footsteps in
the snow
Just as he suspected, there were patrollers, but Ace smirked, this just might
be his in, actually
 
Ace frowned sharply
It was way too easy to take down this Marine guy
Who the hell were training these people?! Shouldn’t it have been harder for him
to get a jump on them??
Ace shrugged, putting on the uniform and stashing his clothes in his bag,
hiding it in a bush nearby
With the sheer amounts of recruits the World Government Forces get, nobody
would be able to tell he wasn’t one of their own
He could just say he was new if he was questioned!
This was going to be so easy!
Ace quietly walked into the base, acting as if he belonged there and people
were buying it, making him smirk quietly
What a bunch of dopes!
But as soon as Ace walked in through the main gate and after the security
check, the sweet smell of food overwhelmed his senses and Ace’s stomach growled
loudly
He was getting pretty hungry! Moda’s piece of bread was nice, but it wasn’t
enough for him – especially not after all the running he did after his
breakfast!
Ace followed the smell right to the Mess Hall and smiled
He was a recruit right now! Meaning he could eat!
Ace happily made his way to the buffet-style tables of food and grabbed himself
plate after plate of food, piling it all up on trays – he loved when he could
eat as much as he wanted like this!
He brought the food to an empty spot at the benches and happily started to dig
in, ignoring the horrified looks of the recruits around him, probably from the
amount of food, but still kept his guard up, just in case
“- the old bastard had it coming! You can’t go on reigning like that for years
and not expect someone to want to go after you!”
Ace’s ears perked up at the conversation booming over the other conversation
going on as he kept eating
“-to have one of your oldest members stab one of your own? That’s pretty
intense, you have to admit!”
“Whatever, I don’t care! Whitebeard is nothing but a cowardly old bastard who
hides behind his thousand ‘children’ – he’s nothing more than a joke”
Ace saw nothing but red as he stood up and went to go find the source of the
voice and punched him right in the face
“Heard you talking shit about Whitebeard!! He’s the greatest man that’s ever
lived!” yelled Ace, standing over the recruit who he just sent flying to the
ground “You take that back!”
“What the hell?!”
“You can’t do that!”
“GET HIM!”
Oh fuck
 
Ace took off running down the hallway, opening random doors as he tried to
escape, going down one hallway after another as the crowd of recruits chased
after him
Was this going to be his whole day!? Being chased like this!
Suddenly he bumped into a man, sending both of them backwards slightly
Ace groaned, looking at the man he just bumped into and he was thrilled
The man was exactly his size and they had similar hair – perfect
“What the blazes do you think you’re d-“
Before the man had the chance to finish his sentence, Ace punched him, knocking
him right out and Ace dragged his unconscious body into the unlocked room
Excellent
 
Ace frowned as he tried to straighten his tie with no avail
He never properly learned how to tie a damn thing, he should get on that
Thankful once again for his insistence of carrying fake facial hair in case of
emergencies, Ace must say he looked rather smashing with a small mustache!
Ace took one step outside the room and was instantly accosted by a recruit;
reminding him that he had a staff meeting
Huh, guess he was going to a staff meeting
Ace merely shrugged and made his way to the meeting room with the escort,
snickering quietly that the man hadn’t realized that he wasn’t his superior
Dumbass
 
Okay, so slight problem
Vice Admiral Comil was in front of him at the end of the table
That was
good!                                                                                                              
But how could Ace deliver the damn letter without revealing himself in front of
all these high ranking World Government officials?
Who probably would kill him the moment they found out who he actually was
Also, the bigger problem is that this was probably the nastiest, most bitter
coffee he’s ever had and now he was so upset that he didn’t have Moda’s amazing
milk becauseurgh this coffee was gross
And everyone around the table seemed to agree
Honestly, Ace was rather shocked that these people were having a meeting on
Christmas Day
“-So even though this is an inconvenience for everyone here, I thank you all
for coming on your day off because the secret report is finally coming in today
from the scouting mission and it’s attention is the most important thing right
now. We need to get those papers and be informed of what’s written on them
before we will completely destroy them. This is their only copy. So it needs to
be disposed of right away after, before they get in anybody’s hands that they
shouldn’t be in” explained Comil as he discreetly spat his coffee back in his
cup
Urgh, don’t blame you, dude
“Is the transport arriving soon?” asked the man wearing a leopard print suit
which Ace definitely needs to figure out a way to get one of those too!
That thing looked AWESOME!
“Any moment, we’re going to move this meeting outside to go greet the transport
and after that, everyone can go home” informed Comil as he stood up, but
suddenly a recruit ran into the room, panicking
“SIR! SIR! The transport! Something happened! There was an explosion and it
caught on fire! The driver is caught inside! We think it hit one of the IED
that we have planted around the base”
Ace quickly stood up
Shit! This could be bad!
 
They all quickly made their way inside, and as said, the whole transport
vehicle was on fire, the flames blazing tall and strong
Ace snarled, remembering how his Garp had told his many times that usually the
people who die in military vehicle accidents is due to them being trapped in
their own vehicle
So Ace ran
Everyone screamed at him to stop as Ace ran to the vehicle on fire and lunged
inside, rolling back on his feet
Of course this had to be one that was freaking huge, but at least if would be a
direct route to the driver
The canvas covering was completely ablaze as Ace quickly made his way towards
the front, spotting the unconscious driver at the wheel
Ace frowned, grabbing the man, patting down the flames on him and managed to
pull him out of his seat, backwards into the backend of the vehicle
Ace then grinned, spotting the suitcase on the passenger seat and due to the
explosion; it seemed to have been knocked open
Oh shit, perfect!
He pulled the suitcase into the back as well and quickly scanned through the
content inside and grabbed a handful of papers and shoved them inside his suit.
He hoped he saw what he hoped he did – but the flames were getting worst and
Ace could only be so tolerant to the heat. Ace closed the suitcase and grabbed
both the man and suitcase and started to make his way out of the vehicles as
quickly as he could
Ace quickly climbed out of the vehicles and carried the man to the others who
were waiting impatiently, cheering loudly when they saw Ace climb out
Ace brought both the man and the suitcase to the edge of the base, setting them
down as the paramedics went to go help the unconscious driver
Ace sighted in relief as the paramedics seemed hopeful for the driver and
jumped slightly when the transport completely blew up
Holy shit!
“-H-He’s STILL ON FIRE!”
Ace blinked, looking at the screaming and freaking out recruits and officials
What the hell was their problem?
Why where they looking at him?                      
Ace blinked again and turned to look at where they were looking and noticed
that yeah, his suit was still on fire!
He quickly patted down the flames on his shoulder with his bare hands, hissing
Ace always hated doing that, it made his hand sting for a while
“W-WAIT! HE’S NOT THE CAPTAIN! THE CAPTAIN ISN’T SWOLE LIKE THAT!” yelled one
of the recruits
Did he really just say ‘swole’?!
Wait
Oh shit!
“Who the hell is he?!” yelled someone else
Fuck!
“GET HIM!”
And Ace took off running again
But before he could get too far, Ace climbed up the side of the building and
threw himself backwards iff the wall. It allowed him to vault over the crowd of
recruits and land right in front of Vice Admiral Comil
“Sir! I was sent to deliver this letter to you! Good day!” said Ace quickly as
he pulled Moda’s letter out of his pocket and handed it to Comil who took it,
clearly stunned and Ace shoved himself through the crowd of people and escaped
again
Mission completed!
 
Ace quickly made it back to the forest, his bag in hand and quickly pulled out
his bike from where he hid it. He quickly got on the bike, hearing the voices
yelling as they got closer to him and started the Stryker up – driving away as
fast as he could
Once he was a few miles out, he parked his bike on the side of a path and got
off of it, catching his breath
Holy shit, he’s run away a lot today!
Ace grabbed his bag and took off the charred off remains of the suit he was
wearing and put back his own clothes, throwing the remains on the side of the
road with the identity badge on top
Ace didn’t feel like being hunted down for such nonsense as identity theft
He plopped down on the ground; leaning against the bike as he looked through
the documents he stole thought
And jackpot!
It seems the World Government was tracking Teach’s movements as well – they
called him Blackbeard in their reports, so Ace was glad he trusted his gut and
took those documents
It seems that that Teach was last spotted heading to a town called Banaro
Ace took out his map from his bag and quickly looked through it and grinned
when he found the small spot. Banaro was a couple of day’s drive from here, but
if Ace pushed through, he could make it in two days
Looking through the map again, he now needed to find the closest town heading
to Banaro-
He really needed some rest but thankfully the next town was about two hours
drive
Ace looked up at the sky and then his watch, if he’s lucky, he’ll make it
before sunset
But if that was the case, he needed to get going
 
Just as the sun set, it also started to snow. Ace knew that he needed to find
some sort of shelter or he’d be in big trouble – his bike was good, but driving
in the snow with her during a storm was just too damn risky
Especially considering that the town is apparently an overstatement and it was
more like a tiny tiny village with only one inn
Ace was surprised to hear so much action at the inn, there seemed to be booming
festivities in their reception hall as Ace walked to the front desk after
having put a tarp over his bike in the parking lot – which looked rather full
“Uh, hi, I’d like a room please?” Ace asked the receptionist who looked at him
surprised
“Oh wow! It’s so rare to actually see a traveler in these parts! Usually it’s
parents looking for a break who book our rooms or relatives for events like
weddings and funerals! Let’s see what I have left!” stated the man as he looked
through the log, checking to see if he had an opening
“Wow, it’s uh, awfully busy here tonight” pointed out Ace as he saw a couple
laughing as they staggered out rather drunk from the reception hall
Ace lifted a brow
Getting drunk might not be such a bad idea tonight
“Why yes! There’s a wedding here you see! The reception is in full-swing right
now!” said the receptionist happily, clapping his hands together “Aren’t
Christmas weddings so romantic?!”
Ace huffed, trying not to hide how lonely he instantly felt
“Yeah, really romantic, must be nice”
“Ah! Sir! You’re in luck! We have exactly one room open! But ah, it’s the
Honeymoon suite”
Ace frowned
 “Aren’t the bride and groom taking that?”
“Oh no no, sir, we have two Honeymoon suites! But since it’s our only room
left, I’m willing to only charge you the rate of a regular room but it will
come with all the usual accommodations usually included in the honeymoon suite
rental!”
Ace nodded, trying to stay friendly
A room’s a room – and he needed rest
“Thank you! I’ll take it”
 
Ace never regretted his decision more in his life
The room was actually a separate little cottage in the back of the building to
begin with
It had total privacy and was small and cozy. It had a rounded bed with red and
white silk sheets and pillows and also rose petals strewed all over the bed
with chilled champagne in a bucket as a complimentary gift from the inn
There was a small Jacuzzi made for two people in the room as well as two red
velvet plush seats in the back surrounding a small table for a romantic dinner
for two
The room was so beyond romantic that Ace’s heard was shattering into pieces
On the bright side, the thick red and gold velvet blackout curtains will be
great to hide the fact that Ace had every intention of downing that entire
bottle of champagne to forget how miserable he felt at that moment
Ace quickly shoved all the petals off the bed, not wanting to deal with any of
that as he took his cellphone out of his bag
Thankfully Moda had been able to save his phone from the icy river of death
Stupid town people
Ace quickly turned on the phone and called Marco, hanging up the moment Marco
picked up
The message was sent – he was fine
Ace then quickly turned off his phone as instructed and started to take off his
clothes, dumping them on the ground in a childish act of rebellion
Here you go, stupid super romantic room, gonna fuck you up!
Now in his boxers, he knew he should probably go shower and try to relax, but
he bitterly grabbed the bottle of champagne, uncorked it and fell back onto the
bed
Fuck it; he’ll be filthy and drunk
 
Ace frowned as he pulled the champagne bottle from his lips
This shit tasted like shit!
But it was free, so he should shut up and just drink it
His head was spinning slightly, he wasn’t drunk yet, juuuuuust on the cusps and
he knew it
Ace sighed heavily, wondering for the fourty-fifth time since he started
drinking why there wasn’t a fucking tv in this room
Probably since honeymooners were too busy having sex or some shit to watch tv
Uuurrrrgghh
Ace took another look at his phone and frowned, turning it on
This whole thing was so dumb, keep your phone closed and shit
Bah
Paranoid Marco is paranoid
He wanted to play a game like Love Live or some shit, naw, probably couldn’t
keep a steady enough hand
While trying to click on another icon, Ace accidentally hit the phone icon and
the screen popped up to type a number
Oh, okay
Ace quickly dialed the Captain’s number by memory and held the phone up to his
ear
He’ll hang up the moment he heard the other’s voice, Ace just needed to hear
it, just a little
But once the answering machine answered, Ace groaned hotly when he heard
Smoker’s recorded message, whining softly at the end as he could feel himself
getting hard. Ace’s hand quickly went between his legs as he massaged himself
through his boxers
But once he heard the beep, Ace couldn’t help himself
“Hey, I just wanted to call to wish you a merry Christmas, I hope you had a
great one, I want you to have a best Christmas, fuck, I miss you, I miss you so
fucking much, I love you so much, so so much, I’m such an idiot, I shouldn’t
have called, but I’m lonely and cold and I miss your touch right now,  and I
want you to be happy and it’s when I’m alone that I realize just how much I
los-“
And then another beep signaled the end of the recording period and Ace frowned,
turning off his phone and chucked his phone on top of his bag
This was so fucking dumb
 
This room was amazing though, Ace really wished at that moment that Smoker was
here with him
They could take a nice long soak in the warm Jacuzzi, eat a nice meal at the
table, sitting in the plush seats and they could make love on the bed all night
long, just basking in each other’s presence
*
Ace bit his lip as he felt his dick jerk slightly in his boxers at the images
in his head as he laid back on the bed, putting the bottle of champagne down on
the nightstand
Ace’s hand was slowly working its way down Ace’s chest
He could see it so vividly
Ace could see Smoker walking around the room, merely in his boxers as he
surveyed the area, unable to help himself, Ace would tease him lightly about
it, patting the space on the bed besides him as he drank up the sight of his
gorgeous boyfriend’s body
Ace bit his lip, closing his eyes, arching his back as his hand dragged lower
and lower down his chest, putting just enough pressure to lightly tease himself
 Smoker would then make his way to the bed, sitting down on the side of it. Ace
would instantly lean over him, pressing his chest against Smoker’s strong
muscular back, breathing in deeply the other’s scent
Ace opened his eyes, rolling over slightly to his side and leaned over the edge
of the bed, rummaging through his bag
He grinned brightly, pulling out the small waterproof bag he had and opened it;
taking out a cigar
Ace took his lighter and lit the cigar, inhaling deeply as Smoker’s scent
filled up the room. He put the lit cigar down on the ashtray on the nightstand
Yes, this was perfect
Now the room smelled of him
And if he’s lucky-
Ace opened up the nightstand and let out a pleased sound
Apparently this being the honeymoon suite meant that the nightstands where
fully-loaded with condoms and lube!
Ace took out the bottle of lube and took one condom, setting it aside, not
quite sure what he was in the mood for right now
With the bottle in hand, Ace unsealed the cap, thankful that it was a brand new
bottle. and poured a generous amount on his fingers and capped the bottle back
up, throwing it on the sheets and laid back. With his free hand he pulled his
boxers off, hissing loudly as he felt the cold air on his hard dick
He quickly kicked the boxers off and laid back down on the bed, continuing his
fantasy
Now Smoker was over him, peppering small kisses down his face, his neck, taking
a moment to bite the base of Ace’s neck, making him groan loudly
Ace grabbed his cock, pumping it slowly at first
Smoker’s hand was suddenly on his dick, stroking Ace as he licked and sucked on
Ace’s neck
Ace’s free hand went down once again his chest, softly rubbing his thumb over
his nipple, enjoying the small shocks of pleasure that ran through his body as
he moaned softly
He would run his hand through Smoker’s thick hair, god Ace loved his hair,
feeling the stubble slightly scratching up his chest as Smoker kept kissing and
licking his way down Ace’s chest as he kept stroking Ace – making the other go
mad, wanting Smoker to go faster
Ace teased the head of his dick with his thumb as he kept stroking himself
faster, moaning and arching his back
 
“Stop teasing me!”Ace would say, playfully giving Smoker’s hair a small tug
Ace would bite his lip to restrain himself from moaning as he felt Smoker’s
chuckle on his stomach
“Impatient brat” Smoker would mutter against his hip bone as he kept going down
“Patience is a virtue”
“I’m no saint, old man!” would reply Ace, rolling his hips slightly to match
the rhythm set by Smoker “I want you so bad”
Smoker would then grab the lube as he kept stroking Ace, but would slightly
slow down to make sure Ace wouldn’t finish too fast
Ace grabbed the condom he set aside and quickly opened it. He stuck a few
fingers inside and coated the exterior of the condom with more lube and started
to work the fingers inside
Ace hissed slightly, trying to tell his tipsy brain that he needs to slow down,
to breathe, that Smoker would never hurt him,not like this
He exhaled as he slowed down. Ace teased the rim, slowly working a finger
inside, carefully
Ace groaned loudly, throwing his head back, closing his eyes tight. He arched
his back, allowing his body to accept the intrusion
“Shhh, breathe, relax” muttered Smoker, kissing Ace’s jawline as he kept
stroking Ace as he worked his fingers inside, stretching Ace out
Ace’s hand restarted to stroke his cock, feeling himself nearing the plateau,
knowing that he won’t have long at all until he finishes
Ace carefully worked the fingers inside, once there was three, he started to
pump them in and out of himself. Ace rocked his hips in turn, vividly imagining
something else
Smoker pushed himself inside, his hand grabbing Ace’s hip. Once Ace adjusted to
the other man’s girth, Smoker started to thrust inside, making Ace cry out
Ace pulled Smoker’s face in; hand gripped on Smoker’s hair and pushed their
faces together, desperately wanting to kiss Smoker – who happily obliged
Ace’s stroke were getting faster and more erratic as he rocked his hips at the
same rhythm of the hand he was working inside of himself
The two hotly kissed as Ace’s other hand gripped his cock, stroking it himself
so that Smoker can move his hand elsewhere. Smoker gripped Ace’s other leg,
hooking it over his shoulder as he picked up the pace
“Y-Yes!” moaned Ace inside the kiss, feeling Smoker able to go in deeper and
harder
Ace loved it so much when they were in this position – he loved being able to
kiss Smoker like this while the other was making him see stars
He loved him so much; he felt so close to Smoker when they were like this
Ace was so close and Smoker was losing his rhythm, so Ace knew that he was
close to – so close
He missed this so much
Ace let out a loud cry when he came, his eyes snapping open as reality crashed
into him
*
He was completely alone
Smoker wasn’t there to give him soft kisses and hold him as he came down from
his high
Smoker wasn’t there to bark about how he wasn’t going to sleep on stained
sheets
Smoker wasn’t there to take a bath with him afterwards or shower as they both
cooled down their bodies
Smoker wasn’t there
Ace winced as he removed his fingers from himself and brought his other hand to
remove the condom on his fingers and groaned displeased when he saw his hands
where coated in his come
Fucking hell
Making a displeased noise, Ace removed the condom with the hand anyways and
threw it in the garbage. Then he huffed angrily and laid back annoyed, holding
up his dirty hand
Fuck it, he was gonna wipe it on the sheets
Ace groaned, knowing that wasn’t very nice and not fair to the cleaning staff
He then rolled over, forcing himself to go to the bathroom to wash up
And after, he was going to finish that whole fucking bottle and get piss ass
drunk
Merry fucking Christmas
He really wished he was home right now
Man he can’t wait to collect Teach’s fucking head
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Annnd there we have it! I wanted to give you all one last happy(?)
     chapter for a while because in the next chapter it's December 26th
     and shit's about to go down back to back to back
     On that note; there might be a slight change with the posting
     schedule! But worry not - it's because I have the chapters all the
     way to the end all planned (with titles and all!) and I might be
     adding a second update during the week! So like, two chapters a week,
     not sure yet, I'll have to see how well I can crank them out, but
     don't be shocked if you see another update in the middle of the week!
     No guarantee though! Only the Sunday update is a guarantee for now!
***** -LAW- You'll Meet a Tall, Dark, Stranger (Except you know him and he's a
goddamn asshole!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh sorry! I failed to do two updates this week! My apologies! I got
     sick this week and it kinda threw me for a loop, oh well, there's
     always next week!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“You sure you don’t wanna come? I’m sure we can afford more plane tickets
between all of us and we can snuggle up tight in the rooms! The more, the
merrier!“
Law smiled, gripping Luffy’s hands in his. Luffy’s flight to the all-expense
paid ski resort was leaving soon and Law had to deal with the fact that he
wouldn’t see Luffy for a while
He knew deep down it was a mistake to see Luffy off in the first place
He knew Luffy would plead and beg him to come along for the trip
But he just couldn’t
“I can’t Luffy, this isn’t about me not wanting to hang out with you, it’s
about Cora”
Luffy looked at him confused, tipping his head to the side
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with mister Rosisisi?”
Law blinked, realization hitting him like a brick
He never told Luffy why he was bailing!
All he said was ‘we can’t come on the trip anymore’!
“Oh, shit, uh” stumbled Law, rubbing the back of his neck “You see-“
“If you’re doing this for mister Rosisisi, then it’s okay” stated Luffy,
interrupting Law as he smiled warmly “You wouldn’t have any fun anyways if you
spent the whole time worrying about mister Rosisisi!”
Law looked at Luffy surprised, not sure what to make of what the other just
said
“But send me a text every day, okay?” asked Luffy, almost shyly “I want to tell
you about everything we’re doing and I want to know what you’re up to!”
Law nodded, about to say something but the loud boarding call came over the
intercom – Luffy needed to go catch his flight
“C’mon Luffy!” called out Usopp, the others had already crossed to the boarding
area, not wanting to disturb the two
Luffy lunged forward, kissing Law softly before running off to meet his friends
Law smiled sadly, hoping this wouldn’t be the last moment they saw each other
 
“Soo…what now?” asked Penguin as he sighed, holding on to his snowboard
To make sure Cora believed them about going on the trip, they had to actually
pack their things as if they were going. Cora offered to drive them to the
airport and bring the van back home, but Law refused, stating that they were
arriving back from the trip right in the middle of Cora’s shift, so it wouldn’t
work out anyways and he painfully relented
Cora had hugged both him and Bepo tight, whispering in their ears to be careful
and try not to do anything too stupid
Law hated that he was going to disappoint him
“We’re going to settle in the van” started Law as he waved to Jean Bart who had
just walked into the airport to join them “since we’re going to be living in it
until next year”
“Aye aye, Captain!” said all the Heart members
“Now grab your stuff, we’re going on a stakeout”
 
“Are you sure this is the place?” asked Penguin, well, more like Penguing
whined
“Yes, when high security people arrive, they come in from that terminal”
explained Jean Bart, handing over the binoculars to Shachi so he can keep a
watch
Law insisted they take shifts because otherwise one might get bored and stop
paying attention to the planes that are coming in
“How are we sure we’re going to recognize him anyways?” asked Penguin, leaning
back on the van’s seat
They had parked about a mile away from the airport, far enough to not get
spotted, but close enough that they could see what kind of planes landed and
especially who was coming off of them
“You can’t miss him” stated Law, a medical book in hand “He wears this giant
pink coat and he’s bigger than Cora”
“Bigger than Cora?!”
“Yeah, they’re kinda built the same too, so you really can’t miss him”
continued Law, sighing and putting down his book and pulled out his sketchpad
He only had a few coloured pencils and a sharpy, but he should be able to
doodle Doflamingo well-enough
He had a pink and a yellow highlighter and frankly that’s all he really needed
“Did the intel say he was going to arrive today?” asked Bepo as he looked over
the maps in front of him – he was trying to figure out the best place to park
the van tonight so they could stay out of sight but still rest and watch
“See, that’s the thing, no. The Warlords are supposed to be arriving before the
31rst, that’s all we know” explained Law, frustrated
His drawing was turning out pretty good though! For once, Law was glad that
Doflamingo’s face was burned into his memory
This stakeout might wind up lasting a couple of days at this point though,
that, he wasn’t so much glad about
“Hmm, by the look of this tracker, that’s the last plane scheduled to arrive
tonight. Bepo, did you find a place?” asked Jean Bart, putting down his
makeshift plane tracking system – it really just hacked into the airport’s main
command center
Bepo nodded, smiling
“Yeah! There’s this overpass we can hide under! It’s not in use anymore since
they built a new road, but from there we should be able to see with the
binoculars if any cars take the private road behind the airport”
Law sighed, slightly relieved
He was already getting really tired; lying to Cora always took so much energy
from him
“Good, we’ll go there and get some rest. Someone will always stay awake and
keep watch and someone will be sent out to grab us some food. Now, be
absolutely sure that you’re not spotted by anyone who would tell Cora – okay?!”
“Aye Captain!”
 
Law groaned, carrying the bags of supplies
Of course he had to get the winning straw
Looking around, Law frowned slightly, he was sure there was supposed to be some
sort of small back street he could take around here. But it was really dark and
Law didn’t want to use his phone to create any sort of light source that would
make someone suspicious
They had to make absolutely sure they weren’t spotted by anyone they knew, and
that was proving to be harder than he thought
It seemed like every store had goddamn after-Christmas sales, so he swore that
everyone he knew was about and about shopping!
Christmas is over, aren’t you all broke?!
Law huffed slightly, getting fed up carrying so many bags. He was annoyed that
even this late at night, he was forced to take the back roads and also kinda
regretted refusing Bepo’s help. Bepo had offered to go with him to help carry
the supplies but Law turned him down
It’s easier to spot a group that it was to spot one person, but now it was
making his trek back to the van a total goddamn pain and much longer than it
should have been considering he had to take massive detours to not be seen
 
“Well well well, look what the cat dragged in”
Law instantly stiffened up, turning around to spot a small, narrow alley and
leaning against the wall was none other than Kidd Eustass
Fuck, of all days to not bring his nodachi with him!           
Fuck it; he’ll stab Kidd with a plastic knife if he has to!
“Good, I was looking for that alley, now move it” snarled Law, walking up to
Kidd and trying to push him out of the way, well, as much as he could with his
hands filled with shopping bags – but Kidd stopped him
“Whoah whoah, relax man, I wanted to share some advice with ya, but you ain’t
answering your phone”
Law paused
Kidd was trying to call him? Was that why his phone kept vibrating earlier?
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m telling ya that if you want to claim any territories or raise some hell,
now’s the time” explained Kidd, with a big smirk
“The fuck? This is all Whitebeard territory, you idiot, they’re going to
fucking string you up if they catch you” warned Law
Especially right now with Marco’s foul ass mood
Kidd only laughed, shaking his head
“Nope! The Whitbeards have been rather non-existent for a bit now! So we’ve
been raising hell and stealing their sales and their merch” admitted Kidd
boastfully
Oh shit, every since Thatch-
Marco did say that they didn’t want to lose any more of their own!
But this is a little excessive!
Who leaves a territory this unguarded?!
“If I was you though, I’d scram” said Law “There’s a shit-ton of World
Government agents coming into town and the Warlords are coming-in too in the
coming days. But hey, if you want to go get yourself killed, it wouldn’t bother
me at all, man!”
Kidd barked a laugh, slapping Law’s shoulder
“You’re fucking funny, you know that? You know what makes you big? Taking a
motherfucking Warlord down! Honestly I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot! I love
knocking assholes down from their high horses”
Oh give me a break!
“The fuck man? You know they’re fucking Warlords because they can kick the shit
out of an idiot like you, right? Just because you’re a fucking lunatic who goes
after little old grannies and shit doesn’t mean you have what it takes to take
down a Warlord!” yelled Law
Law had no idea why he was getting so riled up at Kidd talking like taking down
a Warlord was as easy as taking a shit
“That’s sure fucking funny coming from you”
Law paused, unsure of what to make of what Kidd just said
“Your van’s parked by the overpass by the airport, right? Hawkins said he
spotted you guys there”
Law frowned, trying to keep his cool so he smirked, to keep his anger in check
“You gossiping about me? How about you get a life, man?”
“Don’t talk shit like that – you’ve been watching planes land. Meaning you’re
probably waiting on those Warlords coming in – now tell me, which one you want?
If you want, we could work together to take one of those motherfuckers down”
offered Kidd, almost gleefully
Law paused
Now that was an interesting idea
But with Kidd?
“No fucking way am I working with you. You do too much collateral damage and I
don’t want to have my fucking face splattered everywhere with talk of being
responsible for murdering a family or some shit!”
Cora would be rather pissed off at him and he’d be grounded forever
“Alright alright, don’t get your panties in a twist, it was just an idea.
You’re a bitch to work with anyways, all prissy and all ‘don’t touch me’”
mocked Kidd, waving his hands
Law growled slightly, getting fed up with this
“Listen, what I do is none of your fucking business! I’m letting you know that
if you’re smart, you’ll goddamn scram from here, capire? But then again, look
at who I’m fucking talking to” spat out Law, taking a step forward, hoping that
Kidd would move out of his way
Why was this bastard so bulky and the alley so fucking small?!
“Maybe I’m in the mood for a little chaos”
“They’re here to take down the Whitebeards, asshole, I don’t think you’re going
to bother them too much but if anything, they’ll have someone else to capture”
Kidd paused for a moment and then crossed his arms, smirking
“How come you know all this shit anyways? Your little piggy daddy tell you all
of that?” mocked Kidd
Law’s eye twitched slightly – he didn’t like cops, but he didn’t appreciate
Cora being mocked like that
“You wish your ugly ass had the intel that I can get my hands on! Now, get the
fuck out of my way or I’ll pound your head into the concrete” warned Law,
taking another step forward, his and Kidd’s faces now only a few inches apart
as Law snarled
 
“You doing okay over there, boss?”
Law backed up slightly as Killer came out of the shadow behind Kidd
Jesus fuck the guy got considerably more jacked than the last time Law saw him
Also, what the fuck was with the mask?!
“Oh good, Jason’s here” said Law sarcastically
“Naw, I’m fine Killer, you see, Law here is more fucking talk than anything
else really” stated Kidd, making Law’s blood boil even more
“He had a point though; it might be time for us to make ourselves scarce.
Hawking’s and his gang went to go hide and so did many other of the Worst Gen”
pointed out Killer
“Aww how nice, he’s looking out for you” teased Law smirking
“Shut the fuck up, Law” snapped Kidd “Look, what kind of intel do you have
anyways?”
“What I told you – they’re here for the Whitebeards meaning not one Warlord is
coming, all of them are. And you’re right, I’m here to take one down, but that
had nothing to do with you” explained Law
“Pfft, I bet you’re after Doflamingo. He was your previous boss and I don’t see
you starting shit with people for no reason. Then again, many people probably
want to smash your face in – but that’s due to your lack of manners and your
shitty attitude”
Law promptly flipped him off, not impressed
“It’s a revenge kill, has nothing to do with you” admitted Law
Kidd blinked, looking at Law surprised
“Holy shit, did I hear that right? Law’s gonna pop his cherry? You’re actually
going to off a guy?”
Law rolled his eyes
“I’m not popping my cherry, dumbshit. What did you think I did in the
Doflamingo gang, my fucking hair or some shit?”
Law internally bristled slightly, he hated talking about the shit he did during
that time
“Haha, I knew there was a reason we’re friends!” said Kidd laughing as he
clapped his hands
“This is us being friends?” asked Law, genuinely confused “This is how you
treat your friends?”
“Shut the fuck up, Law, you should see how I treat the people I don’t like”
Okay, fair
“So you’re really taking down Doflamingo, huh?” asked Kidd, completely in awe
“Well shit, can’t wait to hear about that one. How about me and you meet up for
drinks after and you tell me all about it, you know, if you can still function
after he rips out your spine and uses it as a scarf”
“You can’t function if your spine is ripped out, you jackass” corrected Law
He was hungry and annoyed and just wanted to get back to his fucking van!
“That’s the point, dumbnuts” said Kidd as he moved out of the alley, Killer
following suite
Law rolled his eyes, walking right past the two and down the alley, wanting to
get away from them as fast as possible
“Oh Law?”
Law groaned, whipping his head back frowning
“What now?!”
“I wasn’t kidding about that drink, stay alive, won’t ya?”
Law shook his head, flipping Kidd off one more time as he walked away, hearing
Kidd’s laugh echo in the alleyway
 
Once back on the main street, Law looked around and spotted a path going
through the forest that he took to get the supplies right across the street
Thank God, he was getting really tired now and just wanted to crash
After the interaction with Kidd, he was annoyed, tired of holding the bags of
food and just wanted to get back to the van
As he stepped out into the light though, he spotted something and instantly
went right back into the alley
Son of a bitch, it was Cora!
Law watched quietly from the alley as Cora parked his squad car and got out of
it carrying what seemed to me…a bundle of blankets?
Cora walked up to what looked like an old homeless man and offered the blankets
to him and what seemed to be a brown bagged lunch
Law smiled softly to himself
It was so like Cora to have those things in the car in case he came across
someone who needed it
Law watched the interaction and waited for Cora to leave, driving down the road
He sighed, looking up at the sky as Law rubbed his hands together
It was snowing lightly thankfully, so it wouldn’t get too cold, but sleeping in
the van for week or so was going to be really fucking rough
But he needed to do it
He needed to do it to make sure he protects Cora
Even if his spine might wind up being Doflamingo’s new scarf
But even if it did, Law was going to make sure he strangled him while going
down
Cora needs to be safe
Law then took out his cellphone, smiling at the text Luffy had sent him
Luffy had arrived safe at the resort
And apparently Hancock was there too
Law frowned sharply – wasn’t she a Warlord?
The fuck?!
What the hell was going on?!
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! Next week will be a long Cora chapter! I'm
     really excited since a lot of you kept asking for what's going to
     happen! Once again, I'm going to try to do two updates, but we'll see
     how my health holds up!
***** -CORAZON- Holidays Are For Family Reunions (But I’d Rather Do Without
This One!!) *****
Chapter Notes
     And here we go! Time for another Cora chapter! Keeping it brief this
     week because I'm really tired kadshlk
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“It’s so quiet at home without the kids, huh?“
Cora blinked, looking up at Bellemere who was offering a sympathetic smile
He supposed with Nami also being gone, Bellemere was probably missing her too –
they had left a couple of days ago
“Uh, yeah, it’s been kinda weird honestly” noted Cora, scratching the bridge of
his nose
 
Law and Bepo had left for their ‘ski trip’ but since Cora knew they weren’t
actually going, it was even worst
Instead of him just missing having them around, he now had to worry about what
the ever living hell they’re actually doing
Those bastards!
Every time he’s out patrolling, he’s hoping to catch sight of them. He knows
for a fact that neither Penguin or Shachi are home either, meaning that they’re
probably all together
Cora exhaled loudly, trying to sound more sad than really annoyed
“Any updates from Nami about the trip?” asked Cora
Bellemere chuckled, nodded
“Yeah! They’re having a real blast! It’s really good for her and Vivi to have
this big trip together, you know? Considering that Vivi has to go home before
the new semester starts” explained Bellemere, her expression becoming a sad one
“Nami’s taking her leaving really hard”
“Understandable, long-distance is really hard apparently” noted Cora
“Speaking of long-distance – notice that the Captain’s always on the phone
lately?” pointed out Bellemere quietly
“He was trying to track a number yesterday, but it didn’t seem to work”
informed Cora
It was hard to miss the Captain and his oddly erratic state
He kept trying to track the same damn number over and over again
Cora figured that Ace probably called
On one hand, it meant that Ace was able to call, so you know, not dead
But on the other hand, Ace being mobile meant it was harder for the World
Government to track him down, which was good – but why where they still
gathering up?
Over the last few days, Cora’s been spotting more and more agents and troops
that he recognized – even people who he personally led on missions!
Which was awkward as hell since he knew they were undercover, but this was
worrying him
Why where they still gathering in Goa?
Had they all been mistaken?
Was it not Ace after all?
No, that was nonsense, they knew it was Ace, they can’t be wrong about that
But why are they still gathering here?
Did they think that Ace would come home? Or is it…
That he’s going to be forced to be dragged back home?
Cora’s musing was disturbed by the very familiar sound of the skype messenger
Cora frowned sharply – if it was Law, he was going to fucking kill him
Bepo wouldn’t worry him like this, so clearly this stupid brain-haired scheme
was all Law
Oh
Doffy
 
“What’s that face for?” asked Bellemere, surprised at Cora’s sudden change of
mood
“It’s my brother” muttered Cora, quickly opening up the skype window
OH SURE, FREEZE NOW, YOU PIECE OF SHIT PROGRAM
Oh there
 
D.D.Q.
Hello, little brother
Great news! I just arrived in Goa and I would /love/ to see you
 
Cora instantly felt all the blood leave his face as a feeling of pure horror
overwhelmed him
No! No! No!
Not when he didn’t know where Law and Bepo were!
Not now!
“Holy shit, he’s here?!” cried out Bellemere, reading over Cora’s shoulder
“Doflamingo’s in Goa?!”
No! NO!
Suddenly Cora heard the scrapping noise of many chairs as the entire police
force gathered around his desk, looking over his shoulder at the message
Not now not now not now!
                                                                                       
“What the hell is going on here?! Why aren’t any of you at your goddamn
stations?! I swear if you’re watching fucking vine compilations again, you’re
all fucking working on New Year’s Eve!” hollered Smoker as he came out of his
office
This isn’t the time! Not right now! He needed to know his boys are safe first!
“No, sir! It’s Doflamingo!” answered Tashigi as Smoker shoved everyone out of
the way and went right behind Cora
No no no no no no
“TRAFALGAR! SNAP OUT OF IT AND ANSWERED THE FUCKING ASSHOLE!”  barked Smoker,
slamming his hand down on the desk besides the keyboard
Cora jerked, broken out of his thoughts as he smashed his knees into his desk,
cursing loudly
“Fuck shit yeah, sorry”
Sorry, I’m fully booked, I don’t have time
 
Cora bit his lip, he knew that wouldn’t deter Doffy, and soon enough, an answer
came in
 
D.D.Q.
Relax, baby brother
I’m under a contract and I can’t lay a single finger on you or I lose all this
privilege! I wouldn’t want to make Sengoku sad, now would I? I just want to say
hello
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, we should catch up
 
 Cora could feel the bile rising in his throat
He knew that this wouldn’t even remotely stop or deter Doflamingo
No! He needed to keep a cool head!
 
 Sorry. Super busy with work, I just
can’t’                                          
 
Cora could feel the tense whispers behind him, the shuffling of the whole
department and Smoker gripping the back of his chair
They all wanted to know what Doflamingo would say
But instead, Doflamingo merely logged off                 
“So…he’s given up?” asked Tashigi in a small voice, surprised
“No, it means he’s not sharing anymore” replied Smoker, growling slightly
“Which is worst”
“I-I’m sorry, I-“ started Cora, freaking out
slightly                           
He fucked up!
He royally fucked up!
“Don’t apologize” snapped Smoker “He wanted to toy with you and you didn’t let
him! Keep a cool head, Trafalgar! You know as well as I do that Doflamingo
isn’t goddamn done with this, this isn’t the time for you to lose it!”
Cora exhaled loudly
The Captain was right
But with everything going on, Cora was slightly going mad
He’s not sure when’s the last time he even slept properly
“Think of it this way, if that fucker tries anything, that’s just one less
thing to worry about for you” teased Smoker
Cora looked at Smoker, not sure if he was surprised or horrified at the joke
“I assure you, my brother is awful company”
“S’fine, so am I” promised Smoker before he stalked back to his office, once
again, closing the door
 
“It’s been hours and nothing” muttered Cora as he kept writing up the report
He expected Doffy to message him again or anything, but instead total silence
“I-I’ll go get him!” squeaked someone loudly from the front desk
Cora frowned slightly as Coby scrambled towards their desks, shaking like a
leaf
“T-There’s s-someone at the d-desk and I-I think it’s D-D-“
Cora didn’t even wait for Coby to finish his message as he stood up and started
to make his way to the front desk
“ROSI! NO!” yelled Bellemere as she shot up from her desk, panicking
“He came to see me, it’s only polite” replied Cora coldly, trying to keep his
nerve
And there he was
Doflamingo Donquixote was at the police station, leaning over the counter
looking bored
But the moment he spotted Cora, a wicked smirk formed on his face and
Doflamingo stood at full height
Cora raised a brow
What the fuck was the other wearing?!
Those orange pants were ugly as sin and it’s winter?? Why is his chest so
exposed??
Glad to see the stupid pink feather coat was still a thing
“Well, well, well, look who had a moment for his brother, his only blood – you
hurt me, you know, when you said you didn’t have time for me” started
Doflamingo, keeping his smile but Cora didn’t miss the throbbing vein on
Doflamingo’s brow
The other was beyond pissed off
Cora stood a good few feet away from Doflamingo, behind the counter but
directly in front of him and pulled out his gun, aiming it right at Doflamingo
He didn’t give a shit right now if this cost him his job – Doflamingo was too
much of a threat
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave” asked Cora politely, smiling as gently
as he could
Once again, every officer at the station froze, watching the scene in shock
Even the people that where waiting in the station for services and such quickly
scrambled out, not wanting to deal with the situation
“Oh ho ho! What’s this? You can’t lay a single finger on me! I’m under World
Government protection right now!” warned Doflamingo, cackling
Cora cocked his revolver as his answer
“We don’t give a fucking shit about your protection, Doflamingo” stated Smoker
from behind Cora  “You can’t just waltz into my station and expect to just walk
out like you came in”
Cora wasn’t sure when the Captain showed up, but he wasn’t questioning it,
rather thankful for the support
“Now, now, I just came to offer my precious little brother a deal, you see –
You can put away your toy. Especially since we both know that you don’t have
the galls to actually use it”
Cora winced slightly, knowing exactly what Doflamingo was insinuating, his
hands started to shake slightly as the memory of that night rang through his
head
And of course that was spotted instantly by Doflamingo who merely cackled
“So kind hearted, little one. Now, here’s my offer so you won’t have to do
something that your gentle soul can’t take. I will forever leave you alone and
you’ll never hear from me again for the rest of your pathetic life on the
condition that you quietly hand over Law” offered Doflamingo “And let’s be
frank, that’s awfully generous of me”
“Forget it” snapped Cora, his hands steadying on the revolver “Law deserves a
happy, normal life!”
“Now, now, we both know Law’s actually like. There’s a deep hate festering in
him and no amount of stupid high school shenanigans will ever fix that – I’ve
spent too long and worked too hard to breed the boy to be my perfect right hand
man! And now with the akumanomi you gave him? He’s absolutely perfect! You can
see why I’m not willing to give that up” explained Doffy, a proud smile on his
face as he cackled once more
“You’ll have Law over my dead body!” yelled Cora, tensing up, revolver steady
and ready to shoot Doflamingo
Doflamingo paused for a moment, that throbbing vein returning on Doflamingo’s
brow and now on his throat as a strained smile formed on his face
“Now, baby brother, that can easily be arranged” warned Doflamingo as he pulled
out his own revolver
Cora jumped slightly when he suddenly heard multiple revolvers being taken out
and cocked behind him
And from the corner of his eye, he saw that everyone in the station that was
armed had their guns out, pointed right at Doflamingo
“You really think you can come into my goddamn station and threaten one of my
men?” snarled Smoker as he walked up to Cora, standing beside him
“Now now, don’t be hasty! As I said, I’m protected”
“And as I said, I don’t give a flying fuck” reminded Smoker as he pulled out
his own revolver “What the fuck are they really going to do to me? Demote me?
You think I give a fucking shit? I’d take that over knowing that your ass is
off the streets. Shit, I’ll even go to jail if I need to”
“Oh yes,  I remember hearing about you, the World Government’s Stray Dog Chase
Smoker, let’s see if you’re more bark than bite, shall we?”
“How about I make you an offer” started Smoker, surprising Cora
Since when did Smoker make deals with crooks?!
“You get to decide if you surrender yourself over without any holes in you or
we collect your body with many holes plugged into you”
Nevermind, that’s Smoker all right
“You’re not one to make deals usually, are you?” asked Doflamingo, laughing
“That doesn’t profit me at all”
“I don’t make deals with trash, I take it out”
Cora was suddenly on the ground with Smoker on top of him as everyone started
to shoot at Doflamingo overhead of them
“I’ll remember this, stray dog!” threatened Doflamingo as the shots kept
ringing out
But Cora heard him laughing all the way out as many officers took chase after
him
Doflamingo escaped
 
Cora stayed on the ground as Smoker stayed on top of him until things grew
quiet and then Smoker got off of him, sitting back on the ground
“Had to throw you down, you where in shooting range of the others” explained
Smoker, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around at the total mess the
station was currently in “Fuck, we’re going to be here all night writing the
incident report”
Cora was still rather dazed as he sat back as well on the ground
“Thank you, you didn’t, you didn’t have to-“ started Cora, not sure how to word
it
Thank you for risking everything you’ve worked for for me?
Thank you for putting your life on the line for me?
Thank you for having the courage to shoot Doflamingo when I didn’t?
“Stop talking” ordered Smoker as he took a cigar and lit it up, inhaling deeply
“I hate that fucking trash like that can walk around free because the
government is corrupt enough to put those assholes on their payrolls. It’s why
I left the World Government Forces, if anything I should thank you for giving
me the chance to shoot at the fucker once in my life. Even if I only got to
shoot once before I threw you on the ground”
Cora snorted, pulling out a cigarette himself and lit it up
Sweet sweet nicotine
“You know you put yourself on his hit-list, right? He holds grudges like a
motherfucker” warned Cora
Smoker merely shrugged, a smirk on his face
“It’s fine, I’d rather be hated by shit like Doflamingo than liked. And I have
to say, there seems to be good company on that list anyways”
Cora laughed, nearly choking on his cigarette as he lightly punched Smoker’s
arm
“Fuck, we’re going to have to count every single bullet that was shot tonight,
aren’t we?”
“Oh yeah, you better go drink a liter of coffee because your ass isn’t leaving
this station until it’s fucking done” stated Smoker “Every single hole in my
wall needs to be accounted for”
Bellemere ran back into the station, looking mad as hell
“He fucking got away! He had a car waiting for him right outside!”
“Yeah, he usually has a pretty solid escape plan, so I’m not surprised”
informed Cora
“I can’t believe you two are brothers, like holy fuck” snarled Bellemere
Cora barked a laugh
“You don’t always get to pick family”
 
“Hey, that phone call you got that you keep trying to trace, it was from Ace,
wasn’t it?” asked Cora, figuring the Captain might just be emotionally
vulnerable enough to admit it now
It was now 2am and they were still trying to find every damn bullet that had
been shot
Everyone that was still at the station was exhausted and at their wits end
Including the Captain
Can’t say that Cora didn’t know when to take advantage of a situation
“Yeah, he wished me a Merry Christmas, can’t trace it though” admitted Smoker,
grumbling as he scraped another bullet out of the wall
“Good to know he’s alive” noted Cora, laughing slightly relieved
“You almost got fucking killed tonight and you care more about Ace?” questioned
Smoker, raising a brow
“Of course, because if I think about how I almost died againby the hand of my
brother, I might cry. Because knowing Law, he’d go after Doflamingo and I’d
rather not put Law right into Doflamingo’s hands, you know?” explained Cora,
pushing his hair back, trying to get his heart to relax still
Maybe it was all the coffee they had already
“Speaking of Law” said Tashigi, walking up to both men and handing them each of
a cup of coffee “I could of sworn I saw him at the CVS right off the highway to
go to the airport last night! Does he have like, a goatee now?”
Right, Cora had to kill Law himself
Chapter End Notes
     AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!
     Some of you have been asking for Doffy since the beginning, yeesh!
     Sorry for taking so long! We're not done with him though, noooot at
     all
***** -ACE- Pretty Sure This Isn’t How Bloodletting Works (Not That It Works At
All, Really) *****
Chapter Notes
     Alright! Another exciting (?) chapter for you all! Confession though,
     it almost didn't come to be because work QUADRUPLED my hours this
     week, sobs
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
Ace sat on the rickety construction grid, carefully watching the scene yards
away from him
There he was
Teach was wolfing down another goddamn cherry pie with the band of cronies he
seems to have gathered in the short time Ace had started his hunt for Teach
They were all relaxing in a rather empty town, a few of them had their phones
out, looking things over but also they seemed to be keeping a rather wide
distance away from their boss
Ace can’t believe he finally found the bastard though, it had already been over
a week and frankly Ace has had enough of this dumb game of cat and mouse
It was the 28, wasn’t it? Ace was quickly losing track of time, honestly
But if it was, it meant that Ace could be home before his birthday – with his
family
But where the hell had these extra people come from?
Had the bastard gathered them a while ago; just waiting for the time where he’d
betray the Whitebeards before going off on his own?
Or did he convince these dolts to join him along the way?
Ace frowned sharply, slipping his gloves on as he didn’t keep his eyes off
Teach
He didn’t need to lose Teach from sight now
The fact that there’s was four maybe five more people to deal with now was
going to be a problem. Ace could easily win usually in a group fight – but not
when one of them was Teach
And not when Teach knew exactly how Ace fought either
His knife was sharpened, the weather was calm, Ace was awake
Ace was also thankful that Teach seemed to be hanging out in a rather isolated
part of town – the last thing he needed was goddamn fucking copsinvolved
But it was odd that Ace hadn’t really seen anyone period in the streets
No, it wasn’t the time to figure out what the hell was wrong with this town
It was time to stop making excuses
It was time he got blood on his hands
 
“Hey look, an article about the Strawhat gang” muttered Van Auger, reading off
his phone
“ZE HA HA!! Did you read what they did!” yelled Teach “They directly attacked
Ennies Lobby! Their bounty is going to go up again!”
A few other words were exchanged but Ace didn’t hear them as he got closer and
sat down on the roof of a house, directly overlooking the group
“OF COURSE WE’LL GO! ZE HAHAHA! PREPARE TO GET GOING!”
“HEY.”
Suddenly the whole group stopped and looked up at Ace
Ace didn’t miss the look of utter shock on Teach’s face
Good, you fucking son of a bitch!
“Hold on, Teach” started Ace, frowning sharply as he threw his bag to the side,
not needing to carry it while he was fighting “I’ve been looking for you”
His bike was carefully parked and hidden on the edge of town and he had
discarded his jacket and shirt with his bike
Ace needed to fight at his best
“Well what do you know! It’s commander Ace!” yelled Teach with a huge grin on
his face
“Stop it. Don’t call me that anymore” snarled Ace “Those words should only be
used by people who say them with respect. You’re just making fun of me”
“Oh, you must be ‘Fire First’ Ace” corrected Teach
“That’s me. Nice to meet you!” Damn Makino and teaching him goddamn manners
“You’re a gang leader now, aren’t you? Head of the Blackbeard gang, Teach
D.Marshall?”
“ZE HA HA HA!! Come on, Ace! It’s been a while! What’s up? How did you know I
was here?!” asked Teach, the smile never leaving his face
But Ace could hear the slight anger in his voice
“Let’s cut to the chase, Teach” started Ace, cracking his knuckles; he was
fucking done with all these pleasantries “You’ve been around for a really long
time. There’s no way you don’t understand this situation”
Fuck Teach for acting like he was here on a social call or some bullshit!
This was for Thatch!
“Yeah” stated Teach “Then let me ask you one thing”
Ace frowned, raising a brow
“Ace! Do you want to join me! Let’s take over the world together!”
It was really hard for him not to throw up right there and then, the bile
rising up in his throat
Like fuck he would!
“I’ve already made my plans to rise to the top! Whitebeard’s Era is over! I
will become the king of gangs! The ultimate Don!”
Ace didn’t have any particular respect for the man who sired him, but the idea
of fucking trash like Teach having Roger’s title disgusted him
“…I’m gonna go kill the leader of the Strawhat gang at this resort that he’s
apparently staying at on some ski trip and I’ll present him to the Government
as a gift!” declared Teach
Ace only saw red
“Leader of the Strawhats? What did you say?”
“What? You know who it is?” asked Teach, seemingly happy with that information
“That’s another reason not to let you run loose – he’s my little brother
Luffy!” started Ace, grinding his teeth “And of course I’m not going to join
you!”
But before Ace could finish his sentence, bullets went flying right by his head
that Ace only narrowly missed
What the fuck?!
“Look like we have a guy here with no manners!” yelled Ace, shifting his hands
into two finger guns and used his gloves to shoot fireballs at the group as
they all screamed, scattering around
Suddenly a giant plank of plywood went flying near Ace’s head, but thankfully
Ace narrowly avoided it, setting it on fire in the process
“FUCK! OGRE! BURGESS! Who told you to attack him?! You guys aren’t up to his
level yet!! Stay out of this!” screamed Teach, clearly distraught
Ace took the moment of distraction to launch a powerful surge of fire at the
ground and took joy in the cries of pain he was hearing
“AHH!! HOT HOT HOT!”
“BOSS!”
“BOSS!”
“SHUT UP! STAND BACK!”
Teach grunted as he stood up, mumbling curses at Ace
“Ze hahahaha! I know, Ace! I know that you want to kill me!” Ace frowned
sharply, not liking where Teach was probably going with this
“I know that patricide is a serious crime among gangs!” Teach then cackled
“Yes! I killed Thatch! The number four division commander with my own hands!
But Ace, listen! I didn’t have a choice!”
Ace clenched his fist tightly, trying to control himself from shaking in anger
Of course you had a choice, you sack of shit!!
“He got the Akunomi that I was searching for! According to our rules, the one
who finds the Akumanomi has the right to ingest it! I memorized the look and
smell of every single one so that one day, if I came across it, I could get it!
And yet, there it was in Thatch’s hands! The Akumanomi I had searched my entire
life for! I stayed on Whitebeard’s gang for decades because I know that was my
best chance of finding that akumanomi! If my back luck had continued, I would
have just given up someday but my friend got the vial before me-!”
He was fucking furious
Years spent pretending to be loyal to Pops for a stupid vial!
Thatch might die because of a stupid fucking vial!
One that Thatch had said repeatedly that he wasn’t interesting in ingesting!
“That was just bad luck! This power chose me, Ace!” yelled Teach as he rolled
down his sleeves, showing disgusting black marks all over his arms and hands
“ZE HAHAHAHA! With this, I am the strongest in the world! Behold!”
“ACE! Your body can handle heat like no other but I am darkness!”
It took everything Ace had not to roll his eyes at how corny that was
What kind of person actually called themselves ‘the darkness’
Okay there, Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way
“Darkness?”
“That’s right! You can’t kill me! This is said to be the most dangerous power
in the history of the Akumanomi! I’ve become Patient 0! I’ll show you my power
right here!”
“Fine by me” replied Ace, smirking
“Did you wonder why there’s nobody in the streets?” asked Teach, grinning ear
to ear
Ace had wondered, but he wasn’t going to give Teach the satisfaction of
answering
Actually he also noticed that Teach’s men had left the scene as well
What the hell? Did they abandon him?
“I’ve been going from town to town, visiting every single sick person I could,
I’ve collected tons and tons of diseases and this town has become my test
project, you see” started Teach
Ace felt his stomach tighten as the colour fell from his face
He had made everyone in town ill?!
Everyone was currently sick with god knows what?
And worst – with all these diseases mingling in Teach, where they also
mutating?!
“ZE HA HA HA! Well, Ace?! Do you understand?! This is my power!”
Ace shook his head slightly, grounding himself once more and pulled back,
shooting more fire at Teach who instantly screamed and fell to the ground,
rolling himself in the snow as he screeched and yelled loudly
Ace frowned a bit – he hadn’t sent that bad of a fireball Teach’s way, if
anything, those were kinda soft
“Not going to lie, that is pretty amazing but it’s kinda odd how weak you’ve
gotten” pointed out Ace
Teach kept screaming and rolling around as all the flames extinguished before
he continued talking
“I told you!! I collect everything! I suck everything in! But unlike you, it
didn’t make me physically more tolerant! My body absorbs it all and even though
I won’t get sick from the illness, my body is constantly fighting it, so my
body is always in pain! And all the pain is amplified as well! But in exchange
for that, there’s another thing I can absorb!”yelled Teach as he ran forward
suddenly and tightly grabbed Ace’s arm
Ace grunted, stiffening up as he tried to shake Teach’s hold off – but the
other gripped so tightly that Ace could feel the bruise forming
“And as for my body-“
Ace felt every one of his nerves on fire, as if something was being ripped from
him
Suddenly his hands were in a lot of pain, his nerves going haywire with pain
What the fuck was this-
“Well? You probably noticed it by now, Ace”
No!
NO!
“It can’t be-!!”
Suddenly Teach clotheslined Ace in the stomach, throwing him back into a pile
of garbage
Ace instantly coughed up blood, trying to regain his bearings after being
thrown on the ground
He felt dizzy and his head felt heavy
Fuck fuck fuck fuck!
“ZE HAHAHAHAHAHA!” laughed Teach “Been a while since you’ve taken a real punch
hasn’t it?!” yelled Teach as he started to walk up to Ace “You must have felt
it in the moment I grabbed you! The other thing my darkness can absorb is the
power of the Akumanomi! In other words, while I’m touching their bodies, a user
like you loses their abilities!”
Ace shook slightly as his tolerance for the heat returned to him even though he
could feel his hands got burned from his gloves in those moments where his
abilities disappeared
He looked at his own hands, slightly terrified
This was bad
“You might think you’re invulnerable! But I have the power to make you an
ordinary, weak human being again! And when you’re in that state- who knows what
you’ll catch from me!” boasted Teach
“Then I just have to make sure you don’t touch me” muttered Ace, wiping the
blood from his mouth
This was bad; he could feel his body slowing down, his head feeling cottony
Shit shit shit, was he getting sick?! Did Teach give him something?!
“Don’t you realize it?! Nobody can escape me!” yelled Teach as Ace ran up to
the opposite building and ran up the side, giving himself the lift he needed to
jump up and go in for a kick
If he touched Teach with parts of his body that where covered – he should be
okay, right?
But Teach was able to swing his arm down faster, slamming his hand down on
Ace’s neck as Ace was distracted with his thoughts
Ace didn’t miss the loud crack he heard
Thankfully he managed to throw another fireball Teach’s way, distracting the
other as Ace hit the ground hard, his neck in horrible pain
“Fuck fuck urgh” muttered Ace as he coughed; more blood came out “The bones in
my neck – fuck!”
Ace grabbed his neck, rubbing it slightly with his thumb, trying to massage the
pain away, but he’s sure he had some real damage
Was he going to lose?
Did he completely underestimate Teach?!
 
Ace hit the ground again
Every bone in his body ached, every muscle was screaming
He was sure he was completely covered in bruises; something had to be ruptured
inside of him as he kept coughing up blood
His head was a total mess, he was starting to have double vision, he already
threw up twice and he felt like he was going to die
“Not even a man like you stands a chance!” boasted Teach proudly as he cackled
once more “But it’d be a great loss if you died! Come on, Ace! Join me!”
Ace on his hands and knees coughed again, spitting out a large amount of blood
out of his throat
“If I bowed down to power, what’s the point of living?” asked Ace, lifting his
head and smirking at Teach “I’ll never live my life with regrets! Do you
understand that, moron?”
Ace flicked a switch on his glove, getting rid of the gasoline limiters
He probably had in him one last major attack before his body gave out
If he had to go out – he’s going to take Teach with him
“ONCE YOU’RE DEAD, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!” yelled Teach “I’m sorry you’re such a
fool, Ace! Die in the darkness!”
Ace brought all the fuel forward and ignited it – making a massive fireball
He barely had the strength to stand up, but he needed to
One last time
“ZE HAHAHAHA! The sun?! Or the darkness?! Only one of us will win!”
“I will make Whitebeard the king of gangs” stated Ace right before he launched
his final fireball, knowing that his gloves where now depleted of fuel
Suddenly he was super dizzy and he felt his body falling back into the snow
And then Ace saw nothing but black
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And voila! We're going back to Law next week and I guess we'll
     eventually see what happens with Ace, won't we?
***** -LAW- This Must Be How Pandora Felt (Thankfully I Captured Hope Too)
*****
Chapter Notes
     And we're onto Law! Things are really rolling! It's really fun to
     write such exciting chapters week after week - but now this is a -
     hmm, this is a turning point chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“We’re so going to get caught!“
 
Law inhaled sharply, groaning as he rolled his eyes
“Don’t attract that kind of energy, Bepo!”
Okay, so maybe they had broken? – Is it really broken into if it’s your house?
Anyways
They went home while Cora was at work because Law feels like he’s missing
something. So he wanted to go through Cora’s files to see if he can find that
missing key information that he feels will put everything going on together
The last puzzle piece
Law had brought along Bepo to be a lookout while Law went through the files
that Cora kept at the house
Things have been kinda…weird
For some reason, they had missed Doflamingo’s arriva!l Even though they had
watched the airport religiously for days! But last night, Kid had sent him a
snap via snapchat with a photo that was clearly of Doflamingo with the message
‘your boyfriend’s here’ on it
Fucking asshole
So when did Doflamingo arrive and when??
Did he decide to drive in?
Law frowned, Doflamingo hated driving into anywhere – He loved to fly
He also loved flying his own private planes and he-
Fuck! FUCK! His helicopter!
Law growled slightly, making Bepo eep
How did he miss something so freaking obvious??
Doflamingo hated being piloted anywhere and prefer to pilot himself! If he
would need to come without being spotted – he’d use his goddamn helicopter!
“L-Law? You okay?”
Law rubbed the back of his neck groaning as he went back to sorting through the
files – but apparently nothing particularly new was added
Damnit Cora
“Yeah, I just think I realized how I fucked up about Doflamingo”
“So you think Kid’s snap was legit?” asked Bepo nervously as he kept peeping
out the window, making sure that nobody would see him
“He’s not exactly easy to imitate, Bepo” explained Law as he locked up the
filing cabinet “I think the only person who could actually do it really well is
Cora. And I don’t see Cora pretending to be Doffy either. That dumbass coat of
his cost a few grands and it’s hard to replicate and Cora’s is black. He can’t
exactly dye it or anything”
“So what now?” asked Bepo as he stood up and looked at Law who was looking
around Cora’s office
“Well, now we’re going to have to break into something else” muttered Law as he
looked around and he smiled victoriously as he spots what he was looking for
Cora’s World Government laptop!
Luckily for him; Cora didn’t bring it with him today!
Law went up to the laptop and booted it up and Bepo let out of a shrill shriek
“You’re breaking into Cora’s laptop?! Are you nuts?! What if Cora finds out?!
He’s going to kill you! That stuff is super private!!”
“Shut up!” yelled Law, typing in Cora’s password; thankfully it was the same
password as the filing cabinet “We have no leads so we have no choice!”
Soon enough, Law opened up all the recent files and quickly read through them
“Seems like they asked for more troops to come in than expected – all the
Warlords have arrived minus three” muttered Law loudly for Bepo to hear too
“Who’s missing?”
“Uh….Hancock Boa and….whoah, Jinbei Kaikyo? Apparently he’s refusing to comply
with the order and has been imprisoned and Crocodile Zero is imprisoned too but
that’s due to something that happened apparently a while back and he’s been
stripped of Warlord status until further notice” explained Law
Why did a Warlord refuse the order? Which order?
And why didn’t Hancock freaking go?!
“What are you looking for now?” asked Bepo nervously as he crouched to the
ground, still looking outside “Law, what are you looking for?”
Law paused, surprised by the tone of Bepo’s voice but his message was clear
What are you actually trying to accomplish here?
Honestly, Bepo looked kinda stressed out and sorta wrecked too. Living in the
van hadn’t been easy for neither of them, nobody really
Even though Law was on this mission and they all happily went along; Law must
have forgotten to consider the stress of it all on his friends
They were just a bunch of kids; they hadn’t lived like Law had
Well, minus Jean Bart
“I’m looking for answers” admitted Law honestly “Listen, I need you guys to do
something super important for me, okay?”
Bepo paused, turning to look right at Law, his expression worried
“What are you planning, Law?”
“If I see Doflamingo” started Law “If I find him, I’m going after him alone”
Law won’t have it to see his friends bloody their hands with his revenge plot
“But Law-!”
“No buts, Bepo!” ordered Law, his tone serious “This is for me and me alone,
understood! If something happens to me, I can’t have Cora lose us both, okay?!”
Bepo opened his mouth to say something but then lowered his head, keeping quiet
as he slowly nodded
“For Cora” whispered Bepo, wringing his hands “But please…do your best to come
back. I don’t need to lose another brother”
Law felt slightly guilty at the last words – he forgot about Zepo
“Thank you”
 
Law kept looking around the computer, hoping to find something, anything short
of a location of something of Doflamingo – but Law suspected that if Cora knew
that information, he would have gone after him himself
Fuck
But then he spotted an unfinished report on Cora’s desktop called ‘To Discuss
with Sengoku’
Law frowned, double clicking on the file
Once it loaded he carefully read through it and saw red
“Bepo! The fucking bastard tried to kill Cora last night!”screamed Law, furious
“What!?” yelled Bepo, getting up from his spot by the window and ran up to Law
to look at the file, quickly reading it “Whoah, that’s ballsy to attack a
police station like that”
“It seems like he just waltzed in and went to bargain with Cora about
something. Cora didn’t write down what it was, seems that he probably doesn’t
want it to be traced. But Cora refused and Doflamingo pulled out a gun but the
entire police station pulled out their own guns. 134 shots were fired
apparently in a span of a few minutes but Doflamingo seemed to have escaped
uninjured because they found no trace of blood. But Cora points out that his
coat is very good at hiding if Doflamingo got injured or not, but he definitely
escaped though. Cora’s sure that while Doflamingo’s in Goa, he’s going to try
again” explained Law, shaking with anger
He doesn’t know if he could have read worst news
He purposely stayed behind from the trip to make sure that nothing happened to
Cora, but instead Cora almost got killed
He failed him
Law had failed Cora
“Law…there’s nothing you could have done” whispered Bepo calmly, knowing that
Law was quickly spiralling down
Law was about to let Bepo have it, his nerves at wit’s end, when the laptop
loudly beeped, getting Law’s attention
Apparently an urgent message had arrived and needed to be opened right away
Law blinked, clicking on the message
“Wait wait! Law! No! Cora will know someone was on his computer if you do
that!” warned Bepo, panicking
“I’ll just mark it as ‘unread’ after, Bepo” replied Law as he started to read
the memo
It was from the top brass of the World Government
Holy shit
This was the worst thing he could have read
“Fuck fuck fuck, apparently the World Government is offering Teach D. Marshall
a position of Warlord, probably to replace Crocodile, if he delivers Ace D.
Portgas at the meeting point on the 31rst at 2200 hours” read Law, shocked
Ace had gotten captured?!
Or did Teach say that he would capture Ace?!
Shit, this was so fucking bad!
“With the capture of Ace D. Portgas, it’s expected that Newgate ‘Whitebeard’
Edwards with the ‘Whitebeard Gang’ will attempt a rescue of Portgas. This will
be used as a lure for Edwards with the intention to eliminate both issues at
once. Success is mandatory” finished Bepo, reading over Law’s shoulder
“Holy shit, it’s a fucking blitz” stated Law “This is exactly what we feared
would happen”
“It would explain why they brought out so many extra troops – this is a big
trap. And isn’t there like, thousands of Whitebeards in total?” asked Bepo
“Yeah, about 1600 if I remember right” replied Law as he re-read the notice,
trying to see if he missed anything crucial
“But did Ace get captured or is this a threat?” pointed out Bepo as Law started
to look through the other messages
“I don’t know, it doesn’t fucking say! Fuck, this is really bad”
Bepo sighed loudly and sat down on the ground besides the chair that Law was
sitting in, crossing his arms
“Law, I think it’s time you told Luffy about all of this”
Law groaned, he was hoping that Bepo wouldn’t think that
“Yeah, I think you’re right, shit”
Law took out his cellphone and quickly selected Luffy’s name in the text chat
and Bepo shoved the chair slightly, causing Law to suddenly start rolling away
from him
“No! Call him! Don’t text!”
Law mumbled, hitting Luffy’s name to call him on his phone and held it up to
his ear, hissing at Bepo “You know I hate talking with people on the phone”
“This is important!” pointed out Bepo, appalled “What if only half the message
sends?! Or not at all?!”
Law was not going to admit that Bepo had a point there
No fucking way
The second ring was cut off with a happy cry making the anxiety in Law’s
stomach jump
“Torao!! Why are you calling? What’s up?”
“Are you busy?” asked Law, running his hand through his hair
“No, no! We just finished breakfast! The food here is so good, Torao! I wish I
could share it with you! And Hancock is here too! Her grandma is super funny!”
Law instantly frowned at Hancock’s name
No! This wasn’t the point of this phone call!
“Luffy, listen! This is important! Can you go somewhere alone?”
“Somewhere alone? Okay, I’ll go back to my room!”
“Okay, good” replied Law
But then he heard whistling and cat-calls being thrown Luffy’s way and a loud
warning not to keep the volume down to a considerate level if he was going to
get explicit with his boyfriend from-
Isn’t that Robin Nico?!
Law blinked, surprised
He had no idea she was over there
“Okay, Torao! What’s up?” asked Luffy, his tone serious as Law heard a door
closing
“Okay, so, I think Ace is in a lot of danger” warned Law “The World Government
all gathered up and a report just came in saying that if Teach hands over Ace
to the World Government, he was going to get Warlord”
There was a pause, clearly of Luffy listening and trying to make sense of what
he just heard
“But there’s still a chance that Ace didn’t get caught then! He’s off to try to
kill Teach! Ace is gonna get really mad at me if I try to help him!” pointed
out Luffy
“Luffy, I, I think there’s a really good chance that Teach got Ace” admitted
Law “This…This looks like it’s being taken super seriously by the World
Government and I…I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you. I’ve known
that Ace was in danger for a while, but I didn’t want to…you know…”
Law suddenly felt like the biggest asshole in the world to keep this from Luffy
How could he have kept the fact that Ace was in danger from Luffy?
“Naw naw, don’t feel like that!” started Luffy “I know you did it because you
didn’t want me to worry me and stuff! Thanks for telling me all this, Torao”
“Luffy, listen, I’m really sorry-“
“Torao! Stop apologizing!” yelled Luffy, shocking Law
Luffy had never raised his voice at him like this
“If you think that Ace is in real danger, I believe you! I’m coming back to Goa
as fast as I can! Do you know anything that I can use?” asked Luffy
Law could hear Luffy rustling around the room, probably packing up some stuff
“Luffy! I don’t have the location for the trade-off yet, but I do know it’s on
the 31rst at 2200! But I’ll try to find the location” explained Law, looking
through the message again, looking for any clues
Anything, please anything!
“Okay! I’ll be back before that for sure!” stated Luffy “And then I’ll find Ace
and save him!”
“Luffy, this is in less than two days! How the hell are you going to get off
your isolated resort, to an airport, book tickets and get back in time?!” asked
Law as he stood up from the chair, pacing around the room
“I’ll make it back”
Law sighed, slightly defeated
“I’ll be waiting”
“If you get any extra information-?”
“I’ll let you know right away. Look, Luffy, Doflamingo is in town and-“
He needed to let Luffy know that there’s a possibility that he won’t be able to
meet up with him
That he might not see him again
“You punch ‘mingo in the face, you hear me?”
Law couldn’t help but smile
“Yeah, I’ll do that”
“I’ll see you soon! Thanks for telling, Torao! I love you!”
“I…I love you too” replied Law
He heard Luffy chuckle and then the line cut out
“Is he actually coming?” asked Bepo, shocked
“Yeah, he’s going to do what he can, I guess” admitted Law, shrugging
But then they both heard the telltale sound of the front door unlocking
Law and Bepo both looked at each other horrified
Shit! Shit! Cora was coming home!
“You were supposed to be the lookout!” hissed Law, grabbing his bag from the
floor as both he and Bepo scrambled to their room and started to climb out the
window
“I’m sorry!”
As the front door closed, both Bepo and Law had scrambled out of the house and
climbed down to the backyard. They both took off running across the yard,
climbing over the fence as fast as they could and quickly made their way down
the street
 
“Where are going?!” yelled Bepo as they kept taking back roads as they ran “The
van isn’t this way!”
“The Whitebeard Estate!” admitted Law “We have to warn the Whitebeards!”
The idea suddenly occurred to him as they were climbing down the window – if
they can’t warn Ace, he can at least warn the Whitebeards
Bepo looked at him surprised as they kept running and honestly Law couldn’t
blame him
Why did he even care?
Why was this such a big deal to him right now?
Urgh, it was because of Luffy and he knew it
He cared because Luffy cared
And Luffy cared about Ace, and Ace cared about the Whitebeards
And frankly, the Whitebeards had been nothing but good to him so he could at
least do this much
Once they got to the gate, Law quickly buzzed and waited for someone to answer
But he heard nothing
Frowning, Law buzzed again and once again, nobody answered
“Nobody’s home?” asked Bepo, surprised
“How the fuck is nobody home?? There’s so many of them” stated Law, confused
Law started to climb up the stone wall, shocking Bepo
“They’re going to be so pissed if we do that, Law!”
“Well, they should answer the fucking door” snapped back Law, jumping off the
gate and landing on the other side
“I have a bad feeling about this” muttered Bepo as he also climbed over as well
 
“You’re going to ring the bell?!” asked Bepo, shocked
They were now right up to the house and there wasn’t even a hint of someone
coming to yell at them
Or worst
Law rung the bell and waited – again, no answer
“Fucking hell, this is a pain in the ass” Law took out his picklocks and
started to work the lock
He didn’t have time for this!!
“You’re breaking into their house?!” yelled Bepo, horrified
“I think you can now get over it, Bepo”
The door gave way and Law opened it, looking around
The place looked completely abandoned
“What the…”
“Where did everyone go?” asked Bepo as he walked in, looking around “HELLO?”
Bepo’s hello only bounced off the walls
“They’re all gone” replied Law, in awe “All the Whitebeards have gone into
hiding probably”
Bepo took out his phone and quickly dialed a number and walked off into another
room, clearly looking for better reception
 
Law started to walk around
It was an odd, haunting sight – it looked like everyone had just picked up
their things and left
There was food in the fridge but a slight layer of dust on everything, telling
Law that nobody has been around for a couple of days at least
“The hospital said that Teach was still there! But that nobody was present
anymore, they only called-in regularly for updates” announced Bepo as he ran
into the kitchen to meet up with Law
“So, the Whitebeards officially went into hiding – so they probably know that
this is a trap”
“They wouldn’t let Ace get killed…would they?” asked Bepo, worryingly
Law frowned, he didn’t even think about that
But  would Newgate Edwards really sacrifice his entire life’s work, his legacy,
his own life for one kid?
For his biggest rival’s son?
Law wish he had the answer
“We should totally squat here!!” declared Bepo, clearly over the fact that they
broke into Whitebeard’s mansion “Instead of staying in the van!”
Now, that wasn’t a bad idea
“Yeah sure, I’m sick of sleeping in a van” replied Bepo as the other ran off to
give the guys a call, telling them to come over to the estate
Law frowned, his mind whirling at this giant mess he was somehow getting
involved in
What the hell was he doing? He had nothing to do with this! Why did he care so
much if Ace got executed? If the Whitebeards got killed?
He had to concentrate on Doflamingo – this war that’s brewing isn’t his
business
He’s done all that he can for Ace and the Whitebeards
It was out of his hands now
Law sighed deeply
He only hoped that Luffy somehow managed to find his way over on time
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! Back to Cora next week! Updates should be on
     time as usual, if not, please go check https://twitter.com/
     joseethefirst ! I will post if there's a delay or something with the
     fic!
***** -CORAZON- We’ve Reached the Point of No Return (Now or Never!) *****
Chapter Notes
     Busy chapter ahead! Get ready for a real ride!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
Law’s steps were always rather nimble
After being a fugitive, it makes sense
The less noise you made and the greatest distance you could cover without being
seen the better
Bepo had heavy steps but still rather light on his feet
Maybe heavy wasn’t the word – it was stable steps
Cora could always tell when they were walking around the top floor and right
now was no exception
He heard Law and Bepo scramble and run towards their room
He heard the window open and something rush out of it
The bang bang bang of them climbing down the side of the house and then nothing
Cora looked out the window of Bepo’s room, staring at the foot steps in the
snow leading out of the yard
Bepo and Law had clearly escaped when Cora walked in – but why did they come
home in the first place?
Cora frowned, looking around Bepo’s room
Nothing looked particularly touched, so it wasn’t a supply run
Honestly, he hoped they would come for a supply run – he had fully stocked the
fridge and cupboards for that exact reason
                                                                                                                                           
Cora frowned even more as his eyes widen with realization
It was probably an information run!
 
“Wow, could they have been more obvious?“ mumbled Cora to himself as he looked
at the state of his office
Honestly Cora was a little disappointed
His laptop was completely open and it was obvious that someone had looked
through it!
Messages after messages and reports were completely open with notes scrawled on
the notepad besides his desk in Law’s messy handwriting
No wonder the other was going to be a doctor
Cora figures that Law didn’t even notice that he had scribbled and doodled all
over the pad, a habit he always had but it left clues of him being present
Law and Bepo were not good spies, yeesh
Cora started to look through every message and report that was open, trying to
see what Law had figured out
Shit
Law knew now that Doflamingo had attacked him – that was bad, he couldn’t
afford to worry more about Law, but knowing him, this was a declaration of war
from Doflamingo and Law had too much pride to stand back
Except the idiot didn’t seem to understand that it was himthat Doffy wanted!!
He needed to stay away!! Not go to him!!
Cora needed to figure out a way to keep Law out of the obvious trap that was
being set for him – but how?
He’ll deal with it later, he needed to finish going through everything so he
can figure out Law’s next move
Overall, nothing really caught his eye in all the messages that were open until
he got to the very last one that was open
Was this recent? Cora was sure he hadn’t read this one
What was this?
Cora clicked on it, reading through it quickly
All the blood rushed away from his face as his stomach dropped
Ace had been captured?!
Teach as Warlord?!
Elimination of the Whitebeards and Ace?!
Holy shit
Cora sat back in the chair in shock
Sat back in the clearly still warm chair – god you suck, Law
He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one up, yelping when he
burned himself with the lighter
Everything they had done in the past few months was to avoid this mess
And yet it all somehow still went to hell
Cora wasn’t a religious man, but holy shit, it was almost like this was fated
to happen no matter what
As if they were just characters in a story, playing the roles and saying the
lines
“Drosselmeyer, please have sympathy for us” mumbled Cora as he sighed heavily,
taking a drag of his cigarette
He was going to be up all night trying to figure out how they’re going to get
out of this mess
He needed to get some coffee
 
“Whoah, Rosisi, why are you dressed like that?”
Cora coughed, clearing his throat, embarrassed by Bellemere’s shocked question
On the other hand, it wasn’t always every day that he showed up in a white
three piece suit, a blue dress shirt and a matching white tie with a massive
coat draped on his shoulders, but he didn’t have time to mess around
“I’ll explain later, I promise, but right now, I need to talk to the Captain
urgently”             
“He’s not here” started Bellemere, her jaw still dropped “He left early
tonight”
“Fuck” snarled Cora, pulling out his phone and quickly dialing a number “He
should be home right?”
“Uh yeah? Rosisi, what’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself” asked Bellemere
worryingly as she stood up from her desk and walked towards Cora
But before Cora could answer, the line picked up and Cora dashed towards the
door
Running right into the damn counter
W H Y
 
“State your business quickly” said the voice through the phone, tense
“Marco! It’s me, Rosinante!”
“I know it’s you, look, you can’t trace this phone, so I don’t even know why
you bothered to c-“
“Teach has Ace and he’d handing him over to the World Government in exchange to
be put in the Warlord program!” blurted out Cora quickly as he ran up to his
car, quickly unlocking the door and getting in
There was dead silence on the line for a few moments before Marco finally spoke
up
“Shit, I thought so. He didn’t check in yesterday” admitted Marco
“You’re fucking idiots for letting him go!” yelled Cora, quickly reaching his
limit- or maybe it was the three cups of coffee making him go nuts right now
“For fuck’s sake, goddamn Shanks couldn’t fucking take that bastard down and
you let a goddamn child go after him?! What the hell is wrong with all of
you?!”
Okay, maybe blowing up on Marco wasn’t the best idea right now
But it was fucking 3am, and he’s had it
“Hey! You shut the fuck up! Ace was going and there was no stopping him! He’s
like a fucking enraged bull when he’s pissed, you can’t stop him”
“The trade-off is on the 31rst, at 10pm” informed Cora, now calming down “I
don’t have a location yet because I have to check-in first, but it’s obviously
a fucking trap so stay the fuck away! It says in the report that they’re
awaiting the Whitebeards and their intentions is to eliminate you all”
“We know. Pop is well aware that it’s what they’re going to do – but we take
care of our own and we won’t let the Government kill Ace”
Cora groaned internally, he was afraid of this
“You’re going to lose a lot of your men” warned Cora “This is dangerous,
they’re not messing around, they have every intention to follow through”
“So do we” replied Marco
He sounded so tired
He sounded so scared
So stressed
Cora chuckled softly, he probably sounded the same to Marco
“So, who’s side are you on?” asked Marco suddenly
Cora snorted, turning on his car
“The side I’m always on, Marco, the side of justice”
There was a small pause and then Marco snorted
“Thanks for the heads up about Ace, go fuck up some windmills, Rosinante”
“Fuck off,you burnt chicken!” hissed Cora, hanging up as he heard Marco
laughing
Oh well, at least the kid got to laugh
 
“Someone better be fucking dead!”
Cora tried to stay composed as the front door slammed open, revealing a really
pissed off Smoker
His face was a deep scarlet, his veins protruding in his neck and forehead,
baring his teeth like an angry dog
It didn’t help that Justice was imitating her master by his side
Even in nothing but stripped boxers and a tank top, he still looked incredibly
intimidating
It was probably the muscles and stuff
And you know, the veins popping out everywhere
“I needed to talk to you” said Cora, trying to stay calm
“And why couldn’t this fucking wait until the goddamn sun was up?! Why did you
feel the fucking need to come to my goddamn door at three fucking am?!”
Honestly right now Smoker was just reminding him of the Beast when he was
yelling at Belle
“Ace has been captured by Teach and is being used as a bargaining chip with the
World Goverment” stated Cora calmly and firmly – he needed Smoker to understand
Smoker’s demeanor instantly changed, he looked almost hurt
As if he hadn’t been expecting this
Or as if he wished really hard that it wouldn’t happen
“Come in” grumbled Smoker, going inside his house as Cora followed, Justice was
keeping a close eye on him as she trotted back inside as well
“Thanks” replied Cora, making sure to tap the snow off his shoes before he
walked in
 
“So, what the hell do you know?” asked Smoker as he sat down on the couch,
pouring himself a glass of whiskey, Justice jumping on the couch besides
Smoker, resting her head on his lap
Cora wasn’t going to comment on how the bottle and the glass were already on
the table. He didn’t need to pry right now into his Captain’s mental state
Right now anyways
Cora went to the Captain’s phone line and quickly unplugged it and installed a
device into the line and waited for a moment and sighed in relief
Good, the Captain wasn’t being tapped
“Got a message today” started Cora as he stood back up “I’m going to paraphrase
because I legally can’t show you the message but it basically says that Teach
is offering Ace in exchange for being added to the Warlord program. The trade-
over is going to take place on the 31rst at 2200 hours. No intel on the
location yet. The message said that it’s expected that Newgate Edwards with the
Whitebeards will attempt to rescue Ace. They intend to use this as a lure with
the intention to eliminate both issues at once. It’s noted that success is
mandatory”
Smoker frowned, taking a sip of his drink
“They wouldn’t set up an exchange if they didn’t have proof that Teach had Ace”
explained Smoker, downing a shot of the whiskey and putting the glass back on
the table, pouring himself another “The bastard got himself fucking caught”
“I don’t know the details for now” admitted Cora “So, what now?”
“What can we do?” admitted Smoker “We legally can’t interfere. This is a World
Government matter – and I’ve been trying to take down the Whitebeards for
years. If they want to have a go at it, let them. The old man’s had it coming
and the brat made shitty life choices, not my place to interfere”
Cora looked at the Captain horrified – not sure how to take what the other was
saying
“Are you fucking kidding me?! I thought you were all in to stop this?! And now
that it’s time, you’re tucking your tail between your legs and running?”
snapped Cora, in disbelief
“So what of it? Maybe I learned my place” replied Smoker, lighting up a cigar
“You know the amount of shit I got for shooting at your fucking brother? I had
the fucking CIA and goddamn Sengoku rimming me out for days! You know what the
price for going after a Warlord is? Life in prison! I got a warning and I was
told clearly that if I did it again – it was the end for me! If I go to jail –
who the hell is going to be the Chief of Police here?! We have a shitload of
new officers coming in soon and there’s going to be nobody around to set them
straight if I’m gone! Tashigi needs me! This town needs needs me! People need
me!I ain’t going to jail for a bunch of fucking crooks!”
“Coward! You fucking coward! You got disciplined and now you’re backing down?!
This is wrong and you know it! Ace doesn’t deserve this! He doesn’t deserve to
be fucking executed because of who’s blood he has! The Whitebeards don’t
deserve going out like this! Do you not care?! They’re going to try to kill
Newgate! He’s your father!”
“You aimed a gun at your own brother! Spied on him and sabotaged him for four
fucking years, don’t play the fucking family card on me!”snarled Smoker,
slamming the glass down on the table so hard that it cracked
“Doflamingo killed our father and cut off his head!!” screamed Cora, hitting
his limit “He killed him! Shot him and cut off his head and presented the
fucking thing the Celestial Dragons! To fucking take him back! To take us
back!  He killed Papa!! I hate him! He’s a demon! He’s a monster! He needs to
be taken down! But Ace doesn’t deserve this! The Whitebeards are good people!
They don’t deserve this! And if you’re not going to try anything, I’ll do it
alone! I don’t care! I’ll go to jail! I’ll get killed! I don’t care, but at
least I can live with myself knowing I fucking tried!”
Cora was shaking he was so angry
He never meant to blurt this all out to the Captain
But he was so fucking mad right now
They came all this way and now the Captain was backing down
For what?!
Because his dream of taking down the Whitebeards was being taken from him?!
Because he could get revenge on some petty shit that happened years ago?!
Because he was angry at Ace?!
“You and Doflamingo are Celestial Dragons?!” asked Smoker, completely shocked
“What?! That’s what you fucking take away from this?! Yes! I was born one but
I’m not one anymore! We renounced our status when I was a kid!” yelled Cora, in
total disbelief
“Good to know that you’re still 100% in this, Trafalgar” said Smoker, taking
the cigar out of his mouth and exhaling
There was no missing the smirk on Smoker’s face
Cora froze, not sure what just happened                     
OH THAT SON OF A BITCH!
“Were you just…messing with me?! Because I’m going to beat your ass!”
threatened Cora, hissing as Smoker barked a laugh
“Relax, what the hell else was I supposed to do when you come into my house
dressed likethat” pointed out Smoker “I was afraid that you had turned your
back on Ace and the cause. I figured they had offered a deal to protect Law or
something, I know how you get about him”
Cora blinked and then laughed sheepishly
Okay, had they offered to completely protect Law from Doflamingo, he’s not sure
what he’d do honestly
“No, no, it’s just, after I got the message I had to figure out some sort of
plan you know, and I finally came up with something!” explained Cora “But I
need you on it for it to work”
“You’re going to be the man on the inside, aren’t you?” asked Smoker, taking a
puff of his cigar
Wait – how did he-?!
“Hey fuck you! You know how long it took me to come up with that plan!”yelled
Cora, frustrated
He wanted to impress the Captain, damn it!
“Strategy isn’t your strong suit, is it?” asked Smoker, snorting “Alright,
Hercules Mulligan, how are you going to pull this off?”
“Easy” started Cora “Technically with my current rank, I need to answer to the
summons. Now, I know that Sengoku is going to expect me to do a hard pass and
he’ll let it slide, but I won’t. I’ll answer it and be present at the exchange,
so that way, I’ll know all the details!”
“You know that means that you’re expected to fight the Whitebeards and make
sure the execution goes as planned, right?” pointed out Smoker
“Yeah, but I’m going to go do my own thing. I’m not that great at direct
confrontation anyways, I’m a secret agent for a reason” admitted Cora “Also, I
can get the location information to you and this way I can personally keep an
eye on Doflamingo, so it’s a win-win for me honestly”
“You really thought this through, didn’t ya?”
Cora sighed, slumping down and sitting on the couch besides Smoker, resisting
the urge to reach over Smoker’s lap to pet Justice
“I had no choice. I still don’t know where Law is, but I know he knows that
Doflamingo tried to attack me, so he’s going to go after him. So two birds, one
stone”
Smoker paused for a moment and then stood up
“Rosinante Trafalgar, you’re officially suspended from the Goa Police Force
until January 1rst at 00 hours” stated Smoker “I better not see your goddamn
hide at the police station, you understand me. As of right now, you are not one
of our own”
Cora nodded his head, standing up
“Understood, Captain”
“Also, Rear Admiral Trafalgar, I expect you to do your duty and do what is
right”
“Understood, Captain”
“Also, Rosinante, you’re going to have to decide what comes first; your family
or your duty”
Cora blinked, taken aback by the comment
“By the sounds of it, that wayward child of yours is probably going to show
himself at the altercation” explained Smoker “And you’re going to have to
decide between duty and between being a father”
Cora snorted, he wasn’t worried
He already knew the answer to that
“Same goes to you – what are you going to do?”
“What’s right, Rosinante, which is what I’ve always done” admitted Smoker “Now
get the fuck out of my house, I want to sleep”
Cora laughed, getting up and making his way towards the door
“We’ll be in touch?”
“You better fucking be, or I’ll string you alive”
 
“Rosinante?! What are you doing here?!”
Cora sighed, after the long night he’s had and the flight; he wasn’t in the
mood for this from Sengoku
“There was a summon, so I came” admitted Cora, rubbing the back of his neck
He just wanted to go to his room and get some sleep
“B-But-!” sputtered Sengoku, shocked
“It’s my duty” answered Cora, his voice stern and unwavering
Sengoku nodded, his expression growing serious
“It’s about time you understood, Rear Admiral Donquixote”
“I know what I must do” replied Cora
He only hoped that everything would go the way that he needed things to go
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     My god, what would they do if they didn't have Cora there to fix
     everything??
     Alright, so next week, we're going to find out what happened to Ace!
***** -ACE- This Would Be a Great Time for a Deus Ex Machina (Or a Goddamn
WABAC Machine) *****
Chapter Notes
     And we're finally back to Ace!
     Just to note - the details of Ace's abuse has been left vague on
     purpose, so fill in the blanks! But I will not deny or confirm
     anything about it!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“- It has been brought to our attention, that the Gray Terminal district must
be completely evacuated by orders of the World Government starting immediately
until January 1rst at the latest. As it stands, nobody knows why this is the
case but it has been warned that any and all attempts to breach the evacuation
notice will be met will the full extent of the l- “
Ace groaned slightly as he cracked his eyes open
The shrill voice of the reporter was giving him an even bigger headache that he
had now
His head was pounding and it felt like he was underwater
He had trouble breathing, but Ace figured it had something to do with this sack
on his head
Ace’s entire body felt like this giant ache
He doesn’t quite know what’s going on either
He keeps waking up, moving and then people would beat the shit out of him once
more until he passed out again
Ace could tell that his wrists and ankles were bound by zip ties and it has to
have already been a some time by now due to the irritation he felt at the
contact point – the ties had dug rather deep into his skin at this point so
there was no way that they were newly put on
Especially not considering the scabbing that had already started
His body felt like hell – Ace was covered in bruises; pretty sure he had a few
broken ribs and maybe some slight internal bleeding
Or maybe that had to do with this gross wet cough he had
Ace wasn’t sure if it was mucous or blood he was coughing out
His stomach hurt really bad and so did other parts of his body
But Ace didn’t want to think too much about it
He didn’t want to try to figure out what was done with him while he was
unconscious
If he went down that road, Ace isn’t sure he would recover
“- Haha, I can’t believe the boss got such a sweet deal!”
 Deal? What deal?
“Warlord to hand over Ace! It’s actually kinda of a shock! Who would of thought
that Ace would be worth so much to the World Government to be given such a
prestigious place in such a program!”
Ace’s entire body froze up at the news
He was going to be directly handed over to the World Government?!
Fuck! Shit! FUCK!
Nearly 18 years of running away and now he’s tripping at the fucking finish
line?!
 
“There he is! Ace D. Portgas! As promised! I swear to you that it’s him under
the sack! Look at his arm tattoo!”
Ace had felt someone grab his arm, pulling him forward – well, as much as they
could with his wrists tied together
Fucking Teach
“You could have tattooed this man as a ruse”
Ace frowned at the new voice
It was familiar but…not
As if the serious tone of the voice didn’t match the owner
“Aww, I guess you’re right about that – so we’ll just show ya! I told my men to
leave his pretty little face alone so that you’d be able to identify him”
Please don’t make me throw up, Teach
I’m wearing a bag
The bag was suddenly removed, causing Ace to wince in the bright light
Ace blinked a couple of times as his vision quickly came back to him
Well, he was kinda seeing double, seeing how dizzy he was, but there was no
mistaking the fact that he was staring at an ipad or something about a foot
away from him, being held by Lafitte
Which would explain why the voice sounded weird – it was coming out of a tablet
But there in front of him, on the screen was Garp
“SEE! What did I tell ya? Ace D. Portgas in the flesh!” restated Teach,
cackling away as he licked his lips, tugging again on Ace’s shoulder to hold
him up
Ace shuddered slightly for a moment before taking the opportunity of not having
a mask on to throw up on the floor in front of him
Okay, now he felt slightly better
Yep, there was some blood in that vomit
Shit
“Hey!  Nobody told you to dirty the floor!” yelled Teach, letting go of Ace’s
shoulder and tugged on Ace’s hair instead
Ace tried to roll his eyes at the statement, considering they were in a dirty
abandoned shed thing, he didn’t see how it really fucking mattered
“I want to speak to the boy alone” stated Garp, a serious expression on his
face
“What? Why?” asked Teach, shocked at the request as he let go of Ace’s hair
“Humour me, will you?”replied Garp “I need to fully confirm it’s the target”
Teach merely laughed, setting the tablet on the small table nearby to stand on
its own – then the table was moved to be right in front of Ace
“Whatever you want, we’ll be in the other room”
Ace watched as they quietly all exited the room, closing the door behind them
 
“Are they gone?” asked Garp, keeping his serious expression
“Yeah” blurted out Ace, breathing heavily, as he tried to get as much clean-ish
air into his lungs as he could before they put the damn sack back on his head
“Well, well, well, look at you. Ace you still alive, Ace?”
“Barely. Old man…couldn’t you be here in person? Kill me, snap my neck, poison
me, do anything?”
“Kill you? Why?”
“Because – this is a trap, isn’t it? This handover crap? It’s going to make a
big show out of offing me and the Whitebeards might come and I don’t want that,
so just, please, find a way to come here and end me first”
 “Don’t be rash, you fool. There’s nothing you can do now. Whitebeard won’t
stop if you die. Nothing can prevent this war now! We’ve angered him, he’s
coming no matter what” explained Garp
Garp then sighed heavily – as if he had the weight of the world on his
shoulders
“I wanted you and Luffy to become great Navy men but instead you became thugs!”
Ace huffed, groaning slightly
He’s heard this damn line a million times
“Oh, yes! I spoke to Luffy about his father! A-“
“Neither Luffy or me care about that. In fact, we’d rather not talk about it.
The fact that we both have world-class criminal blood flowing through our
veins…there’s no way the World Government would have accepted us into their
ranks anyways but…”
Ace took a second to inhale more air; it was getting so hard to breathe
“…I own the name Portgas a great debt. For mom who gave up her life for me. I’d
rather forget my good-for-nothing father! I don’t owe him anything. I never
even met him!”
“That may be, but he has his own reasons for-“ started Garp, seeming slightly
distraught by what Ace was saying
“Give it up, Gramps!” yelled Ace, cutting off Garp “Whitebeard is my only
father!”
Garp seemed stunned by the information – but before he could say another word,
the door slammed open and the Blackbeards walked in
Apparently that’s what they were being called now by what Ace picked up from
the times he was conscious
“Alright, enough talky – did you confirm it’s him?” asked Teach, picking up the
tablet and looked right at it – stopping Ace from being able to look at Garp
any longer
Honestly – he’s not even sure if Teach knows it’s his gramps
“Yes” responded Garp, putting back on his serious façade
“Good. See you at the meeting time, bye bye” replied Teach as he turned off the
tablet and threw it on the ground, stomping his foot on it multiple times to
break it
Ace figured that he didn’t want to be traced
“Well, well, well, look at that, Ace, you’ll be handed over to the World
Government tonight and by what I heard – they plan on executing you! What a
great way for you to bring in the new years, isn’t it? Well, I guess you won’t
be bringing in the New Year – ZEHAHAHAHAHHA!!”
Ace frowned and started to look around the room and grinned when he spotted
what he needed
Idiots
Now they just needed to leave the fucking room
 
Or you know, his guard could fall asleep
Who was this old man anyways?
Ace was thankful that they had not put the mask back on him – saying some shit
like they wanted to see the despair in his eyes or something
Okay Junko
Ace managed to snag a piece of the broken tablet, cutting up his own hand in
the process but who gives a shit right now?!
Using it slowly and surely, rubbing it against the zip tie around his ankles,
he was almost able to cut through it
Every time the guy let out a broken snore, Ace would freeze
But he always went back to sleep
Just a little more
A little more
How did he fuck up this badly?! How was he only a few weeks earlier sleeping in
a warm bed, getting breakfast brought to him, a warm dog sleeping besides him?!
How did he go from hanging out with his friends after school, working random
part time jobs, hanging out with his brothers to being a fucking hostage?!
He had messed up; he had messed up so badly
Now he probably put his entire crew into serious danger!
Pops shouldn’t come for him, they should all run
Please let them have run away!
Finally the zip tie broke off and Ace let out a loud sound of relief as his
ankles were freed
Holy shit that had dug deep!
Ace winced slightly, with the dirt and stuff; the wound looked rather infected
too
He then frowned, looking at himself – he had this weird rash too
That was weird? Since when did he have this? It might explain his fever – and
how shitty in general he felt?
And now that he noticed it – everyone but Teach had been wearing masks!
Did Teach give him something?!
That fucking asshole!
Ace promptly stood up, shaking slightly as he did so
He needed to get out of here!
Maybe find some help! Anything!
Ace looked around the room and found a small window leading outside – it would
be a tight fit, but Ace could probably just make it
As quietly as possible, Ace hopped on top of the small table that had the
tablet on it – he had one shot
If he missed – the guy would wake up
If he made the jump to the counter – he could wiggle into the window
Ace took as deep of a breath as he could and hopped over to the counter
Fuck! Fuck!
Ace wobbled slightly, losing his balance but managed to get it right back just
barely, leaning against the wall
He did it!
Ace launched his upper body into the window, ignoring the pain and all the
broken glass now in his hair as he burst through the window – promptly
shattering it
He needed to get out!
Forcing his body through the small opening, he could feel the cuts forming all
over his face and shoulders, tearing through his flesh
He just needed to tolerate it! Just for a little while longer! He was almost
free!
Ace just needs to find someone to call the Captain!
The Captain would help him!
He would! Even if he didn’t love him anymore, he was still a good person! Of
the law! He’d do it to save his life!
And then Ace promises that he’ll leave him alone forever
He’ll go away
To another city, another country – the other end of the World if he needed to!
“Please save me one last time” muttered Ace as he felt his hips go through the
window, thankful that he was still wearing his shorts
Ace grinded his teeth together as he did the worm on the snow – thankfully the
window led directly to the ground level
Everything hurt so fucking bad
But he was almost there
Alm-
 
Ace let out a cry as he felt someone grip his ankles tightly and pulled him
back in through the broken glass
Once back inside the hideout, his body was thrown to the ground
Ace screamed out as his already battered body slammed against the cold concrete
“Trying to run away, HMM? Did you think you could actually get away? Who the
hell would help you? And now, after everything I did to keep your lovely face
alone, you’ve gone and bloodied it all up! Well, does it really matter anyways?
You’re not going to see tomorrow! ZEHAHAHAHA!”
Ace looked around the room, noticing that he was now completely surrounded
Fuck!
“Also, I just heard some quite amazing rumours! Apparently your little brother
thinks we already handed you over so that you were at Impel Down! You know the
giant federal prison nearby? So he broke in looking for you! Little did he know
that I decided to not bring you over there! ZEHAHAHA!”
What!? Luffy’s in danger?!
Why is he here?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GODDAMN SKIING
“But now that they do have him, I’m going to go pay them a little visit and
finish what I planned with that brat”
Fuck it
If he was going to go out – he’ll go out in a blaze of glory
Ace jumped back on his feet, whipping around and kicking Van Augur right in the
face, shocking everyone
Letting out a cry, Ace jumped again, tackling Burgess to the ground
There was an attempt by Lafitte to stop him, but once Ace bit him hard on the
arm, the other let out a shriek, letting go of Ace who merely kicked him away
Ace quickly ran past a shocked Teach and went right out the room
 
Thankfully it seemed the hideout was merely one basement room and a main level
Ace ran for the front door, bashing right into it, knocking the door to the
ground
He was free!!
Wasting no time, Ace got up from the ground where he landed and started to run
towards the buildings he saw over the horizon
Where the fuck was he?!
Ace’s mind was spinning; he couldn’t make sense of his location or anything at
all
His head was pounding, he could feel the blood pouring down his face from all
the cuts
Fuck, his fever was getting considerably worst and the blood from his cuts was
getting into his eyes
But who cares?! As long as he didn’t stay in that shit hole
Ace kept running, happy when he finally saw someone
This large black car was coming towards Ace and pulled over, making Ace hopeful
Please please please
This massive man wearing a big leather black coat came out of the car, frowning
at Ace
He was
saved!                                                                                                                                                                                  
“Sir! Please! Let me have your phone! Call the police! Ask for Captain Chase
Smoker! Please!” pleaded Ace, falling to the ground, exhausted
“Aren’t you Ace D. Portgas?” asked the man, now smirking as he lit up a cigar
Ace felt his blood go cold
Oh fuck
Ace hadn’t noticed the white coat the man was wearing over his shoulders
He was World Government!!
“Well well well! Isn’t it, Shiliew!” cried out Teach, as he ran up to them
Shiliew gave Ace a shift kick in the stomach, making Ace cough up more blood
“They sent me to make sure that the prisoner makes it to his execution – seems
I arrived at the perfect time?”
“Yeah, the bastard tried to escape!” yelled Teach, trying to catch his breath
as he caught up
“Hmph, this is making me doubt your abilities, Teach” warned Shiliew, clearly
not completely trustful of Teach
Teach though only laughed
“Like I told you! This guy would have been amazing on our gang! But he’s too
loyal to the old bastard”
“Don’t insult Pops!” spat out Ace
But before he could say anything, he received another kick from Shiliew – but
this time in the head
NO! I have to save Luffy-!
Chapter End Notes
     Heads up; during Ace's Great Escape Attempt, I had Joan Jett's Bad
     Reputation playing on loop as I wrote it!
     So we're going back to Law next week and don't worry! Even if it's
     Christmas Eve, you will be getting an update! I promise you all that!
***** -LAW- Razzle Dazzle (How Can They See With Sequins In Their Eyes?) *****
Chapter Notes
     MERRY CHRISTMAS IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CELEBRATE OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
     Sorry about the delays in answering your comments! I read them all on
     my phone but I gotta be on the laptop to answer them! OTL
     Thank you all so much for sticking by with me! Now onward to Law! To
     note - it's the 31rst right now in the fic!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“Urgh, I should have scoped out the perimeter way before I got here“
Law was slightly frustrated
Okay, understatement of the century at this point
Like it had been announced everywhere, the World Government had shut down Gray
Terminal  district completely and Law thought that he’d have no trouble
sneaking in – but he completely underestimated the size of the Terminal and the
amount of agents they had brought over
So even if he snuck into the district – he had no idea where Ace was going to
be traded over!
How could he deliver the proper information if he didn’t have it?!
Law turned on his phone and looked at the latest text he got from Luffy
They had been infrequent and frankly kinda…worrying
Some talked about hanging out with some clown?? And a guy named Bon??
Bon’s name came up a lot actually
Others looked like it was right out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Law tried to ignore all the texts that talked about or mentioned Hancock
But now it talked about how they hitched a ride to the exchange??
Law wasn’t sure what the hell that was all about – how could he hitch a ride?!
They were only letting in armoured transports in and Law wasn’t sure you could
hitch a ride with one?
Whatever, he needed to try to locate the exchange location first
 
Another hour went by and Law still hadn’t figured out how the fuck he was going
to make his way inside the perimeter
It seemed like every nook and cranny was being supervised!
What was more horrifying is that Law knew that a considerable amount of
homeless and poor people lived in the Terminal, well, tried to and they were
all gone
Any city that relocated their poor-off people for diplomatic reasons were
fucking scum in Law’s book
But Law also noticed the severe lack of any gang members of any kind
Maybe Kidd had been right when he said that everyone was staying as far away as
they possibly could
This was making things harder than it should be – Law was hoping to follow some
gang members into the perimeter since they would know how to sneak in – right?
Law sighed loudly, getting frustrated
It was easy for him to sneak out of Flevance’s perimeter because he knew the
city like the back of his hand
But this was a whole other can of worms
He didn’t know Gray Terminal at all
Fuck fuck fuck
Suddenly Law felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out
A text from Bepo?
He told Bepo not to contact him in case that all texts were being tracked!
But what surprised him was that Bepo had merely attached a photo and nothing
else
Odd
Frowning, Law clicked the message and was shocked and happily surprised to see
a photo of a hand-drawn map of what looked like the sewer system!
Law quickly found his location on the map and noticed that Bepo had circled a
particular area in pen with a small note that said ‘much less guards in this
area for some reason’
Bepo – you beautiful bastard!
Law looked around and found the closest manhole cover and was surprised to see
that someone had already jacked it open
The fuck?!
That was suspicious – was it a trap?
Law frowned, looking around to see if he could find another manhole cover
And that one too was propped open
Just enough so that you won’t need tools to do it again but not enough that
it’s not that obvious that it was already opened
Was this a trap?
Or an escape route?
Law frowned, he didn’t have the time to think about it too hard as he propped
one open and started to climb down
 
Law was thankful that he had tied a bandana around his mouth because the stench
down here was pretty bad
Odd that only a few years ago he had hid in a pile of corpses to escape
Maybe he had gotten soft after living such a cushy life with Cora?
Or frankly the smell down here was completely revolting and smelled like
nothing like the smells that human bodies produced?
Then again, humans produced fecal matter – so that was incorrect
Maybe Law was used to the smell of blood?
Whatever, it smelled like shit down here and Law was done thinking about it
Following the map using the light of his cellphone, Law was able to navigate
sewer system rather well to his surprise
Bepo was one magnificent person!
But then Law spotted an odd note on Bepo’s map
“Avoid this area!! There seems to be more security here than anywhere else?
Bepo, you dope, that’s probably the handover location!” mumbled Law as he
looked at his map again
Huh, now that he noticed it – the perimeter kinda looked like a giant crescent
moon shape
Law split off from the location he was heading for and turned towards the spot
that was indicated on the map to stay away from
He didn’t need to exactly to ground level, but if he could at least confirm the
location of the trade-off, he would have done his job!
Luffy would know where to go!
Luffy probably knew Gray Terminal like the back of his hand so he’d have no
problem sneaking in!
This was perfect!
 
Law found himself directly under the location mentioned and he could feel the
rumbling of all the people moving in all directions above him
Damn
This was probably it then
Suddenly he heard everyone running and stomping in one location
Did they all suddenly go into formation?
Law felt a car driving up and everyone stomped a foot
Where they saluting?
Law quickly scrambled up the ladder and opened the manhole cover slightly – he
couldn’t see much without being caught
But he could hear, and hopefully that would be enough
“SIR!”
“At ease”
That was definitelySengoku’s voice
And someone was walking with him
It was probably Garp
But Garp wasn’t laughing and guffawing like he usually does
 Law frowned – it would make sense that he wasn’t; the boy that he raised that
like his own might get execute tonight
Law paused
He heard someone else’s steps behind them
Just barely though – if he hadn’t been listening, he might have missed it
No
It he wasn’t used to them
Was it Cora?!
It was Cora!!
What was Cora doing with them?!
Law bit his lip, trying to hold himself back, gripping the ladder tightly
He just wanted to burst out and check if it was Cora, but he wasn’t going to
get him in trouble like that!
He refused!
But if Sengoku just went inside whatever building was there, Law heard a door
close, that was probably the handover location
Law quickly climbed down the ladder and once on the ground, he pulled out his
phone and quickly texted Luffy the location according to Bepo’s map
He had done his job!
Now, to see if he could sneak in above level
 
The other location was about a quarter mile away from where Sengoku was dropped
off which confused Law
It wasn’t on the edge or anything – so why was this area less populated with
agents?
Carefully and quietly, Law climbed up the ladder again and slowly popped off
the manhole cover and looked around, making sure nobody had spotted him
Sure around, not a soul around?
What the fuck was going on?
Law climbed out and removed the bandana, about to throw it out in a nearby
trashcan but hesitated
He might need to use the sewers to get out, so he’s better off keeping it with
him
Law quickly tucked it into his back jean pocket and started to look around
The only gathering of agents he could see was around a –
A restaurant?
Or what seemed to have been a restaurant a long time ago
But now the lights were open and the guards in front seemed really nervous for
some reason
Suddenly a long armoured vehicle showed up, parking in front of the restaurant
Law saw Tsuru, a World Government agent that he had known of since the days he
was part of the Donquixote gang since she was a constant pain in Doflamingo’s
ass
But also because she was one of the few agents who visited Cora in the hospital
on a regular basis
Cora seemed rather fond of her, but Law didn’t feel the need or want to make
friends with a World Government agent that wasn’t Cora, so he avoided Cora’s
hospital room when she visited
Why was she going to this shoddy restaurant place and wasn’t with Sengoku?!
But then Law noticed that she got out of the car and had only stepped aside,
waiting for the others to get out of the car
Wait
Was she their escort?
Then Law spotted Mihawk Dracule leave the car
And then Hancock Boa?!
The bitch was here?!
This other weird looking guy got out of the car and Law felt his stomach drop
Was this
Were these
The Warlords?!
That means-!
And without another moment going by, Doflamingo Donquixote stepped out of the
car, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world
 
Law found himself torn in that moment
He could feel himself slightly shaking
Shaking from fear
Shaking from rage
He was so angry and so terrified at the same time
But there was Doflamingo
In the flesh, under little to no security
Mihawk would not protect him
Neither would Hancock
Law wasn’t sure about the other guy, but whatever
His only and real threat in this scenario was Tsuru, but Law could see her
looking the other way if he attacked Doflamingo
Meaning that he needed to make sure that any hit he does on Doflamingo was
direct and exact, with no hesitation – he needed to kill Doflamingo in one hit
Law reached behind him, bringing Kikoku forward
With his blade, it should be enough to give Doflamingo a wound that would be
fatal
From his back, going forward and upward - through the heart
Law smirked
Stabbing Doflamingo through the heart would be exactly what he deserved
And such sweet poetry too
But now he needed to find a way in
 
Who knew all he really needed to sneak in was an apron?
The back of the kitchen of the restaurant was in a total uproar as they tried
to get the Warlord’s meals ready
Everyone in the back where hired kitchen help that apparently worked at many
different bases so they didn’t really know each other, enabling Law to blend in
rather well
It took mere seconds to recognize which mean was being prepared for Doflamingo
It seemed the other still ate the same food after all these years
Law played with the idea of poisoning Doflamingo’s food with some floor cleaner
– but it seems that the kitchen’s staff was forced to sample everything that
was cooked before it went on the floor so uh
Law didn’t feel the need to be responsible for the death of a rando
But he did take advantage of the chaos to go sneaking around to get the layout
of the restaurant
Apparently to make the place looked better they had put thin room partitions
around the table
Law supposed for privacy too
Law smirked – this was making things way too easy for him!
If anything, it was once again rather poetic
Beautiful, delicate room partitions will be hiding him
It was like a kabuki play
He’s probably going to be arrested on the spot though
Law only wished that Cora was nowhere near
But he supposed asking for his attempted murder to go perfectly would be
ridiculous
 
As the Warlords started eating, Law quietly slipped away from the chaos of the
kitchen and sulked back to the main floor
He quietly and carefully slid behind the partitions – thankful that they were
black and not white
He didn’t need his shadow exposing him!
On the other hand, the partitions were surrounded by a thick black curtain to
hide outside light
Sliding between the curtain and the partitions, Law quietly made his way to
where Doflamingo was sitting
Law could hear Doflamingo cackling loudly
He could smell the cologne the other usually wore
He could feel his presence in the air
He could feel every hair on his arm stand on end
He could hear every creak of the wood of the table, thankful that the floors
were cold concrete and gave him the silence he needed
He could hear clanking of the silverware and the glasses
Law could feel his heart pounding in his chest
Law could feel the sweat on his brow
He had one shot
The needed to stab the Nodachi right through at the exact right spot
But due to the coat that Doflamingo wore – Law also needed to stab really hard
No hesitation
And if Law was lucky – Doflamingo would choke on the food he was eating too
It would be perfect
Absolutely perfect
Law put himself in position, directly behind Doflamingo
He crouched down, putting his arm forward to balance himself, his other taking
his blade as quietly as possible from its sheath
Putting the sheath down on the floor, Law then steadied himself using
Doflamingo’s shadow as his guide
He knew how Doflamingo was built – meaning if he wanted to hit his target right
– he had to stab through right there
Law had found the location
It was show time
Law took a deep breath
It was time to finally finish this
After a year of torment
After a year of wanting revenge for what Doflamingo did to Cora
This story was finally ending
Law was about to exhale when suddenly he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and
arm wrap around his torso, pulling back
Law try to struggle against the person, but quickly smelled the chloroform
Fuck! He was so concentrated on getting his position right; he didn’t have time
to notice that someone was behind hi-
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Wow, you sure screwed the pooch there, Law
     Who grabbed him? What will happen?
     Who knows! But what I do know is that I'm going to try really hard to
     post Cora's chapter on the 31rst and Ace's next one on his birthday!
     So the 1rst! No promises, but I'll try super hard!
***** -CORAZON- God Save the Helpless (I Can Only Do So Much) *****
Chapter Notes
     So now things are slowly getting to the climax - are you all excited?
     It's time to fill-in some gaps!
     AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife
Cora crossed his arms, leaning against the isolated room’s wall
He had been ordered by Sengoku to keep a close watch on Garp when Sengoku
wasn’t able to be present
Frankly Cora wasn’t quite sure why; Sengoku and Garp had been close friends for
years, longer than Cora even knew Sengoku!
But then again, knowing Sengoku, he could only imagine how pissed off the other
was about this situation
“I want to speak to the boy alone“
Cora threw a look towards the screen and then quickly shifted his gaze away
from the screen
Ace looked so incredibly horrible and it was taking everything he had not to go
bust the kid out
How the fuck was Garp able to keep a straight face through this?!
“What? Why?”
“Humour me, will you?” replied Garp “I need to fully confirm it’s the target”
 “Whatever you want, we’ll be in the other room”
Garp closed his eyes and took a deep breath
“Are they gone?” asked Garp, keeping his serious expression
“Yeah”
“Well, well, well, look at you. Ace you still alive, Ace?”
“Barely. Old man…couldn’t you be here in person? Kill me, snap my neck, poison
me, do anything?”
Cora closed his eyes tight, biting his lip so hard that it started to bleed
He was trying so hard not to cry right now
Ace was asking for his Grandfather to kill him, to end his life
“Kill you? Why?”
“Because – this is a trap, isn’t it? This handover crap? It’s going to make a
big show out of offing me and the Whitebeards might come and I don’t want that,
so just, please, find a way to come here and end me first”
Typical Ace, thinking of others before himself
 “Don’t be rash, you fool. There’s nothing you can do now. Whitebeard won’t
stop if you die. Nothing can prevent this war now! We’ve angered him, he’s
coming no matter what” explained Garp
Garp then sighed heavily
He seemed, broken almost for a slight moment
“I wanted you and Luffy to become great Navy men but instead you became thugs!”
But then, Garp paused for a moment, seeming slightly happy for a second
 “Oh, yes! I spoke to Luffy about his father! A-“
“Neither Luffy or me care about that. In fact, we’d rather not talk about it.
The fact that we both have world-class criminal blood flowing through our
veins…there’s no way the World Government would have accepted us into their
ranks anyways but…”
Well, he had a point
“…I own the name Portgas a great debt. For mom who gave up her life for me. I’d
rather forget my good-for-nothing father! I don’t owe him anything. I never
even met him!”
To think all this is happening for a man that Ace had never even met
If only his mother had survived, maybe Ace wouldn’t feel so alone in this
“That may be, but he has his own reasons for-“ started Garp, seeming slightly
distraught by what Ace was saying
Cora raised a brow, shocked
Why was Garp defending Rogers?!
“Give it up, Gramps!” yelled Ace, cutting off Garp “Whitebeard is my only
father!”
Garp seemed stunned by the information – but before he could say another word,
the door slammed open in the feed
Cora looked down at the ground, trying to figure it out how exactly he was
feeling right now
His heart was breaking for Ace
His heart was breaking for Garp
He doesn’t even know how he’d feel in Garp’s place
On the other hand, he also didn’t understand how the hell Garp agreed to take
in Roger’s son!
How do you spend your entire career hunting down this one criminal – only to
take in and raise that man’s son for 18 years after?
But in retrospect – hadn’t he done the same thing?
Doflamingo had raised Law as his heir, as his own
And yet he had snatched Law away from Doflamingo away, to give him better, to
let him live, be happy, have limitless possibilities
Cora smiled softly to himself – he never knew he had so much in common with
Garp
Maybe after all this is over, if it all goes well, maybe he should sit down
with Garp and have a beer and just talk
The feed suddenly stopped and Garp stared at the screen in complete shock
And suddenly Garp let out a small whimper and put his head in his hands
Cora paused and then quietly shifted out of the room – knowing very well that
Garp probably didn’t want anybody to witness his breakdown
 
 
Cora went down the familiar hallways of Marineford, hearing his heels clack on
the floor was slightly irritating him though
He didn’t like people being able to hear him as he moved around
But right now needed to go see Sengoku and report that it’s confirmed that
Teach had Ace
Sorry, Portgas
Sengoku was getting mad at him and Garp whenever they mentioned Ace by his
first name
Saying it was too personal
Cora exhaled, he needed to relax and stay in-character if he was going to pull
this off
“Yes! The Strawhats have been scattered successfully! They attempted to follow
Strawhat Luffy, but Kuma intervened and dealt with them accordingly”
Cora froze, staring at the door in front of him
What the hell was that?
Looking up, Cora couldn’t deny the truth; he was standing in front of Sengoku’s
office
And to his luck, the door was closed, so he could keep listening in
Fuck! Are the kids okay?! He needed to contact Bellemere ASAP to see if she
knew anything!
“Also, sir, um, the agents following the Whitebeard gang, they completely lost
them from sight”
“Excuse me?!”
“All contact has been severed-!”
Cora moved away from the door, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping and he
had heard enough
He quickly shot a text from his burner phone to Bellemere, asking if she had
heard from Nami
Bellemere quickly texted back, saying that she hadn’t
Cora frowned sharply
Should he?
He needed to
Cora texted Bellemere telling her to try to contact Nami ASAP because Luffy was
spotted in town
He wasn’t lying per say
But…sorta lying?
Cora didn’t get a reply from Bellemere so he decided to make his way back to
Garp
Bellemere would message him when she got the info anyways
Turning the corner, he bumped right into Garp
“Oh uh…” started Cora but Garp merely cleared his throat
“Mind keeping what you saw back there to yourself?” asked Garp, seeming
embarrassed even though his face as still all red
Cora nodded, knowing very well that Garp didn’t need Sengoku know that he broke
down over what happened to Ace
“C’mon, let’s go, your master must want his dog back” grunted Garp as he moved
past Cora
Cora’s jaw dropped, insulted
The fuck?!
 
Garp was laughing loudly, tears in his eyes as his face was completely red now
for a completely different reason
Cora bowed his head, biting his lip as he leaned against the wall in Sengoku’s
office
He couldn’t laugh
He wasn’t allowed to laugh
“WHAT’S SO FUNNY, GARP?!” screamed Sengoku “AT A CRITICAL TIME LIKE THIS! THIS
IS A DISASTER! FIRST ENIES LOBBY, THEN THE ATTACK ON THE CELESTIAL DRAGONS, AND
NOW THIS! IT’S UNPRECEDENTED!!”
Honestly Cora couldn’t believe it
Luffy had no only somehow broken into Impel Down, the massive World Government
prison – he had broken into so bad, got to the down to the floor with the
highest secure level, looking for Ace!
Who breaks into prison?!
Apparently the guards had caught Luffy, but he somehow managed to escape! So
Sengoku was now, losing his mind
Garp though seemed to be enjoying it, munching away on his rice crackers
“- No one else has even been able to break in or break out throughout history!
The great prison Impel Down has been impregnable for all these years! AND THE
FIRST PERSON TO EVER BREAK IN AND RUIN IT’S REPUTATION IS YOUR GRANDSON,
GARP!!” screamed Sengoku, pointing angrily at Garp
Garp on the other hand was only laughing hard, giving a thumb up
“I’m so proud of that boy! He’s great!”
“Kuma Bartholomew said he annihilated the Straw Hat Pirates at the ski resort!
So that was a lie!”
Cora sighed in relief, hoping it was the case
Garp huffed, leaning back on the couch as he kept munching on his rice crackers
“Well, I never believe a Warlord’s words! But how did Luffy get through the
blockade surrounding the prison?”
Sengoku lunged himself at Garp, grabbing the other man’s collar, pulling him
forward as Garp kept laughing
“IF YOU WEREN’T CALLED THE WORLD GOVERNMENT’S HERO, I’D MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE
SINS OF YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY, GARP!”
“HAHAHA! This old man’s life isn’t worth nearly enough to pay for a fiasco like
this! HAHAHAHA!” declared Garp
Cora’s in total awe, to think that Law’s boyfriend was this –
Amazing
Luffy was amazing
Cora’s phone vibrated, surprising him
“I’m going to go take this” mumbled Cora as he walked out of the room, knowing
very well that Sengoku wouldn’t really notice him right now
He was too busy trying to kill Garp
 
Once in the hallway, he read the text that was sent from Smoker merely stating
‘news’
Cora snorted and shot Smoker a quick text explaining that he had now visually
confirmed that Teach had Ace, of Luffy’s break-in and escape and the location
they were heading for the trade-over
Soon enough, Smoker replied back
Cora raised a brow
“Status update on Ace?”
All he was asking was about Ace’s status
Cora smiled softly at the phone
He really hoped after all this is over and done with, Smoker could be honest
about his feelings
But he needed to be honest
He told Smoker about how horrible Ace looked and that he needed medical
attention as soon as possible
Smoker merely replied that they were heading into position
Cora let him know that he’d been on the scene
“ROSINANTE! Let’s go! We have to go to the carrier!” yelled Sengoku, sticking
his head out of the doorway, clearly still mad
Cora blinked, holding his phone
Sengoku’s eyes narrowed at the cell
“Who are you texting?”                    
“Bepo. I’m asking what they’re doing – they said they’re trying to get an
earlier flight home since everyone apparently left the resort? I’m wiring them
money for the flight” lied Cora
Sengoku merely nodded, believing him as he walked out of the room, laughing
Garp in tow as they made their way down the hallway
Cora sheepishly followed behind them
 
Cora huffed, he hated these cramped carriers
“Is the livestream ready?” asked Sengoku
One of the agents in the carrier nodded
Honestly, who the hell thought that squeezing like, 8 adults in this carrier
was a good idea?!
“Yes sir! Everything is ready and running smoothly!”
“Livestream?” asked Cora, crossing his arms and raising a brow
Why are they talking about a livestream now?
“Of course. All major executions are recorded, Rosinante, you know this”
replied Sengoku “The general public have the right to witness the extinguishing
of Roger’s bloodline once and for all”
It took everything Cora had not to lash out in the carrier
“Recorded yes, but livestreamed? Isn’t that a little much? Don’t you think that
people might take offence or outrage at the public execution of a minor?”
pointed out Cora, digging his nails into his arm, trying to calm himself down
Garp remained silent
“Anyone that has Roger’s blood isn’t protected by any law that protects minors”
reminded Sengoku “Also, this order came from above. I have to obey it”
Cora is completely disgusted with the idea
They’re going to goddamn livestream Ace’s murder?!
What the hell was wrong with this world?!
“Understood” merely replied Cora, not wanting to talk about it any more
He took a quick look at Garp only to find him seeming stoic and calm
But as he looked down, he could see that Garp’s hands were slightly shaking
Garp was handling this so badly
Why was he even coming to this?!
But then, Cora then noticed that Sengoku was in a dark, foul mood
Cora would have thought that he’d be happier because he finally caught who he’s
been chasing for nearly 18 years?
But then again, his best friend had been hiding the fugitive for 18 years
Cora groaned slightly, of course he’d be stuck in this carrier between them
right now
 
Cora frowned
“Isn’t this an old warehouse?”
Sengoku merely nodded
“Yes, it’s massive but only has two entrances. Teach is going to come in from
the back door, we’ll go in from the front door for the trade-off” explained
Sengoku “And then we’ll go through the front door where the execution platform
is getting ready”
“A platform?” asked Cora, surprised
“Yes. Another request from higher up. Since Roger was beheaded, they wish for
the same to be done to Portgas”
“That’s rather…medieval, don’t you think?” asked Cora, horrified
“Rosinante” warned Sengoku, promptly shutting him up
As they walked up to the warehouse, there was hundreds of World Government
soldiers around in position
“ATTENTION!” was yelled out by the leader and all the soldiers stomped their
feet
“SIR!”called out the all the agents, nearly deafening Cora
“At ease”replied Sengoku, waving his hand
As they walked towards the warehouse, Cora noticed something…weird
As they drove here, he noticed that all the manholes were all slightly open
And the one he was walking up to also was
Had anyone else noticed this?
Probably not, yeesh
Cora rolled his eyes, that was the problem with most World Government agents
–too much combat training and not enough observation training
Cora shot a look down at the manhole and to his horror he couldn’t believe what
he saw!
He knows those eyes looking from the manhole!
Those are Law’s eyes!
Law’s in there?!
WHY IS HE IN THE SEWERS?!
The manhole cover dropped down and Cora couldn’t stop the panic growing in him
He needed to find Law and now!
But if he went down the manholes right now, he might get Law arrested
Shit shit shit shit
“Where are the Warlords right now anyways?” asked Cora as nonchalantly as
possible
Sengoku shot him a look and carried on inside, not saying a word
Cora blinked, surprised
Sengoku was keeping the information from him?!
Seriously!?                        
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder
“Go back about a quarter mile away. There’s an abandoned restaurant that’s
being used for their dinner”
Cora looked at Garp completely shocked and then he smiled slightly
Garp patted Cora’s shoulder and walked into the trade-off building and Cora
followed suite
Looking around, Cora was surprised at how similar the layout of the building
was to the one that they raided a while back
Urgh Buggy was so annoying
He hoped he didn’t have to deal with that clown any time soon
Now he needed to leave, find a way to escape to go to this restaurant!
He needed some sort of distraction!
Sengoku frowned as his phone rung and pulled it out, answering it
“Wait, what?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN STRAWHAT LUFFY NOT ONLY ESCAPED PRISON, BUT ALSO
STOLE AN ARMOURED CARRIER WITH MANY OTHER CRIMINALS?!”
Annd there we go
Corazon withdraws coolly
 
Corazon quickly found the restaurant in question and snuck through the back
Thankfully because he was wearing his World Government uniform, nobody
questioned his presence at the restaurant
He grabbed one of the servers’ arms, pulling him in
“Explain the layout of the main floor. Now.” ordered Cora, frowning sharply
“U-Uh, well, there’s the table, with all the Warlords, and around them is like,
these screen things and around that is these thick light stopping curtains so
nobody outside can see them eating inside?” explained the server, looking
terrified
“Okay” answered Cora, letting the guy go with a big smile on his face and left
the kitchen without another word
Once he entered the main floor, he could easily see the thick curtain
surrounding the table
Cora frowned, slightly moving to slip behind the curtain on the side of the
wall and quietly moved around it
If his hunch was correct, maybe just maybe
Ah!
Right there
Cora just heard the unsheathing of a sword
It was probably Law
NO LAW!
Goddamnit Law!! That’s not why I paid for that damn thing!
Cora quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and with his other hand;
he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small metal case. Opening it
with his thumb revealed a series of small vials neatly tucked inside
Snatching Law away when he was 13 was one thing, but now the damn kid is much
heavier, so he’ll need a little help
Especially if he needs to make sure that Doffy doesn’t hear them
Cora quickly opened the vial and soaked his handkerchief with the liquid and
stuck his arms though the closest opening in the curtain
He quickly put the handkerchief on Law’s face, making sure his nose and mouth
were covered and within a few moments of struggling, Law fell in his arms and
Cora grabbed the falling nodachi with his other hand, hissing slightly as he
grabbed it by the blade
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck THAT HURT fuck fuck fuck fuck!!
Cora quickly pulled Law behind the curtain on his side and set him down for a
moment to remove the handkerchief from Law’s mouth and threw it aside
Cora quickly re-sheathed the nodachi, ignoring the blood that was getting
everything from his cut hand
He picked up Law in his arms and quickly made his way outside
 
Law grunted slightly as he opened his eyes, squinting
“What th-“
Oh good, he was only out for a few minutes
Honestly Cora was a little worried he had used too much! He was starting to get
really concerned since he had brought Law to this isolated alley and the other
hadn’t seemed to be waking up!
Cora had even put down a noise distorting device to make sure nobody could
overhear them because he knew that Law was going to lose it
“Shhh” said Cora, running his hand through Law’s hair, having removed Law’s hat
a few moments ago, squatting in front of Law
“W-Why am I outsid- DID YOU DRUG ME?!” yelled Law, clearly annoyed
Annnd now he was mad again
Without even thinking, Cora slapped Law across the face
He only saw red
He was furious right now!
Law looked at him completely shocked
“How dare you! How dare you! I did not sacrifice everything for you for you to
only become a murderer!” yelled Cora, shaking in anger “How dare you lie to me
about going on a fucking ski trip when this whole time you planned on skipping
out and going on a fucking Doflamingo hunt! You’re such an idiot! Such an
idiot! YOU MUST BE THE SMARTEST DUMB PERSON ALIVE!”
“But he tried to kill you!” argued Law, now out of his stupor
“Shut up! Shut up! It’s my job as your guardian to handle Doflamingo! It’s my
job! He’s my responsibility! Yours is to live!” 
“Y-You-“ started Law, stumbling over his words “You used chloroform on me!!
What the fuck!!”
Cora’s merely frowned at Law, not impressed and flicked Law’s forehead
“I used sevoflurane, you dope. Nobody uses chloroform anymore because it takes
too damn long to work”
Law blinked, his face becoming a deep dark red
Clearly he was embarrassed for thinking sevoflurane was chloroform
Of course Law would be embarrassed about something so stupid
“I guess I’m going to have to teach you the different smells between the two,
huh?” teased Cora, chuckling
But then his expression grew serious
“Law, you need to go home. Now. Things are about to get real ugly, real fast
here and I don’t want you anywhere near it”
“No” replied Law, grabbing his hat from Cora’s hand and putting it back on his
head “I’m here to help”
Cora groaned – of course Law is!
“Fine. How about we make a deal though” offered Cora, taking a cigarette out of
his pocket and lit it up, hissing as he remembered the cut on his hand
Law frowned sharply, taking Cora’s hand and quickly pulled out his small
medical kit and started to clean up and stitch up Cora’s hand as the other sat
down
Of course he was fixing him up
“Listening” finally said Law after a long moment of silence
Cora smiled softly, pride in Law’s abilities welling up in him
“You can be on standby – but only to help Luffy escape. He’s on his way and
he’s going to try and get Ace, were you aware of this?” asked Cora
Law merely nodded as he kept stitching the hand
“Yeah, I told him where to go” admitted Law “Fine. I’ll stay away from the main
battle and secure an escape for Luffy and Ace”
“No, concentrate only on Luffy” replied Cora “There’s a chance that Ace might
have another escape route planned for him, it’s much harder to escape two
people than just one. So concentrate on Luffy and then contact me to let me
know that you’re safe”
Law said nothing for another moment and then sighed loudly. Law nodded,
finishing up the stitches on Cora’s right hand and bandaged it up quickly
“Okay, fine” Law then stood up “But you take care too”
Cora nodded and Law went up to a nearby manhole cover and flipped open the
manhole cover easily and started to climb down
Are they all loose?
“Now scram! And I better see you at home when I get there! With Bepo!” warned
Cora, yelling down the hole
Cora could help but smile when he heard Law’s chuckle rumble around the sewers
Cora quickly put the manhole cover back
Once he was done, Cora turned the corner, coming out from the alley and
suddenly an agent ran up to him
Cora blinked, surprised that an agent seemed to be looking for him
“Can I help you?”
“SIR!” started the agent, saluting
Cora sighed
“At ease, soldier”
“Sengoku asked for your presence for the trade-off! It’s time!”
Cora nodded, throwing his cigarette on the ground, rubbing it out with his foot
and then put his hand in his pocket, clicking a button on a device in his
pocket
“Run off and tell Sengoku that I’m on my way” ordered Cora as the agent turned
around and ran towards the trade-off location
He only hoped that the GPS’ signal was strong enough for the Captain to find
him, otherwise Ace might not live to see his 18th birthday
At least now he knew where Law was
Chapter End Notes
     So there we have it! It was Cora who grabbed Law aaaaallll along!
     Also, bad news, I won't be able to post Ace's chapter tomorrow simply
     because when I was looking at it all, I realized that I didn't have
     the time to write the chapter because it's going to be one massive
     chapter
     That's right, the next chapter is going to be the biggest chapter
     I've written to date! So, please look forward to that during Ace's
     birthday week!
***** -ACE- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Teach Them How To Say Goodbye
) *****
Chapter Notes
     I want to start this chapter with an apology!
     I’m REALLY sorry I didn’t update last week! I didn’t mean to at all
     but I was bedridden really bad for a week with a really bad flu after
     an overnight hospital visit (for a test! Don’t worry!) and then it
     was right back to work right after and honestly, I wouldn’t have want
     to read anything my flu-med addled mind would have written
     But honestly, I’m so so sorry for being a week late with this
     chapter! I’ll try my best to not let it happen again!
     Anyways, this is a biggie, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Ace wasn’t sure who he hated more at this point
Teach was a horrible son of a bitch
But this new guy was a real sadistic fuck
Apparently Teach had wanted to keep his face clean or some shit, but not this
guy
Ace is pretty sure his head is split open right now or it sure felt like it
Not like it really mattered anyways right now
 
They had put him in actual handcuffs and shoved him in the trunk of the car
after the new guy had taken the time to beat the shit out of him
They thankfully hadn’t bothered to put the bag back on his head, but it wasn’t
making much of a difference since he was in the trunk of a fucking car
Lying back in the trunk, Ace tried to calm down his racing heart
There wasn’t any point anymore of panicking, soon he’ll be dead
 
Listen Luffy, we have to live our lives without regrets
 
Ace bit his lip, trying to keep himself from tearing up as the memories of
messing around in the forest with Luffy bounced in his head
They had just lost Sabo
Luffy was a mess and Ace was trying so so hard to hold it together
He wouldn’t die, he promised Luffy
He wouldn’t die
“I’m so so sorry, Luffy” muttered Ace in the darkness, his head feeling like
total shit
He wanted to sleep, make the pain and the ache in his body just stop
But he knew that every moment he had conscious right now was his last
 
“Look, he’s still awake!”
Ace hissed loudly at the bright light suddenly overwhelming his sight
Oddly enough, it was dusk and there wasn’t that much light to begin with
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Suddenly Shiryu grabbed Ace, throwing him out of the trunk and onto the ground
“Stand up” he ordered before giving Ace a swift kick in the stomach, making him
groan
Ace turned his head slightly to spit blood into the cold snow and glared at the
guard, forcing himself to his feet
“Walk forward! Into the building!”
Grunting, Ace clearly felt the barrel of a gun at the small of his back
Ironic considering that they were trading him away for an execution but
honestly he’d rather not be killed by Teach and his men
Ace lowered his head as he walked towards the unfamiliar warehouse, entering
the building
Wait, since when did he have shoes?
Once inside the warehouse, he kept walking forward until he found himself at
the doorframe of the central room of the building and suddenly was pulled back
as someone tugged on his handcuffs behind him
Fucking hell!
“Are you ready?” asked Shiryu into the room
“Yes, bring him forward” said a voice inside the room
“Now go”
Ace walked into the room and was surprised by the sight
Every inch of half of the room was covered by World Government soldiers and the
other half had some sort of barricade made with only a narrow entry-way
The wall of sandbags, barbed wire and fencing was actually rather impressive
But on the other side of the barricade, waiting in front of a small table with
a stack of papers on it was Sengoku
Ace had avoided the man like the plague during his lifetime
Garp was told him his entire life to stay the hell away from Sengoku
Don’t let him ever see you
Don’t let him ever look at a picture of you
Don’t give him a chance to wonder why you look nothing like me
Honestly, Ace never asked Garp what he had even told his best friend about him
Garp never kept it secret that Luffy was Dragon’s son – but what excuse did he
give about him?
Where did he come from in his story?
How did Garp ever explain him away?
Well, it didn’t really matter now honestly
 
Another World Government agent came through the entryway a moment later behind
Sengoku, surprising Ace
And what shocked him even more was that it was Rosinante!
Ace looked at him completely dumbfounded, not sure how to handle the sight in
front of him
There was Rosinante, mister Trafalgar, officer Trafalagar; standing there in a
pure white suite and blue dress shirt with the Admiral’s jacket on his
shoulders like his Gramps
He had so much respect for Rosinante and he betrayed him like this?!
But the moment Rosinante’s eyes met his; Ace instantly knew it wasn’t the case
The other‘s eyes looked so despaired, in so much pain
So some reason, it oddly comforted him for a slight moment
That someone actually felt bad for him                                       
But then Ace looked at Sengoku, and his blood ran cold
If Rosinante’s eyes were full of sympathy and pain
Sengoku’s were filled with hatred and loathing
“Alright, I see you have brought us exactly what you promised” started Sengoku
as he pushed the pile of papers on the table forward, putting a pen down on it
“Sign right it’s marked ‘x’ and you have officially joined the Warlord program.
Donquixote, give him his copy”
Teach paused slightly as he took the pen, signing the document and laughed
brightly
“Hahaha! Right! I forgot that poor sap was Doflamingo’s brother! Hey, me and
your big bro are part of the same club now!”
“And what a club that is” replied Rosinante, his voice cold as ice as he held
out the sealed envelope to Teach “By accepting this package, you also agree to
follow every and allorders given to you by the World Government. Failure to do
so will lead to your privilege of being protected by the World Government to be
stripped and we will have the right to persecute you and yours to the full
extent of the law, understood?”
“Yeah yeah, I got what I wanted” said Teach, grabbing the envelope and gestured
to his gang members behind him “Let’s bounce, we have to run”
“Your presence is required at the execution!” barked Sengoku, furious that
Teach was leaving
“We’ll be back in time, old man, I promise” said Teach, laughing “Just gotta go
deal with a small little monkey”
Ace instantly saw red, trying to lunge towards Teach but was quickly restrained
by World Government Agents who had filed into the room, holding on to him
“Enough, Portgas. You will not be escaping us” sneered Sengoku as Ace
helplessly watched Teach leave, cackling away
Luffy!!
 
Ace was quickly put in a small portable one man jail cell
He was forced to be standing up, his hands and wrists sticking out outside of
the cell, handcuffed from out there
He had a really bad fever, his insides felt like garbage, his head felt like he
was underwater, not sure what was even going on
A dry cough that had started was hurting him every time he coughed, unable to
ignore the splatter of red every time he coughed
Fuck
Suddenly the door opened and Ace looked up surprised
Rosinante came in and closed the door behind him, smiling sadly
“How are you holding up? Uh…well, considering everything” asked Rosinante,
clearly this was hard for him to handle
“Get out, I have some sort of sickness or something and it might be
contagious!” warned Ace, not wanting the other to get sick “Teach is a
disgusting sack of diseases right now because of the Akumanomi he took!”
Rosinante smiled softly and took a step forward, reaching a hand forward,
holding a handkerchief and wiped the blood off Ace’s mouth, his other hand
cradling Ace’s cheek
“I know, but illness has never stopped me from caring about a child in need”
Ace was instantly floored by the small gesture of kindness and easily closed
his eyes, allowing himself the simple, comforting touch for a moment, leaning
into Rosinante’s hand
“Maybe with all of your compassion, you should have been a man of the cloth”
teased Ace softly
Rosinante merely chuckled in return as he kept trying to clean up Ace’s face
Ace knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he appreciated the gesture
nonetheless
“Sometimes I feel like I am with all the orphans I keep collecting”
Suddenly there was a banging on the door and Rosinante looked at Ace sadly
“I have to go, but Ace, please, don’t lose faith”
It took everything Ace had not to scoff in Rosinante’s face
But the last thing he wanted to do was ruin this small comfort he had just
received, so he merely stayed quiet, bowing his head in one last thanks as
Rosinante left the cell
 
Not long after, the door reopened as Ace was grabbed by two soldiers
He was led down a narrow path, leading to what seemed to be some makeshift
scaffold
It was an incredible yet horrifying sight; all the hundreds of uniformed
soldiers all over in the broken down ruins of Gray Terminal
He saw Hina, now wearing a suit and a grim look on her face and not laughing
with a beer in her hands, wearing a tank top and shorts
He saw Hancock standing with an odd group of people that he assumed were the
other Warlords and not in the halls of school or as his date to dances
Going up the stairs of the scaffold, he noticed three massive throne-like
chairs and each chair had a domineering man sitting in it
He didn’t recognize the first one, but he sure recognize Akainu
And also Smoker’s friend – Kuzan was it?
Figures
Once he was on top of the scaffold; the soldiers made him kneel right in the
middle of it, facing the crowd with two soldiers on either side of him holding
very long blades
Oh goodie, his executioners
Looking up, Ace saw his image being projected on many massive screens, watching
on the screen as his executioner’s blades came down to cross in front of him
This was being televised?!
They were going to make a spectacle out of his execution?!
Ace huffed
Of course they were
This it really was anyways, wasn’t it? A big old show for the world to see
Here he stood, the last with the blood of the evil scum of the Earth
The Devil’s Son
Struck down by the righteous World Government
Beheaded like his father was
Why did he expect anything else?
This is the world he was living in
 
Hours went by, Ace watched as the sun slowly set, enjoying its sight for the
last time
Maybe he should have watched more sunsets
There was a ridge in the forest, when you sat down on it; you had a beautiful
view of the ocean
Ace had spent so much of his childhood just sitting on the edge of that cliff,
watching the ocean
One day dreaming of leaving
One day dreaming of traveling
Seeing the world, meeting new people, learning new things
He always loved the idea of being a nomad
But he also always loved the idea of having somewhere to call home
Suddenly Ace is broken out of his thoughts when he heard the heavy footsteps of
people coming up the stairs to stand right beside him
Ace kept his head down, not wanting to acknowledge them but from their feet and
uniform, he could only guess it was Sengoku and Garp
He heard words being exchanged and Garp stormed off the ground level leaving
only Sengoku and his executioners with him
“Stand back” ordered Sengoku as the soldiers around Ace moved away and Sengoku
stood right besides Ace
“I have something to say to you all” started Sengoku, his voice booming from
the screens surrounding them “This is being livestream to make absolutely sure
it’s recorded and also so that nobody can doubt the validity of the events that
will be taking place tonight. The execution of this man, Ace D. Portgas is a
matter of enormous import! You might have been wondering why were are making
such an official and public execution of a mere thug on the Most Wanted list,
but all of this will be made clear very soon”
There was a short pause and Sengoku spoke again
“Ace…What is your father’s name?”
Ace frowned, looking at Sengoku from the side
Like hell he was going to say it!
“My father is Whitebeard!!”replied Ace, closing his eyes
It was the truth!
It was his truth
“NOT TRUE!!” yelled Sengoku in his microphone
“IT IS TRUE! Whitebeard is my father! THERE IS NOBODY ELSE!” yelled Ace in
return
“We were looking everywhere when we got the word from Cipher Pol about the
possibility that one of his children might be on a certain island. We examined
newborns, unborn infants and their mothers and found nothing” continued Sengoku
“But that was only natural. Your mother used a trick to hide you that cost her
her life!”
My mother was amazing
She didn’t deserve to die for me
“We were fooled. The whole world was fooled! Your mother lived on the island of
Baterilla in the southern hemisphere! Her name was Rouge D. Portgas! She did
something we never imagined was possible! She used remedies and drugs to slow
down your development enabling her to hide her child in her womb for 20 months
in order to save it!”
“She bought your life at the cost of her own”
It was such a waste
Mom, why did you waste your life for me like this?
“Your father was executed one year and three months before you were born. The
blood of the most terrible fiend the world has ever known runs through your
veins”
There was no way to deny the rumbling of the crowd right now
“Don’t pretend not to know!! YOUR FATHER WAS ROGER GOLD, THE KING OF THE
UNDERWORLD!”
The entire crowd roared in shock after a moment of stunned silence
Nearly 18 years of hiding it -
Now the entire world knew
“Years ago, when you started going to school, you took your mother’s family
name and when you were fourteen, you began working your way up a an amazing
speed as the leader of the Spade gang. That was when we discovered that the
bloodline of Roger Gold had not been extinguished”
That long ago?!
“But we weren’t the only ones who learned the truth. Whitebeard took you in,
the son of his former rival, aboard into his gang so that he could raise you to
be the next King of the Underworld!”
“NO!” yelled Ace, cutting off Sengoku “I joined Pops to help him become the
King of the Underworld!”
He wasn’t going to stand for such lies!
“You’re the only one who believes that. Don’t you know why we were never able
to touch you? Because Whitebeard was protecting you!”
Ace looked at Sengoku shocked, not sure how to swallow the information that he
was being fed
How was this even possible?!
“But you had to be stopped! So we had to strike now before you were legally
protected on your 18th birthday when the warrant would expire! In time, your
abilities would eventually allow you to lead a new generation of gangs on a
reign of terror! For this reason, your execution today is necessary!” yelled
Sengoku, looking down at Ace “EVEN IF IT MEANS AN ALL-OUT WAR WITH WHITEBEARD!”
 
Ace was trying to muddle everything through in his head when a soldier came
running up the stairs
“SIR! SIR! I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS! THE BARRICADE AT THE PERIMETER HAS BEEN
BROKEN THROUGH BY ONE OF OUR OWN ARMOURED VEHICALS! WE TRIED TO CONTACT THE
DRIVER BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER!”
“WHAT?!” yelled Sengoku, horrified
Suddenly Ace heard a loud rumbling and everyone looked around, trying to find
the source confused
Hundreds of people poured out of nowhere, surrounding the World Government
soldiers as they ran into the open square
Ace stared in shock from his spot on the scaffold, recognizing all the faces
He knew these people! All of them!
They were all allies of Pops!
Bohemian Knight Doma! Thunder Lord McGuy! The Decalvan Brothers! Squard!
“You guys are here too?!” said Ace in total awe
And suddenly all the manhole covers popped open and hundreds of other people
came out of them, forcing the soldiers to go into retreat, towards the scaffold
even more
It was the Whitebeards!!
Suddenly on top of the building facing the scaffold about a mile or so away, a
door opened on the roof and Whitebeard came out into view, walking up to the
edge with Marco to his side
“How long has it been, Sengoku?”
Ace couldn’t mistaken Pop’s booming voice
“My beloved son had better be all right!!” yelled Whitebeard, smirking as he
looked right at Ace, brandishing his bisento “I’m coming Ace”
“POPS!!” yelled out Ace, unable to control himself
Pops came! He came!
Whitebeard touched the wall of the building to his side for a second before
throwing his fist back and slamming into the building, sending it tumbling down
The soldiers below screamed in horror as they ran away from the crumbling
structure, horrified as Whitebeard merely smirked, standing still as the
building he was on shook from the impact
Pops’s ability was really flashy, in the end what it really was that Pops would
instantly narrow in on a weak spot in a building
Like being able to find the perfect straw to break the camel’s back
Also his body didn’t get vertigo whatsoever due to an Akumanomi he ingested, so
Pops never lost his balance, so it made for a very impressive and terrifying
show when you didn’t know what was going on
Ace couldn’t help but think back at the first time he was face to face with
Pops
How impressed and terrified he was in Pops but still held strong
Not wanting to let down his gang members
In turn, he impressed Pops and got picked up by him
Pops in turn took him in, raised him, cared for him
And now he was putting him in danger
Because Ace just didn’t fucking listen
“Pops, guys, I ignored your warnings and went off on my own! SO WHY CAN’T YOU
CAN JUST ABANDON ME TO MY FATE?! I BROUGHT THIS UPON MYSELF!”
Leave! Escape! Don’t risk your lives like this! Not for me!
“No.” Pops answered sternly “I sent you on that mission, my son”
What?!
“That’s not true-! Stop talking nonsense!”You tried to stop me! You –“
“I ordered him to go, right Marco?”
“That’s right. I heard you. Sorry you had such a rough time, Ace! But everyone
should know better than to mess with one of our crew”  started Marco, crossing
his arm “Anyone who lays a hand on one of us has to suffer the consequences!”
“WE’LL MAKE THOSE RESPONSIBLE PAY FOR THIS, ACE!” yelled someone in the crowd
“JUST YOU WAIT! WE’RE COMING TO SAVE YOU ACE!” yelled another as the crowd of
Whitebeards cheered
 
And everyone started shooting
Ace’s eyes were darting everywhere, trying to keep track of what was going on
as pure chaos erupted underneath him
He was seeing friends getting shot down left and right, soldiers dropping like
flies as shots kept firing all around him
Ace felt like an idiot for only noticing now that he had a Plexiglas in front
of him – so nobody would accidentally shoot him I guess
Or save him                            
Ace spots Akainu stand up from his chair and  pulled out an assault rifle and
aimed it right at Pops and shot
Ace didn’t even have time to react before he saw Pops merely deflect it with
his weapon, amused more than anything
But before Ace could say anything, a large figure emerged from the crowd,
breaking their way through the crowd of soldiers
No!! Oars!!
“I’M COMING ACE!!” yelled Oars as he pushed off the soldiers from him, trying
to force his way through
“He’s got a terrible underling under his command” noted Sengoku
“OARS! GO BACK!! YOU’RE TOO BIG A TARGET!” yelled Ace as the soldiers started
to shoot at Oars
The big guy was truly a gentle giant, but with his massive frame and height, it
was hard to miss him
“ACE!! I’M COMING TO SAVE YOU!!” yelled Oars as he kept pushing his way through
even through from his position, Ace could see Oars was being littered in
bullets – yet it wasn’t stopping him
Oars suddenly screamed, throwing himself into a decrepit old building, making
it collapse. The debris made a clear path towards the scaffold as everyone ran
out of the way of the falling building
Damn! Good idea, Oars!
But suddenly there was a bright blast, blinding Ace
When the light dimmed, Ace noticed that Oars was now standing still but all
bloodied
“OARS!!”
Suddenly bigger and louder blasts came at Oars, shocking Ace
This was overkill!!
The soldiers were using explosives!!
He saw Oars towards someone in particular. It was Doflamingo! A moment later,
Oars threw himself at him, almost in a desperate attempt to take him down
But to Ace’s horror all he saw was Oars’ massive foot go flying into the air as
Doflamingo loudly laughed
Fuck! He knew this! Doflamingo’s specialty was the garrotte!
But even missing a foot, Oars kept moving forward
“ACE!”
“OARS!” yelled Ace, unable to handle his gentle giant of a friend getting hurt
so badly for him
And suddenly Moriah shot him point blank in the back and Oars went down
Ace merely stared horrified at Oars fallen body as he was unable to block out
Doflamingo’s loud laughter even over all of the chaos
 
Ace turned his head, surprised when suddenly someone walked on the scaffold and
stood besides him
“Gramps…” stated Ace, not sure what was going on
“What are you doing here, Garp? You haven’t had second thoughts, have you?”
asked Sengoku, making it clear that he wasn’t in the mood to play
“No. We’re fighting gangs here. There’s no reason to show them any mercy”
explained Garp as he sat down besides Ace, crossing his arms
“Then…”
“SHUT UP! Just let me sit here!” barked Garp
There was a moment of silence before Garp restarted speaking
“But this is family! What am I supposed to do?”
Ace couldn’t deny that he could hear Garp’s voice breaking up
Looking at his grandfather, he was shocked to see genuine tears in his ears,
snot falling from his nose as he shook slightly
“Ace! Why?! Why didn’t you live the way I told you to?!”
“Gramps-“ but Ace was quickly cut off
“Just don’t get any funny ideas in your head, Garp or I’ll dispose of you too”
warned Sengoku
“Hmph! If I was going to do something, I’d have done it a long time ago!”
admitted Garp, annoyed at the implications
Ace was about to say something but suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise
Ace turned his head, seeing a vehicle going up an old multilevel car park a few
miles away and suddenly the vehicle went flying off the side of the parkade,
towards them
Screams were heard in the crowd as the hatch of the vehicle opened and all the
occupants jumped out, flying out before the vehicle hit the ground with a loud
crunch
“What?”
Holy fuck
It was Luffy
LUFFY JUST CAME FLYING OUT OF THE VEHICLE
Ace watched in horror as Luffy flew out from the open hatch and landed on a
nearby rooftop, on top of a pile of garbage bags
 “LUFFY!!”
Holy shit, his brother was dead
But then Luffy stood up, the crowd backing away from him as he yelled,
triumphant, waving his hand
Ace was going to kill him if he got out of this
“ACE!! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!”
Ace looked at Luffy completely horrified
He was with Jinbei?! Sir Crocodile?! BUGGY?! Ivankov?!
“GARP!! IT’S YOUR FAMILY AGAIN!!” roared Sengoku, furious beyond reason
“LUFFY!!” yelled Garp, horrified
Garp looked around, as shocked as Ace
“They sure are an odd lot. They don’t seem to have any common interests in this
battle” pointed out Garp
Ace had to agree
What the hell made this group come together?
Ace wished he could ask Luffy
But Ace’s attention was soon diverted because he suddenly saw Crocodile behind
Whitebeard, clearly about to cut his head with that hook of his but before
Whitebeard even had a chance to move, Luffy kicked Crocodile away, having
jumped over from the neighbouring building
 Suddenly he saw Luffy and Whitebeard talking, but for once, neither of their
voices carried over the sheer chaos of it all
 
“Shall we execute them all?” asked the man that Ace didn’t recognize on the
lower platform
“Of course”
And everything erupted once more
 
Eyes darting everywhere, more and more of Ace’s friends were falling in combat
Losing one comrade after another
And his eyes were stuck on Luffy
Hina attacking Luffy, but somehow he got away
Luffy fighting Moriah and his genetically modified soldiers
And every hit that landed on Luffy destroyed him more and more
“DON’T COME UP HERE, LUFFY!!” screamed Ace “YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! YOU AND I
ARE IN DIFFERENT GANGS! WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS! I HAVE MY OWN FRIENDS!!
THERE’S NO PLACE FOR YOU IN THIS PART OF MY LIFE!!”
Ace inhaled sharply, making sure he could yell as hard as possible
“YOU THINK I’D LET MYSELF BE RESCUED BY A WEAKLING LIKE YOU?! THAT WOULD BE AN
UNBEARABLE INSULT! BEAT IT, LUFFY! WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!”
Ace then threw his head down, trying to hide the tears that were coming
Please Luffy!
I don’t want you to get killed for me!
It’s my own fault that I’m here!
“I’M YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!!” yelled back Luffy “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GANG
RULES!!”
“You stubborn little-“muttered Ace, gritting his teeth
Luffy shoved more soldiers out of the way, beating them one by one
Somehow avoiding being shot, shoving them all of out of his way, punching,
kicking, knocking down everyone and anyone who even tried
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” yelled Sengoku, over the microphone “DON’T LET A LONE
ROOKIE TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BATTLEFIELD! THAT MAN IS A MENACE TO THE FUTURE OF
HUMANITY! HE GREW UP WITH ACE! THEY’RE LIKE BROTHERS! AND AS FOR HIS BLOODLINE,
HE’S THE SON OF DRAGON THE REVOLUTIONARY!”
Ace instantly turned his head to look at Garp who merely looked blasé
“I don’t care. There’s no point in hiding it anymore. Luffy is already a
notorious outlaw in the World Government’s eyes. This news won’t make any
difference now”
“SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT!” continued Luffy, yelling at the top of his lungs “I’M
GOING TO SAVE YOU EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!!”
Ace felt his heart sank
This was exactly what he didn’t want!!
Ace nodded his head his defeat
“What is it?”
Ace blinked and raised his head
“I don’t care what the future holds for me. I accept it. I reach out to the
hand that offers me help and I accept the blade that would execute it…” Ace
took a deep breath
“I won’t fight it anymore. I’m sorry, everyone”
 
“Sengoku, sir! The New World Gangs are splitting up!” yelled a subordinate from
the lower level
“Yes...They’re forming up on either side” muttered Sengoku
Suddenly there was huge blasts coming out of every direction, but facing
towards all the vehicles parked around the vicinity
“They’re attacking our vehicles!!” yelled Sengoku
“Excellent foresight. Did you figure it out, Whitebeard?” muttered Garp,
catching Ace’s attention
Huh?
What did Garp mean?
“He didn’t take the bait. I suppose my ruse was a bit clumsy” replied Sengoku
“But intuition alone won’t save him”
What?!
A loud thunk distracted Ace who turned his head to see Luffy get clubbed right
in the face and thrown backwards
Who?!
What?!
Ace’s blood suddenly grew cold
He hadn’t noticed a new addition in the crowd of soldiers
There was police officers wearing riot gear!!
The Goa police department was here?!
Never in a million years would Ace mistaken who had just struck Luffy with what
looked like his giant jitte
It was the Captain!
Why was the Captain here?! Why was he fighting Luffy?!
The fight lasted but moments, Luffy being quickly overpowered by Smoker, who
had him pinned down
This was a nightmare
He can’t
He couldn’t-
Ace could feel his breath becoming laboured and he started shaking
This was a nightmare scenario to its fullest!
It needed to end!
It needed to end right now-
Oh
Thanks Hancock
With a swift kick, Hancock was able to kick Smoker off of Luffy, and she seemed
furious
Why the hell was Hancock helping Luffy?!
Oh yeah, her weird crush on Luffy
But why the hell is the Goa Police Station even doing here?! What was even
going on?!
 
And Ace heard the blades above his head suddenly go into position
What?!
“The preparations are complete!”
“Cut the broadcast on all videos. We mustn’t lose the world’s trust. Keep the
one for the records running only, but do not livestream it no matter what. The
shock of what’s about to happen might shatter the trust people have in us.
There’s no need to broadcast this tragedy to the rest of the world” explained
Sengoku
Ace looked at him surprised – why was he calling his execution now a tragedy?!
“In a few hours, the inhabitants of the world need to only know that we were
victorious. That is all”
Ace didn’t know what to say when suddenly another round of armoured vehicles
with canons came in from behind the crowd
Holy shit
They were going to slaughter everyone if they needed to!!
Sengoku raised a brow, looking towards his left ear                         
Ace frowned slightly – it looked like he was listening to someone
“The wings may be out of action but we can still attack them from the front and
the rear! Proceed as planned and aim for the gang members! Start with the ones
not in the target area!”
Ace jumped slightly as the canons started shooting into the crowd
This was a bloodbath! Even if they were aiming for the gang members, they were
killing their own men!
“After the broadcast has been cut, activate the encirclement wall! Then we will
execute Ace and capture all the criminals at the same time!!”
Ace snarled
No wonder he didn’t want this televised!!
This would disgust people!
Ace watched Luffy as he moved around, the commanders of the Whitebeards
covering for him, allowing him to move forward
For a brief moment, Ace was so happy to see everyone, especially Izo who seemed
in a better state now
It was an odd thing to be comforted about right now – but he’ll take it
“HAVE ALL THE BROADCASTS BEEN CUT?!” yelled Sengoku, clearly growing impatient
with everything happening
“NOT YET SIR! Only one of the broadcasts is still on! The signal is being
difficult!”
“WHAT IS GOING ON?! HURRY IT UP!”
“That’s-!! He kept his identity a secret until now!! But he was a member of
Roger Gold’s legendary gang! AREN’T YOU THE GREAT GANG BOSS BUGGY THE CLOWN?”
Suddenly every screen projected the image of Buggy
“That’s right, it’s me!”
The broadcast kept going, falling into total madness and they tried to retake a
live video and it was probably the greatest thing Ace had even seen
Sengoku was losing his mind though but if Ace heard correctly – someone hacked
the signal and took over the feed
“MAKE THEM STOP RIGHT NOW!!” howled Sengoku, his face a deep scarlet
 
Ace looked forward and saw Whitebeard still standing on the rooftop, but now
Squard was besides him
They seemed to be talking, Ace watched, wishing he knew what they were saying
when suddenly Squard lifted that big knife he always carried around
And stabbed Pops right in the stomach
No
NO!
Marco came out nowhere, pushing Squard’s head right into the concrete of the
floor, screaming at him
“WHY DID YOU DO IT?!”
“SHUT UP! HE HAD IT COMING!” yelled Squard, pushing Marco out of his way as
Pops dropped to one knee
Everyone stopped fighting to look up at the scene happening on the rooftop
“TELL THE TRUTH, WHITEBEARD!” yelled Squard, loud enough that Ace could easily
hear him “YOU’RE IN A CAHOOTS WITH THE NAVY!! YOU MADE A DEAL WITH THEM TO SAVE
THE WHITEBEARD GANG AND ACE!!”
‘HE’S LED US INTO A TRAP! I NEVER KNEW THAT ACE WAS THE SON OF ROGER!! WHEN YOU
TOOK ME UNDER YOUR WING I WAS ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD! AND YOU KNOW WHY! BECAUSE
THE GANG I’D FOUGHT WITH FOR SO LONG HAD BEEEN ANNIHILATED BY ROGER GOLD
HIMSELF!! YOU KNEW I HATED THE MAN!”
Ace couldn’t stop the overwhelming guilt that was taking over him right now
“YOU SHOULDN’VE TOLD ME THE TRUTH! THAT ACE WAS ROGER’S SON AND YOU WANTED TO
MAKE HIM THE NEXT KING OF THE UNDERWORLD! I TRUSTED YOU! BUT YOU ALREADY
BETRAYED ME!! YOU WERE LAUGHING AT ME WHEN I BECAME FRIENDS WITH ACE!! ACE WAS
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU, AND NOW HE’S BEEN CAPTURED!!” continued Squard
“THAT’S WHY YOU SOLD US OUT! IT’S THEIR LIVES IN EXCHANGE FOR ACE’S! YOU MADE A
DEAL WITH SENGOKU SO THAT THE CORE GANG AND ACE WOULD BE SPARED WHILE YOUR
ALLIES WOULD BE CAPTURED! OU MADE FOOLS OF US ALL! WE CAME HERE READY TO DIE
FOR YOU AND ACE AND NOW THE WORLD GOVERNMENT IS ONLY ATTACKING US!!”
Squard was saying something else, but Ace couldn’t catch it, it seemed that
Squard’s voice was going
But Marco’s anger was quite clear as he grabbed Squard’s shirt lapel and pulled
him in close
“YOU FOOL!! THEY TRICKED YOU, SQUARD!! HOW COULD YOU DOUBT POPS?!”
Pops stood still, glaring at Squard
Words were exchanged, but again, Ace couldn’t hear them
But then Pops threw his arm around Squard and pulled him into a one-armed hug
Pops then stood up, glaring darkly at Akainu, fury clearly on his face
Taking a step to the side, Pops slammed his fist into the building on his other
side, making it collapse over other buildings, one crashing down after another
The sound was deafening
 
Once the dust settled, Ace looked over the damage, appalled
So many buildings had been taken down by the one Pops made collapse!
“So…you created an escape route for your men. Very clever old man” muttered
Sengoku
Ace blinked, looking towards where the building fell and he was right! If
anybody wanted to leave, they could just run on top of the fallen debris and it
would lead right out of Gray Terminal into the forest!
“IF YOU ARE GANG MEMBERS, DECIDE NOW WHO YOU BELIEVE!!” yelled Whitebeard
“Pops!” yelled Ace, shocked
“IF YOU’RE COMING WITH ME, KISS YOUR LIVES GOODBYE!!” yelled Whitebeard and Ace
could see all the Whitebeards and their allies cheering
“LET”S GO!” roared Whitebeard as he jumped off the roof, landing into the
battlefield on top of an armoured vehicle by the ground and then hopped down on
the battlefield
“STAND YOUR GROUND!! THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD IS CHARGING US! DO NOT
BE FOOLED! HE COULD BE PACKING EXPLOSIVES!” yelled Sengoku over the microphone
Ace watched in awe at Pops was taking down people one by one
His trick didn’t only work on buildings
He knew instinctively exactly where to hit, to touch, to grab to send anybody
flying down
Also, he could instil vertigo on others, making them feel like the ground was
moving
It was as if Pop could create personal earthquakes in everyone and anyone he
touched
 
Utter chaos erupted once again as people were shooting at Pops, trying to take
him down, the Whitebeards and their allies fought harder and with more gusto on
the battlefield and Ace couldn’t spot Luffy, driving his anxiety through the
roof
Please oh please let Luffy be okay
“The operation is going as planned. We will now perform the execution of Ace D.
Portgas”
Ace bowed his head slightly at Sengoku’s announcement
This was it
A loud bang shocked Ace and he saw this massive jet of water go flying in the
air
It almost looked like someone used a fire hydrant and broke it o-
Luffy?!
Luffy had somehow used the flow of water and somehow rode the stream to the
scaffold on top of a plank of wood but now he was face to face with the three
Admiral
“LUFFY!!”                                                                                   
It’s hopeless! Luffy! Run! YOU IDIOT!
“LET ME HAVE ACE!” yelled Luffy, using the wooden plank he rode on as a bat and
tried to slam is down on the Admirals
Luffy tried to fight all three at once but he was quickly being overwhelmed
Suddenly he was pinned down by Aokiji but Marco came out of nowhere and kicked
him off Luffy
Ace exhaled, relieved
Another loud rumble got Ace’s attention and from his position he could see a
giant transport truck driving straight for the platform, honking the horn
loudly
People erratically jumped out of the truck’s way but Ace couldn’t miss the fact
that the men driving the truckwere Whitebeards!
The two men inside of the truck jumped out, allowing the truck to crash into
the platform, shaking the whole thing and making the Plexiglas wall collapse to
the ground, no longer attached to the scaffold
All the Whitebeards cheered loudly
“Pops?!” asked Ace, confused as he looked into the crowd for a smirking
Whitebeard
“Is your head still on your shoulders, Ace?”asked Pops, proud of himself
“ALL RIGHT, MEN!! WE’RE GOING TO SAVE ACE AND SHOW THE WORLD GOVERNMENT WHO’S
BOSS!” yelled Whitebeard
Suddenly all the Whitebeard started to swarm the truck, climbing on top of it
to get to the top of the scaffold without using the stairs
Of course! On the stairs they’d be sitting ducks and could be knocked off one
by one, but this way, they had more options!
“Looks like we won’t be getting off easy this time” said Sengoku as he rolled
up his sleeves and clenched his fists
What the hell was he going to do?!
 
Marco quickly scrambled up on the truck and ran up from the cargo to the top of
the truck. He crouched down and leaped up into the air, landing on the lower
level of the scaffold, turning to make his way up to where Ace was
But within seconds, Garp was onto him, punching him hard in the face, throwing
him off the scaffold and back on the ground
“Who gave you the order to move out?!” demanded Sengoku annoyed
“IF YOU WANT TO GET PAST ME, IT’LL BE OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU BRATS!!” yelled
Garp as he sat down in one of the thrones, crossing his arms
 
Ace crumbled forward, closing his eyes
He couldn’t take it anymore
It was all too much for him
“What is it, Fire First?” asked Sengoku
 
Roger D. Gol? You mean Roger Gold? Do I know about him?
Do you know why gangs wreak so much havoc in this world?
It’s all because of Roger Gold!
That creature should never have been born into this world!
He’s a horrible piece of human trash! He’s worth nothing alive and even less
dead!
“He’s the worst catastrophe that could happen to this world! Remember that!!
“What did you do in town, Ace?! Everybody’s talking about some kid who almost
killed a bunch of local urchins!”
“You want to know about Roger?!”
“Roger?! Don’t ever utter that vile name in my presence, brat!”
 
“HAHAHAHA! You’re a real troublemaker lately, Ace!”
“Old man, you have a grandson, don’t you? Is he…happy?”
“You mean Luffy? He’s all right”
“Old man”
“What?”
“Would it…Would it have been better if I was never born?”
“Well…
 
-Only time can answer that question”
That’s what he had said
But…
Would it-
 
“ACE!!”
“WE’RE COMING TO SAVE YOU ACE!!”
“WE’LL BE RIGHT THERE!!”
“DON’T GIVE UP!!”
 
“No!! I…- I’m so torn up inside! Even now! Pops…Luffy…All my brothers…They’re
all bleeding and dying for me!” confessed Ace as the tears started to flow
freely down his cheeks, sobs wracking through his body “It touches me so deeply
– the tears won’t stop flowing! Even after everything I’ve seen and done…I-”
I what?
What?!
What did he want?
Oh
“-I STILL DON’T WANT TO DIE!!”
He wanted to live!
How long has it been?
He wanted to live!
He wanted to see tomorrow!
He wanted to hear from Luffy how the hell he wound up with such a weird group!
He wanted to hug Sabo and ask him about his mission with Koala laughing besides
them!
He wanted to hang out with the Whitebeards after school!
He wanted to annoy Dadan and start the pipes up too early in the morning!
He wanted to go see the police officers at the station and laugh with them!
He wanted to stop Rosinante from worrying over him!
He wanted to make sure Law was good and scared of him for Luffy’s sake!
He wanted to keep Smoker in his life! As a lover or as a friend! Didn’t matter!
He wanted to eat food! Learn new things! Finish school! Continue his life! Meet
new people!
He wanted to be in love again! He wanted to love his friends and family, freely
and openly!
He didn’t want to die! He didn’t want it to end here!
He needed to know what tomorrow had in hand!
 
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaAAAAAHH!!!!”
Ace lifted his head
Luffy?!
 
Suddenly Ace didn’t even know where to look anymore
Luffy was on fire
He was running towards the scaffold like a madman, shoving, punching, and
kicking everyone and anyone in his way
At the same time, Ace was seeing all of his friends get taken down one by one
Marco got handcuffed, Jozu got stunned and they had started a heavy assault
directly on Pops
Ace couldn’t stop staring at the horror in front of him
The man who took him in was being bombarded with attacks, bombarded with gun
shots
Because of him!
And then, suddenly, Pops stood up a little straighter and knocked everyone
around him down
“I AM WHITEBEARD!” roared Pops , trying to catch his breath “I know exactly
what it would mean if I were to die. That’s all the more reason to stay alive
until I’ve guided my sons towards a brighter future. Right, Ace?”
Ace looked at Pops stunned as all the Commanders gathered around him,
surrounding him
This is something the World Government never seemed to understand
They were loyal to Pops out of love not out of obligation
“WE’RE HERE TO DEFEND POP’S PRIDE!” yelled Haruta
Ace felt so proud of all of them
“IF IT’S THE FUTURE YOU WANT TO SEE, I’LL GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE RIGHT NOW!!”
yelled Sengoku “STRIKE!”
Every single hair on Ace stood on end as his blood ran cold
He heard the blades of his executioners rise
Ace clenched his eyes shut
This was it
It was the end
“TAKE A GOOD LOOK, WHITEBEARD!” taunted Sengoku
Ace could hear his heartbeat, pounding in his ears
The last time he would ever hear it
If only he had been given just a little bit more-
 
“STOP!!!”
 
-Time
The sound had been so piercing, so sudden that everyone froze
The executioners halfway through their movement, the inertia caused them to
fall over, missing Ace by mere inches
Ace stared at Luffy charging towards him in utter shock
His little brother had managed to somehow stop everyone simply by sheer will
alone
He wasn’t a child anymore, he was capable and determined
At least Ace knew that no matter what happened, his brother could take care of
himself
“BACK UP LUFFY THE STRAW HAT WITH EVERYONE YOU GOT!” ordered Whitebeard
Suddenly the formation changed completely
Everyone encircled Luffy and worked as a massive human battering ram, forcing
their way forward through the crowd towards the scaffold
Ace jumped slightly when there was suddenly a giant wooden plank leaned over by
his side
Looking down, Ace could see that it reached the bottom!
It seems that a ramp had been built!
Luffy jumped on the ramp and started to run towards Ace
“ACE!!”
Ace couldn’t believe it
He might actually get out of this!
But then there was a large thump and Garp was right in the middle of the ramp,
blocking the way
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, GRAMPS!” yelled Luffy as he kept running towards Garp, no
intention of slowing down
“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, LUFFY! I’M A VICE ADMIRAL!”
Garp started to stomp his foot down on the makeshift ramp, with every intention
of breaking it
“I’VE BEEN FIGHTING GANGS SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE EVEN BORN, BOY! IF YOU WANT TO
PASS, YOU’LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST! THAT’S THE PATH YOU TWO HAVE CHOSEN!”
declared Garp
“I CAN’T DO IT, GRANDPA! JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!” pleaded Luffy
“DO IT OR ACE WILL DIE!”
“NO!”
“THERE WILL BE MANY THINGS IN LIFE THAT YOU WON’T WANT TO DO!! I’LL SHOW YOU NO
MERCY! YOU’RE AN ENNEMY OF THE STATE!!” yelled Garp as he winded up his fist,
ready to fight Luffy
But Luffy punched first and somehow managed to take down Garp
The ramp suddenly fell, collapsing under them
 
But at the last second, Luffy leaped, landing right on the scaffold besides
Ace, smiling brightly
“Ace!! Ace!! I have the key to your shackles! Just you wait!” announced Luffy,
digging through his pockets
“HALT! Do you think I’d allow you to escape?!” yelled Sengoku
Ace turned his head and couldn’t believe what he saw
Sengoku’s skin had this odd golden sheen to it and seemed to have become rock
hard or something
What the hell was this?!
Luffy yelped suddenly when a gun fire shot nearly hit his hand but it sent the
key flying down on the ground
“The key!!”
“Urgh what just happened? Did I pass out?”
Luffy turned to turn towards one of the executioners who apparently knock
themselves unconscious when he fell
“Mr.3?! What are you doing here?!” asked Luffy, shocked
“I’LL EXECUTE YOU MYSELF!” yelled Sengoku
Fuck, Ace wished he could see behind him!
Suddenly the scaffold was collapsing
Suddenly he was falling
He could hear Luffy and this Mr.3 guy yelling
And there was suddenly a big explosion
 
It was hot
There was fire everywhere
But Ace, for the first time in the last few days, wasn’t restrained
“You never change, Luffy!” yelled Ace, reaching behind him to grab Luffy “You
never do as I tell you and you get yourself in big trouble!”
Ace grabbed Luffy by the waist, holding him close as they landed on the ground
He could feel the fire on himself, but right now, the adrenaline was pumping so
hard in him that he could barely feel it
But he could hear the crowd loudly cheering as they both landed on the ground
“Keep your guard up, Luffy!”
“Okay!”
Ace froze when he felt a bag hit his back, he looked down and spotted that it
was hisbag!
Ace reached down and quickly opened it instantly seeing his gloves!
Who the hell brought his gloves to him?!
No time!
Ace slipped them on as quickly as possible and lit them up
Whoever brought them to him had also refueled them! They had been empty during
his last fight with Teach! This was amazing!!
Ace went into a battle stance, making sure Luffy was well within his defensive
range
“Can you still fight, Luffy?” asked Ace, getting concerned for his heavily
breathing dope little brother
“Of course!” answered Luffy
“I’d never dreamed I’d see the day where you had to save me! Thanks Luffy” Ace
made sure there wasn’t a single ounce of malice in his voice, he truly was
thankful to Luffy
“I couldn’t have done it without that Whitebeard guy’s help!” admitted Luffy,
grinning
“BUT YOU’RE STILL SURROUNDED AND YOU’LL ALL GOING TO DIE!” yelled some army
officers as the shots at them began
Lets go-!
 
It was now Ace’s turn to rampage
He took down adversary after adversary, him and Luffy moving together as one
well-oiled machine
“He’s my brother, I’d appreciate if you didn’t hurt him!” announced Ace before
he plowed his way through a crowd of soldiers, moving them out of the way
Right now, more than anything, they needed to escape!
“You’ve gotten a lot stronger, Luffy!” complimented Ace, genuinely impressed
“One of these days, I’ll surpass you, Ace!” replied Luffy
“Then I should be the one protecting you now, Luffy! Stand back!” announced Ace
as he created a giant wall of fire, thankful that he had his gloves back
Seriously, he was going to kiss whoever fixed up his gloves right in the mouth!
Suddenly the truck from before started moving, backing up from its spot into
the scaffold
Who the fuck?!
Ace couldn’t believe it, it was Squard!
But soon the truck was stopped by Pops who quickly wrenched a metal pole into
the back, holding the truck into place
“POPS!” yelled Squard
“Don’t you realize how cruel it is to make a father burry his son?! And if you
think that little jab of yours hurt me?! Everyone grows old and dies
eventually” started Pops before he turned around to look at his men
“We’ve done what we came here to do! Our business here is finished!” Ace didn’t
miss how laboured Pop’s breathing had become
“And now these are my final orders as your boss! Listen carefully, Whitebeards”
“FINAL?! What do you mean final?! Don’t talk like that boss!”
Please, don’t!
“I don’t want to hear that!”
“Aren’t we all going back together?!”
“POPS!” yelled Ace, heart wrenched
“It’s time for us to part ways!!” yelled Pops “You must all survive and
continue onward!”
“Pops?!”
“Are you planning on dying here?!”
“I’m a relic of a bygone era!! No ship can carry me into the new age! GET AWAY
FROM HERE, MY SONS!!”
“POPS!!” yelled Ace, completely shocked
Never in a million years did he want to go home without Pops! No!
“We can’t leave you behind, Pops!”
The Whitebeards all swarmed towards Pops, with every intention of saving him
“CAN’T YOU FOLLOW YOUR BOSS’ ORDERS?! GET AWAY FROM HERE, YOU LOUSY BRATS!”
yelled Whitebeard, knowing very well that they won’t – there was a fond smile
at the corner of his lips
Ace found himself stunned stiff
He could hear Luffy yelling his name behind him, begging
They needed to go!
They needed to leave!
But not like this! Ace couldn’t like this!
“Ace!! We have to go! Don’t let the old man’s sacrifice go to waste!” yelled
Luffy
“Don’t worry, I won’t!” assured Ace as he walked slowly up to within Pop’s
sights and dropped to the ground, bowing deeply
“I have little use for soft words, but tell me one thing, Ace” started
Whitebeard
The world around them, so a single moment, seemed to stop, to slow down
“Where you happy with me, as your father?”
“OF COURSE!!” yelled Ace, using all the strength he had
He didn’t want Pops to doubt his love, his loyalty and his gratitude
Pops had saved him
Ace would probably be dead in a ditch years ago if it wasn’t for Pops
No, more than that, Ace would have never known what it was like to be so loved,
so accepted, so welcomed if it wasn’t for Pops
Pops didn’t only save his life
Pops saved his soul, his love, his everything
Ace was rewarded with a warm, happy laugh
 
“RUN! RUN TO THE TRANSPORT WE HAVE TAKEN ON THE EDGE OF TOWN!” yelled one of
the Whitebeards, giving Ace a slight shove to get him to his feet
“Ace and Luffy! Get in the front!” ordered Jinbei “They’re specifically
targeting you two! It’s Pop’s last wish that his men get away alive!”
“You free Ace and then turn and run, eh?”
Akainu
“The Whitebeard gang is a pack of cowards”
What the fuck was he saying about us?
“But considering who your leader is, that’s no surprise!”
You wanna run that by me again?!
“Whitebeard is a loser from a bygone era”
Ace froze, turning around to face the piece of garbage who has spewed those
words
“Ace!!” yelled Luffy, stunned that Ace had stopped running
“A loser?!”
Ace glared at Akainu, he wasn’t going to take that kind of shit from him!
“Take that back! Take back what you said!”
“ACE! DON’T!! KEEP RUNNING!” begged the Whitebeards running by
“Ace!!”
“He said something bad about Pops!” answered Ace
“Ace!!” begged Luffy
“Your real father, Roger Gold, stood in his way, making him an eternal loser
who could never become the King, that’s who Whitebeard is” stated Akainu calmly
“I’m only telling the truth”
Ace stood, facing Akainu
“You thugs call him Pops and love him and put on this farce that you’re one big
happy family” continued Akainu “Even though he ruled for decades, he was still
never able to become the King of the Underworld! He never achieved his dream.
And in the end, one of his own idiot ‘sons’ was smooth-talked into stabbing
him! And now he’s going to die to protect that same idiot! Isn’t that a failed
life?”
“STOP IT!”
Ace was seeing red
He was not going to let him get away with this!
“DON’T LET HIM PROVOKE YOU, ACE!! GET BACK HERE!” yelled
Izo                      
“POPS GAVE ME A PLACE I COULD CALL HOME!!” yelled Ace, shaking “YOU DON’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT HIS GREATNESS!”
“People who live outside of the law are worthless! You thugs don’t deserve a
happy home!” replied Akainu “Whitebeard will die a loser!”
“WHITEBEARD IS THE GREATEST GANG BOSS IN THE WORLD!! HE CREATED THIS AGE!”
Don’t you slander the man who saved me!!
Ace lit up his gloves, ready to destroy Akainu’s face
“THE NAME OF THIS ERA IS WHITEBEARD!”
There was a loud explosion
Ace felt searing pain as he was throw backwards
Once on the ground, he looked at his severely burned arm, his glove had been
completely destroyed, the fire backfired and it exploded?!
How could this have possibly have happened?!
“You think because you ingested an akumanomi that makes you resistant to heat
that you’re getting careless, aren’t you? So did I, but mine made me resistant
to heat so high that I can touch magma with my bare hands, boy” explained
Akainu as he walked towards Ace “I grabbed the exit nozzle of those fancy
little gloves of yours and stopped them right in their track!”
“My abilities are far superior to yours” stated Akainu as he turned to look at
fire that was burning due to the explosion to his side, reaching inside of it
to pull out what seemed to be a metal rod that had broken, holding it with his
hand
It must have been a million degrees and yet Akainu was showing no sign of it
injuring him whatsoever
“Roger Gold, the King of the Underworld and Dragon the Revolutionary! How
surprising that their sons are blood-brothers. You’re both criminals by blood!
You’ll never be allowed to escape! You brothers won’t get past me!!”
Akainu then smirked
His gaze moved to his side
Ace looked, only to see Luffy had fallen to his knees exhausted
Akainu pulled his arm back, clutching the metal rod like a javelin
No! He was going to stab Luffy with the metal pole! No!
“Just watch”
“HEY!! WAIT! LUFFY!”
 
Ace doesn’t recall how he moved so fast
But suddenly he was standing in front of Luffy, his little brother was looking
up at him in horror
Ace didn’t need to look down to know exactly what just happened
Especially when Akainu ripped the hot metal pole out of him
Ace felt his insides shifting with the tug
The blind searing pain was something Ace had never imagined was possible
Ace could hear yelling behind him
But the rushing sound in his ears blocked it all as he fell to his knees
He couldn’t feel his legs anymore
Ace grunted as he fell into Luffy’s arms
“I’m sorry, Luffy” whispered Ace, allowing his body to drape over Luffy’s
“Ace! Your wounds need treating!” yelled Luffy
Figures he could hear Luffy over the rushing noise
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to save me, Luffy”
It didn’t take a doctor to know this was the end
Ace could feel himself slowly shutting down
How odd, he didn’t think it was like falling asleep
“What are you saying?!” yelled Luffy “GET HIM A DOCTOR!! PLEASE!! SOMEBODY!!
HELP ACE!”
Shh Luffy, it’s okay
“It’s no use, I know I’m dying!” it was hurting so much just to talk, his lungs
struggling for every breath “My cuts have been burned out, I’m not going to
last long”
Ace struggled to take a breath
He just wanted to sleep
A little longer
“Listen to me, Luffy”
“What are you saying?! ARE YOU GONNA DIE, ACE? Y-YOU PROMISED ME, REMEMBER?!”
Please don’t bring us such an old promise Luffy
Please
Not now
“YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER DIE!! ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU TOLD ME, ACE?!”
“Yeah, it reminds me of Sabo. If I didn’t have a little brother that needed to
be taken care of, I wouldn’t of given up then”
When Sabo died, Ace nearly threw himself off the cliff into the ocean
He had never told anyone that
Then every night for a year he would wake up deciding that today was the day
that he would finally kill himself
And every single day he would find Luffy to affirm to himself that he needed to
stay alive for him
What if Roger had a kid? Off with his head, I say!
“Nobody wanted me. It couldn’t be helped”
What say we shove a needle in that kid for every person who hates Roger!
Let’s burn him at the stake! Right before he dies, the whole world will laugh!
Haha! Serves him right!
I want his last words to be ‘I’m sorry for being born the trash I am!’
“I know, when you see Dadan again…please give her my regards. Dying makes
me…nostalgic…even for Dadan”
Ace took another breath
“But there’s one thing I’ve left undone…I wasn’t able to see your dream through
the end. But you…I know you can do it…You’re my little brother! Just like how I
swore back then…I have no regrets!”
“Liar! You’re lying!!”
“I…I’m not lying! What I really wanted…wasn’t fame… All I wanted was to
know…whether or not I should’ve been born.”
Urgh, this hurt so much, talking hurt so much
“…I can’t even shout anymore…” it hurt, it hurt so much “Luffy, listen to my
next words carefully. Tell everybody what I say to you…”
“Pops! Fellow gang members! And…Luffy”
Just a little more
Just a little more, please                               
“I’ve always been such a hopeless person…I was the demon spawn….the son of the
devil!”
Please
“Thank you…for loving me”
With the last ounce of energy he had, Ace forced himself to smile
And allowed himself to finally sleep
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     Alright!
     So, next chapter, we’re going to go see what’s going on/happening/
     will happen from another point of view because I could only do it
     from Ace’s in this chapter!
     The next chapter won’t be a play by play though like this though! So
     I don’t think I’ll be able to come close to matching this monster of
     a chapter! Anywho, sorry again so so much about missing last week! If
     ever I don’t update, please feel free to check my twitter
     @joseethefirst to see what’s going on! I will post what’s going on
     around 7pm EST when it’s around the usual time I update!
***** -SMOKER- If Only I Had Given Us More Time (Maybe Just A Moment More)
*****
Chapter Notes
     Many of you have asked for Smoker's POV and I had to admit, I cackled
     every time since this had been planned from the get-go!
     WOW! There was so much reactions for the last chapter! It makes all
     the hard work really worth! Thank you all so much!
     Posting it a little early because I'm seeing the live-action Gintama
     movie tonight so I need to get ready!
     WARNING; Mention of animal cruelty - it's super quick but I just
     wanted to warn for it
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
It had all started with a bench
When he thought back at it, it almost seemed absurd
In a new town where he had just moved to, now it’s new police chief, he figured
that he should do some rounds
And during those rounds, Smoker found a sleeping man on a bench
At first, he assumed it was probably a homeless youth or a runaway; he was
ready to wake the other up and bring him to a shelter
But after a few moments of trying to wake up the rather striking looking young
man, he realized that he was unable to and was ready to call 911
And then he noticed the medical alert bracelet
He did a quick check and lo and behold – he was narcoleptic
And apparently named Ace
And he had the most beautiful dark brown eyes that appeared usually black until
the light got in them just right
But he would only find that out later
Smoker didn’t know what he had done to be punished like this; a man that was
exactly his type with a beautiful smile, a voice that soothed him, a warm
infectious laugh and of course, too young
Shamefully, that night he had masturbated to Ace, unable to stop himself and
the thoughts that had flooded his mind
He had lied that night as well, telling Ace that he had been transferred to
Goa, not that he had requested the transfer
Maybe starting everything off with a lie was his punishment for what was
happening now?
 
“There will be no do-overs if we fuck up here” lectured Smoker
He was sitting in an armored carrier, parked on the edge of Gray Terminal at a
pre-determined spot, wanting for their contact
Most of the Goa police department was there, dressed in riot gear and ready to
go
“Even though we’re here as a rescue mission; we’re still police officers and
will therefore act like one. If you must engage in combat, assure that it’s not
with a World Government agent because legally it will be considered treason.
Only and only engage with gang members unless you’re being attacked,
understood?”
There was a loud ‘yes sir’ echoing all over the transport before a small knock
on the door got their attention
“Captain?”
Smoker leaned over and unlatched the door and Rosinante stuck his head in
“Hey! I opened the barricade so feel free to drive right in – most, if not all
of the soldiers have gathered around the scaffold anyways. Feel free to
infiltrate whenever you want. Ace’s execution is set for 8pm, so please, act
before that” begged Rosinante
Smoker frowned; he couldn’t miss the strain of Rosinante’s voice
And the fact that he was carrying Ace’s ugly ass bag
“Why do you have that?” asked Smoker, pointing to the bag
Rosinante looked at him, blinking owlishly and then chuckled
“Ah! Well, I made Sengoku demand to Teach that when he handed Ace over that he
also handed over all of Ace’s possessions! I made up some excuse about
‘sentimental value to the family’ or whatever but really I just wanted to have
Ace’s gloves. He’s going to need a mean to defend himself when he escapes; I
fueled them up and everything!”
Smoker blinked, slightly surprised
He hadn’t thought of that!
“Ah, and you’re going to get that to him how?”
“Easy” started Rosinante “I’m going to hide on the scaffold’s lower foundation
so I can just throw it at him”
“And that sons of yours?”
Law was going to be an issue for Rosinante if he hadn’t tracked down that damn
brat
“I found him, he’s on standby for medical intervention for Luffy”
“Luffy?!” howled Smoker
Why was Ace’s damn brother intervening again?!
“You really think that Luffy isn’t coming?” asked Rosinante, giving that damn
‘are you an idiot’ look that he thinks he doesn’t do
That bastard
“Fair point. Alright, now get lost before they realize you’re double crossing
them”
Rosinante only laughed as he scurried away
Only to trip over a garbage can and fall over
Honestly, between him and Tashigi, he’s not sure who he spends more time giving
first aid to
 
Of course Ace had been not only in a gang, but a Whitebeard specifically
Ace had been aggressively flirting with him, making a small part of his mind
start to believe that the fantasies that he had about the brat could somehow
come true
But Smoker wasn’t a fool
He was sure he was being tricked so he decided to confront the other about it
Only to have Ace upfront admit that he had no cards up his sleeves
That he was genuinely attracted to Smoker
It was something that he never thought would be possible in a million years
But the more that fate threw him and Ace together, the more that his past came
crashing down on him
First seeing Stefan again, the dog that had been merely a newborn pup the last
time he saw him, oddly enough, he had been in his mother’s arms at the time
How the hell was it still alive?
So he kept pushing Ace away, dissuading him at every turn because he couldn’t
dissuade himself
But when Ace asked him point blank to turn him down, Smoker hadn’t been able to
 
So he had asked Hina for advice, something he loathed doing
And of courseHina told him to go for it
“When was the last time you genuinely liked someone? What’s the harm? Go for
it”
He had told her no
So she exposed him to Ace
Putting him in that position, Smoker had decided to test Ace, have him take
care of the one thing he loved the most in the world; Justice
Justice had been his constant companion for the last eight years, he had
trained her as a puppy when he was home from his military tours and she had
become his partner once he officially joined the force
Smoker didn’t have any biological children, but he had Justice and to him, that
was the same
So when she instantly adored Ace, Smoker knew he was fucked
His perfectly built wall was crumbling, little by little
And then Ace pecked his cheek that one night and the wall started to collapse
So he caved and kissed Ace deeply
Looking back, maybe he should have resisted, not succumbed to a moment of
weakness
But in that moment, Smoker was tired of hiding how he was feeling from himself
and he decided that instead he’d hide how he felt about Ace from the rest of
the world, not wanting it to be taken from him – like a starving dog with a
bone
But Smoker wasn’t a fool; he knew that he couldn’t hide it
Clouds can only hide the sun for so long
Sabo had terrified him more than Smoker ever cared to admit and Luffy didn’t
recognize him
But he didn’t care, because Ace was worth every single moment of it
 
Carefully and as quietly as a hoard of uniformed cops could be, they advanced
towards the soon to be battlefield
It was hard to miss the voice on the loudspeaker
“-cution of this man, Ace D. Portgas is a matter of enormous import! You might
have been wondering why were are making such an official and public execution
of a mere thug on the Most Wanted list, but all of this will be made clear very
soon”
Smoker grunted, annoyed
Of course they were broadcasting this
Showing the great ‘victory’ of the World Government to the world, typical
bullshit
Smoker didn’t regret getting kicked out for one solid minute
“Ace…What is your father’s name?”
Smoker stopped walking, causing Tashigi to crash right into his back
“Sir?”
“Those bastards!” growled Smoker as he took off running towards the main square
 
A single receipt found on a drunken Ace that night opened a whole other can of
worm
If Smoker always mentally told himself that he had a stone fortress surrounding
him – Ace had a multi-layered metal vault
Having grown up in Loguetown, it wasn’t hard for him to be fascinated with
Roger D. Gol,
But the man having been his father’s drinking buddy was a whole other story
He had lied to Ace that one time as well, Roger hadn’t just come over that one
time – he had seen the man at his house a few times
Well, he hadn’t lied per say – he hadn’t really remembered until later down the
line
Usually he’d be drinking out in the garden under the cherry blossom trees with
his father
His mother would tell Smoker to leave the two alone, that they had a lot of
catching up to do – but Smoker hadn’t known who he was
But now, he felt like such a fool
 
“She bought your life at the cost of her own”
Smoker now had sights on the main square, massive screens all over the place,
livestreaming the main events
Ace looked like absolute shit – just like Rosinante had reported
He needed to get him out; he needed to let him escape
The screen’s footage shifted and now was showing a picture of Rouge
Now that he really looked at her, there were two things he knew he couldn’t
deny
One; Ace was really her splitting image
He had gotten his body shape from his father and his colouring for sure – but
other than that, Ace looked so so much like her
And also that now he knows for sure that he had met her
The last time he had seen Roger over at his house, she had been there as well
She had spoken to him; he remembered her being very kind
It wasn’t often that a guest wanted to chat with the host’s 13 year old son
But she had, wanting to know about more about him and she had asked him if he
liked kids
Smoker had frowned back then, asking her why she was asking
She had laughed softly
Fuck, now that he thought about it, they had the same laugh too
And then she told him that she was going to have a baby soon and that she was
hoping that they would get along
Rouge, if only you knew
 
“Don’t pretend not to know!! YOUR FATHER WAS ROGER GOLD, THE KING OF THE
UNDERWORLD!”
And there was Ace’s biggest secret, out in the open
“But we weren’t the only ones who learned the truth. Whitebeard took you in,
the son of his former rival, aboard into his gang so that he could raise you to
be the next King of the Underworld!”
Smoker frowned, lifting a brow
No way that Ace was taken in to be raised to be the next King of the Underworld
If he had known anything about his father was that this was literally never an
objective of him; granted he had only known that his father was Whitebeard
after his mother’s loss, but it didn’t seem like him
“NO!” yelled Ace, cutting off Sengoku “I joined Pops to help him become the
King of the Underworld!”
 “You’re the only one who believes that. Don’t you know why we were never able
to touch you? Because Whitebeard was protecting you!”
Now that sounded right
Ace looked at Sengoku shocked, not sure how to swallow the information that he
was being fed
 “But you had to be stopped! So we had to strike now before you were legally
protected on your 18th birthday when the warrant would expire! In time, your
abilities would eventually allow you to lead a new generation of gangs on a
reign of terror! For this reason, your execution today is necessary!” yelled
Sengoku, looking down at Ace “EVEN IF IT MEANS AN ALL-OUT WAR WITH WHITEBEARD!”
Ace looked like he didn’t know what to think about everything that was being
said
 “SIR! SIR! I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS! THE BARRICADE AT THE PERIMETER HAS BEEN
BROKEN THROUGH BY ONE OF OUR OWN ARMOURED VEHICALS! WE TRIED TO CONTACT THE
DRIVER BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER!”
A loud rumbling suddenly started as all these people ran into the main square
and Smoker signaled to his troops
It was time to infiltrate the crowd
 
“How long has it been, Sengoku?”
Smoker couldn’t deny the feeling of awe at the sight of Whitebeard standing on
top of what looked like was the old city hall of Gray Terminal holding his
bisento
Smoker reached behind him, gripping the handle of his custom made jitte, glad
that he actually brought it
It wasn’t a legal weapon, but he had told everyone that they could bring
whatever they were more comfortable using
To him, it was also his way to show that he’s finally accepted who he is and
the decision that he made
He had mixed feelings about seeing Whitebeard
Whitebeard was the reason he had gotten Ace
But also the reason why he lost him
 
The honeymoon period ended with Justice discovering the gloves
Smoker had tried to disregard it, but cracks were forming in their new
foundation
Smoker had broken down the new wall he had built to hide Ace in, deciding that
he wanted Ace to be visible in his life
But he needed to let Ace in completely to do so,
So he told him about Hero, his childhood dog, the best dog he ever had
He never talked about Hero, the memory too painful, but he wanted Ace to know
the important parts of his life
Ace had opened up about his mother himself
If only he had remembered her back then
 
Smoker had decided to finally reconcile with his father the best he could
because if he wanted Ace in his life, he needed to accept Whitebeard in Ace’s
Facing his past had been one of the hardest things he ever had to do
His mother and Hero being murdered for their association with Whitebeard was a
grudge that he held deep and for a long time
It was a big, festering, gash in his life
Finally, he decided to treat it – regardless of how much it stung
But Ace had made it all worth it – him and that stupid carrot onesie of his
 
The battle quickly erupted and Smoker found himself fighting off Whitebeards
Thankfully the ones who he had been fighting hadn’t recognized him yet
The ballistic visor that he was wearing was helping with that but honestly it
was pissing Smoker more than anything
After he got the man he was fighting down, Smoker decided fuck it and ripped
most of it off
He felt suffocated
Within moments, he went from fully wearing his riot gear to wearing his leather
jacket, pants, his boots and gloves and his jitte and discarded the rest to the
ground
Smoker pulled two cigars out of his jacket and lit them up, he was done fucking
around
And then they almost fell right out of his mouth when he saw the armoured
vehicle fly over his head
What the fuck?!
 
Smoker didn’t know what to feel when a sick, delirious Ace confessed that he
was in love with him
So the next day, he poured his heart out to Ace
Admitting that he was Whitebeard – no, Newgate’s son
What had happened to his mother and why he held such a grudge
And Ace had told him he was Roger’s son
For some reason, when Ace was so honest, so vulnerable and raw with him, that
Smoker realized that there was no going back now
He had fallen in love with Ace
 
Of course it was Luffy D. Motherfucking Monkey!
Of course!
Smoker’s not even sure why the fuck he was even surprised anymore
He had never told Ace about his long and odd history with Luffy
That they had actually met about a year ago
In Loguetown, he was working as the Chief of Police there
There was a report that someone was on top of the scaffold
Smoker had been horrified at the news but kept it to himself
What kind of disrespectful asshole would stand on top of a used execution
platform?! Especially’s Roger’s!
But then he had gotten a report that two well-known gang leaders had also been
spotted; Alvida and Buggy
Smoker sighed, telling himself that he might as well go handle it
He hadn’t rushed, didn’t see the point
Even had time to give a little girl money as an apology for his pants eating
her ice-cream
Once he got there – he saw a skinny teenager with his head in the pillory
He was soon informed that the teenager was a thug with a bounty
Smoker had shrugged; Buggy was there with a huge blade, ready to chop off the
teenager’s head
Let them kill each other
Honestly he stopped giving a fuck years ago
And then Luffy yelled that he was going to be the next King of the Underworld
And fucking smiled
Everything after that happened so fast
Buggy got hit by lightning
Smoker had taken Luffy down but was stopped byDragon of all people
And Luffy escaped
When Smoker looked up Luffy after, he found out that he was from Goa and Smoker
remembered that he had been nominated and offered a position of Police Chief in
the city of Goa
At first he had refused it – Goa was were Whitebeard was settled
He wasn’t ready to confront his demons – not yet
But now, he had picked up the phone and called his superiors
“I’m transferring to Goa. I’m taking the post”
 
How odd to think that it was because of Luffy that he wound up in Ace’s orbit
One day, after all of this was over, he’d have to tell Ace all about it
He’s sure that Ace would get a real kick out of it
He’ll also tell him what happened in Alabasta too
Maybe he’ll confirm his suspicions that the cocky bastard he met there was Ace
 
“DON’T COME UP HERE, LUFFY!!” screamed Ace “YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! YOU AND I
ARE IN DIFFERENT GANGS! WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS! I HAVE MY OWN FRIENDS!!
THERE’S NO PLACE FOR YOU IN THIS PART OF MY LIFE!!”
Smoker couldn’t miss the utter desperation in Ace’s voice
You know that isn’t going to stop him
 “YOU THINK I’D LET MYSELF BE RESCUED BY A WEAKLING LIKE YOU?! THAT WOULD BE AN
UNBEARABLE INSULT! BEAT IT, LUFFY! WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!”
 “I’M YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!!” yelled back Luffy “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GANG
RULES!!”
Luffy’s sheer determination honestly was inspiring but Smoker needed to make
sure the dumb brat didn’t get hurt – and the easiest way to do so was to stop
him
 “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” yelled Sengoku, over the microphone “DON’T LET A LONE
ROOKIE TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BATTLEFIELD! THAT MAN IS A MENACE TO THE FUTURE OF
HUMANITY! HE GREW UP WITH ACE! THEY’RE LIKE BROTHERS! AND AS FOR HIS BLOODLINE,
HE’S THE SON OF DRAGON THE REVOLUTIONARY!”
Oh-!
“This explains what happened in Loguetown” murmured Smoker as he kept running
towards Luffy
Tashigi attempted to stop Luffy but he practically jumped over her
“GET OUT OF MY WAY TASHIGI!”
Smoker quickly grabbed his jitte and struck Luffy hard enough that it threw him
backwards
“It’s you, Smokey! That’s right!”
“I’ll be the one to dispose of you!” answered Smoker sternly
If he could capture Luffy and shove him in their armoured vehicle, at least
Luffy would be safe
Smoker threw some smoke bombs down, making Luffy cough and hide his face
“You’re a lot stronger than the last time we met!” yelled Luffy
Smoker couldn’t help but be surprised
So Luffy did remember him!
“So are you – But you can’t beat me with your abilities!” yelled Smoker,
jabbing the jitte into Luffy’s throat, taking him down
“Now I know why Dragon saved you back in Loguetown!”
Smoker was about to say something but then he looked up slightly
And his eyes met with Ace’s
And saw nothing but despair
 
Smoker had been surprised when he found out about Ace’s lack of experience
Ace was someone who oozed of sexuality; he was so gorgeous and so eager
But so fiercely loyal and had had so much internalized self-loathing that
Smoker didn’t even begin to comprehend it
Ace had a self-sacrificing nature, but it wasn’t borne from kindness but self-
loathing
He saw himself as worthless
And not the bright shining star that he was and Smoker soon grew to realize
that because they were on opposing sides of the Law, one day, he might be
forced to extinguish that light
A part of him wanted to run, wanted to leave before he got in too deep
But then Ace showed up at his door in that blasted Halloween costume
He never got the chance to ask Ace how he found out that he had a thing for
werewolves
After that night, there was no turning back
Ace’s enthusiasm and eagerness had been contagious
He loved openly, and Smoker, even though he would have never considered himself
to be a physically affectionate person, found himself craving Ace’s touch
No, maybe until Ace, he hadn’t realized how badly he had craved it
Now he wanted more than anything to just push everyone out of his way
Smoke up the entire place, set the place aflame
Rescue Ace and hold him tight, protect him like he mentally swore to himself
that he would
But he knew it was out of his realm of possibility right now
So he’ll keep Luffy safe for now
The boy was practically Ace’s blasted son anyways, might as well keep him safe
 
The next thing he knew, Smoker was eating dirt
Someone had kicked him so hard he went flying off
There was a giant smoke cloud around them – how the hell did anyone even see
him?!
“HANCOCK! Do you want to be stripped of your title of Warlord too?!” yelled
Smoker, in utter disbelief
How the fuck did she kick him that hard?!
“SILENCE! I’m too furious to hear your words!” screamed Hancock “How dare you
strike and try to capture the man I love!!”
What?
Wait
What?
“YOU’LL BE PUNISHED SEVERELY FOR THAT!! I’VE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY BEFORE IN MY
LIFE!! I’LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES AND FEED YOU TO THE BEASTS!”
“Hancock!” yelled Luffy happily
“Yes?” answered Hancock and Smoker could swear he heard a heart after that yes
What the fuck was going on here?!
They exchanged quick words and Hancock gave Luffy something and Luffy was so
happy he hugged her and then ran off
“You won’t get away, Straw Hat!!” yelled Smoker, trying to run after Luffy
Goddamnit, he needed to stop him!
But then Hancock tried to kick him again but he managed to stop her with his
jitte
Only to see that she had broken it in half
His Nanashaku Jitte!!
That fucking bitch!!
His father had that made for him!
“INSOLENT FOOL! STAND DOWN!!” demanded Hancock, bowing back so deeply that she
had her head back as well “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
“You know what happens when you interfere with the World Government!” growled
Smoker, furious
“Anything I do will be forgiven!” answered Hancock, clearly not caring
Smoker tried a few times to get around Hancock, but she wasn’t budging
“You’re not gonna move aside at any cost, Hancock?”
“Of course not! I won’t let you hurt my beloved husband!”
What
Wait
I thought
What
“Husband?!” asked Smoker, completely confused
Wasn’t the brat was going out with Trafalgar’s brat?!
“Yes, my husband!” replied Hancock dreamily
Next thing Smoker knew, Hancock was sighing dreamingly,
“Wife? Haaa-!!”
“I don’t know if she wants to fight or not-“ murmured Smoker, completely
confused
What the hell was going on?!
But then he spotted Luffy’s location
He didn’t have time to waste!
“I’ll get Straw hat!”
“I told you, you outrageous fool, that I won’t let you pass through here!”
yelled Hancock, suddenly furious again
And suddenly she was attacking him again
“Hancock!! You-!!”
 
But suddenly Smoker heard a massive rumbling. He turned around and saw another
round of armoured vehicles with canons came in from behind the crowd
Fuck! Those were the Pacifista Prototypes! This was going to get bad and fast!
Smoker grabbed Tashigi by her coat and threw her on the ground, taking his
radio out, messaging all of his operatives
“Down! Down! Down! They’re going to shoot!”
And a loud blast was heard thought the battlefield
Disgusting! What kind of monsters shot down their own men!
 
Strike one had been catching Ace on that raid
 Ace had owned up to it and it had appeased him
But it had brought upon anxieties and feelings that honestly Smoker didn’t need
in his life
So strike two had been noted on the board
After he had overheard Ace pouring his heart out to Justice and the board was
erased
Ace was trapped in his world
He had confessed to him that night that Teach made him uncomfortable and Smoker
didn’t miss the fear in Ace’s voice – he wanted to protect Ace from him,
instead he drove Ace straight into Teach’s grasp
Smoker had promised to protect Ace but now he felt like he had merely condemned
him
 
 
Smoker looked up, the dust settling from the attack of the Pacisfistas
He took his arm off Tashigi, having kept her down
Suddenly he heard thousands of people suddenly inhaling a breath in shock and
Smoker looked up
Only to see Squardo stab his Newgate
And Smoker suddenly felt like a teenager again
Coming home from a sleepover, excited to tell him mom everything that had
happened and he opened the front door
Blood
Blood splattered all over the entrance way
The first thing he saw was Hero, lying on the ground, covered in bullet holes
Horrified, Smoker kept walking in and found his mother’s mutilated body in the
living room
Not again
Not again
Not again
Smoker fought the bile threatening to come out
His heart was pounding, his breathing was getting haggard, he was sweating
bullets, feeling claustrophobic in his jacket
Not now! It wasn’t time for a flashback!
This wasn’t the time!
“Sir! Sir! Sir!” yelled Tashigi panicking
Damnit woman! You’re not helping!
His mother laying there, eyes open, blood everywhere, blood
Smoker felt hands on him, rubbing his back
“Chase. Breathe” ordered Hina, voice calm
Smoker suddenly looked up, seeing Hina crouched in front of him
Fuck
Smoker coughed, shaking his head – what a shitty fucking time to have an attack
But then he looked up at the scaffold and saw Ace crying
He needed to save Ace!
 
After the multiple Whitebeard raids and Ace’s clear signature on them, Smoker
needed advice
He had begun to have nightmares that reminded him of past evens that he didn’t
want
So he had called one of his oldest friends, Kuzan, for advice
 
Mistake number one
 
Kuzan had scared Ace witless, driven him away
Had told Smoker that he needed to get out of it before he got too emotionally
attached
Before it destroyed him like his last relationship almost did
And Smoker had believed him
 
Mistake number two
 
In the end, a bullet had ended it all
On the night that Ace had asked him to meet his family properly
He was going to be introduced to his former superior as his grandson’s
boyfriend
Smoker had broken Ace’s heart in a desperate attempt to save his own
Everything had fallen apart so fast, the nightmares that he had been having
caught up to him because the reality of actually losing Ace during a gang raid
was becoming a reality
Smoker couldn’t stand to see someone like Ace lose it all
Someone that he had loved – no
That he loved so deeply
But Ace merely saw himself as someone not worth his time, not that Smoker loved
him so much that it was too much
He had barely survived those he had already loss
But after this, things would be different
He would help Ace escape
He would ask Ace for forgiveness
He isn’t sure what he’ll do about their differences and issues, but he’ll
figure something out
Because Ace was worth it
 
And Luffy punched Garp right in the face, knocking him back
Next thing Smoker knew, he was throwing Hina and Tashigi down once more as the
stage collapsed in a giant explosion
NO ACE!
But out of the fire jumps out Ace, holding onto Luffy
I’ll love you
I’ll protect you
I’ll take care of you
Smoker took out his radio
“Retreat now! Prepare an exit route for Ace! It looks like he’s heading south!”
 “And now these are my final orders as your boss! Listen carefully,
Whitebeards”
Smoker stopped suddenly staring at his father standing proud over the video
feed
The old man survived getting stabbed?!
“So he’s decided that this is his gravesite, huh?” noted Hina
Smoker couldn’t stop staring at him
Then he smiled softly
Honestly, he couldn’t think of a better way for his father to go
Protecting his children
And suddenly he felt like such an idiot
Newgate didn’t hide the fact the fact that he was a mob boss from him to make
fun of him
He hid it from him because he knew how badly Smoker wanted to be a cop
He was being supportive
Whitebeard always protected his children
“I guess I wasn’t an exception” mumbled Smoker as he saw Ace running away
 
But then Ace stopped running
“The Whitebeard gang is a pack of cowards”
Akainu?!
 “But considering who your leader is, that’s no surprise!”
Shut up!
 “Whitebeard is a loser from a bygone era”
Ace froze, turning around to face Akainu
 “A loser?!”
ACE NO!
 “Take that back! Take back what you said!”
ACE IT’S A TRAP!
 “He said something bad about Pops!” answered Ace
“Ace!!” begged Luffy
“Your real father, Roger Gold, stood in his way, making him an eternal loser
who could never become the King, that’s who Whitebeard is” stated Akainu calmly
“I’m only telling the truth”
Ace stood, facing Akainu
“You thugs call him Pops and love him and put on this farce that you’re one big
happy family” continued Akainu “Even though he ruled for decades, he was still
never able to become the King of the Underworld! He never achieved his dream.
And in the end, one of his own idiot ‘sons’ was smooth-talked into stabbing
him! And now he’s going to die to protect that same idiot! Isn’t that a failed
life?”
“STOP IT!”
 “DON’T LET HIM PROVOKE YOU, ACE!! GET BACK HERE!” yelled
Izo                     
PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR FRIEND
Smoker turned, about to run towards Ace, but Hina and Tashigi stopped him
“No! Stop! It’s too dangerous and you won’t make it!”
“POPS GAVE ME A PLACE I COULD CALL HOME!!” yelled Ace, shaking “YOU DON’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT HIS GREATNESS!”
“People who live outside of the law are worthless! You thugs don’t deserve a
happy home!” replied Akainu “Whitebeard will die a loser!”
“WHITEBEARD IS THE GREATEST GANG BOSS IN THE WORLD!! HE CREATED THIS AGE!”
Ace lit up his gloves, ready to destroy Akainu’s face
“THE NAME OF THIS ERA IS WHITEBEARD!”
There was a loud explosion
 
Smoker grunted, the bright light blinding him and was horrified to see Ace on
the ground with a severely burned arm
Did his gloves explode?!
 “You think because you ingested an akumanomi that makes you resistant to heat
that you’re getting careless, aren’t you? So did I, but mine made me resistant
to heat so high that I can touch magma with my bare hands, boy” explained
Akainu as he walked towards Ace “I grabbed the exit nozzle of those fancy
little gloves of yours and stopped them right in their track!”
“My abilities are far superior to yours” stated Akainu as he turned to look at
fire that was burning due to the explosion to his side, reaching inside of it
to pull out what seemed to be a metal rod that had broken, holding it with his
hand
 “Roger Gold, the King of the Underworld and Dragon the Revolutionary! How
surprising that their sons are blood-brothers. You’re both criminals by blood!
You’ll never be allowed to escape! You brothers won’t get past me!!”
Akainu then smirked
Smoker saw him turn to look at Luffy
SHIT! SHIT!
Akainu pulled his arm back, clutching the metal rod like a javelin
 “Just watch”
“HEY!! WAIT! LUFFY!”
 
The next thing he knew, the metal pole was through Ace’s chest
It was projected on every screen but Smoker could see it clearly from his
location
And Smoker’s blood ran cold
No
No
NO!
Ace fell to his knees in Luffy’s arms
Multiple people jumped on Akainu, beating him down
Ace clung to Luffy the best he could
Smoker could see his lips moving
He was talking
He was alive?!
But then Ace smiled
And he went limp
And a blood curling scream of despair
Ace was dead
They had failed
He had failed
 
Out of nowhere, Whitebeard was suddenly all over Akainu, beating the living
shit out of him
Smoker watched quietly, not even sure what he was feeling right now
Luffy
Luffy, he needed to save L-
Luffy was gone?
Good
W-
To Smoker’s horror, he saw who finally showed up at the battle, none other than
Teach
That son of a bitch!
“Sir?” asked Tashigi quietly, not sure what to do right now
Smoker turned around, furious
“I TOLD YOU TO RETREAT!”
“I’m not leaving you here, sir!” yelled Tashigi back, grabbing Smoker’s arm
“I’m afraid you’re going to do something foolish!”
“I’m with her” replied Hina, grabbing Smoker’s other arm
 
The sound of the gunfire was thunderous
Had they-!
Smoker didn’t even know how to start counting; they had literally filled his
father full of holes
Whitebeard was saying something, but Smoker right now couldn’t hear it, his
mind going in all places
But what he did hear was clear as day
“THE ONE PIECE DOES EXIST”
That son of a bitch
Just had to get the last word, didn’t he?
But…Smoker had to admit, there was no better way for his father to go
Smoker wasn’t a religious man, but he closed his eyes and gave the man who
sired him, who raised him the best he could, a moment of silence
“Tashigi! We have to go,now!” ordered Smoker but was soon enough finding
himself fighting people off
What the fuck was going on?!
He was being attacked by World Government agents!
Something’s wrong! This isn’t justice! This victory has only whetted their
appetite!
This raid had become a genuine bloodbath
There were dead and bloodied soldiers and gang members everywhere and there was
no way to treat or remove them from the battlefield since nobody wanted to let
up
This had truly become No Man’s Land
Ace was dead! Newgate was dead! Wasn’t that fucking enough?!
“LET’S STOP THIS! STOP FIGHTING! IT’S A WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE!  WE’VE ACHIEVED
OUR OBJECTIVE! WE’VE BROKEN THE GANG’S POWER! SO WHY ARE WE CHASING THEM?! IT’S
NOT NECESSARY!! THIS IS PURE BLOODLUST! SOME OF THE WOUNDED CAN BE SAVED IF
THEY’RE TREATED RIGHT AWAY! BUT WE’RE CONSIGNING THEM TO DEATH AND CREATING
MORE CASUALTIES TO BOOT! THE SOLDIERS WHO DIE FROM HERE ON ARE…ARE… THEY’RE
JUST…JUST… THEY’RE FOOLS WHO WILL DIE FOR NOTHING!”
Smoker’s jaw dropped when he saw who was yelling
WAS THAT THEIR RECEPTIONIST COBY?!
Why was that son of a bitch in a World Government Un- HE HAD A FUCKING PLANT IN
HIS OWN DEPARTMENT?!
Smoker was suddenly shaking with rage – he was going to throttle that little
shrimp when he came in for his shift tomorrow!!
Akainu jumped in, about to hurt Coby when suddenly he was stopped
 
It was Red Hair Shanks
“Well done, young man” started Shanks “For better or for worse, those few
seconds of courage will profoundly influence the fate of this world”
The world?
Smoker frowned, but then he looked around
The livestream was still going on?!
“I’ve come to put an end to this war” announced Shanks, picking up Luffy’s hat
Shanks suddenly threw the hat to Buggy who was escaping on the rooftops
One by one, people started to leave the battlefield
“Everyone listen, withdrawn now and allow me to save face” warned Shanks
Smoker heard Tashigi sniffle and he turned around to look at her
Lips trembling and her eyes were wetting, this was too much for her
Shanks then went up to Sengoku and snatched the microphone from his hands and
then he slowly went up to Ace’s body
“It’s currently 12:01, meaning we’re officially January 1rst. So, if Ace is
still alive, Akainu should be charged with attempted murder, am I not correct?”
asked Shanks
The crowd gasped
Ace?!
Still alive?!
How could he pos-
Shanks dropped to one knee and put his fingers on Ace’s throat; Ben Beckam
showed up, standing besides Shanks and signaled everyone to be quiet
“GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL ASAP! HE’S ALIVE! HE HAS A PULSE!” announced Shanks
Smoker started to shake as tears rolled down his cheeks
He was alive!
Everyone moved out of the way as an ambulance drove through and paramedics
jumped out and quickly prepped Ace
Smoker moved closer, needing to hear what the paramedics would say
“What?! He’s alive?!” yelled Sengoku, only to be shoved aside by Garp
“He’s alive?!My boy is alive?!” Garp sounded so beyond relieved
“His pulse is very weak, we’re not sure he’ll make it, but as of right now,
he’s alive” assured the paramedic
“I’m going with him! I’m his grandfather!” announced Garp proudly, not caring
who knew anymore
Ace was alive!
Alive!
The ambulance soon disappeared from sight, taking Ace away
“We’ll see to the burial of Whitebeard” announced Shanks, handing the
microphone back to Sengoku, but his voice was still being picked up “You’ve
already broadcast the battle throughout the entire world. I won’t allow you to
make a spectacle of his death!”
“WHAT?! But we need to show off his severed head to celebrate our victory!”
yelled one of the World Government officers
Smoker could feel the anger growing in him – he won’t allow that!
“I don’t mind” answered Sengoku
“FLEET ADMIRAL?!” yelled the man, confused
“That’s fine by me, ‘Red-Haired’. I’ll take responsibility”
“Thank you” answered Shanks “But now we have another issue”
“What?”
“Akainu’s arrest” replied Shanks coolly
“LIKE HELL!” yelled Akainu, getting right in front of Shanks “You have a lot of
nerves!”
“You attempted to murder a minor, last I checked, that’s illegal. But I
understand there was an arrest and order of execution on any and all who shared
blood with Roger D. Gol. Fine. But that warrant expired at midnight. It’s past
midnight and Ace is still alive, meaning you tried to murder him” explained
Shanks
“Oh yeah? And who do you pray tell is going to arrest me? The World Government
can’t! They wouldn’t even dare!”
Smoker froze up, growling
He had the authority as the Chief of Police of Goa to arrest him, but he didn’t
have the authority since this was technically a World Government operation
Fuck fuck fuck
“OH! OH! PICK ME!”
And coming in like a real buffoon, tripping on someone who was sitting on the
ground injured along the way, apologizing thirty times before he skipped over
to Akainu, Rosinante smiled brightly as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and
two badges
“Hello hello! My name is Rosinante Donquixote or rather Rosinante Trafalgar,
Rear Admiral of the World Government and also as of midnight I’m reinstated on
the Goa Police force meaning that as a Rear Admiral and a cop, I have the
authority to arrest you for the attempted murder of Ace D. Gol!” explained
Rosinante brightly
“WHAT?!” roared Akainu, turning to Sengoku
Sengoku merely paused for a moment and sighed, defeated
“I’ll allow it. Red-Haired is right, had Portgas been executed as it was
planned it would have been a different story. But he’s right, this is attempted
murder and if Portgas dies now, it will be first degree murder” explained
Sengoku
Rosinante let out a happy noise as he put Akainu’s wrists together and slammed
down the handcuffs
“THIS IS RIDICULOUS! WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!”
“There’s no justice in trying to kill an innocent soul” growled Smoker as he
stalked up to Akainu “Come with me, Trafalgar. I have a cruiser this way”
“Smoker! WHY ARE YOU HERE?”yelled Sengoku
“How about you deal with the wounded. Ambulances have been called and my men
will help to transport and process the appropriate arrests if so be needed. But
from the looks of it, everyone here was punished enough, don’t you think?”
pointed out Smoker
Sengoku frowned, nodding his head slightly
“Proceed as you will”
 
Smoker quietly led Rosinante and the furious Akainu to his police cruiser and
started to drive towards the station
“Well, that was a bitter victory if you ask me” pointed out Rosinante after a
while of silent and tense driving
“We’re not out of the woods yet”
There is no way they can just arrest an Admiral like this
The World Government is merely going to ask to trial their own and it will be
over
“You know that the World Government will forgive this, won’t you? That I’ll
merely be relocated and this will be hushed?” warned Akainu from the back
“Of course we do” started Rosinante, rolling his eyes “We’re not idiots. But
one thing’s for sure, you can never show your fucking face in this town again,
and that’s what I wanted”
Smoker raised a brow
That was brilliant!
“If I can keep you away from Ace, my kids and all the other kids in this town,
I’ve done my duty. There’s going to be many lost children now, and I don’t need
a piece of garbage like you masquerading as their principal” explained
Rosinante “And shut up back there, or I’ll fucking taze you. You’ve done enough
fucking damage for one night”
Smoker exhaled
He was really glad that Rosinante was by his side tonight
“After we dump this asshole in solitary, how about we go to the hospital,
Captain?” asked Rosinante, smiling sadly
“Yeah”
Really glad
Because there was no way he was breaking down in front of this nerd
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! Next week we're going to Law as usual! I hope
     you all enjoyed it!
     Also, uh, don't get too used to this length please! This chapter
     kinda uh, got away from me! BUT! We're also not going to revisit all
     the events again with Law, we're moving on!
***** -LAW- The Funeral March of a Marionette (Here Be Born the Surgeon of
Death) *****
Chapter Notes
     Ahh! I'm glad you all seemed to like the Smoker chapter! I'd had that
     trick hidden up my sleeve for so long now! Let's go see Law, shall
     we?
     EDIT (02-01-18): I confess I edited this chapter quickly because my
     health took another dive (SIGH) but thank you to Zamia for pointing
     out the typos! They've been fixed!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
If Law thought the sewers smelled bad before – they smelled worst with
thousands of men hiding in them with him
By some miracle, he wasn’t spotted by the thousands of people who suddenly
showed up in the sewers, apparently waiting for some sort of signal and then
they had suddenly all erupted out into the battlefield, leaving Law alone
Thank god
Law decided to watch the stream on his phone while he hid
He had heard the yelling, the chaos and everything happening up above
He had heard the world being told of Ace’s lineage, of Luffy’s
Heard everything else going on, but it was killing him that he didn’t know what
was happening to Luffy except for bits and pieces when the camera decided to
follow him
And he was killing his phone battery by trying to watch the footage, turning it
off when that stupid clown took over the feed
Law pulled out his phone and looked at it, re-reading the message he had sent
to his crew
They were to hide in the van at the edge of Gray Terminal right by the forest
and be ready at a moment’s notice
While walking around the forest with Luffy, Law had spotted a path in the
forest that was wide enough for the van
When he had asked Luffy about how come this path was wider than the others,
Luffy merely mentioned that apparently long ago, horse-drawn carriage had used
the path to get around, but when roads were paved, nobody saw the point to keep
going through a dense forest
Or at least, that’s what Sabo had told him
Law had shrugged, Sabo was a reliable person for information and honestly
today, it would have been really useful to have Sabo around
Talk about shitty timing
Honestly the anxiety of not really knowing what was going on upward was
starting to drive him a little batty
But then his phone buzzed
Law blinked, looking at the notification and was surprised to see it was from
Cora!
 
Cora <3
Go east! Jinbei is running away with Luffy heading eastward, they’re being
followed! QUICK!
 
FUCK
Law took off running into the sewers, following the map Bepo had drawn up
Eastward would take them right about where the van was hidden, if he timed this
right, he could meet up with Luffy
Perfect!
                                 
Law quickly popped the manhole open and ran right out of the sewers and into
the street
He quickly spotted the yellow van and ran to it, banging on the van
“We have to go find Luffy! He’s heading this way!” yelled Law as he opened the
back door and climbed in
“Aye aye!” yelled Bepo from the front as he turned on the van and started
driving
Law quickly took out a box of body wipes and wiped himself down – he was just
in the sewers and didn’t need to expose anybody to any gross shit he might have
caught while being down there
The memory of one of Robin’s History lessons and this one guy who hid in the
sewers and got a nasty skin infection for the rest of his life instantly came
to Law’s mind
No thanks, he had enough of one disease
“I SEE HIM!” yelled Bepo
Law quickly made his way towards the front, slightly climbing on top of Penguin
and Shachi to do, Jean Bart had been wise enough to move out of the way
“Where?!” asked Law as he looked around the streets, with no sign of them
“There” casually pointed out Bepo – but pointing above
Above?!
Law looked up and isn’t quite sure what he was seeing
It was that stupid clown!
But it looked like he was…carrying Jinbei and Luffy?
Or carrying Jinbei that was carrying Luffy?
What?
But from his angle, both Jinbei and Luffy were unconscious, which was a bad
thing
He needed to act – and fast!
 
“GET STRAWHAT IN HERE!”
Buggy looked down from the rooftop he was running on at Law, confusion on his
face
“STRAWHAT?! AND WHO ARE YOU, KID?!” screeched Buggy and Law winced slightly
Man, that had to be the most annoying voice in the world
No wonder Cora had hated dealing with him!
Law hesitated for a moment; he didn’t need to let this jackass know that he was
Luffy’s boyfriend
The fucker might hold Luffy hostage!
“Strawhat guy and I may become enemies in the future, but our meeting now is
the work of fate! It wouldn’t be any fun if he died here!” yelled out Law,
ignoring the look of confusion he was getting from Bepo “I’ll help him escape!
Leave him to me! I’m a doctor!”
It wasn’t really a lie…just…technically one
“Who’s this nobody?” mumbled Buggy and Law could only assume that the jackass
thought he was being quiet and he wasn’t supposed to hear that
“HURRY! Get those two in here!!” yelled Law, trying to get Buggy to move along
Buggy hesitated for one moment and then literally threw Jinbei and Luffy at him
HOLY SHIT, THIS GUY WAS DUMB
“ ALL RIGHT! I’ll leave the rest to you!! Whoever you are!! Good luck with
that!”
IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!
“Catch them, Jean Bart!” ordered Bepo behind him and suddenly there he was,
catching the two            
“Good! That’s it!” praised Bepo as Law turned around; the doors of the van were
open wide, waiting
“Whoah, he looks terrible! Is he even alive?! Better hurry!” asked Bepo as he
carried Luffy into the van, Jean Bart following in as well with Jinbei as Law
waited that they were both inside to close the door
Law then looked up and his jaw dropped in horror
Right above them was Kizaru
Law had only known about him because Doflamingo had made a point that everyone
in his gang knew who the hot shots of the World Government were and how they
worked
Kizaru used a combination of flash grenades to blind people and his ability to
move really quickly to take someone down
This could get ugly and fast
Shit shit shit!
“Blast!”
 
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
 
Law’s not sure who the fuck just yelled that, but is distracted Kizaru long
enough to enable Bepo to start driving away
 
Law looked up and from his angle could see the giant screens projecting what
was going on
Shanks!! It was shanks!
“Law! I know it’s not every day that you can see one of the four gang emperors,
but you have to close the door!” chided Bepo as he drove
“Aye! Wait! What’s that flying through the air?”
Law blinked, looking up and caught the item flying at them – Luffy’s hat!
Law held the hat tight against his chest as he closed the second door of the
van
Once he turned around, his heart instantly lunged into his throat
Penguin and Shachi had finished setting up the gurneys for both Jinbei and
Luffy, looking over them in utter horror
Law took a deep breath
This is what he had been practicing for
“Okay, find us a s-!”
Before Law could say anything, they were suddenly completely blinded
Shit! Shit! Kizaru!
“Don’t worry, Law! I got this!” assured Bepo as he started to drive quickly
even with the flashing lights “I memorised the road! We’ll be in the forest
within minutes and then it’ll be too dense for him to follow!”
Good old Bepo!
But Law knew he couldn’t do any work on Luffy or Jinbei while the car was
rocking like this, well, nothing too major
For now, he needed to stabilize them
 
Once they were deep enough in the forest, Law had unceremoniously kicked them
all out
He needed to be alone
Law had scrubbed up and sterilized where he’d be working
He started with Jinbei
Jinbei had been easy enough to stabilize and he didn’t need any real invasive
medical intervention minus the massive burn – but Law wasn’t even sure he could
treat it because he needed blood
Law grit his teeth, looking towards his portable fridge that he kept,
regretting that he didn’t have any blood bags in it – but then he blinked,
surprised
Why was there a post-it on it?
Law turned and went up to the post-it, reading it
“Thought you might need this but wasn’t sure what you’d need, so I got you some
of each? Cora? What?”
Law opened the door and was shocked to see that it was filled with blood bags
Cora had gotten his blood bags?!
HOW WAS THIS EVEN REMOTELY LEGAL?
How was this- HOW DID HE?
Nevermind
Law grinned, now that he had blood bags, he should be able to treat them both
with more ease now! It would take him a bit to determine their blood types, but
nothing he couldn’t handle!
Alright, time to get to work                           
Jinbei was now fixed up and stabilized – thankfully the odd burn-slash-stab
would had missed all vital organs, so Jinbei should be fine and up-and-up soon
enough, but Luffy, Luffy was going to be a whole other can of worms
Law had stabilized him, but the injuries were immense
Luffy had severe bruising, signs of poisoning, mild and severe burns, physical
exhaustion, severe dehydration, puncture and stab wounds, his vitals were going
nuts, clear signs of internal bleeding, bullet grazing all over, there had been
some constriction to his throat, a deep stab wound in his shoulder, a shallow
gunshot wound, and of course the severe burn on his chest that looked like a
massive ‘x’
And the mental break
Law scrubbed up and got to work
He carefully cut off Luffy’s clothing, mentally rather annoyed that the first
time he saw his boyfriend naked was in these circumstances
He prepped all the tools and equipment that he’d need, mentally going through
the multiple surgeries that he’ll need to do in his mind of everything he’d
need to do
Step by step
Law took a deep breath, he needed to calm down
But just enough for him to not chicken out – he had practiced on Cora for
exactly this reason, to be able to actually do it when the time came on someone
he loved
Law suddenly felt every hair on his body raise up
His ability had kicked in, he was ready
It was time for Law to become the surgeon he had always wanted to be
Luffy, please, have faith in me
 
Law wiped his hands, inhaling sharply
He had done all that he could
Luffy looked stable enough, his stats were good too, but what came next was out
of Law’s hands, it was all Luffy
But before Law could relax, he was hearing some sort of ruckus outside
The hell?        
Opening the van doors as he kept cleaning his hands, he was surprised to see
Hancock yelling at Bepo
Who bowed his head down, apologizing?
Bepo, no!
“LAW!” cried Bepo happily
“I did everything I could” started Law honestly “He’s survived the surgery, at
least. But his body’s taken a huge amount of accumulated damage”
Law inhaled sharply, trying to push the words out that he was dreading
“I can’t guarantee that he’ll survive”
While he was in the zone, it was easy for Law to push away his emotions
Concentrate on the surgery, on what you have to do
But now that he was out, it was all that he could think of
Luffy might die
“OF COURSE YOU CAN’T! WAA-HOO!!”
Law jumped slightly, looking over to see…he’s not sure what he was seeing, on
top of a World Government armoured vehicle
What the fuck?!
“Who are they!?” asked Bepo, shocked
“He’s the reason Strawhat was able to escape” yelled out many voices from
inside the carrier
“It’s the prisoners from Impel Down. So they’re on Luffy’s side” explained
Hancock “They stowed away on this carrier”
“We’re going to the Kamabakka Queendom! The place we’ve all dreamed of!” said
the people inside
Was he supposed to know what that was?
The one that had yelled earlier now jumped off the carrier and walked up to Law
Oh, this is what the Rocky Horror thing Luffy messaged him about was
“Hello! Call me Ivankov! Straw hat boy could barely stand back at Impel Down!
I’m amazed he was able to wreak so much havoc!! And it was all to save the life
of his brother Ace!” Ivankov then paused before they continued “But Ace died
right before his eyes…There’s no justice in this world! It’s no wonder his mind
and spirit were crushed under the weight of it all!”
Ace died?
Law gave that a moment to sink in
They had failed
Luffy had failed
“Come on, Strawhat! You can do it!!” yelled one of the prisoners, popping up
from the opened top hatch of the carrier
“YOU CAN DO IT!!”
“What a tragedy! If I could…I’d take his place! My poor Luffy” lamented Hancock
Law frowned sharply
He could arrange that
“By the way, who are you?” asked Ivankov, staring right at Law “Straw hat boy’s
friend?”
Well, sorta, just move the apostrophe‘s’
“No” answered Law quickly, he didn’t know this person, so he was going to keep
as much info away as possible “I didn’t have to help him. If you’re worried
about my motives, I could come up with a reason”
“No thanks! There are times when people act instinctively” replied Ivankov,
crossing their arms to form an ‘x’
“HEY WAIT!”
Law turned around to see Jinbei coming out of the van, holding onto his stomach
“You’re Law Trafalgar, aren’t you? Thank you for saving my life”
How did Jinbei know about him?
“Stay in bed or you’ll die” warned Law, not happy that his work is getting
messed with
“I can’t. I’ve lost something much too important this time…” Jinbei inhaled
sharply, clearly struggling to breathe properly “And Luffy’s suffering cannot
even be imagined. He lost consciousness on the spot as a kind of defense
mechanism. His life may be saved but I worry about him when he wakes up”
“Beast! Do you have a cellphone?” asked Hancock, looking right at Bepo
“Yeah?” replied Bepo but then he froze up “I-I MEAN, YES, I DO, MA’AM”
“Lucky him! He’s like Hancock’s servant!” whined Penguin
GUYS! C’MON NOW!
“I can have my cars take your van safely back into Goa. If the government find
out where Luffy is, they’ll send someone after him. I’ll give him shelter at
the Kuja estate. As long as I’m part of the Warlord program, he can recuperate
in peace” offered Hancock
Law paused for a moment, mulling the information over in his head
He didn’t want to leave Luffy in Hancock’s care because fuck that bitch
But she was right – it would be the safest place for Luffy right now and he
needed it to recuperate
“Alright, let’s go, the more stable I can get him, the better. But I want to be
the one in charge of his medical treatment”
Hancock huffed, hesitating for a moment but then she sighed dramatically,
rolling her eyes
“Fine”
Law nodded as everyone got back in their respective vehicles and drove away
 
During the ride to the Kuja estate, Law sat in the back by Luffy’s side,
watching his over and his vitals
“You lied”
Law looked up at Jinbei, who even though was laying on his back in the gurney,
had his eyes on Law
“What are you talking about?”
“You acted as if Luffy meant nothing to you – that’s a lie. You may act all
tough, but your eyes say it all. You look at him like a man in love”
Law frowned, glaring at Jinbei
“My reasons are my own”
“I’m trusting his care to you. I want to know what kind of person I’m dealing
with” admitted Jinbei
Law paused
“He’s my boyfriend. I am in love with him” admitted Law, his cheeks a deep
scarlet colour
God, it was so weird saying it out loud like this!
Jinbei laughed slightly, then groaned, wincing
“Ahh, now it makes more sense”
“I would have helped him anyways!” snapped Law “It’s my duty as a doctor!”
“Boy, I’m not saying you wouldn’t. I meant the way you look at him makes more
sense and it puts me at ease. I know you’ll take good care of him now” admitted
Jinbei
Law paused for a moment, before speaking again
“I just hope I’m enough for him now, losing Ace…I’ve been there, I know what
it’s like to lose the most important person in your life”
Law didn’t know why he was telling this total stranger everything, but right
now, he just felt
So lost
He felt like a kid, not sure what to do
Guess he needed an adult and took this one
“What helped you through it?” asked Jinbei
“…Friends. I met Bepo”
Law isn’t sure what he would have done had he not met Bepo at the hospital
after he thought he had lost Cora
“Well, that may be what Luffy will need now to keep him going as well”
Law smiled softly to himself
Maybe he would be enough
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it! Now we're gonna go catch-up with everyone in
     Cora's chapter! It's so weird to be able to see the end in sight, not
     gonna lie
***** -CORAZON- Charging At the Windmill (My Weary Bones Need Salvation - And
Coffee) *****
Chapter Notes
     Much needed updates that many of you have asked for!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
“Trafalgar, if you ask me one more goddamn fucking time how I’m doing, I’m
going to shove this stapler so far down your throat you’ll be able to staple
paperwork together with your ass for a month!“
Subtlety was never Smoker’s strong point
Even though Cora knew that the other wanted badly to rush to the hospital,
there were priorities in place and paperwork that needed to be done before the
Captain could leave the station
You can’t just arrest an admiral and throw him in jail and call it a day
Frankly Cora felt that they could just shove the bastard in the isolation cell
and let him rot there forever, but maybe he was a being a wee bit vindictive
Maybe
Honestly he was getting antsy himself, not just about Ace, but because he kept
texting and trying to call Law and Bepo and it kept going right to voicemail
Goddamnit!
Bellemere walked into the station and chucked off her coat, looking tired as
hell as she collapsed in her seat
“Hey! How are you doing? Did you find Nami?” asked Cora
He knew that Bellemere had been out trying to find out what the hell had
happened to her daughter the moment that Smoker and Cora had arrived earlier
Cora felt like a jerk since someone had to stay at the station when the Captain
left and Bellemere had been trying to find her daughter while trying to hold
down the station herself
“Yeah, but what a mess! Apparently, she got basically kidnapped and shoved in
an isolated flight and they dumped her on this small observation island that’s
restricted! She was pretty mad when she woke up and had a really hard time
getting someone to help her!” explained Bellemere, running a hand through her
hair “The worst part is that she’s stuck there for another two goddamn weeks
since that’s when the supply ship comes in! And when it does, I had to argue
with them to agree to bring Nami back to the mainland and from there she’ll fly
home”
“Whoah, what a mess” Cora wished he could be shocked that the World Government
had kidnapped the kids, but at this point, he really wasn’t
“It’s just, such a mess. And I contacted the other parents, well, as much as I
could really. Zoro was put on an island that’s owned by his father, so he’s
fine. Apparently Perona was there though vacationing and didn’t appreciate him
suddenly showing up. Especially since he’s apparently rather injured! I left a
message on Mihawk’s machine but considering he was at the battle, who knows
when he’ll get it. Chopper wound up on some tropical island, as did Usopp! I
haven’t been able to track down Sanji yet, but Zeff didn’t seem too worried,
just furious at the World Government”
Cora snorted – he wouldn’t be surprised at the sudden return of the gang boss
Red Leg Zeff after this fiasco
“Nami said that they were vacationing with a few friends too. It seems that the
other kids their ages were still at the resort and are making their way home
now but Miss Robin Nico, Brook and Franky were also kidnapped. But I’m not even
sure how to begin to track those two down, so I’m hoping that when the kids
come back, that they do too, safe and sound” finished Bellemere, exhaling “And
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened with Ace. What a mess,
this was easily the worst scenario possible. The poor kid, I’m glad that
there’s a chance that Ace is still alive, otherwise it would destroy Luffy.
Speaking of, has anybody found him?”
Cora groaned, rubbing the back of his neck
“I’ve been trying to contact Law and Bepo but I keep going right to voicemail
and it looks like they haven’t seen my messages either”
“Any idea why?” asked Bellemere, worried
“Honestly? Their phones are probably dead. But I know that Luffy’s in Law’s
hands. I saw them on the big screen, it clearly showed them getting away with
Luffy and Jinbei, and so I trust that they’re safe. So at least I can relax a
bit”
Bellemere snorted, playfully punching Cora’s shoulder
“For how long?”
“Wait until I stop mentally freaking out about Ace, then I’ll freak out about
my lost children” admitted Cora
Bellemere laughed and then looked around
“Speaking of Ace, where did the Captain go?”
Before Cora could answer, he heard very angry honking coming from outside
“OH SHIT, THE CAPTAIN’S WAITING FOR ME!” yelled Cora, turning around and
running into a desk
“Get out there! He’s going to kill you!”
                                        
“So where the fuck were you tonight?” grunted Smoker, crossing his arms as he
sat in the passenger seat, smoking two cigars
Cora sighed; he knew Smoker was going to ask that
“ I purposely stayed out of sight and did as much as I could behind the lines.
My brother was out there and frankly I didn’t want to give him the opening he
needed to come after me and then pass it off like an ‘accident’ after the
matter. Thankfully, his ex showed up and distracted the hell out of him!”
Smoker suddenly choked on his cigars, shocked
“That piece of shit has an ex?!”
Cora laughed softly, shaking his head
“No, not really his ex, but I keep calling him that because it’s funny.
Basically I don’t know the real backstory between Doffy and Sir Crocodile
except that Doffy was always obsessed with getting him to join up with him.
Crocodile kept turning him down and never nicely either! And usually Doffy
would kill anyone who would do that – but not Crocodile! So Doffy kept chasing
after him for years! Trying over and over again to get him to join” explained
Cora
“So basically he’s a child who’s mad since he got told no so he’s being
relentless”
Cora laughed harder as he kept driving
“Pretty much!  So it saved my ass! I was able to get the bag to Ace when he
jumped off, was able to rescue some injured people as well, so I feel I did a
lot, just wish I could have done more”
“You and me both”
 
Finally they arrive at the hospital for what seemed to be the longest driveever
Cora insisted that Smoker gets off and he’ll go park the car. Smoker was
getting irritated as hell and Cora figured it would be better if he just went
in to find out how Ace is doing. But once inside, Cora found Smoker mouthing
off and yelling at the receptionist who was refusing to help him if he ‘didn’t
change his tone and throw out those cigars’
Yikes
Cora went up and had Smoker sit down and calm down, offering to get the info
himself. After he approached the receptionist himself and asked if they had a
status update on Ace’s condition
Only to be informed that he was still in surgery
Yikes
Coras’ not sure how long they waited but suddenly a doctor came out of the ER,
wearing filthy scrubs and Cora’s jaw dropped
He had only seen old wanted pictures of him – but he knew who this man was
without a doubt
“D-Dr Crocus?!” asked Cora, standing up, shocked “I-I thought you weren’t
practicing anymore! I thought-“
Cora never thought he’d see the day where he’d meet so many living legends!
Crocus lifted a brow, pulling down his mask and bandana, revealing his odd
hairstyle
“I’m not. But an old gang member of mine called and asked for a favour. How can
I say no when it’s Roger’s son who needed the help? I owe my old boss’ that
much at least” explained Crocus, cracking his neck
Out from behind Crocus stormed up Garp, coming out from the other waiting area
“So?! Out with it! Did you save Ace?! Don’t tell me that the man that kept
Roger’s disease at bay wasn’t able to save him!” yelled Garp
Cora groaned, the receptionist was going to yell at them for yelling!
“I warn you to caution projecting what you failed to do unto me!” barked
Crocus, making Garp back down
He looked like a dog who just got punished honestly
Good!
“And also, Ace’s condition is severe. From what I can tell, it’s a severe T2-T3
injury and also many organs were touched during the impact and he has severe
third degree burns, especially on his right arm” explained Crocus, sighing,
looking a little discouraged
“What the hell does T2-T3 mean?! Speak a language we can all understand, man!”
yelled Garp, clearly shaking
Wait, he knew this-
“Isn’t the mid-back part of the spine?” asked Cora cautiously
Garp looked at him completely stunned
“How the hell do you know that?!”
“Unlike some of us, I’m a good parent and I look through my son’s books” Cora
knows that he was hitting below the belt with his comment, but he was mad
damnit!
He was hungry, tired and this poor kid is seriously hurt due to some bullshit
reason!
“Does that mean that Ace is going to be paralysed?”
Cora turned around, looking at Smoker surprised; apparently he had been
listening quietly
“I don’t doubt it. We won’t know for sure until he wakes up, if he wakes up
that is” started Crocus “His spine was severed but the biggest issue is the
shock on the system. His lower respiratory track and circulatory system were
hit pretty hard and he –“ Crocus then paused and turned to look right at Garp
“Let me dumb it down for you. He got stabbed through the chest by a hot metal
rod and it went out his back. Also he was malnourished, beaten severely before
hand as well. Also I’m seeing traces of the measles rash, did you have that boy
vaccinated?!”
Measles?!
Cora paused, scratching his cheek
Oooh, that must be because of Teach
Garp huffed, frowning
“The boys don’t need that stuff, they’re strong”
Dumbass!
“Alright, you’re an idiot. Anyways, he’s now in a medically induced coma right
now so he can sleep through the worst of the pain but there’s no guarantee that
he’ll ever come out of it. And if he lives, he’ll never be how he used to be
for sure”
“If he lives, that’s what matters. The rest can be dealt with” stated Smoker
from his seat
Cora smiled softly, happy to hear that
“So…when will you know if he’ll live?” asked Garp quietly
Crocus merely shrugged
“We’ll know if he wakes up, simple as that. Right now he’s stable, but he needs
tissue transplants for a skin graft for his arm and chest”
Garp merely nodded, gesturing to himself
“Fine, take my skin”
Crocus snorted
“I don’t need your old leathering skin, you idiot! I need young skin!”
Cora paused, about to offer himself, but then he stopped, knowing that with his
recent heart transplant they probably won’t accept him
But before he could say anything, the doors of the waiting room slammed open
“Take my skin! If it’s for Ace, take mine! He’s my brother! Please!”
Cora blinked, watching Sabo and Koala run up to the doctor
“Please, doctor, please” pleaded Sabo, desperation in his voice
Crocus nods, smiling as he gestured towards the ER
“C’mon, let’s go right now” said Crocus as Sabo went with him
“I’m coming!” yelled Garp as he tagged along behind them
 
Koala sighed relieved, holding onto Sabo’s top hate, as the three of them
disappeared
“I’m so happy that Sabo could do something like this for Ace. He felt so
horribly guilty for not being there for Ace when it all went down”
Cora’s heart broke, it must have been so hard on Sabo to find out all of this
was happening
Moments later, Garp emerged from the waiting room, apparently being shooed out
by a nurse. He walked up to a chair and collapsed into it and cradled his face
between his hands
Cora paused, about to say something when the doors of the waiting room opened
again and Dadan came storming in
Oh good! Someone’s here for Garp!
“Ah, she has her branch” notes Smoker from his seat
Cora blinked; she did have a rather large branch in her hand
What the hell was that f-
“WAIT! DON’T!” yelled someone when suddenly Dadan parked herself right in front
of Garp
“YOU HAVE SOME NERVE COMING HERE!!”
And she hit him right across the face with the branch, sending him flying out
of the chair
Holy shit!
Garp sat up from the ground, his face bleeding, gesturing to the security
guards running up to them to stand back
“Stand back, she’s an acquaintance of mine”
Dadan then jumped on him, shaking him by the lapel as she yelled and then
started to pummel him with hits
“You were at the battle!! They were right in front of you! How could you stand
there and do nothing to save Ace! Your job always came before your family!Isn’t
that right, Garp?! Hero of the Navy, my ass! Go to hell, you worthless old
bastard!” yelled Dadan and she kept on her onslaught and Garp merely let her
“Dadan!! Stop!”
Cora turned and saw Makino run up to them – Ah! She must have been the first
person who yelled to wait!
“Those two were within his reach, but he couldn’t save them!! Don’t you see?
Garp is hurting more than anyone!” argued Makino
“Wrong!” yelled Dadan, letting go of Garp, letting him drop to the ground but
still stood above Garp “Luffy is the one hurting the most! Don’t you know how
much he looked up to his brother?!”
Makino let out a loud sob and Koala quickly hugged her, pulling her in tight
“What happened to Luffy anyways?” asked Koala quietly
“He fled in a yellow van. They didn’t find his body so I’m sure he’s alive
somewhere” explained Garp from the ground, rubbing his head
Cora bit his lip, feeling a little guilty – it didn’t look like Garp knew that
he was with Law
But he did feel Smoker’s eyes on him – the other probably suspected as much as
well
“No matter what kind of thug that idiot Luffy becomes, I’ll be on his side!  He
must be suffering terribly! It breaks my heart to think about it!” declares
Dadan, pulling out her cellphone and called Luffy – she was visibly shaking and
Cora is also convinced that she’s probably been drinking too “LUFFY! DON’T LET
ANYBODY BEAT YOU!”
Frowning, Cora took out his own cell and tried again to call Law and Bepo and
once again, right to voicemail
Fuck
Cora turned to look at the Captain, the other having stayed rather quiet
throughout the entire ordeal
“Captain?”
“I’m staying until they kick me out. Go find your brats, Trafalgar. If Ace
wakes up, the first thing he’ll want to know is how Luffy is doing. I expect
you to have an answer for me” ordered Smoker
“Tell me any updates if you get any?” asked Cora, nodding his head
“I can do that much. Also tell Sengoku to not take a fucking step near this
hospital or I’ll have his ass thrown in one of my free cells, understood? As if
stands, he has a restraining order of 100 feet from the hospital and I will be
enforcing it to the full extent of the law” warned Smoker, fury clear in his
face
“Understood! But I don’t think he-“ argued Cora
The glare he received from Smoker was enough to shut Cora right up
Time to find his kids, he guessed
Man, good thing he had a tracking device on the van
 
Cora frowned deeply
The Kuja estate?
How was this possible?
Didn’t they hate each other?
On the other hand, nobody would suspect Hancock harbouring Luffy since the
World Government thought that the Kuja’s hated all men
They had no idea that Hancock was in love with Luffy though – but why was Law
there?
Cora lifted a brow and rang the doorbell and got no answer
So he rang the doorbell again
No answer
Cora shrugged, ringing it once more, but this time, the mini tv screen came to
life, showing – oh! The woman he had met that one time he had to pick up Law up
from school for fighting
“Hello! Gloriosa wasn’t it? I’m wondering if my sons happen to be inside!”
asked Cora as nicely as possible
“We did our duty to the World Government. Please leave us alone” answered
Gloriosa, closing the feed
Cora blinked, surprised                          
Huh?!
But then he looked down and screeched
SHIT! He was still wearing his dumb World Government uniform!!
Cora quickly threw the coat on the ground and shrugged off his blazer. He
ripped his shirt open, almost strangling himself with his tie before he threw
it on the ground in a pile. He kicked off his shoes and socks and undid his
pants, letting them fall to the ground once more
And rang the doorbell
Nothing
So he ran again
And again
And again
Finally, Gloriosa’s face appeared once more on the screen, clearly mad
“Now you listen h-“
“WAIT! IS LAW AND BEPO THERE! PLEASE! I’M ASKING YOU AS A PARENT WORRIED FOR
THEIR CHILDREN! I DON’T WANT TO COME IN! I COME COMPLETELY UNARMED; I JUST WANT
TO KNOW IF MY CHILDREN ARE OKAY! AND TELL THEM TO ANSWER THEIR DAMN PHONES!”
blurted out Cora quickly, before giving Gloriosa the chance to turn him down
again
Gloriosa paused, surprised
“Oh! It’s you! The father of the doctor!”
Doctor?
“Yes! It’s me! I know your policy is not to tell men inside and I respect that!
So if Law is there I won’t ask why, but can you send him or Bepo over to talk
to me, please?”
Gloriosa merely nodded as she closed the feed and Cora sighed in relief
Then he sneezed
Being outside in January in a foot of snow wearing only boxers was probably a
shitty fucking idea
 
“Oh wow, he really is in his boxers in front of the gate”
Cora looked up from his crouched position, trying to contain his body heat as
he looked at a surprised Bepo and a pissed off Law
“Why the fuck are you in your boxers?” asked Law, glaring
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?!” snapped back Cora, it was too damn
cold, damnit!
“Sorry Cora, both of our phones are dead and we didn’t notice” explained Bepo
apologetically
Ah, like he thought!
Law threw a bundle of clothes through the gate, still frowning
“Now why are you naked?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me because I was still dressed as a World Government
agent” admitted Cora as he threw the clothes on, thankful that the Kuja girls
were all really tall, so at least he was covered for now, even though the
clothes weren’t to his taste, but hey! Better than nothing!
“Ah” replied Law
Cora sighed; he could tell that Law was mentally and physically exhausted
“How’s Luffy?”
“I did what I could” admitted Law, now clearly worried “He’s stable but
unconscious”
Cora sighed, relieved
“Oh good, that’s good news. How are you two?” asked Cora
“Okay, I guess” admitted Bepo “Tonight was just, super stressful and we didn’t
get much sleep and Hancock yells a lot”
Law snorted
“You need to stop doing everything she tells you to do” chided Law
“But she yells, Law” argued Bepo pathetically
“Are you guys coming home?” asked Cora, desperately wanting them to be home and
safe
“I can’t leave Luffy’s side until he wakes up” replied Law matter-of-factly
Makes sense
“Ah, yeah, I guess”
“I don’t want to um-“ started Bepo, gesturing to Law
Ah, he didn’t want to leave him alone
“Alright, but you boys call me, okay?
Both boys nodded
“And get some sleep! And some food! And take care of yourselves!”
Both boys nodded again
“Also, when Luffy wakes up…Ace…Ace is alive! But he’s in a coma right now and
they don’t know if he’ll come out of it”
Law frowned
“It might give Luffy false hope if we tell him now…I’ll tell him when he’s more
stable” said Law
“Okay, but yeah, I’ll send you updates on Ace when I have them, okay?”
Cora then reached his arm inside the gate and wrapped it the best he could
around Bepo and Law, pulling them the best he could into a hug, unable to stop
the tears coming from his eyes
“I’m so so happy you’re both okay” blubbered Cora, relieved “I was so so scared
that I had lost you two”
“We’re harder than that to get rid of, Cora!” teased Bepo as the two hugged
back
“Yeah, like Bepo says, we’re resilient”
Cora smiled brightly through his tears
“I know, just please come home soon”
I can’t sleep without knowing you’re okay
“We’ll do our best; we’ll just murder you at Words with Friends instead”
threatened Law, smirking
Cora merely laughed brightly, hugging them tighter
He could accept that for now!
Chapter End Notes
     Ahh apologies if the medical jargon is off, I did lots of research
     but alas, I just don't have 8 years of medical school under my belt,
     but I did my best!
     But yeah, if Ace survived the attack, he'd be mangled for sure, so I
     wanted to keep within the realm of possibility, pretty much, if he
     lives, this is how he'll be
***** -LAW- Got a Pocketful of Sunshine, I Got a Love, and I Know That It's All
Mine (And Now It's Stuck In Your Head) *****
Chapter Notes
     No Ace chapter because the boy is still in a coma! So we continue on
     to what I can officially announce will be Law's last stand-alone
     chapter!
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
 
“It’s been two weeks, Law, I don’t think anybody’s gonna try anything”
Law huffed, frowning sharply at Bepo
Yeah, Cora told them that all the World Government had pulled out a week ago
Yeah, Cora had also informed them of the restraining order against Sengoku for
Luffy and Ace
But Law couldn’t help but stay guard
Even though they’ve slept in the van for two weeks now since they weren’t
allowed in the main house and Luffy and Jinbei had been staying in the guest
house in back of the estate, Law still didn’t quite feel ready to leave
Like something was holding him back, he just needed to know that Luffy was
going to be safe
And until he had this affirmation; he couldn’t leave
Even though Law knew that Luffy was finally stable, mentally and physically,
Law just couldn’t go – not yet
But school was starting on Monday, well, supposed to; so many staff members
were apparently government agents as well and well, Akainu, who has been
dragged to jail where he belongs, so the school was sorely missing staff
Whatever, right now it wasn’t Law’s concern
 
“Hello! Is this where Luffy is recovering?”
Law frowned from his spot on top of the van, glaring at the person at the gate
– wait, he remembered him!
It’s was Rayleigh!
“Yeah, you found the right spot” said Law, hopping off the van and walking up
to the gate, opening it
“Excellent! Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had a bit of a detour!”
explained Rayleigh as he walked in
“Luffy’s in the staff house out back” explained Law, handing over Luffy’s hat
to Rayleigh “Let him know that he needs to rest for another two weeks and that
I’ll see him at school”
Bepo looked at Law shocked as Law turned and gestured towards the van, glaring
“Ah, you’re leaving?” asked Rayleigh
“Yeah, we have to go” said Law, suddenly feeling really uncomfortable as he
walked past Rayleigh
“Alright, I’ll give him my regards, mister Trafalgar”
 
“Uh…Law…How come we’re suddenly leaving?” asked Bepo, sheepishly
They had already dropped off Penguin, Shachi and Jean Bart home and now they
were finally home
“I’ve done all I’ve can medically for Luffy. Also I’m exhausted, I just want to
sleep in my own damn bed” started Law, but then he sighed deeply “Mostly
because I have no news on Ace to give to Luffy anyways, so I can’t face him
right now. Rayleigh will take care of Luffy, I’ve done my job”
“Law…” started Bepo, but Law would hear none of it and headed straight to his
bed, plopping down on the bed
Bed sweet bed
Bepo quietly walked inside the room and sat down on the bed besides Law
Law couldn’t see him from his position, face-planted into the duvet, but he
could feel the bed shifting due to the weight of the other
“Law…”
Law groaned, he knew Bepo would know he was full of shit
“I’m overwhelmed, I needed to get away” admitted Law “But I didn’t think I
could until I thought Luffy was safe, so when Rayleigh showed up, I don’t know,
I felt outclassed”
“You also haven’t slept in days, Law” pointed out Bepo “I know you kept getting
up every hour to check on Luffy and you weren’t really sleeping before the
battle either! You have these massive black bags under your eyes”
“They look sexy” snarked Law, not wanting to hear it
“They do not!” argued Bepo, appalled
The door to Law’s room suddenly crashed open
“YOU’RE BOTH HOME!!”
“Oh no” mumbled Law as he heard Cora coming in and throwing himself on the bed,
pulling both of them into a crushing hug
“YOU’RE HOME! YOU’RE HOME!”
Suffocation was a shitty way to go!! Goddamnit Cora!!
 
Cora hummed happily as he spread out the take-out they ordered all over the
kitchen table
He had to order take-out because apparently Cora himself was also too tired to
make anything and apparently he also hadn’t done any groceries in two weeks
What the hell had he been up too?!
Goddamnit Cora! If he was on a cigarette and wine diet again, Law was going to
fucking kill him!
“So! So! What’s new! Updates!” asked Cora happily as he sat down
Law put some rice in his mouth and then pointed his chopsticks at Cora
“You first on the update!”
“RUDE!” yelled both Bepo and Cora, waving their
hands                                 
Law chuckled a bit; he knew this would happen when he pointed with his
chopsticks
“Well, I don’t have much to give” admitted Cora “Ace is still in his coma, but
he’s healing well. The Captain’s at the hospital as much as he can and Garp is
always there with Dadan. Sabo hasn’t really left Ace’s side either, but he’s
also recovered nicely. He argued and begged his way into Ace’s room during his
recovery though. Oh! I do have good news! Thatch woke up from his coma! But uh,
he got the shitty news upon awakening and then was discharged a few days later.
The Whitebeards visit pretty regularly too! So I’ve been seeing them on and
off…well, the surviving ones”
“That’s good news about Thatch though!” pointed out Bepo
Law frowned
Something didn’t sound right
“I’m surprised he’s in a coma. He didn’t seem to have any brain injuries”
admitted Law
Cora shrugged, reaching over into his bag and pulled out a file
“Maybe you’ll be able to make more sense of this than me?” offered Cora,
handing it over to Law
Law blinked, taking the report and opening it – oh! It was Ace’s medical report
“Wait, his surgeon was Dr. Crocus?! How did-“
The legendary doctor of Roger D. Gol?!
“He said an old gang mate called him and asked him to take care of Ace, so he
came” explained Cora
Law blinked
OH! Rayleigh!
Law kept quietly reading through the report, discouraged
Ace was a hot mess
“Oh, he’s in a medically-induced coma. That makes sense” mumbled Law as he kept
reading
“What do you mean?” asked Bepo as popped a piece of chicken in his mouth
“Ace isn’t really in a coma – well, he is, but it’s more like the doctor put
him in one. That way his body can concentrate on healing and Ace doesn’t have
to be conscious during the worst of the pain. All these injuries are
excruciating, so during the worst of it, Ace is in a deep sleep so he doesn’t
feel it. The problem is that between the burns and the impalement, he’s going
to be in a coma for a long time. And the longer he’s under, the less change he
has of coming out of it” admitted Law
“Oh, so the doctor’s might not be able to save him?” Bepo’s voice sounded so
small
“Well, it’s more like it’s all on Ace for n- Wait, a T2-T3 injury? Ace is going
to be a paraplegic?” asked Law, surprised
Cora nodded
“Yeah, Crocus said they won’t know for sure until Ace wakes up, but it’s pretty
much guaranteed” added Cora, sighing
“Wait, Crocus said?! You hung out with him?!” asked Law, shocked
WHY DIDN’T CORA CALL HIM?!
“Well now I’m depressed” sighed Bepo, pushing the food on his plate around
Cora smiled softly at them
“Now, now, it’s not all bad news! All the kidnapped kids are slowly coming
home! Minus of course Vivi, she was shipped right to Alabasta. Apparently her
father is furious about her treatment in the hands of the World Government”
“Oh that’s good! Law kinda got wind of all that kidnapping stuff via Luffy”
explained Bepo
“Speaking of Luffy, how is he holding up?”
Law sighed heavily, putting down the report
“Well, he was a massive mess at first when he woke up. But Jinbei had a talk
with him and then when he came back with him, Luffy had calmed down. But he
almost opened all of his stitches, so it was really annoying. But like, I get
it”
Cora nodded
“And how are you handling it all?”
Law jumped slightly, looking at Cora surprised at the question
“I didn’t get hurt”
“You know what I mean” countered Cora
“Well…I don’t know, I felt useless and in the way now…so I left” admitted Law
“Law!” yelled Cora, annoyed, making Law wince “Stop underestimating how much
just a presence is really important! I’m sure you just being there meant a lot
to Luffy!”
Damnit Cora! I didn’t ask for your positive views and shit!
“I guess…”
“Did Luffy go see Ace yet?”
“No…I know that the old bag told him that Ace was in a coma the other day and
Luffy was really relieved, but he didn’t ask” confessed Law, a little annoyed
at the memory
He wanted to tell Luffy the good news, damnit!
“Well, you should offer to go with Luffy, as moral support. He’s probably
appreciate it since this isn’t going to be hard for him” suggested Cora,
grinning
“I don’t know…” muttered Law
“Did you think I was giving you a choice?” asked Cora, still grinning
“Oh shit” mumbled Bepo, snorting as he tried to hide his laughter
“Urgh fine fine” said Law as he pulled out his phone and quickly texted Luffy,
suggesting the visit
And to his surprise, Luffy quickly texted back
Law blushed furiously and Cora snatched the phone out of his hands
“Ohoho, look at this! He says he really want to but he needs help getting
around so he’ll have to lean on you a lot, wooooow, is this how he flirts?
Yeesh”
“Fuck off!!” yelled Law as he dove, trying to get the phone out of the laughing
Cora’s hands
 
Law grabbed his arms, trying to relax as his heart beat a million miles an hour
– he felt horrible now about just walking out on Luffy yesterday but Luffy
hadn’t seemed mad when they kept texting for the rest of the night – well,
until Law passed out from exhaustion
“Torao!!” yelled out Luffy happily as he walked up to Law with his crutch,
grinning
Luffy was going to need to use a crutch for at least another week or two, but
otherwise, he looked much better
“H-Hey” replied Law, rubbing the back of his neck as Luffy looped his arm
around Law’s chest, leaning his face on Law’s shoulder
“C’mon! Let’s go inside!”
It didn’t take long for them to get the room number for Ace’s room – if
anything; the nurse seemed rather annoyed at having to give out the room number
over and over again
How many guests has Ace had?!
Apparently Ace had been put in a secluded private room with a guard outside of
the door
All strings had been pulled and no chances were taken whatsoever it seemed
Law’s chest was beating a million beats an minute, he was so nervous about
seeing Ace, but not for himself, but for Luffy
This was going to be so hard for him – would Law be enough to help him through
it?
 
“You might just as well say,’ added the Dormouse, which seemed to be talking in
its sleep, ‘that “I breathe when I sleep” is the same thing as “I sleep when I
breathe”! That’s you, if anybody’s the Dormouse, it would be you…shit, does
that make me the Mad Hatter?”
Law and Luffy walked into the room only to see Sabo sitting on the chair at
Ace’s side, reading to him from a battered old book
Ace looked terrible – his arm was wrapped with mesh bandages so you could
clearly see the graft. He had bandages all over, his torso especially and had a
breathing tube in his mouth as he laid in the hospital bed and tubes and cables
sticking out from all extremities but his feet
I made him look so…young
“Luffy?” asked Sabo, shocked as he stood up
“Sabo!” said Luffy happily, letting go of Law’s arm to throw himself in Sabo’s
arms
Sabo hugged his brother tightly and burst into tears, clutching onto Luffy’s
coat
“I’m so happy you’re okay! I’m so sorry for not being there, for not being
there for you and Ace! But I’m so so proud of you for trying so hard and you
did it! You saved him!” sobbed Sabo
Luffy buried his face in Sabo’s hair, hiding his face but Law could clearly him
the sob that escaped his lips
“No! I’m so sorry for not doing more! That Ace is like this now!”
Law bit the inside of his cheek, feeling like he was intruding on something
private and turned to leave the room
Luffy had his brother now, he didn’t need him
Law went to leave the room when he felt Sabo’s iron-tight grip on his arm as he
tried to walk past them
“Wait”
Sabo pulled apart slightly from Luffy, still keeping his arm around Luffy’s
back, holding him close
“Thank you, so much. Koala told me that you not only rescued Luffy, but that
you also treated him! His injuries had to be really severe, but you saved his
life!” Sabo bowed his head
Law suddenly felt completely overwhelmed and uncomfortable from all the
attention as his cheeks flushed
He had to admit though, he was…flattered? No, that’s not it, he felt…proud
Yeah, he was proud of what he did!
“I’ll leave you two to spend some time with Ace. I should probably get
something to eat. But be polite and announce yourself, okay? When you talk to
him long enough, his head turns a bit towards you, it’s…it’s nice” confessed
Sabo, rubbing the back of his neck and then he stepped out
 
Luffy paused, now actually looking at Ace and Law didn’t miss Luffy instantly
tearing up
“You…You should talk to him” encouraged Law “They say…well, research says that
they sometimes hear it…the research isn’t conclusive though…but it can’t hurt”
Luffy nodded and walked up to Ace’s bedside, putting his hands on the bars on
the side of Ace’s bed
“Ace! It’s me, Luffy and Tora-…Law! We’ve come to visit you!”
Law could hear Luffy’s voice shaking
Luffy bowed his head
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you!”
“Luffy! You did all you could and more! Don’t underestimate your actions! You
were amazing!” yelled Law, suddenly angry at Luffy’s confession
“W-What?” said Luffy, looking at Law confused
“If I wasn’t already in love with you, I would have fallen for you after seeing
you that night! You were amazing! Awe-inspiring!” confessed Law
But then he turned a deep scarlet, completely embarrassed
“No! Torao! You’re the amazing one!” replied Luffy before turning around to
face Ace once more “Law saved my life, Ace! He did surgery on me and Jinbei and
fixed us both right up! And he watched over us for two weeks and now I’m much
better and everything is healing nicely! I would have died had it not been for
Law!”
Law stared at Luffy stunned as Luffy’s expression also grew much softer
“Ace…You can rest now, okay? You don’t have to worry so much over me anymore!
I’m in good hands! I have my friends, they take real good care of me and I have
Law, Torao is always gonna take care of me, so I want you to concentrate on
getting better, okay?” started Luffy, wiping the tears out of his eyes “And
when you wake up, Ace, I want you to make yourself and being happy your number
one priority, okay? Don’t worry about me and Sabo and everyone else before you
again! You’ve given us so much, Ace! I want you to be selfish! Be selfish with
what you want!”
Law turned his head, surprised to see the Captain walking in, holding a giant
bouquet of flowers
Law lifted a brow; it was an odd combination of flowers
“SMOKEY!” yelled Luffy happily “You have some really pretty flowers! Are those
for Ace?”
Smoker coughed, his cheeks clearly flushed as he put the bouquet down on the
small table near Ace in a vase that had been ready there
“We should probably go” suggested Law, realizing that Smoker probably didn’t
want company
Luffy nodded and turned around to hug Smoker, his arms around the man’s waist
as he looked at Luffy, completely shocked
“Stay strong and believe in Ace, okay Smokey!”
“Get off me!” barked Smoker, clearly more uncomfortable
“Hey Smokey? You should be selfish with what you want too! Ace was really happy
with you!” said Luffy as he grabbed Law’s arm “Let’s go, Torao!”
Law looked at Luffy shocked that he would bluntly say such a thing
But Smoker merely nodded, looking lost as he sat down on the chair, taking
Ace’s hand in his
“Ace, it’s me-“
And they walked out
 
“Oof! I missed your couch!” admitted Luffy as he plopped down on the couch
Law groaned slightly as he closed the door
“Easy, don’t injure yourself”
Luffy had complained that he was getting tired so it had been easier to just
bring Luffy to his house than…wherever Luffy needed to go
“Come sit with me!” called out Luffy from the couch and Law quickly made his
way to the couch and sat down on the only area of the couch where Luffy wasn’t
sprawled over it
Luffy grinned and shifted so that his head was on Law’s lap, surprising Law,
but before Law could say anything, he heard a soft snore
Guess Luffy really was tired
Law smiled softly at Luffy, watching him sleep on his lap. He hesitated for a
moment, but soon enough, he had pushed Luffy’s hat off, laying it on the table
in front of him and Law was running his fingers through Luffy’s hair
To think that only a few months ago, Law had been vengeful and resentful,
wanting only for the day that he would kill Doflamingo but now, he had changed.
He was a little less vengeful, but without a doubt, he was much happier now
Law was finding himself thinking more about the future, caring about his health
and what tomorrow will bring – and less…foreboding
It’s hard for him to grasp at this moment that he would care so strongly about
someone outside of his little group, that he’d be willing to open up to others
And it was all due to Luffy
Due to Luffy, he met others, friends of him or incredible acquaintances – life
with Doflamingo hadn’t been ordinary, but he never would have called it an
adventure
But that’s what being with Luffy was – an adventure
Every day was something new and different and for some reason, without
realizing it, Law found himself willing to follow Luffy along on all of his
adventures
Not that he’d let Luffy know how willing he was to go along
The future seemed…So bright
Law isn’t sure how long it’s been since he’s felt like this
Was it when his parents and Lammy were still alive?
Law smiled softly at Luffy, he wished Luffy could have met them, but Law knew
very well that without losing his parents, he wouldn’t have met Doflamingo
Without Doflamingo, he wouldn’t have met Cora
Without Cora, he wouldn’t have moved across the ocean and moved to Goa
Without moving to Goa, he might have not met Luffy
Law had abandoned his faith a long long time ago – after seeing the atrocities
committed by the World Government, he had casted out God from his life
But his parents had been devout; his mother had often told him that God always
did something for a reason
Maybe, Luffy was given to him as a reason after everything he’s been through?
No, maybe Luffy had been salvation after all of that?
Law shook his head; he didn’t feel like overthinking this right now
He was thankful for everything, but Law also knew deep down that he couldn’t
rest until Doflamingo wasn’t a problem anymore
But Law had time, he knew for the time being that Doflamingo would keep his
nose clean and away; Doflamingo was willing to wait and carefully plan his next
move
So Law will do the same
 
“Oh! Is Luffy here?”
Law turned his head only to see Cora and Bepo coming in with grocery bags
“Oh yeah, he’s sleeping though” admitted Law, blushing slightly
Usually Law would get up to help Cora; but he didn’t, so Cora probably figured
out that Luffy was sleeping on his lap
Cora looked over the couch’s back and snorted, confirming it
“How was the hospital visit?”
“Emotionally rough” admitted Law, sighing deeply “But it was cut kinda short
when the Captain came in with this giant bouquet of flowers”
“Odd you noticed the flowers” pointed out Cora as he kept putting things away
with Bepo
“Well, it was weird; you know how usually bouquets kinda…look all the same?
Like, they all look like the flowers belong together? This one looked all
different and stuff”
“Not surprised, he probably individually picked them out for their meaning”
explained Cora
Law raised a brow, surprised
“What? He uh…doesn’t seem like a flower kinda guy” pointed out Law
Cora chucked softly
“I’ve been helping out with the legal mumbo jumbo concerning the Whitebeard
estate, so I’ve been talking a lot with the Captain’s older sister and let me
tell you, I’ve learned a lot” started Cora “Apparently when Smoker decided that
he wanted nothing to do with his father, he went to live with his aunt and she
owned a flower shop. Smoker apparently worked there while he was in high school
– and what kind of florist doesn’t know the meaning of flowers? So I’m pretty
sure he picked each one for their meaning, do you remember what flowers?”
Law frowned, thinking back, his parents had taught him a lot about flowers due
to their medicinal properties, so he was pretty sure he could recall them
“Well…there was…anemone?”
“Feeling forsaken but also anticipation!” answered Cora
“Ah, carnations?”
“Colour!”
“Red!”
“Love!”
“Daffodils? Sunflowers and roses”
“Rebirth, pure thoughts but also dedication and colours, Law! Colours!”
“Uhh, red, blue and green!”
“Deep love, but if it’s wine red, it’s heartfelt regret, the blue roses mean ‘I
can’t have you but I can’t stop thinking about you’ and green roses mean best
wishes for a prosperous new life or recovery”
“And…I think the last one was hyacinths? Purple ones”
Cora smiled softly
“Please forgive me”
Law coughed, flushed, suddenly embarrassed that they had decoded Smoker’s
secret message for Ace
“Wow, that’s pretty – wow”
Cora chuckled softly in response
“Flowers are great for saying a lot without having to say it out loud, so for
people who get embarrassed pouring their heart out, it can be done with
flowers!”
Law blinked, thinking it over
Maybe he should get Luffy a bouquet – it was crazy embarrassing to say some of
this stuff out loud
“Alright! Now who’s hungry!” announced Cora, taking out a frying pan
“I am!” yelled Luffy, sitting up from his spot on Law’s lap, smiling brightly
Okay, maybe an edible arrangement would be better for Luffy
Luffy stood up, holding his hand out for Law, a massive smile on his face
One thing though, was for sure -
Law smiled back at Luffy, taking Luffy’s hand
I’m ready to follow you anywhere
Chapter End Notes
     I think I re-planned this chapter the most out of any chapters, I
     feel a bit bad because I had originally planned to make this chapter
     NSFW, but man, they're not ready and mentally and emotionally it
     wasn't the time either? Maybe down the line I'll write something
     stand-alone or something?
     That said, I have officially taken off modding from commenting! I
     originally put it because I was terrified of getting hated on but at
     this point, I don't really care anymore
     My fic is what it is!
     I have a curiouscat if you want to ask me any questions about
     anything as well! https://curiouscat.me/joseethefirst
     Also you can always reach me on twitter at joseethefirst
***** -CORAZON- Aetas: Carpe Diem, Quam Minimum Credula Postero *****
Chapter Notes
     We're at Cora's final chapter! The next time we'll get back to him
     will be in the epilogue! Welcome to chapter 100!
     I'm honestly so shocked that I wrote a fic this big and this long for
     so long
     Anywho! Time to get right to it! Enjoy the chapter!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
Cora never thought a month could crawl by so much
Ace was still medically under
He understood why though – Ace’s injuries were pretty goddamn horrific. It’s
going to take a long time for it to heal. Between the hole in his chest and all
the skin grafts he needed which could be rejected at any time. The fact that he
also had the goddamn measles isn’t helping either
Stupid Garp
The dust was settling in the town, but Goa was a wreck
The Whitebeards were gone
Right after the service they had for Newgate Edwards, the Whitebeards ran away
With reason though, Cora couldn’t fault them at all
 At the battle, Teach made it very clear that he was coming after them and now
Marco, at the tender age of 18, was now responsible for the whole gang. The
option to disband was discussed, Cora knew that much from his conversations
with Eleanor, but Marco didn’t have the heart to do it. Especially not
considering so many of them had literally nothing else in life
Cora had been invited to the service, but he had declined because it was done
on an isolated island and Cora couldn’t afford to take any vacation right now
The Police Department needed all hands on deck right now
With no major gang running the city anymore, the other gangs were running
rampant. They were trying to desperately grab onto territory that was left
behind, leading to many brutal fights between the gangs so police intervention
was needed constantly
Thankfully Smoker was soon able to corral all of them and stop it right in its
tracks. It was weird to think that one man was successfully able to drive away
or arrest the gangs in a whole town within a month. Goa that was once run
rampant and controlled by gangs was now pretty much gang free
But on the other hand – Smoker was clearly using this as a distraction from
what was going on with Ace
But unfortunately, it led to Smoker getting hurt in the process
A gang member managed to slash the Captain right in the face during a raid. The
slash was rather deep and now he was in the hospital himself. Not only for the
injury, but he was forced into going into a stress leave as well, so they’re
forcing the Captain to recover completely at the hospital. It allowed the
Captain to also visit Ace as much as he wanted, which also seemed to have a
calming effect on the other, so Cora felt it was well worth it
 
Cora cricked his neck slightly, he was tired from all the overtime he’s been
doing too
Thankfully Law and Bepo had resumed school and everything seemed to be going
more or less nomal aside from the fact that Luffy had been visiting and staying
over more and more often. Cora was a bit afraid that Law having a guest over so
much would alienate Bepo – but to Cora’s surprise, Bepo was always with Law and
Luffy. Luffy seemed super fond of Bepo, so he was worried for nothing
But when Cora had spoken to Dadan earlier this week, she had mentioned that
Luffy hadn’t been home since he left for his vacation – so where was he staying
when he wasn’t over at his place?
Cora sighed as he walked into Ace’s room; it wasn’t worth thinking about it now
To his surprise, Garp was sitting in the room and he looked like a mess
His injuries due to Dadan’s beat down had healed at this point, but Garp looked
exhausted
“Rosinante? You’re here again I see” muttered Garp, barely looking away from
Cora
It was weird that now Garp was using his name now
“I’m trying to stop by at least once a week, any changes?”
Garp sighed slightly, shaking his head
“He’s healing but…This would have never have happened if Roger hadn’t expected
me to not mess this up. I failed him, Rosinante. Roger should have trusted
someone else to take care of his child. Had the World Government not hunted
down Rouge like a dog, she might have been able to have Ace at nine months like
she was supposed to. Might have lived to raise and love her son. So Ace
wouldn’t have wound up like this”
Cora stayed silent, knowing that Garp just needed someone to listen right now
“I retired. I couldn’t…I can’t continue on as if nothing has happened. They
won’t let me completely retire though. Some bullshit about moral and me knowing
too much. So I’ll be training the new recruits at the local recruitment center
and its right by Ace’s rehabilitation center so I’ll be able to go see him
often”
Cora raised a brow
“You booked him a place at a center?”
Garp nodded
“Crocus said that Ace was going to need severe rehab on his left arm. And of
course he’s going to have to learn how to live in a wheelchair because he might
be in one for the rest of his life. His life is ruined” Garp’s voice chocked as
he spoke
Cora only saw red
How dare he!!
“He’s alive! That should be enough! Ace will overcome this and kickass at his
rehabilitation and learn to be independent! No matter what, you can’t lament
what Ace can’t do anymore because a month ago, we were sure we had lost Ace! So
don’t goddamn talk like that! He has his life!”
Garp looked at Cora stunned, not sure what to say
“Now more than ever, you need to be the most supportive guardian ever! If he
needs a wheelchair – you buy him all the goddamn chairs he needs! If you feel
guilty about not being there for him – be there for him now more than ever!”
“I agree with the tall blonde”
Cora turned around and saw Dadan, surprised to what she said
“I also messed up though. I acted like a monster to Ace his entire life. I
resented that I was blackmailed into raising him that I shunned him. When I
think that Ace hated himself all this time…I’m going to change too! I’m going
to support him no matter what! I’ll support him and love him with all of my
heart!” yelled Dadan, pumping his fist
Cora smiled slightly, glad to hear it
“Speaking of openly supporting Ace…Why is the Chief of Police spending so much
time at Ace’s side? He’s always here when I come in and then he leaves. When I
leave, I see him pop back into the room. He brings flesh flowers every couple
of weeks and takes care of the ones in here. He’s constantly holding Ace’s
hand, talking to him or playing music or playing movies in the background? Also
I keep hearing him talk about ‘justice that’ and ‘justice this’, which confused
the hell out of me – is he lecturing the kid?”
“You’re a moron” snapped Dadan, frowning
“Hey! Why you calling me a moron?! Do you know why he’s acting like he’s in
love with Ace?!” replied Garp, clearly not used to getting insulted by Dadan
Cora sighed loudly
“Will you tell him or will I?” asked Cora, turning towards Dadan
Garp looked at them confused for a second but then his jaw dropped
“W-Wait! Ace’s ‘mysterious’ boyfriend?! It’s the Captain?! Are you serious?!”
replied Garp, shocked “I feel like such an idiot”
“Well, you are one, so nobody’s surprised” snipped Cora, rolling his eyes
“Hey! You use to be a nice boy! What the hell?! Since when do you talk to me
like that?!”
Okay, that was it!
“I was! Until I had to step up for all these kids in this town! These poor
abandoned kids that have been abandoned and left to their own devices by the
people who should be protecting and supporting them! You’retheir guardians, and
you’re right! You have failed them! And now you have to live with it! My
patience for your negligence is gone! You better make it up to them! Or so help
me, I will do everything I can to make sure you never see them again! And I’ve
kidnapped a kid before, and I will do it again, is that clear!”
Both Garp and Dadan looked at Cora shocked, nodding
“GOOD! You guys better not goddamn mess up! Or I will be back, and I won’t be
nice!” yelled Cora as he stormed off, hitting the doorframe along the way,
swearing loudly in the hallway as he stomped off
“AND JUSTICE IS THE CAPTAIN’S DOG!”
 
“Do you always yell at people in the hospital? Is it my turn?”
Cora huffed, crossing his arms, annoyed – he couldn’t stay sitting around with
Dadan and Garp so he went to visit the Captain in his room
“They deserved it! Talking about Ace as if his life was ruined and lamenting
over what they could have done and some shit – he’s not dead!”
“No, I agree with you. Hopefully this will be the kick in the ass they need to
get their shit together for Ace’s sake” replied the Captain, looking over his
papers
Cora frowned slightly; it must be hard for the Captain to read with the big
bandages covering his right eye
“Any updates on your eye injury? Will you have any vision problems?”
“No. I got lucky since I managed to close my eye in time and pull back enough
that it just cut my eyelid. I’m more annoyed that they had to shave my head and
being forced to go on stress leave”
“Yeah about that, how come you’re doing paperwork then?” asked Cora, eyeing the
very generous stack of papers on Smoker’s bedside
“Stress leave is just the term we’re using. It’s more like I’m ‘desk bound’ so
I’m catching up on all the paperwork from the past month or so will all the
goddamn arrests and shit. Fuck this is bullshit” muttered Smoker, clearly not
enjoying it
Cora eyed the Captain slightly, wanting to ask something but not sure how
“Out with it”
“So…when Ace wakes up…Are you going to make up with him?”
Cora knew that this was probably none of his business
And that the likelihood of the Captain not ripping his head off for asking was
super low
“If he’ll have me. I’ll ask him to take me back and if he refuses, it’s out of
my hand” replied Smoker honestly, not looking at Cora as he signed a paper
Cora’s jaw dropped; shocked that Smoker so casually admitted it!
Wow, guess he’s growing up too!
“Oh! I have something for you!” Cora pulled up his satchel and dug through it,
pulling out a brand new cellphone “I got this in the mail today! The
instructions are to give it to you to give to Ace!”
Smoker looked at him hesitant for a moment, raising a brow
“From goddamn who?I ain’t giving him no bomb”
Oh! DUH
“Oh! No! It’s from Marco! He said it’s preloaded and that there’s a video for
Ace to watch when he wakes up! And that Izo said that he uh…transferred all of
Ace’s game data so he wouldn’t…” Cora reached into his satchel and pulled out
the note, squinting “lose all of his waifus – especially not the UR he uh
grinded so hard to get”
Smoker snorted a laugh, taking the phone from Cora
“Ace plays these mobile games where you collect pictures of characters as a
reward” explained Smoker
Honestly, it warmed Cora’s heart that Smoker care enough about Ace to know what
kind of games he played
“Also there’s a note here to feed Kotatsu? Apparently he’s going to be brought
to my house because he’s not dealing with the separation from Ace very well?
Aww! A pet will be fun for a bit!”
Smoker started to laugh hard
“Good luck with Kotatsu!”
What did that mean?!
 
THERE IS A LYNX IN HIS BACKYARD
WHY DOES ACE HAVE A LYNX CALLED SOMETHING SO CUTE LIKE KOTATSU?!
WHY ISN’T KOTATSU A CUTE KITTY?!
Oh my god, what if it eats the strays that Law pretends he doesn’t feed but
Cora totally knows it’s him and has seen him feed the cats and pet them??
Oh no, the strays!!
Cora closed his front door, whimpering
Is it illegal to collect all the strays and bring them inside?
“Did you go to Newgate’s service?”
Cora looked up from taking off his shoes and saw Sengoku sitting on his couch,
holding the invitation to the service in his hands
“I wasn’t aware you were so close with a mob boss”
Cora frowned, coming up to Sengoku and took the invitation out of his hands
“Odd, I was taught that it was rude to break into someone’s house and going
through their mail! Also, for your information, Newgate and I got along rather
well since we’re both doting parents, you see”
Sengoku sighed sadly, closing his eyes and rubbing his face
“Forgive me; I didn’t come here to fight, Rosinante. I wanted to talk to you”
admitted Sengoku
Cora frowned, merely pointing at the phone on the table
“I tried every day for a month, Rosinante…I just couldn’t bring myself to”
Cora sighed slightly, looking over Sengoku as he went to sit down besides the
man
Honestly – Cora was still mad at Sengoku’s behavior and actions
But the other was his father and he looked like he aged considerably, as if he
was 10 years older
And it was odd that he wasn’t wearing his uniform like he usually did and was
just in very casual clothing
“I need to tell you this because I’ve been ordered to not let the information
out. There was a mass escape of the inmates of Impel Down and the World
Government refused to have the news be released. They don’t want the world to
lose faith in them”
WHAT
“But! So many people will be in danger!”
“I’m ashamed of myself. I can’t believe how out of hand everything now is. I’m
ashamed of what I did on the 31rst”
Cora huffed, crossing his arms and leaned against the edge of the couch
“Not ashamed enough to keep Sakazuki behind bars though. I saw that he had been
acquitted of his crimes” hissed Cora, displeased
“That order came from above and was out of my hands. My hands were tied”
explained Sengoku, bowing his head down
Cora rolled his eyes, not surprised at the answer
“But I did make sure that he’s banned from Goa permanently. And that decision
cannot be overturned no matter what. But it was all I could do”
Cora blinked, looking at Sengoku surprised
“What?”
“It’s the only thing I could do to prevent Sakazuki from going after the boy. I
let anger and hatred for Roger blind me, Rosinante. You were right, that poor
child spent his life getting hunted and being hated for no viable reason. I
almost waivered on the scaffold, Rosinante. When he bowed his head and started
crying, begging for everyone to stop dying for him. In that moment, he looked
like a young child and it dawned upon me that that’s exactly who he is – a
young child. And in that moment, I remembered another young child I found
sobbing his heart out because the world also hated who he was simply because of
what he was”
Cora smiled softly at the memory
“Which is why I knew that you were blinded with hate and couldn’t see the kid
in front of you. My father once explained that when your hate something for so
long and for so hard, it blinds you completely that you’ll lash out against
everything that reminds you of it. Ace was your reminder of Roger. You didn’t
see Ace when you looked at him – you saw Roger, someone you hate. Which is why
I intervened – Ace doesn’t deserve that” explained Cora
“Honestly I don’t know if I can live with myself now that I have the privilege
of looking back at my actions. One day, I hope I can apologize to Ace in
person” confessed Sengoku
“Regretfully, the best thing you can do for Ace right now is to stay far far
away from him as much as possible” admitted Cora “You tried to kill him, that’s
not something that’s easy to forgive”
Sengoku nodded
“I’m retired now. I stepped down as Fleet commander. Who my replacement is
going to be, I have no idea since it’s still up for debate and honestly I want
nothing to do with the decision. I don’t see myself as fit to make such a
choice anymore, but I did recommend Kuzan” explained Sengoku
Huh, both Garp and Sengoku retired?
Guess Cora will too – he refuses to work for anyone else than Sengoku honestly
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I might volunteer as an Inspector General, but mostly I just want to reflect
on the actions and the mistakes I’ve done over the year. My obsession with
protecting civilians has led me to let the World down. The general population
is angry at what we’ve done and there’s been an enormous backlash. The world is
angry and upset at us. The support for Ace has been overwhelming and they’re
demanding that the World Government pays reparation to Ace if he wakes up”
explained Sengoku
“With reason” agreed Cora
“I had criticized Garp for being a grandfather before an army man, but maybe my
friend had been right all along. I’d like to concentrate on being a grandfather
from now on”
Cora blinked, can’t say he was expecting that!
“You’re going to have to do some massive ass-kissing before Law or Bepo come
around. Especially since Law loathes the World Government for what they did to
his family and town”
Sengoku chuckled sadly, rubbing the back of his neck
“Well, hopefully I’ll have the time now to do so”
 
Cora smiled slightly as they stayed in silence for a moment, not quite sure
where to carry the conversation past this point
“Did you know there’s a lynx in your backyard?” asked Sengoku, raising a brow
“Yeahhh, my life is pretty wild here, let tell you! But I wouldn’t want to be
anywhere else” admitted Cora as he stood up, heading towards the kitchen
He needed to get snacks and tea!
“Now you sit there and wait! Because my sons should be home any moment now so
you better be ready to do that ass-kissing you promised!”
Sengoku nodded, determined as he pulled up the duffle bag he had at his feet
and opened it up, revealing that it was filled with snacks of all kinds and
small presents
Cora blinked; staring shocked but then laughed brightly
“Well that’s a start!”
Cora smiled brightly, shaking his head
It felt nice to laugh again after such a hard month
He wished that Ace would be okay so that everyone could finally start healing
from this disaster
Cora really wanted everyone to be okay again
All I pray is for a happy ending to this tragic tale
 
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     And there we have it, next chapter will be the last one before the
     epilogue! Ahh! I'm so excited!
     ALSO! I've been hard at work on the calendar! I'm hoping to have it
     all done by next chapter but for sure for the epilogue!
     Again! You can find me at
     joseethefirst on twitter
     I have a curiouscat if you want to ask me things anon!
     https://curiouscat.me/joseethefirst
     and also, if you can manage and feel like it, I also have a ko-fi
     account! (no pressure at all!)
     https://ko-fi.com/joseethefirst
***** -ACE- It’s A New Day (Give All My Loving to You) *****
Chapter Notes
     Here we are at the last official chapter! I hope this answered a lot
     of your questions and well, you'll see! Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
The alarm was screeching loudly
Ace groaned, sitting up annoyed as he slammed down on the alarm, turning off
the noise
He ran a hand through his hair, looking around the room he was in, groggy
Huh? What room is this?
Who’s room is this?
Ace blinked, looking around the rather spacious room
It was the same size as Sabo’s room but what surprised Ace the most, was that
it was filled with things he’d want
He was in a large spacious bed with a large, warm orange comforter with paisley
patterns on it with multiple fluffy pillows and there were no holes in the
blanket? No, this was an actual duvet! The mattress was really nice and he had
a bed frame?! He was in a gorgeous cherry wood sleigh bed?  The floor had a
really nice carpet and there was a high def tv hooked up with multiple gaming
systems and a large library filled with tons of books that Ace loved. There was
a large record collection as well and a skull of a bull over his bed. On the
far wall, there was a gorgeous desk with a closed laptop on it and Ace didn’t
miss that it was had stickers of things he loved on the laptop cover. Much like
the posters on the wall
If Ace didn’t know any better – he’d say this was his dream room
“Ace? Are you up? Be sure to take your pills and get dressed and come down for
breakfast! It’s going to get cold!”
Ace blinked, confused
Who was that?
He didn’t recognize the voice coming from outside!
Looking to his side, Ace saw a small weekly pill container and when he opened
it, he saw the medication he wanted to get on! This was the best stuff on the
market for Narcolepsy!
Grinning, Ace stuck it in his mouth and downed it down with the glass of water
on the nightstand
This was so cool!
Ace threw the cover aside and hopped out of the bed and looked at the door,
noticing that there was a school uniform on the hanger
Was this was he was supposed to put on?
The pants were a green plaid pattern with red lines running through. There was
a white dress shirt and a pink tie with pale thin white lines on it and a
beige-brown cardigan
It seemed familiar, but Ace couldn’t quite put his finger on it
Oh well, he’ll figure it out when he goes to the source of the voice
 
Ace walked through the hall of the house, following the scent of the food. The
house had a very similar layout like Sabo’s, but he didn’t recognize it
But the thing that confused him the most was that it was littered with pictures
of himself at many different stages of his life
Tons of him as a baby
Tons of him as a toddler
Tons of him as a child
And tons of him as a teenager
But he seemed well off?
Not loaded or anything, but it didn’t look like a dirty poor kid
He had joined sports teams?
What?
He could never afford to join a team?!
Finally Ace got to the kitchen and walked in, only to have his jaw
dropped                              
There in front of the table, putting down a plate of pancakes on the table, was
Rouge D. Portgas
She looked older than she did in the photo that Ace had, but it was clearly her
His mother
She was alive?!
“Ace! There you are! You took forever this morning! Sabo and I thought you
might have fallen back asleep!” teased Rouge, smiling warmly at Ace
Ace blinked, shocked, but now only noticed that Sabo was sitting at the table,
wearing the same uniform as he was
Oh
OH
THIS WAS THE UNIFORM OF ST SNOBS ACADEMY FOR SNOBS IN SNOBS TRAINING!!
Why was Ace wearing this uniform?!
Why was his mother alive?!
“Ace? Are you okay? You look rather pale” said Rouge as she looked at him
carefully
“Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m fine” muttered Ace as he sat down and started to dig into
the pancakes
The pancakes that his mom made
Holy shit
Sabo and Rouge started to exchange small conversation about Sabo’s family while
Ace looked at them, completely stunned
It was his…His Mother
Rouge was wearing a lab coat, so maybe she was a scientist? Or a doctor?
A doctor might make sense – she was able to delay his development, so she must
have known about medical stuff!
Right?
But before Ace could say a word, he felt someone come into the room and patted
Ace on the back
“You boys want a ride to school?”
Ace looked up and lost all the colour in his face
It was Roger
Roger D. Gol was behind him!
“No thank you, mister Gol! Ace and I are gonna take our bikes to school”
replied Sabo
“Alright! It’s a nice day anyways; you boys should enjoy the fresh air! And
I’ve told you, Sabo! Just call me Roger!” answered Roger, laughing
Ace is pretty sure he’s having a meltdown
How the fuck
What the fuck
What the fuck
WHAT THE FUCK
 
“Ace…Are you sure you’re okay? You really don’t look good” asked Rouge, clearly
worried as he went up to Ace and stroked his cheek
Ace instantly melted into the warm touch
He’s dreamed so much of this
So many times he wondered what his mother’s touch felt like, her voice sounded
like, how did she smell, everything
And there she was, touching him, concerned about him, clearly adored him
Ace started tearing up; unable to deal with the emotions he was having right
now
“Ace? Ace? Baby, love, what’s wrong?” asked Rouge, concerned
“I-I’m fine” choked out Ace “I’m just…so tired”
Why did he feel like he’s been asleep for a year?
Rouge sighed slightly, clearly relieved as she booped his nose
“I know you’re studying hard to get into the best schools, Ace, but you do need
to remember to sleep, okay?” Her voice was so warm and loving, Ace wanted to
hold on to every single word she was saying
To lock it up in a chest, to keep it forever with him
“Personally, I think Ace just needs to join the family business!” answered
Roger, inhaling a pancake, making Sabo laugh
“Not everybody wants to do what you do, mister Gol” commented Sabo, chuckling
 “It’s Roger! Roger! Mister Gol makes me sound so old!” whined Roger
“You boys better get going or you’ll be late!” announced Rouge, handing Ace a
fine leather school bag
Ace couldn’t believe anything that was happening
 
He was in High Town
In what universe did he live in High Town?!
“Uh…Sabo?”
“Yeah Ace?”
Actually in what universe did he own a bike?!
And not just a normal bike, but a sweet orange city bike!
“Uh…Not to sound weird…but why go I go to St Snob’s?”
Sabo laughed as they pedaled up to the gate of the school
“Because the heavy security! They can’t risk the son of a CEO-slash-mob boss’
son to be a in a public school! Especially not with his dad’s rival gangs
roaming Goa High”
 Ace blinked, shocked
Oh yeah, now that he thought about it – Goa was filled to the brim with gangs!
It would be super dangerous for him to be with them
“Like the Whitebeards?”
“Uh, yeah?” said Sabo as they brought their bikes to the indoor bike park
inside the school “Your dad and Newgate go drinking together and stuff, that’s
no secret, but it’s also no secret that many of the Whitebeards hate your guts”
Ace felt like he was just punched in the heart
“I didn’t…do anything though” muttered Ace, frowning as he looked through his
iPhone
Since when did he have an iPhone?!
None of his friends were in the phone
None of Luffy’s friends either
And especially not the Captain
What was happening?!
Sabo blinked, raising a brow but then he sighed, clapping Ace on the shoulder
“Hey, if you didn’t live in High Town, we might have never met! I don’t know
what I would have done without you in my life, man. Your mom pseudo-adopting me
was a blessing, you’re like a brother to me”
Ace smiled slightly, relieved to hear that, that he and Sabo still managed to
find each other
But something was especially bothering him
Right now though, Ace was too afraid to ask
 
Ace had spent his classes in a daze
What the fuck was going on?!
He was following Sabo around like a lost dog, not sure what sure to really do
Suddenly it was gym class and they had to get changed in the fanciest change
room that Ace had ever seen
Ace glanced quickly at Sabo as he changed and Sabo was…considerably scrawnier
than he usually was, which was so weird
Sabo trained so hard every single day?
“Hey…Do you have any business at the café tonight?”
That was always their code so that Ace could openly ask Sabo about his business
with the Revolutionary Army without outing him out
“Café? What are you talking about, man?” Suspicions confirmed
“You know? With Koala? You have a shift with her tonight?”
“Who’s Koala? Is she cute? She sounds cute? You holding out on me, Ace?” asked
Sabo, grinning
Ace couldn’t even pretend to smile as his face fell
Sabo didn’t know Koala?!
“Hey…what…what do you think about the Revolutionary Army?” asked Ace, carefully
“Those terrorists?! I think they have good ideas maybe, but I don’t know,
they’re kinda over the top? What’s with all these questions today, Ace?” Sabo
was clearly starting to get really concerned about Ace
Ace removed his dress shirt and suddenly caught sight of something weird in the
mirror behind him
Where was his tattoo?!
He didn’t have any of his tattoos?!
The ASCE was gone!
The Whitebeard symbol was gone!
Ace felt his heart in his throat
He had to ask
“S-Sabo…I have…I have to ask…where’s Luffy?”
Sabo blinked, looking at Ace confused, tipping his head
“Who’s Luffy?”
 
Ace isn’t sure if he could stop screaming
He had started screaming after Sabo answered his question and ran out of the
change room
He ran off campus, still screaming and ran out of High Town
Sabo didn’t know Luffy!!
In what fucking universe did Sabo not know Luffy?!
Still running, he quickly made his way into the police station, barging inside
The officers inside stood up, staring at him confused
“Sir, is there a problem?”
It was Bellemere!!
“Bellemere! Is the Captain here?! I want to see Chase! I need to see him now!”
Please please please, this stupid universe, at least give me this!
“First of all, young man” started Bellemere, frowning sharply and putting her
hands on her hips “It’s officer Clementine, I don’t know you so don’t use my
name like that, and second of all, nobody called Chase works here?”
Ace ran out of the station
 
Soon enough, he was in the forest of Mt Corvo, running up to the house
Dadan’s house was there! He had made it!
Running up to the door, Ace swung the door open, walking in and was met with
Dadan holding a gun to his face
“Get the hell out of here, brat”
“Dadan! Wait! Let me explain-“
“GET OUT!”
Ace scrambled out of the house, not wanting to take a chance and went back into
the forest
 
The tree house wasn’t there either!
What was happening?!
What world was this?!
What was going on?!
Where was he?!
Ace crumbled down to the ground and cradled his face as he started to sob
loudly, his body shaking
He was so torn
On one hand, he clearly had a really good life with his mother and father and
clearly hasn’t really suffered growing up
But on the other hand, everybody he had loved in his life because of his
difficult life was gone or didn’t remember him, minus Sabo
Could he live in a world where he had his parents but not his surrogate family?
Could he live in a world where he didn’t have Luffy?
“Hey…Are you okay?”
Ace looked up from his spot, only to see Luffy looking down at him, tipping his
head
Wearing his straw hat
Ace smiled brightly – about to say something
Everything went bright
 
“Ace? Ace? Can you hear me?!
Luffy?! That was Luffy!
“Luffy! Don’t yell at him! The doctor said he wouldn’t wake up right away”
Sabo? That was Sabo!
Everything went dark again
 
The pain was excruciating
Ace looked down slightly and saw Akainu’s fist through his chest, the magma
covered hand clearly visible
But as he looked down, he was relieved that Luffy hadn’t gotten hit
He had saved him
It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt
What was going on?!
The Whitebeards were all around him
Marco flew by him to kick Akainu with Vista
Ace tries to hear what was going on but his head was swimming
He was talking though
He could hear himself talking to Luffy
Suddenly the memories of his time in Impel Down flooded his mind
He wasscared
Scared
So scared
He remembered being out in the open sea
He remembered how good the fire felt in him, all around him, he felt at home
with the mera-mera fruit’s abilities
His memory locked into one that took place in a restaurant
Wait
That Marine
Was that the Captain?
Was that Chase?
Smoke suited him so much
“Thank you for loving me”
Everything went bright again
 
“Justice misses you, you know? She looks at me and then at the door and then
back at me. So I know she’s waiting for you to come through the door”
“Ace? Are you there?”
“Ace?”
“Please come back to us”
 
Everything went dark again
 
Ace grunted slightly as he opened his eyes, he was in a completely white room,
sitting on the ground
The memories of what happened in Gray Terminal flooded back into his mind
Right, a metal pole through his chest
“Am I dead?” asked Ace out loud
“Do you want to be?”
Ace turned and saw Rouge walking up to him from behind
She looked just like her photo, even wearing the same long dress as she sat
down beside him
“No…No, I don’t…I miss everyone so much” admitted Ace “But…am I dead?”
“Who knows” replied Rouge, shrugging her shoulders “You probably figured out at
this point that I’m a manifestation of your subconscious. Use your psych 101
class information!”
Ace sighed, relieved
“So I’m not dead”
“Again, how can I know? I only know what you do” replied Rouge-not-Rouge
“I don’t want to die, but so many people got hurt because of me” if Ace was
talking to himself, he might as well let it all out
“That’s a choice they made out of love for you, Ace”
“I guess so…”
“Don’t reject the people who love you, Ace” tutted Rouge-not-Rouge
“I know, but I’m just so tired of people getting hurt for my sake…Shit, even
you died for me!” pointed out Ace
“Yes, I did” admitted Rouge-not-Rouge “And I probably didn’t regret it all,
Ace. I probably regretted not being there for you growing up though, but the
alternative was you dying. How could I regret saving you? How could anyone? All
these people love you, so clearly I died for someone that was worth it”
Then Rouge-not-Rouge smiled softly, taking Ace’s hands
“And you must believe it too, because I can’t say things you don’t believe
yourself, deep-down”
Ace smiled back at Rouge-not-Rouge warmly
“I want to see everyone, mom”
“Then wake up, Ace”
 
It hurt so much
Ace was groggy as he opened his eyes, overwhelmed by the pain wracking through
his body. His mouth felt like cotton and when he felt something on his face, he
started to panic, weakly trying to make a grab at it
Suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, calming him down
He was confused and scared, and in so much pain, and the room was so bright, it
was hurting his eyes, so he couldn’t focus
“I called the doctor and nurses over” started the voice “They’re going to up
your meds a bit, okay? You’ll be in less pain in a few moments. Breathe Ace,
that mask is there to help you breathe”
Chase?
It was Chase!
Ace nodded slightly as his vision cleared up and he couldn’t stop himself from
smiling, relieved as the sight of the Captain leaning over him flooded his
vision
He was in so much pain, but this made him so happy
He had shaved his hair and it looked like he had a new scar on his face, but
that beautiful smile was what mattered to him
Was he in the right world now?
 
The nurse gave him a drink of water and removed his mask, allowing Ace to prove
that he could breathe on his own
And right as rain, the meds had kicked in and even though Ace felt supper stiff
and wrecked, at least he wasn’t in so much pain
A doctor walked in, grinning
“You’re resilient as hell, you know that? Just like your old man! Name’s
Crocus, I’m your doctor! I was Roger’s medic actually; glad to meet you, kid!”
Ace felt completely sideswiped
This man was Roger’s medic?!
He heard Smoker clear his throat
Ace looked at Smoker and noticed the man looked…shy? Almost embarrassed
Why?
As he looked down, he saw that Smoker had discreetly offered Ace his hand to
hold
Ace smiled shyly as he took the hand, squeezing it – well, as much as he could,
he felt completely exhausted, but Smoker squeezed his hand back, making him
feel better
“So, you’re probably wondering what the hell is going on? I think you’re
conscious enough now that we can explain it to you. We tried to talk to you the
few other times you woke up but you just felt back out like a light. We were
starting to get afraid that we had fucked up and you were brain dead! So, due
to the severities of your injuries, you were put in a medically induced coma.
We technically took you out of it about 48 hours ago, but you weren’t quite
waking up until now”
Ace nodded slowly, thinking it over
He survived?!
“The hole in your chest actually filled up rather nicely. It seems you took to
the surgery and the skin grafts rather well. But I’m warning you, you will have
breathing restrictions and a rather delicate heart for the rest of your life.
So you’re going to have to learn what your new limits are. Also, you’re going
to have to be monitored for the rest of your life by medical professionals and
you’ll have restrictions of what you can do and consume, okay?”
Ace nodded again, trying to get his head around it all
How was he alive?
“Also, you had an extensive skin graft on your arm. It was severely burned and
we couldn’t save the original tissue, but Sabo generously donated his tissue.
Hence why your arm is now considerably paler than you usually are”
Ace’s eyes went down and he smiled, noticing that yeah, the skin on his right
arm was very white compared to his usual sun-touched skin
To think that Sabo donated his skin really touched him his heart
 
“IS HE PARALYZED?!”
Ace jumped slightly as Garp barged into the hospital room, howling, his hand
gripping the doorframe as he breathed hard, looking like he ran here
“You fucking idiot!” roared Smoker, standing up, clearly furious
Crocus frowned sharply
“I hadn’t gotten there yet, you blubbering idiot!”
Ace looked at Smoker
And then Garp
And then at Crocus confused
And then back at Smoker
Why where they talking about him being paralysed?!
Why would Gramps even ask that?!
Ace lifted his right leg, showing his Gramps that he was stupid to even ask
that
But his leg didn’t lift up
Ace frowned, trying to lift the left leg
His leg didn’t lift
Wait
He couldn’t feel his legs!
He couldn’t feel his stomach?
It was due to the drugs, right?!
Right?!
“Ace, Ace, listen, you need to calm down” instructed Crocus as Smoker squeezed
Ace’s hand
Ace lifted his uninjured hand and folded it into a fist and pounded as hard as
he could on his thigh
And he felt nothing
Ace wiped his head to look at Smoker, begging for an explanation
“Ace…”
“The metal pole…it pierced your chest right through. Your spine was severed at
the T2-T3 point, so there’s a high chance that you can’t feel past your entry
point anymore”
Holy fuck, he was paralyzed
Ace’s head was spinning, not sure how to take the news but suddenly he felt
Smoker stroke his cheek gently
“Ace, listen, I know this is hard to hear but you’re alive and that’s enough
for all of us”
Ace felt the tears runs down his cheek as he started to cry softly – it was so
much to take in at once
He was horrified
He was depressed
He was devastated
He felt so guilty
He felt horrible
But he was alive?
He was overjoyed
He was happy
He was relieved
He wasn’t supposed to be alive – yet here he was
Maybe, this was much better than being dead
He could deal with this
 
The doctor explained more things and then he said he’ll let Ace process
everything and ordered Ace to get some rest and that he’ll check up on him
later
Garp was dragged out by Crocus, who was furious at Garp, leaving Ace alone with
Smoker
But before Ace could attempt to say a word to Smoker, Sabo and Luffy burst into
the room, sobbing their eyes out
Smoker had discreetly stepped out, breaking Ace’s heart because he didn’t want
to let go of his hand
Luffy threw himself initially on Ace, taking Ace’s breath away literally but
Sabo pulled him off. Koala discreetly came in after them
“ACE!! ACE!!” howled Luffy, sobbing loudly “I’m so sorry!!”
Ace shook his head, smiling
“Hey Luffy” his throat was scratchy and sore, but it felt good to talk again
“I’m so glad you’re okay”
“How are you feeling?” asked Sabo, smiling as he wiped the tears out of his
eyes
“Shitty” admitted Ace coughing slightly as he tried to laugh “Thanks for the
skin though, I can finally hail cabs now!”
Sabo looked at Ace surprised at the joke and then laughed
“Here I was worried about you and you’re making shitty jokes!”
“Would I be myself if I didn’t?” replied Ace, snickering slightly and then
letting out a small cough
“That’s a good point. Any idea when you’ll be discharged?”
Luffy at this point had gently laid his head on Ace’s lap and Ace hadn’t even
noticed until he heard Luffy blubbering under him
That was going to get hard to get used to
“No idea. The doc said that probably in a month or so, but to be transferred to
a rehab center to learn how to be wheelchair-bound, I guess? He said I’ll
probably never walk again, so not to count on it, but that I should be able to
at least learn how to be independent” admitted Ace, not realizing how hard it
was for him to say it out loud
It was so weird to think how different his life would be now
“Don’t say that, Ace. You’re not ‘bound’ to a wheelchair! You’re not stuck it
in, it’s going to free you from this bed! You’ll be a wheelchair user!”
corrected Sabo, puffing his cheek
“You’ll be just fine, Ace, I’m sure of it” said Koala quietly, smiling “You’ll
be going out with us like normal in no time!”
Ace smiled, feeling slightly relieved, he was so thankful for them all
“What about school though?” asked Luffy quietly “I miss you at school”
Ace tried to reach down his right hand but could barely move it, so he
adjusted, moving his left hand to run his fingers through Luffy’s hair,
knocking off Luffy’s hat slightly
“I won’t be able to go back to Goa high, Luffy. They’ve already arranged for me
to get a school-board installed private tutor at the rehab center so I can at
least finish high school this year because apparently I missed a lot of school
already…what…what day is it anyways? I’ve been too scared to ask” admitted Ace
“It’s March 14th, Ace. And it doesn’t matter, Luffy, we’ll just have to visit
Ace all the time at the rehab center for that we have our daily dose of Ace,
okay?”
Holy shit, he’s been out for three months?!
“Yeah!” declared Luffy, grinning as he sat up “We’ll come see you all the time!
Nami said that you’ll have to do a lot of physio and stuff, so we’ll come help
you with your exercises and stuff!”
Ace laughed slightly, nodding his head
“I can’t wait!”
“Sorry to interrupt you two? But can I speak to Ace alone?”
Ace looked at the door and spotted Garp sheepishly looking in
“Yeah, let’s go Luffy!” said Sabo as he stood up
 
“I…I owe you an apology, Ace”
Ace frowned slightly, raising a brow
“For what?”
“I…I failed you and I want to concentrate on making up to you from now on…if
you’ll let me”
What?
“I don’t-“
“I promise you, I’ll tell you the truth about Roger. I spent your whole life
lying to you about Roger. I’ve been making up horrible stories, telling you
that he was trash, utterly evil and a demon. I lied about Roger because I was
desperate for you to not go down the same road. In my desperate attempt to not
have you idolize Roger…I wound up making you hate yourself instead” confessed
Garp
“Forget him; we have stories about Roger for you!”
Ace looked up, surprised at the new voices ad he was shocked when he saw who
was at the door
It was Shanks, Crocus and someone he didn’t recognize
“You can beat it, Garp – Poor your heart out to the lad another time. Our time
is limited” said the man that Ace didn’t know
“You listen here, Rayleigh, you’re lucky I don’t report your ass to the World
Government right now!” replied Garp, clearly annoyed as he stood up, pointing
his finger at Rayleigh
Wait, Rayleigh?!
Like the Dark King Rayleigh Silvers!? Roger’s right hand man?!
“I think you’ve done enough damage for now – now let us talk to the boy. Shanks
has to get going”
Ace stared completely stunned about the people in his room as Garp grumbled,
stepping out
“Ace! I wished you had told me when you sought me out years ago to thank me
that you were Roger’s son! I was part of his gang!” announced Shanks, laughing
“I didn’t-!”
He was?!
“And also! I would have told you I was your uncle!”
Wait
What?
WHAT?
“W-Wha-?!”
“Here, look at this!” Shanks put his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a
small wallet, which he snapped open with a flick of his wrist, showing Ace a
picture
It was Shanks, looking incredibly young, in what looked like a photobooth photo
– and with him, was Rouge, who looked a little younger than the photo that Ace
had of her! They were both doing peace signs and making silly faces
“Rouge was, no, she’s my big sister! I actually introduced her to my boss, go
figure. I had no idea she was pregnant, honestly. I only found out when I went
to visit her and found out she had died giving birth. I tried to track down the
child, but I had no luck. Had I known I would have been more involved in your
life” admitted Shanks, grinning as he sat down in the chair besides Ace’s bed
“…There’s no time like the present?” meekly offered Ace “I’d like to know more
about my mom…and my dad”
All three of the men started to laugh
“Well, you better get comfortable! Because we have stories for you!” answered
Crocus, grinning
Ace grinned but then he paused, an idea coming to him
“Do…Do you mind if I invite someone to listen in?”
 
After a many hours, the three men departed as visiting hours were now over
But Ace was thankful that he wasn’t alone
“I can’t believed I got to be present for that”
Ace chuckled softly as Smoker, sitting in the chair, looking still star-struck
Somehow Smoker had managed to convinced the hospital to let him stay overnight
“You’re welcome”
“Thank you, Ace, for letting me be part of that” said Smoker honestly
Ace shook his head slightly
“It’s no problem, thank you for being there for me while I was under. I can’t
wait to thank Rosinante for yelling at Gramps and Dadan for my sake”
Ace didn’t remember much, butthat he did
“Huh? You remember that?” asked Smoker, surprised
“Yeah, I remember bits and pieces of conversations. Thinking back now, it was
probably what I heard while I was under. The yelling was hard to ignore”
Smoker snorted, smiling
“I’ll tell him that you want to see him, he’ll be happy. He visited you weekly
and constantly asked for updates on you”
“Sooo…You gonna tell me why you shaved your hair and have a cool new scar?”
asked Ace, really wanting to know what he missed in these past three months
“Ah…There’s nothing cool about it. Was taking down a thug and he slashed me in
the face. More annoyed that they had to shave my head” explained Smoker,
slightly embarrassed
But Ace didn’t miss the flush of his cheeks from the compliment
“You should…grow it out on top, just a little longer than you had it. And then
shave the sides and slick it back. It would look sooo hot” purred Ace
He shivered slightly just imagining it, nngh, that would look good
Smoker rolled his eyes
“I see you’re the same as usual” but then he smiled “But I’ll think about it”
Ace paused slightly, suddenly feeling like he might be annoying Smoker – they
had broken up
Should he really be taking up so much of the Captain’s time?
“I’m okay, if you want to go home, it’s fine. Justice probably misses you but
if you want to stay, I’m really happy you’re here” admitted Ace
Smoker blinked, looking at Ace surprised
“You’re being rather up-front”
Ace shrugged slightly
“I had an epiphany on that scaffold. I told myself that if I somehow survive,
that I’d be more open and upfront with my feelings”
Smoker nodded, reaching a hand up to push Ace’s bangs behind his ear
“I’m not here because I feel obligated to. I’m here because I want to” admitted
Smoker “How are you handling everything anyways? You had a lot to digest”
Ace exhaled loudly
“I’m…kinda all over the place and too tired to really process it all. I’m
thankful that I’m alive but I’m also really sad over what I lost, you know? And
there’s just…so much that I don’t know. If people think that I haven’t noticed
how nobody’s talking about that night, they’re dead wrong. But overall, I’ll
deal”
Smoker nodded again
“You’ll have mandatory therapy in rehab, so it’ll give you the chance to
process everything. So take advantage of it to the fullest. You don’t have to
hide who you are anymore, Ace. The world knows now, so you can be honest about
everything” explained Smoker
Ace stopped, stunned
Smoker was right
The World knew his secret
He didn’t have this deep dark secret because everyone now knew about it
He was
He was free
“Oh man, I didn’t even think about that! I guess that’s tr-“
Wait
What happened to everyone?!
“Wait…why…why hasn’t any of my Whitebeard brothers come to see me? What about
Thatch?!” asked Ace, suddenly fearing the worst
Nobody had talked about the Whitebeards!!
“Shit, right” replied Smoker, reaching into the dresser of the nightstand and
pulled out a cellphone. He quickly turned it on and handed it to Ace “Marco
sent this to you. Apparently there’s a video recorded in there for you”
Ace nodded, waiting for everything to load up and smiled warmly that the
background photo was the silly picture the Whitebeards had taken on Halloween
night of themselves in costume
Ace quickly found the video, it being the only video file and opened it –
revealing a video of Marco talking, with all the Whitebeards in the background
“Ace! If you’re watching this, it means you woke up – so we’re happy you’re
up!”
Ace laughed softly as everyone in the room yelled hello, but Ace also noticed
that many people were missing in the video
But he was thrilled to see Thatch in the video with his arm around Izo – but he
didn’t see Pops, so he paused the video
“Chase…I don’t…I don’t see Pops”
Smoker instantly looked at the ground, looking slightly guilty
Please no
“Ace…I’m sorry”
Smoker didn’t need to finish his sentence
Ace could fill-in the blank
Pops was dead
“I-I killed him” sobbed Ace, shaking
Hot tears fell from Ace’s eyes once more, overwhelmed with guilt
“Ace, you didn’t”
“I killed him! I killed him!”
“Ace! No! He died protecting his family! This was the choice he made! He died
the way he always wanted to – if anything, the circumstances allowed him to
have the honorable death he’s always wanted. He never wanted to grow old and
die in his bed, he wanted thisand he was able to have it” explained Smoker,
cradling Ace’s cheek, wiping the tears from Ace’s eyes with his thumbs
“I’-I’m so sorry, Chase, your dad died because of me”
Smoker sighed slightly, smiling softly
“No, Ace. But without you, I at least had him back in my life again. Which I’m
sure never would of have happened without you. Mourn him, Ace. Mourn him all
you need, but don’t feel guilty”
Ace nodded slightly, rubbing his eyes as he continued the video, needing to
hear the Whitebeard’s voices
Now the Whitebeards were gone and it was just Marco talking
“-So you’re probably wondering why we’re not there in person but we had to
leave Goa right away. Teach made it very clear after he killed Pops that he was
going to come after all of us. So once we knew you were safe, we scrammed. The
last thing we wanted was for him to come after you again. Pop’s estate was all
cashed in and shared evenly between all of us equally. Your share has been put
in the Captain’s name and also all of the money you had in the bank accounts
under my name too. Now that you can be yourself, you can open your own bank
account and finally use your own money”
Ace smiled, that’s right! He was 18 now!
But Pops couldn’t adopt him anymore…
“Ace, listen, use that money on yourself. For the medication you need, supplies
you need, rent, and schooling, whatever you need. All of us took a chunk of our
money and put it in your pool because we want you to go to school and have a
life of your own. The idea of you being a teacher sounded really great and we
all agreed! But there’s a hitch – a teacher can’t be a gang member. So we’re
kicking you out of the Whitebeards”
Ace felt his chest go tight as the tears flowed again
He was hurt
But at the same time, so incredibly touched
“In our hearts, you’ll always be one of us – but openly, we’ll deny ya! I hope
that one day, we’ll meet again. And we know what whatever happens, you’ll
overcome it and nothing will forever stand in your way. You’re strong and
resilient, Ace. People want to be around you and take care of you – for the
first time ever, let them. Allow yourself to be happy, Ace. You’re paid the
world the debt you think you owe them for existing. Now allow yourself to be
free – your mother died for you to live, so live Ace! You have a second chance
at life – it’s all yours!”
The video ended and Ace clutched the phone, holding it to his chest as he
quietly cried
He was going to miss them so much
“I agree with them, Ace. This is your second chance at life, what do you want
from it?” asked Smoker quietly, still playing in Ace’s hair
“I…I want to learn how to be independent”
He didn’t want to have to depend on people all the time, but he’d allow himself
to ask for help if he needed it
“I want to go to school…I want to be a teacher and help other kids”
He wants to use his experiences and his lessons and teach them to others, to
help others
“I want to be as healthy as I can too!”
Sabo was right, a wheelchair would free him
But if Ace was completely honestly
“I want to watch horror movies on Halloween night with you again”
Smoker blinked, looking at him surprised as he smiled a little
“Oh yeah? That one’s doable” mumbled Smoker, looking away a bit embarrassed
Ace smiled, feeling confident
“I’m also glad that you want to be around me even though…we…yeah”
“About that” started Smoker as he scratched his nose “I wasn’t going to talk
about it now, since I didn’t think it was the right time, but you brought it up
and I’m starting to think I might chicken out if I don’t do it now”
Ace frowned, looking at Smoker confused
“Me…ending things between us…was a mistake. One that I deeply regret and not
because of what happened afterwards” started Smoker, barely able to look at Ace
as he gestured to him
Ace would have been hurt if he didn’t notice the very bright red Smoker’s face
currently was
“But because I loved…you too much and not having you there in my life…was worst
than any situation I imagined might happen to you…well…minus when I thought you
had gotten killed that night…but anyways, um, if you’d like” started Smoker,
clearing his throat “If you’d allow it, we could…maybe…try again when you’re
ready…if you want”
Ace paused for a moment, letting it all sink in
He had been pretty distracted by how cute Smoker was being, all embarrassed
like that
But…was…was he asking to take him back?
Ace smiled softly
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you when I woke up” admitted
Ace, himself now blushing as he looked down at his own hands
Smoker didn’t say anything but suddenly Ace felt his jaw being grabbed gently
and his face being turned slightly
“I can do that”
Ace smiled even brighter as Smoker leaned down to kiss him deeply, Ace happily
reciprocating the kiss
Man he was glad that he had brushed his teeth when he woke up!
Suddenly the heart monitor attached to Ace started beeping, so they both broke
the kiss, making Ace laugh softly
“Look at what you did!” teased Ace, pointing to the monitor “My heart is
racing!”
Smoker made an annoyed face, trying to push his hair back, but then made a
frustrated noise when he realized that his head was still buzzed
Wow, he really was annoyed about that!
But then Smoker smiled softly, leaning towards Ace to nuzzle his hair softly as
he held Ace’s hand again
This was so nice
“Hey…Chase”
“Hmm?” grunted Smoker as he kept nuzzling Ace’s hair
“I’m kinda scared. This world had never been so…full of possibilities for me,
you know? It’s really overwhelming” admitted Ace, feeling completely safe for
the first time in so long
“Take every day one step at a time, Ace. You’re not alone in this either. If
you ever need help or advice or anything, we’re all here for you. Tons of us
really, I’m always surprised at how many people come out of the woodworks to
help you and do good for you. People want to see you succeed, just allow
yourself the time to do so”
“Hmm, I guess” replied Ace yawning, not trying to be dismissive, but now he was
exhausted
“You need to get some sleep; you’ve had a big day” replied Smoker as he pulled
back, sitting back in the chair
“I guess...” started Ace as he looked down at his phone, surprised that he had
a reminder notification so he quickly read it
And then he smirked
“Your birthday is today?” asked Ace
Thank you Marco for putting that in there!
Smoker grunted, pulling back
“Yeah, but don’t bother spouting any crap about getting me present. You came
back to us, that’s all I wanted”
Ace smiled brightly
“Snuggle with me? I don’t want to be alone in the bed”
“As much as I’d love to, I’m pretty sure the bed would collapse under our
combined weight and there is barely enough room on that bed for you alone. So
no”
“We won’t know until we try!”
“Ace. No”
“Hastag for science?”
“No”
“They do it in mangas all the time!” replied Ace, playfully whining
“I’m not even going to attempt snuggling in that hospital bed, Ace, much less
have sex with you on it! Forget it!” barked Smoker
“Oh ho ho! You know what I was implying! How come? Hmmm? Did Chase read dirty
comics growing up? Or does he read them now? Oooh, tell me all about them!
It’ll be my bedtime story” proudly teased Ace as he pulled up the blanket with
his good arm, closing his eyes with a smile
“Shut up, brat, or I’ll leave” warned Smoker, huffing
“Nuh uh, old man, you said you love me, so you gotta stay with me now for life”
teased Ace, smirking, eyes still closed
“You better not be proposing to me because that would be the shittiest proposal
ever and I have standards!” replied Smoker
Ace merely paused, snapping his eyes back open
Oh
He had never thought of that
Wow, it could actually happen one day!
Ace chuckled
“I’m sorry, I’ll propose to you better another time”
He was in so much pain truthfully, but the butterflies in his stomach were back
and it was making Ace so hopeful
For the future
For their future
Smoker sighed, smiling softly as he stood up. He unlocked the barrier on the
side of Ace’s bed, dropping it down and shifted the position of his chair. Once
the chair was in the place that Smoker wanted it to be, he sat back down and
leaned over slightly. He put his arm around Ace’s opposite shoulder and pulled
Ace in as close as he could allow with their current position and leaned down
again to kiss Ace deeply
“There’s no rush Ace, we have all the time in the world. You have all the time
in the world”
Ace smiled softly as he closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat steady
For the first time in his life, he truly felt like he did
 
 
pss, this is the uniform
 
Chapter End Notes
     This chapter was actually incredibly hard to write
     It took months of research to be able to write this as comfortably as
     I possibly could. I looked up research online, spoke to professionals
     in the field (thank god my older sister is a physio) and did tons of
     research in books as well! Months of researching spinal injuries,
     rehabilitation, firsthand accounts, ect, etc, etc and then I was
     researching the different stages of a coma, what waking up from a
     coma was like (from like, actual people, not movies) and such
     The reason Ace heard them talking between his hallucinations is
     because when you emerge from a coma, you ‘wake up’ a few times before
     you actually do but you’re basically not really there and then fall
     back asleep – so that’s what Ace is doing!
     I made Ace a little bit more comfortable speaking immediately,
     usually it takes a bit before the person can talk, but I kept Ace as
     stiff as I could – he’s also pretty drugged up as well
     Thank you, honestly, for everyone who’s read this far
     I’ll do my official thank you after the next chapter which is the
     epilogue! And don’t worry; the epilogue will be a usual length
     chapter! I’m going to hopefully answer all of your questions in the
     epilogue but if you have any more you’d like for me to address – let
     me know!
     Hit me up either in the comments or my curiouscat: https://
     curiouscat.me/joseethefirst
     (I know it’s empty right now, but I want to give you all an anon way
     to speak to me if you want!)
     Also, if you have fics prompts or ideas you’d like for me to explore
     after this fic, let me know! I’m always open to listen to ideas and
     maybe one will strike inspiration in me!
     But again, thank you all so much! It warmed my heart how worried you
     all were for Ace and everyone! When I started this fic, I just wanted
     to write a SmoAce fic with some LawLu mixed into it and it blows me
     away that it’s reached this point
     Thank you all, really! I ordered a cake for myself to celebrate the
     end of this fic, so I’ll be posting a picture of it at the end of the
     next chapter! (WITH THE CALENDARS! I promise! They're halfway done!)
***** -EPILOGUE- Flowers in the Window (So Far Away From There and There Is
Time, Time, Time) *****
Chapter Notes
     Epilogue going up a little early today since I have a long shift
     today and I was going to come home kinda late! I didn’t want to post
     the last chapter late! So here it is!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
 
 
 
“My name is Ace D. Portgas-Gol, and welcome to my crib!”
 
“Urrggh yuck, Ace, an MTV Cribs reference in this day and age? Seriously?”
Ace chuckled, proud of his joke
He was talking to Sabo via skype on his ipad that was mounted on his wheelchair
so that Ace could move around while talking with Sabo
Ever since Sabo had to make a run for it, Ace hadn’t seen his brother in
months, so it was nice that they could talk right now
“So? What’s it like being a brand new house owner on his first day of college?”
“A little overwhelming, honestly” admitted Ace “I’m still in shock that I’m a
homeowner, you know? Me and Chase unpacked the last box last night!”
“Honestly I’m more surprised that your boyfriend was not only on-board to
building a house with you, but was planning it before you even brought it up”
“Excuse me! Chase isn’t my boyfriend anymore, you know that!” replied Ace,
blowing up his cheeks
“Oh, I’m soooorry, your fiancé planned a house with you” Sabo corrected
himself, rolling his eyes to pretend he was annoyed
Ace grinned, rolling in his chair back and forth slightly, waiting for Sabo to
ask
“Alright, alright, show me the ring; I know you’re just dying to”
Ace whipped his hand up to the screen, showing Sabo the tasteful engagement
band on his finger. It was a simple silver band with a gold band in between and
a small white stone in the middle
“Wow, he didn’t go cheap, did he? How did Luffy take the news? And the others?”
The memories of how Smoker had proposed to him flooded Ace’s mind, he still
can’t believe they’ve reached this point!
When Ace thinks that nearly two years ago Smoker had dumped him, and now
they’re engaged!
“Luffy’s thrilled about ‘Smokey’ becoming his brother-in-law” explained Ace
“Dadan and the others are thrilled and so is Makino. But Gramps is annoyed
about it, but he’s annoyed by Chase in general, so who cares”
After it was out in the open that Smoker was Ace’s boyfriend, Garp grew weirdly
hostile towards Smoker. It didn’t help that the two found each other constantly
in each’s other’s orbit due to both Smoker and Garp seeing Ace often at his
rehabilitation center
So they had butted heard more often than not with affairs concerning Ace and
what would be more beneficial for Ace
It had been rather overwhelming how involved Garp had been in his life in the
last two years – especially during the rehab and all the lessons and seminars.
Ace though drew the line at Garp being present when it involved anything about
sex because his Gramps didn’t need to know about what Ace did in bed, thank you
very much!
Smoker though, had gotten an engraved invitation from Ace
 
The rehab though was excruciating
It had been hard for Ace to accept his new limitations, but he’s very glad he
did it though
He can now stand for a few moments using braces but it was utterly exhausting
so he’d rather just stay in his chairs
But in general he’s just super happy that if he needed to, Ace could live
alone. He can go to the bathroom himself, dress himself, cook for himself and
more or less be independent
Ace though is very thankful for the assistance he does get when he needs it
It was rough enough learning how to take care of himself all over again now
that he didn’t have any feeling past his chest, but also having to do extensive
rehab for his right arm was extremely difficult as well
The arm functioned well at least, but it was stiffer than he’d like and if he
was honest, he doesn’t feel as well as he used to with it – but it was better
than not having it!
Having to relearn how to do simple things like writing was a mess, thank god he
was ambidextrous!
But, it had delayed his application for college though. Technically Ace could
have tried going at the same time as his previous classmates but he decided
that he needed to take time for himself
Ace had many people to grieve that he had lost, his past life to grieve and
also he had a lot to work out on himself mentally as well as physically
Therapy had been godsend honestly, he was glad that he took Chase’s advice and
took it seriously and really utilised it
And now he was much happier, on great medication that he could finally afford
and living in a house he custom built with the love of his life that was made
to accommodated him
“He’s still not used to your beau, huh? I guess he doesn’t like competition in
being the man in your life”
“Oh ew, Sabo” replied Ace, pretending to gag
He didn’t want to think about Garp fighting for his attention! Yuck!
Sabo frowned slightly as he squinting his eyes
“Is that a new chair I see in the back?”
Ace grinned, turning himself around and flipped the ipad so that Sabo could see
the chair
“Yep! Gramps bought it for me! It’s a sport wheelchair! I abused the old one
pretty bad, so I’m pretty happy that I got a new one! Luffy got me these sweet
flame decals for it!”
“Ooh, that suits you” said Sabo in awe
“Let me show you the rest of my humble abode!”
 
“Ace…not to down the mood, but any news on the Whitebeards?”
Ace sighed deeply
“Not really. I keep getting text and emails here and there, but every time I
try to set up something so I can, you know, see them, they refuse, spouting
some shit about connection problems. I know it’s because they figured out that
I want to see who’s left. I heard it’s pretty bad through Chase though.
Apparently some lunatic is literally out to kill all the Whitebeards? Claiming
some shit about being Pop’s legitimate son or some crap?”
The whole situation honestly had Ace rather scared, but Smoker had assured him
that he was safe since it seemed like the bastard didn’t want legitimacy but
the inheritance, so since Smoker hadn’t claimed any, he was fine
But still
“Well, I’m hoping you get some legit news soon. If I come across anything, I’ll
let you know, okay?”
Ace nodded, smiling
“Speaking of updates, how are you anyways?”
“We’re fine; we just have to keep moving because of our involvement with that
civil war a few years back. But we’re settling fine in the new headquarters!”
explained Sabo
“Hi Ace!” yelled Koala from the back as she walked behind Sabo, carrying a
massive stack of papers
“Hey Koala!”
“You excited for your first day of college?” asked Koala as she peered over the
stack of papers
“Sure am! I’m a little worried about leaving the children alone all day
though…” Ace looked back at them worried as they cuddled, sleeping on the couch
Sabo snorted
“I’m sure Justice and Kotatsu will be fine alone for one day. I’m still weirded
out that a lynx and a dog get along that well though” assured Sabo, chuckling
“You’re going to do great Ace, I’m sure of it”
 
Before Ace could reply, he felt a hand on his shoulder
“We need to get going or I’ll be late” informed Smoker, leaning over Ace
Ace smiled, tipping his chin up to steal a kiss from Smoker, who happily
returned it
“I heard your station got uh, a considerable amount of new officers, Chase”
Smoker sighed heavily, pushing his hair back
“Yeah, a shitton of new police recruits. They’re good guys, but a little rough
around the edges” admitted Smoker
“The dreaded G5 class” teased Ace, smirking
Smoker snorted, putting a cigar in his mouth and lit it up
Ace gazed lovingly as his fiancé and shivered slightly, so happy that the other
had listened to him about the hair
It looks so so good
“Have you picked your best people for the wedding yet? I need to discuss stuff
with them as Ace’s best man” asked Sabo
Smoker groaned, the vein on his forehead throbbing
“It’s still under revision, but I’ll let you know when I decide. There’s no
rush, we don’t even have a date yet” answered Smoker, as civilly as he could
Smoker could not bring himself to be curt or mean with Sabo, Ace isn’t sure if
it’s out of his kindness since he’s Ace’s brother or because he’s still a bit
scared of the other
“You hit a sore spot, Sabo! He’s still trying to decide between Hina and
Tashigi! But considering the two are also now engaged, he doesn’t play
favourites between them, you know?”
“Just pick both!” suggested Sabo
“I’ll think about it” replied Smoker “Ace, time”
“Sorry Sabo! We really gotta go! I’ll email you a full report of my first day
tonight, okay?”
“I await it!”
 
“Oooh look who it is!”
Cora jumped slightly, surprised out of his thoughts but smiled brightly when
Ace came up beside him, grinning
“Hey Ace! Where are you heading to?”
Cora had been out on patrol, so he didn’t expect to see Ace!
“Today’s my first day of college! So I’m heading to Goa University right now”
explained Ace
Cora blinked, surprised as he started walking along side Ace, towards the
campus
“How come you didn’t take your cool car? I’ve seen you driving around! That’s a
sweet ride!” asked Cora
“I got a ride to the station with the Captain” started Ace, pointing back in
the direction of the station “Since it wasn’t too far away from the campus, I
figured I could just bring myself the rest of the way. Especially since it’s
such a nice day, you know? So the kivi’s at the station!”
Oooh that made sense
“You should have come in that sweet bike you use when you and the Captain go
exercising in the morning!” exclaimed Cora “I saw you zoom by my house every
morning this summer, you’re really fast on that thing!”
It was really impressive to watch! It was surprising enough when he found out
that where Ace and Smoker had built their house was in his neighbourhood – but
watching his boss do his morning jog every morning with Ace along-side him in
his bike warmed Cora’s heart
A part of him was terrified that they would fall apart since it was such a
dramatic change in Ace’s life, but if anything, it seemed to have cemented them
together
Cora didn’t miss the sudden appearance of matching rings on both of their hands
– even though he’s a bit annoyed that he had to find out the truth through Law
who went through Luffy because the Captain was a private man and didn’t
announce it
Goddamnit, Smoker!!
“Ahh, as much as I love my shark bike, it isn’t too great inside, you know?”
replied Ace, chuckling
“Oh man, I guess that’s true! You are going to school! You have to be
professional and stuff!” Cora then smiled warmly at Ace “I’m really happy that
you’ve made so much progress, you know? You seem so happy now”
Ace nodded, smiling brightly
“Thank you! And I’m happy to have heard that you have officially retired from
the World Government forces!”
Cora snorted
“Yeessh, that’s old news. I retired the moment they announced that Sakazuki was
the new Fleet Admiral, meaning I’d work directly under him. No fucking way is
that happening!”
The whole affair left such a horrible taste in his mouth
How could they assign the monster such a position?
It was clear in what direction the World Government wanted to go in – Cora
wanted nothing to do with it
“Frankly I think Detective Trafalgar suits you much better than whatever rank
that shitty organization could have given you” admitted Ace
“Ah! Why thank you!” Cora had gotten the promotion soon after he retired from
the World Government and he was thrilled with it!
He still went on patrols and such because he enjoyed them, but he found himself
able to go on more and more cases and investigations, showing the faith that
the Captain had in him
Which of course meant a lot
“Oh, I have to get going” said Ace, pointing across the street to the campus
“It was great catching up with you!”
Cora smiled, agreeing with Ace as they parted ways
 
Even though Ace had lost the ability to walk and was heavily scarred, he seemed
so happy now that Cora felt that it was honestly much better for the youth
So many good things have been happening to Ace, that Cora wished him nothing
but happiness
And not just Ace either, in general things were just so much better in Goa
Law and Bepo have been able to have normal high school lives in the last two
years. Law and Bepo were both turning 18 in a month or so and today they were
starting their first day of their last year of high school
Both boys filled out really well as well! Bepo was only about a head or so
shorter than Cora now and Law was a good six feet. Both didn’t look like tall,
lanky children anymore at all! They looked like young men
It was a little emotional for Cora when he thought about it
Law and Luffy had progressed very well as well. Now they were openly
affectionate and honest with each other. Cora though wished that Law would use
a sock on the doorknob or something to signal to him that him and Luffy were
uh…busy
He still felt horrible about walking in on them last weekend! He totally
destroyed the mood!!
 
Cora jerked forward, knocking him right over as he tripped over a fire hydrant
as something bumped into him really hard
He let out a cry as he fell over but as he was falling, he couldn’t believe
what he saw
It was Baby 5 and Buffalo
“Hurry up! Or we’ll be late for school!”
“It’s your fault we’re late! Why did you have to get food to that bum!!”
“He needed me! He was hungry!”
Before Cora could say anything to them, he landed in the trash bin
Struggling, Cora got out of the bin as fast as he could, desperately looking
around
Where did they go?!
Why were they in Goa again!?
School?!
Oh shit! He had to get to the school! He had to talk to –
 
“Law!”
Law closed his locker, his first period books under his arm as he stretched his
neck
He was tired since he barely slept last night
Cora had given him permission to ride with paramedics to learn more about
emergency medicine and it was honestly such a great experience!
Law was pretty sure it wasn’t legal, but meh
But he arrived home rather late and then he and Luffy had texted each other for
another hour after he got home, so it was well past 1am by the time he actually
fell asleep
“Yeah?” asked Law, yawning loudly
Bepo huffed slightly
“You keep spacing out!”
“I’m tired man; you know what time I came home last night”
“Huh? Naw man, I was sleeping like the dead. I was asking you if you’re seeing
Luffy tonight?” asked Bepo as they started to walk down the halls
“Yeah, but we’re going to go out somewhere. After what happened on Saturday,
I’m not bringing Luffy home for a while” admitted Law, his face scarlet
Out of all the times for Cora to just barge into his room!!
It was so fucking embarrassing
The worst part is that Luffy found the situation really funny
“I’m so sorry I was asleep and missed the moment he opened the door though! But
waking up to Cora screeching because he was so embarrassed was well worth it!”
teased Bepo, snickering
“Shut up” snapped Law
“I’m sorry” instantly replied Bepo, lowering his head
 
“TORAO!” yelled Luffy as he threw his arms Law’s waist
Law couldn’t help but smile proudly when he felt Luffy’s arms tighten around
his chest
It was hard to miss how much Luffy had bulked up over these last two years, but
most of it came during the last summer, so uh, Law had trouble keeping his
hands to himselfwhen he saw Luffy this Saturday
Because he was medically interested in Luffy’s muscle growth
Yes
That’s why
Law leaned down and gave Luffy a quick kiss as the two started to walk towards
the quad where they were going to meet the rest of their friends
“How’s the moving coming along?” asked Law
“Great! We’re all set to move into the Sunny this weekend! You’re still good to
come help, right?”
Law nodded
Luffy hadn’t stop talking about it all summer how they were all going to move
into Franky and Robin’s house, named apparently The Thousand Sunny house, but
Luffy kept calling it the Sunny
Honestly Law had been surprised when everyone’s guardians agreed to allow every
member of the Strawhats to move into the house during their last year of high
school, but on the other hand, not really
Between the orphans and the liberal upbringing of most of the Strawhats, Law
can kinda understand why it was a non-issue
Besides it wasn’t like they were moving into a frat or something – Miss Robin
was really responsible
And it wasn’t like Luffy really returned to the house in Mt Corvo after the
incident with Ace either. He’s mostly been staying with Rayleigh who had been
training Luffy, doing god knows what
He just knows that his boyfriend came back with all these muscles
So he ain’t complaining
But Luffy just wasn’t able to go back without Ace. He found it really hard and
he wanted to also prove to Ace that he could take care of himself
Ace had seemed much happier and more jovial with Luffy though, which had made
Law happy to see. The other clearly didn’t feel the need to be the parent to
Luffy anymore and went back to being his brother
It had been a soothing for Luffy’s soul, but also lit a fire under his ass for
him to get better
And now Sabo was on the run, which has been hard for Luffy, but they were both
confident in Sabo’s abilities to take care of himself
If Law was being honest though, their relationship had evolved considerably in
the last two years. Law was now comfortable and at ease in his relationship
with Luffy but he knew that college was within their sights. Law knew he was
going to be a physician like his parents but he didn’t know what Luffy had
planned for the future and it might pull them apart
But if he was honest again with himself, Law knew very well that even if they
were apart for a few years, they’ll make it through
 
Soon enough, they were at the quad, the Strawhats in front of them. Penguin and
Shachi hadn’t really changed at all if Law in the last two years, well, not
that Law could see, but the Strawhats sure did! It was clear that it wasn’t
only Luffy who had been training in these last two years; everyone looked much
stronger than before
“Hey Law, Bepo! How was Japan?” asked Nami as she pushed her now long hair
behind her shoulders
“It was pretty cool, it was a bit rough at times because neither of us knew
Japanese, so Cora had to be our interpreter”
When Law thought of that day he came home to find Sengoku bowing on the ground,
asking them for forgiveness, he still can’t believe it
He hadn’t forgiven Sengoku per say, but he decided to be civil with the man for
Cora’s sake
But going to Japan to meet Sengoku’s parents and see the places that Cora had
spent his childhood going to had been super cool!
He got so many new coins!
“We have souvenirs for everyone, but I’ll give them during lunch, okay?” added
Bepo “I got this super cool map of Edo Japan for you, Nami!”
“What?! That’s awesome!”
Law snorted, their mutual love of maps was honestly pretty cute
He didn’t share Bepo’s enthusiasm for maps, so it was great that he had this
friendship with Nami
 
 
“Law Trafalgar. The principal would like to see you”
Law froze as he heard the voice behind him
He felt all the blood drain from his face as his memories flashed through his
mind
Oh no
It can’t be
Law slowly turned around, resisting the urge to start shaking as his breath
became more and more laboured
No
Please no
But life was cruel
Right in front of him was the man he never wanted to see again
Vergo
Vergo standing there, he was wearing a white coat over a pair of black slacks.
Sunglasses indoor and some kind of food stuck on his face – honestly he looked
like a real tool in Law’s books
But…
But Law wasn’t any less terrified
“What areyou…doing here?!”
Memories of snow
Memories of betrayal
Memories of gunshots
“How many years has it been? My, how you’ve grown, Law”
“Vergo!” hissed Law, unable to stop himself from snarling at the other man
“It’s Vice principal Vergo to you”
 
Law instantly knew that now, it was the beginning of a new nightmare
                                        
                             The End of Calystegia
 
I wasn't kidding about the cake 
Chapter End Notes
     So first of all;
     Thank you so so much for reading this fic! I can’t believe it took
     nearly two years to complete this fic but I’m so happy I was able to
     finish it!
     When I think the idea came to me suddenly one day but was really born
     actually three years ago as my sister and I sat in an empty kitchen,
     waiting for brownies to come out of the over, discussing and fleshing
     out this idea I had
     Or basically me bouncing ideas off of her
     I was bored at work when I worked at a museum information desk and
     wanted to do something with my time, so I decided to write down the
     story I had been playing with in my head for a while and now, here it
     is ;A;
     It’s actually rather bittersweet that it’s over, I will write the
     next part, but I’m not quite sure how since I’m not sure how the POV
     switching will work, but I’m hoping I’ll be done soon enough!
     Also I promise I’ll write the LawLu first time! It’s going to happen!
     A few people have talked about interest in a published version of the
     fic – which made me laugh since I’ve been working on one for myself!
     No real details yet, but it’s going to happen for sure for me, but if
     you want a copy, let me know! I’ll see what I can set up and do my
     best to keep the price low! (but it’s going to be a brick, for sure!)
     Also, as promise, the calendars are ready and can be found
     HERE!
     https://calystegiafic.tumblr.com/
     Surprise! I made you all a tumblr because it’s just so much easier to
     post things on here! Haha! I hope you enjoy it! I’m hoping I’ll be
     able to post updates and little things and such regularly! You all
     deserve as much!
     Anyways, again, thank you so so much! I was terrified when I first
     posted chapter 1, and when I see the numbers of how many people have
     read this fic, kudos this fic, etc, it really warms my heart and I’m
     so incredibly touched ;A;
     This was the little fic that could, and to see what it has become
     blows me away!
     Expect more fics from me! Maybe not this big, but more stuff for
     sure!
     (you should see the werewolf!SmoAce I’ve been secretly working on <_<
     super indulgent)
     Thanks again!!
     - Josée
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