I understand Garp, I truly do. But personally if my grandson were about to be executed just for existing after years of asking himself if he deserves to live, idk, I think I would've gone on a fucking rampage and had killed everybody

I'll be the only one asking but I don't care! Even though I already know the answer most of the time. hehehe.

Can you do pairings? Like Shakky/Rayleigh? Or just both separately?

I'll be back. ;)

Silvers Rayleigh

I’ve lost everything I had already written so Let’s do this! again

Favorite thing about him: EVERYTHING. Strong old man robbed my heart. Former Pirate King’s wingman. Long white hair with perfect weird beard. Neat glasses, coolest scar and dazzling smile. No devil fruit but sword and haki master. Married to Shakky. Wize, dependable and free. We know so little about his backstory but it’s already epic. HE SWAM TO AMAZON LILY WHEN HIS BOAT SANK. He has to outlive the end of One Piece or I’ll riot.

Perfect mentor. Level-headed with good teaching skills, be it for Luffy or Buggy and Shanks and Roger in his early pirate days. He is a will carrier too.

We don’t see him that much but he showed such a wide panel of emotions and was in just so many different situations! He smiled, laughed, cried (twice on screen!!), thought, read, joked, coated a ship, got locked in an auction house... He’s admirable yet he has this wild and crazy One Piece side. He’s such a complete character! One of my favourite!

Least favorite thing about him: His need for freedom, to the point he might leave for months at times. I understand it but yeah... Shakky is pretty chill about it though.

Favorite line: Couldn’t quote but he’s so insightful at times. Him remembering Roger and wiping tears away is one of my favourite scene. Saying we’re always too blind to see the signs Fate might be sending our way... I also loved his scene with Robin, when he admits he knows everything about the Void Century and offers to tell her. We also learn he knew Clover and that Ohara and his own crew might have been to hasty/ahead of their time. (Which has been not as much as confirmed but truly hinted recently)

brOTP: with Roger and his crew, of course. Maybe with Garp too. A friendly rivalry.

OTP: Shakky/Rayleigh, obviously. It’s canon! And it would be the only one if I had to choose an OTP for One Piece. Ray/Roger is ok for me too, but only if it’s in the past.

Go look and like and reblog that amazing fanart made by @zen-the-derp-carp! It’s currently my laptop wallpaper and I’m in love with it.

nOTP: Just like Shakky, I don’t want him paired with anyone but her.

Random headcanon: Bisexual Rayleigh for the queer rep and because you can’t tell me it wouldn’t suit his already amazing persona. And the open relationship I touched upon with Shakky’s ask. Good cook but too lazy most of the time. Cooking for Shakky is different though hehehe.

Oh also, Shakky and him are “terrible” parents. Loving, nurturing, supportive in your youth but honestly just waiting for you to take off and go out in the world. They will gladly help if you’re in trouble, but they’ll be glad to find back their freedom when you’re gone.

Unpopular opinion: It’s about the Ace Novel: there’s no way they didn’t cross paths in Sabaody when Ace first came with the Spades to go to the Fishman Island. Skull even said he knew “a guy” for coating their ship and gosh, I’ve never wished this strongly this guy was Rayleigh. It might have been but all we had is a fade to black on that part and it’s so frustrating.

I mean, this book is pretty much an authorized fanfiction, considering what happened with Shanks (or Kotatsu’s “feelings”), Rayleigh could have featured easily too. Such a missed opportunity. Instead we had thirty page of circus fight alongside Teach no one fucking cares about. Yes, I love-hate those novels with a passion.

Song I associate with him: The struggle is real for this one. I think the One Piece soundtrack we hear when he��s around suits him well. Something quiet with an underlying power/strength. If Bon-chan is a harp, Marco a cello, Brook a fiddle, Ray is definitely a piano.

Thanks! Hope you like it obsess-chan! <3

Done for Character Ask: Brook, Shakky, Buggy, Marco, Bon Clay, Rayleigh. Awaiting: Law, Ace and Shanks!

I saw the post about Ace talking to Roger- or rather trying to get around Roger. Just wanted to ask do you think he remembers to be like look still need to go to Dawn or idk kidnap Garp grandkid cause Luffy is annoying but he’s my bro and Garp will accidentally kill that brat if I’m not there to help.

Ah, I think that would have to be a different story, if something like this even expanded? For timeline reasons and plot reasons and personal reasons.

For timeline reasons, Luffy isn’t born yet. Assuming this is within, oh, a very generous margin of, what, two years to a few months before Roger’s death, we’re still looking at 3-5+ years before Luffy even exists, and I guarantee you Ace is not thinking that far ahead.

Also he doesn’t have the information to move before then. He could maybe hunt down Dragon, depending, and he could definitely hit up Garp, but without knowing more about Luffy’s or Dragon’s personal history, there’s not much he can do at this point in time.

Plotwise, I don’t think it would ever really occur to him. Aside from the implications of him being physically present in a time before his birth (leading to the implications that An Ace would still be born), having Roger and/or Rouge alive would change…just so much about the global political climate. Maybe Dragon would keep Luffy with him. Maybe Garp would keep Luffy with him, since he wouldn’t have another feral brat to handle.

But more than that, Ace trusts Luffy. Ace may be a doting big brother, depending on how you write him, but he doesn’t hover, he doesn’t interfere, and he only steps in either with Luffy’s permission (see: the Baroque Works ships) or behind Luffy’s back (see: Crocodile). Luffy is strong and resilient and lucky, and the only thing he hates–being alone–would be avoided by literally any family ever, so even that is not a concern in that case.

Would he miss Luffy? Yes, naturally, but he has years of living his own life, and this Luffy would not even know him. At this point, in a situation like this, he’s more liable to crouch down in front of Shanks and ask him to look after the little anchor he’ll one day meet.

The personal reasons are, much as I truly, deeply, desperately adore time travel, I was several shots of tequila deep at that point and really did not think it through. It was a mess, I did not handle the implications well, there was no overarching plot I had it tied into, and it was more an exercise in dialogue and implication than a solid idea. I may write a time travel fic for OP at some point, but it probably won’t be this one, haha.

My little OP Theory: Zoro saving Supernova(s) from drowning?

Since I catched up with recent OP chapters my hopes and expectations to see Zoro interacting with other Supernovas have increased significantly. We already could see a bit of how Zoro and Law relationship changed between Punk Hazard and later story arcs; from keeping distance to shared drink and how it’s different from the rest of (male) Straw Hats). I still hope to see more of them together, because Zoro and Law are very similar in many ways and together are entertaining characters and, like I said once, they play the same role as “cool-headed” to Luffy’s chaotic craziness and Sanji / Eustass Kid’s hot-headed tendencies in their respective TRIOs.

Since the Wano arc brought Eustass, Killer, Law, Luffy and Zoro into the same conflict with Kaido (with Drake, Appo, Hawkins on enemy’s side), I expect to see more of their interaction in future. Right now Eustass, Luffy and Zoro seems to be on the same level of, well, reckless stupidity, what suits them just fine. But Wano arc, due to what happened to Killer, makes Zoro the only one from Worst Generation that did not eat devil fruit/SMILE and by extension is THE ONLY ONE THAT STILL CAN SWIM.

And here comes what I hope think we will see in nearest future: Zoro saving from drowning other Supernova(s).

In One Piece it is pretty common for the strongest heroes to fight the boss and his/her/their inner circle of the most dangerous &  loyal “officers”. With so many Supernovas in one place, it makes sense to assume the final battle will involve all of them in this or another way. Since the group of allied pirate crews are once again separated into smaller groups, Supernovas may be forced to rely on other members of the Worst Generation instead of their “normal” (weaker) crewmembers. Which means if one of Supernovas will be thrown into water during battle, he A) will become powerless and B) has smaller chance to get help from his own friends.

Up until Wano, Luffy and Eusstas always could rely on Zoro and Killer, respectively, to be saved from drowning, since those Supernovas are their loyal comrades. With Roronoa there is no doubt he would do everything to protect Luffy. And I mean really, everything. The bond between Eustass and Kid, so far is presented as strong as that of Straw Hats duo. What made Luffy and Eustass the only Supernova captains that were supported by other Supernova-level no-devil fruit user that secured their weak point.

Right now, Luffy still doesn’t have to worry because Zoro is always there to pick him out from water. Law - whatever he likes it or not - is recognized as a friend of Luffy and I have no doubt that Zoro would jump into sea after him without second thought if Law was in danger of drowning. I’m not sure how much Law himself is aware of that, but he and Zoro seems to be on friendly terms, so it may not be that surprising reaction after all. At this point, Trafalgar should known that Straw Hats takes care of those they befriended.

Now, Killer, as a SMILE failure, can’t swim thus will not be able to save drowning Kid, if situation turned that way. As a hammer, he can’t save himself either. In time of such eventual danger, both will be (again) powerless to save a friend. After what both suffered so far, the feeling of helplessness will sting as hell.

Killer and Kid don’t seem to like rely on strangers. Eustass especially does not like taking help from others, even when situation is very serious. Sometimes I think he just don’t believe in people’s good will. Frankly, looking how Kid Pirates are known for their ruthlessness - starting with Eustass’s impulsiveness and ending with Killer’s title “Massacre Soldier” - it makes sense they accept stranger’s help with suspiction. Even more if the help comes from other pirates like Straw Hats.

Zoro saving Luffy’s enemy/rival from drowning is nothing new. It happened with Smoker and I will not lie, I love that moment very much. It sets an interesting relationship between Smoker and Straw Hats, not truly allies, not really enemies. Something similar to what was between Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp.

Of course, Kid and Luffy are rivals with the same goal: finding One Piece and becoming Pirate King what makes them both very competitive and agressive toward each other. Their relationship is much more complicated than those of Luffy and Smoker’s or Luffy and Law’s is. They are rivals but they are already tangled into one big mess with Kaido that forced them to ally against common enemy. An alliance that did not stop their passive-agressive behaviour toward each other.

We know Luffy isn’t a guy that let’s other people - even enemy - die and despite his harsh relationship with Kid, he already showed he cared for rival captain and Killer when they were tortured in prison. He was affected by Kid’s rage for what happened to his partner. So there is no doubt that Luffy will want to save Killer and Kid if they were thrown into water and started drowning.

Zoro so far has more or less neutral relationship with Kid, but already fought against Kamazo the Manslayer (Killer) who tried to kill little girl O-Toko. Not the best way to start relationship and it is hard to tell how much Zoro knows about Killer’s state as “pleasure”. During fight when Zoro, Luffy, Kid and Killer teamed up, someone already said aloud that Killer ate SMILE and is one of failures and Kid started wrecking havoc for making fun of his comrade. So, there is a chance Zoro already learned that about his temporary ally and we know from previous chapters how angry he is about the SMILE that take away people feelings leaving them only with laughter. More, Roronoa could understand Killer’s pain; being too weak to save your captain, to be with friend when he needed you the most. So, if Kid is gonna be drowing, saving him would be the right thing to do (approved by Luffy, because no rivalry is worth someone’s life). Because if the roles were reversed, if Luffy were in such danger and Zoro couldn’t save his captain, he wouldn’t forgive himself if something happened to his friend. As the first mate, he can understand Killer’s feelings, because he - like all Straw Hats - already experienced that moment of powerlessness.

I have no doubts that Zoro would be willing to jump into water after both Killer and Kid, if the situation called for such action. I do wish for such thing to happen, partially because there is something magical about such moment; saving your (or your captain) potential rival that build some understanding and respect and maybe even trust between characters. Partially, because such action would definitely allow both pirate crews to celebrate together victory at the end of fight, putting aside their rivalry and ambitions for another day and just drink together and laugh and be happy to be alive.

Is Zoro meant to save other Supernova(s) from drowing, especially Kid or Killer? I sincerely hope that yes.

Becuase really, why else erase Killer “normality” without giving him any additional powers? I mean, beside putting him and Eustass in emotional hell?

Killer ate that damn SMILE to save his captured captain, and most likely was forced to work as Orochi’s assassin that wasn’t sent just after powerful/dangerous enemies but after little girl like O-Toko too. As a SMILE Failure, Killer can only laugh all the time when he hates his own laugh and he endured all of this for saving Eustass. Him, not being able to swim, when Kid may need to be fished out of water in fight full of Emperators and Supernovas and other dangerous being is just creating such possibility. And well, Zoro is the only Supernovas not tainted by devil fruit or SMILE that is gonna be in centrum of the battle for sure.

There is also X-Drake who works undercover and I guess depending on what he is planning to do in upcoming fight, he may be also saved from drowning.

(in an AU situation where Roger was in the picture, how different of a character do you think Ace would be?)

♠ @xfaucheuse. munday.

You once asked me something about Roger, but that was for me to answer in character. For the second time in a row I feel forced to cheat but… It does depend on what criteria play in this inclusion of Roger’s.

Meta under the cut.

Firsly, it’s fair to break down just which types of loathing Ace feels for Roger, even if for a bit.

One, Roger had the gall to, as the world’s most infamous pirate, sully a pure lady and condemn her to a bad fate (for we must remember Rouge was searched after), purely by associating with her. Roger’s sin begins with this contact. Of course had he not done so, Ace would not exist in the first place and it’s not smart to defend a mother who might have not been a mother had things been different, but Ace can be so fiery and protective of Rouge as to ignore reason.

Two, Roger was partly responsible for Rouge’s death, though Ace places himself first as his mother’s murderer. If contact was not enough, he left her with child while aware his time was running out, which is a despicable thing to do. I have no idea what contraceptive methods exist in the world of OP but, from Ace’s POV, no good man who knows he’ll die soon one way or another - illness or gallows - leaves a woman who’s alone in the world with an extra mouth to feed. As a pregnant woman, Rouge was chased - which Ace would at some point learn from Garp - and while this event speaks volumes of Rouge’s will, to Ace it also speaks volumes of Roger’s carelessness to “walk around Baterilla as though he were but a civilian”. (I am paraphrasing some character, possibly Sengoku; I’m afraid I do not have notes on this).

Three, there’s a feeling of abandonment here on the behalf of himself and of Rouge too, for the aforementioned reasons. If Roger meant to have a family, he left his family behind, arguably doing nothing for its sake. (We do not know whether Roger took some preventive measure for Rouge’s sake but, if he did, it must have been ineffective, as she survived just enough by her own merit). The one measure he took was to ask Garp to adopt and raise the baby. Ace would have mixed feelings about that, on one hand feeling it’s the only good think the bastard made (not ignoring the bittersweet taste of what his existence is); on the other finding it all the more reason to hate Roger, as though he treated his son like a poor puppy who’d otherwise die without a carer. And what did Garp do? Raise Ace as his own father? No. He’s not even in the role of father but of grandfather, and at some point would little Ace think Garp doesn’t actually want to be so, if he left a baby with mountain bandits.

Then of course we leave Rouge aside and enter Ace’s particular existentialism. Roger is the root of all (of Ace’s) evil(s). Piracy is in his blood and so is anger, rebellion, which happen to be the things he can pride himself about. He loves and hates the way he is, if it comes from Roger. It’s best if he doesn’t think much about his personality in connection with Roger!

In the end, all of these nuances amass themselves in a big ball of loathing (and a smaller one of self-loathing too), and while might not seem important - just nuances, as I said - to me it is important, especially if the question is the exact one you asked. As I said, it depends of a number of terms.

If Roger survives and stays with Rouge, then it’s safe to assume Ace would love him, for they would be a happy family. Perhaps not happy, proper, as Roger’s infamy would make them WG prey or force them into hiding, but at least Ace would be a boy with two parents who love each other very much and, to a kid, that might be enough. Ace’s call to piracy would either be forbidden (if the circumstances make it so) or applauded and one day Ace might become Roger’s fist-hand man. Ace would take up a civilian profession if he had anonymity and be, as a whole, happier with a humble life than he is in canon.

I could link this to how I envision things had Rouge survived and raised Ace but I’d be going way off topic.

If Roger survives but doesn’t stay with Rouge, then Ace’s feelings would be based on whether they know Roger’s alive. Say he and Rouge do, because ‘the criminal Roger is still at large’, Ace would hate him for the reason he never calls him. He’d still be a bit of a brat, a headstrong one at that, and blame the man he would accept as his father for not caring about the family. His mind would understand Roger’s being chased and all that but he’d refuse to believe it. In time, growing up with Rouge while Roger remains alive, not visiting Baterilla where they live, Ace would stop considering Roger as his father, as chances are he would see how fathers and sons interact in the locals, and decide Roger can’t be a father if he’s absent. He would stay quiet seeing such talk upset Rouge, but he would hate Roger all the same. If Roger died on the run and the news reached them, then he would blame him even more at seeing Rouge’s suffering but nothing else would have changed - Ace would have cared for and protected his mother since infancy in this context, “the (little) man of the house”. If, on the other hand, Roger returned, there would be an argument starting with “You’re not welcome here”

But say Rouge dies, Ace is taken to Dawn Island and Dadan WHILE Roger is alive? Pretty much the canon biography we know but with Roger present in the background? Ah, then, again, I have to say it depends on when Roger becomes part of the picture. 

While Ace wouldn’t run to him calling ‘daddy!’, I say the younger Ace is, the higher Roger’s chances of setting things right are. There would be a confrontation still, should Roger come to Mt. Colubo during Ace’s childhood. After all, Ace is something like a hand-me-down son, given by Roger to Garp and by Garp to Dadan, and that to a child should translate as “father didn’t want me / no one wants me”. It would take Roger a lot of time and convincing but, in this state, he could still turn Ace around if he knew how - getting closer step by step, day by day, enchant Ace with stories of the seas and faraway lands and all those fairytale things a little boy would marvel at. He could, in time, accept Roger as his father and once that’s settled, they might stay together or go separate ways, with the promise of meeting on high seas once Ace is a grown-up man.

My view on this might change but, right now, I am inclined to say that, if Roger appared and redeemed himself during Ace’s childhood, that pride he has got in him - the one that makes him snap at anyone who badmouths Pops, for instance - might channel into him liking the idea of being ‘Pirate Prince’. Not in the sense of him acting he’s got a crown on his head, but as in feeling pride in being Roger’s son and wanting to sail with him - I don’t doubt the WG would dub him ‘Pirate Prince’ then. Somehow they tend to empower pirates by giving them epithets that make them legitimate enemies rather than stand superior to them.

But say, in this context, it’s not during childhood that Roger comes to Ace but much later? I am proud to say I have a taste of it thanks to the great nonny who came here to roleplay this situation with me. Something I did not know I wanted and needed so bad! Now that… That would be the Ace we all know and love but an arguably worse one at meeting his dad. It’s the catharsis.

For the first time in a long time, Ace would feel a will to kill. One that has nothing to do with the dangers of the sea and the confrontations they raise. A very selfish - though not totally so, as part of it would be in the name of Rouge - unrestrained, animalistic want to kill. If that ever got animated, I am sure that would be the first time audiences would see a truly dangerous Ace who’s closer to being the likes of a villain than a good guy.

This being said, I do not believe Ace would get to kill Roger. Yes, the Roger nonny plays is in a wheelchair so he can’t fight back, naturally that changes things a bit - however I find it brilliant of nonny to play with Roger’s disease like so. 

It’s not in Ace’s core. In a ‘real life’ kind of way, people can lose control, lose themselves, and say see ya to their core for the sake of feelings and emotions impossible to control. However, from an author’s standpoint, there’s enough calm for a character to remain true to their core, because fiction allows us to control that which we, as flawed humans, can’t. 

And what’s Ace’s core, do you ask? Protection. He’s an older brother. A pirate captain. A commander. He’s responsible for lives and would blame himself for Thatch’s death, even if Thatch’s life was not on his hands - but Marshall D. Teach was one of his men, therefore, blame reflects on the commander. Yes he’s angry. Yes, he is violent. But he is not about being destructive of others, otherwise Oda would have made a villain out of him.

This is why Ace’s “element” is fire. It’s dangerous, passionate, can be untamable but, once tamed, it’s an element of protection, warmth and light, a beacon, which is exactly what Ace is to those he loves and, arguably, to the series itself.

Therefore, in this confrontation, we would be scared of Ace but he would not be able to and have an epiphany or two, That he’s Roger’s blood, not Roger himself. That he has the power to decide whether he’s a monster or not - it’s not blood that dictates it.

I hope I have answered the question though chances are I used it to talk lengths about nothing.

@treavellergirl wanted Ace + stuck and swearing and i took it and fuckin’ ran with it and it got a little bit out of hand whoops BUT if you squint you can start to see some plot in there and maybe some actual seeds of romance

ALSO GANG AU catch my other gang au fics here on my blog if you want or here on my ao3 if that’s more your jam (you can even read this fic there if you want, or jumpcut to the full thing below!! (its almost 3k so a jumpcut was needed!!)

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So this was how it ended for Ace. Sacrificing himself for his dumb ass brother. And he hadn’t even had a good breakfast. “I hate you.” Ace revolved slowly, suspended by his right ankle, a good three feet between his hanging fingertips and the ground. Judging by his nausea and a lack of response from his fire, a seastone rope. “So much.” Luffy was gawking, sitting in a heap where he’d landed after Ace had shoved him out of the way of the trap. He’d managed to flick on the flashlight on his phone, at least. Ace’s handheld torch had gone out like a lightbulb blowing once he’d made contact with the seastone. “Well this certainly puts a hamper on our plan.” Luffy shoved one finger up his nose, his default thinking face. “Damper.” Ace corrected as blood started to rush to his head. He felt like he was incredibly congested. “This puts a damper on our plan. You absolute walnut.”

Luffy looked hopeful at the idea of walnuts, then put out when he realized Ace was insulting him, not talking about food. “Can’t you just wshhhhh?” he asked, waving his hands about in a juggling motion. “No, you cheesecake, it’s seastone!” Ace flailed at him, trying to thump him a good one, but Luffy just stretched his head out of the way, sticking it up and around to peer at the rope around Ace’s ankle. “Looks like it.” Luffy let his head spring back to his body, letting it wobble wildly like a bobble-head. “I guess you’re gonna die here!” He laughed. “You’re the worst brother.” Ace groaned. “Go get Franky or Nami or someone. Anyone. Zoro or Sanji. Hell, Zoro and Sanji, I’d even deal with the two of them together to get out of this!” “Okay!” Luffy bounced up cheerily, like it wasn’t his fault Ace was caught in a humiliating rope trap sneaking into a Navy base. He hadn’t even wanted to go. “And hurry up!” Ace hissed at his retreating back. Luffy kicked it up into a jog. The light from his flashlight disappeared slowly, off into the distance, vanishing abruptly as Luffy took a turn. He swore a bit. And then a bit more. And then broke into a full on rant composed completely of swearwords. He was having the worst fucking day and this just put the goddamn icing on the shit cake, didn’t it? Ace fumed, still revolving slowly. He hated going to visit their Grandfather, and this was why. It involved bizarre booby traps and dusty old tunnels that nobody ever used anymore. But if nobody ever used these, whose light was that coming from the opposite end of the tunnel? Ace flailed, trying to stay facing the light, but he continued the slow spin, and only succeeded in exhausting himself and almost throwing up. His head throbbed with all the blood pooled there. Ace was fucked. He managed to lift one noodle-weak arm to grab at the knife on his belt, and let gravity yank his arm back down to the ground, pulling the knife from its sheath. He was as ready as he could be. To his surprise, he recognized the man (fishman, more accurately) approaching him. “Jinbe?” He squinted. He couldn’t trust his eyes with this much blood in his head. “Ace, my friend.” Jinbe paused in the middle of the tunnel. Probably not sure how to handle seeing the Boss of the Spades gang dangling upside down by a rope under the Navy headquarters. “You… Seem well.” Jinbe offered, diplomatically. Ace let his head dangle, laughing. “Sure am, Jin.” He grinned. “Cut me down?” “Seastone?” Jinbe accepted his knife, reaching up and lifting Ace to sit on his shoulder. Ace fisted his hands in Jinbe’s sweatshirt, not wanting to fall. “Yep.” Now that leg was just being pulled up at a slight angle, Jinbe sawed at it for a moment before dropping the hank of rope that had previously been wrapped around Ace’s ankle. Ace sighed in relief as power surged through his body once more. He could feel the fatigue draining slowly from his body, but still felt shaky. Ace took his knife back and sheathed it with wobbly fingers. “Thanks man.” He grinned at Jinbe who smiled back. “Anytime for a friend.” Jinbe continued his slow plod. Though his pace was slow, his legs were long, and he ate up the distance quite swiftly. “What brings you to be caught here?” Jinbe asked eventually. Ace couldn’t decide whether to roll his eyes or laugh. “My dumb kid brother. He’s like an unstoppable force, but he can be as dumb as a box of muffins sometimes.” “I have yet to meet Luffy. Your stories of him are always quite entertaining.” They reached a staircase and Jinbe plodded upwards. “Entertaining is a good word for Luffy.” Ace grinned. “He’s like a bouncy ball in an antique store. He actually did that once.” Ace laughed. “I didn’t know you could get a lifetime 86 from an antique store until then.” Jinbe chuckled and they emerged into a hallway in the Navy HQ. Their problem as gang members was getting in. Once they were in, everyone there assumed the guards at the gates had done their jobs and that they were civilians who were cleared to be there. Jinbe was particularly notorious, leading the Sun Tiger Gang. It wasn’t publicized that Jinbe was secretly a warlord, making him a gang leader supported by the government. It gave him unique connections and power that gave him a deadly edge. Ace wasn’t terribly well known; he kept his head down around cameras and always wore a hat. He preferred anonymity on the streets, keeping his strength a secret. The most that the press had managed to get was a shot of the small straw hat tattoo on his shoulderblade, so he was generally assumed (wrongly) to be a member of the Straw Hat Gang. It amused him, so he never bothered to correct the rumor. Jinbe made his way through the Navy base like he knew where he was going. Which he probably did. He eventually made his way to an office with a rather harried looking secretary outside, who was arguing with someone on the other end of the phone. His pink hair was frazzled and he waved to Jinbe apologetically, smiling at Ace briefly. Jinbe nodded and stood to the side, examining a painting of a bowl of fruit. Ace waved back. “I’m sorry Captain Smoker, please just send him down to Garp’s office. Yes, I know he’s a terrible nuisance. No, I really can’t come and get him at the moment, I’m very sorry. Yes. Yes. Lots of meetings. I’m sorry sir. Yes. No. Thank you.” Coby hung up and smiled at Jinbe. “Good Afternoon Warlord Jinbe. Admiral Garp should just be finishing up his current meeting.” “Thank you Coby.” Jinbe nodded, examining the bowl of fruit quite seriously. “I’ll have your regular tea order sent in, unless you’d prefer something else.” Coby was already dialing numbers. “The regular will be fine, thank you.” Jinbe nodded serenely. Ace propped an arm up on Jinbe’s head. “You come here enough to have a regular?” He asked curiously. “Depending on the amount of activity, the navy likes me to report in more regularly. With the recent rash of street drugs, I’ve been here quite often lately.” Ace wrinkled his nose at the thought. “Yeah, they’ve been bad. I think I’m almost to a break to it. I’ll keep you updated, man.” He heard the door open behind him, and his Grandfather’s booming laughter. “I would very much appreciate that.” Jinbe patted his knee companionably. “What are you doing here, you shithead?” Garp glared. Ace glared right back over his shoulder. “You invited us, you dumb fuck.” “What did you call me you little shit?” Garp bellowed. Coby managed to divert Garp’s attention rather skillfully with a new cup of coffee from the pot behind his desk. “Jinbe is here for your two o’clock sir.” “Right, right.” Garp nodded before pointing at Ace. “You and my brat of a grandson aren’t supposed to be here ‘til Friday, lackwit.” Ace flailed. “How was I supposed to know?? You always send all the information to Luffy! I just listened to him!” Garp bellowed out a laugh. “Is that why I can hear ol’ Smokey blowing his stack upstairs?” Ace laughed along with him. “Probably. I’m surprised this whole place isn’t smoking!” “So I’ll see you Friday then?” Garp asked. “Probably, yeah. You’re doing lunch, right?” Garp nodded. “Then of course I am!” Ace grinned at him. Garp nodded again. “Smart man. Now, Jinbe, get in here! And you, you damn pest, get out of here!” He waved Jinbe in as he shoved someone out of his office. They stumbled slightly before straightening, facing Coby. Ace slipped nimbly down from Jinbe’s shoulder. “Later gramps! Later man!” He waved goodbye to each of them before realizing who exactly stood in front of Coby’s desk. “So, Sabo, it looks like he’d like monthly meetings with you. Did you speak about that?” Coby asked. Sabo hadn’t noticed him yet. “Monthly is fine, though we may schedule more frequently as needed.” The blond man who’d left Ace sitting in the dust after a formidable show of haki. Ace had forgotten then that powerful wielders of haki could render fruit powers inert since he’d never actually faced someone able to do it. Ace had a score to settle with this little asshole. He was dressed much differently than he had been the other day. He was wearing a tidy pair of skinny jeans, as opposed to a pair that was ripped and splattered to all hell with paint and who knew what, dark navy instead of bright blue. He was also wearing a crisp blazer and a collared button down with tiny cats on it. His snapback of the encounter before was nowhere to be seen, but there was no mistaking that curly hair and those long, slender legs. And his obnoxious drawl as he scheduled his next meeting with Garp. “Do you need any help getting out? I know the building can be confusing.” Coby smiled sweetly at Sabo. Jesus. No wonder Luffy’d had the worst crush on him for a while. Ace took the opportunity to sling an arm around Sabo’s neck, shooting Coby a guileless grin. “I got this, Cobe! Me and Sabo are old friends! I’ll show him out!” His arm was tight around Sabo’s shoulders, on the verge of a headlock. Ace smirked smugly when he saw that he was a whole half inch taller than the blond. “Okay!” Coby smiled. “See you later Ace!” He answered another phone call before Sabo could protest, and Ace dragged him out of the room. Sabo flailed, but this time, Ace had the upper hand, and continued striding forward, not giving Sabo a chance to catch his balance. “So, Sabo, huh? What’s up with you and Garp? And the whole rudeness with picking a fight with me and then leaving? That was a real nice piece of work.” Ace’s smile was sickly sweet. Sabo tried to dig his heels into the ground, but in a contest of strength, Ace was stronger. “Come on now, I thought you and I were getting to be friends!” Ace’s smile widened. “Leggo!” Sabo tried to bite at him, but the leather of Ace’s motorcycle jacket protected him. “Alright.” Ace shoved Sabo into one of the closets that led to one of the many secret passages into the Navy headquarters. “You realize this isn’t some adolescent game of seven minutes in heaven, right?” Sabo looked incredibly unimpressed with being shoved into a broom closet. Ace laughed. “So you’re saying being with me in a closet is your idea of seven minutes in heaven?” He grabbed one of the cans of paint on the shelf and gave it a twist. Sabo spluttered, flushing bright red. The poor dear with his pale complexion. “Fuck you!” Ace’s laughter increased in volume as a shelf shifted to reveal a hidden staircase. “Sure! About six minutes and forty-five seconds left though!” Sabo punched him. He deserved it. It hurt. He continued to snicker as he traipsed down the staircase. “Coming, dear?” He called back. Behind him, Sabo tried the door, only to find it locked. He growled after Ace. “What the fuck did you do, asshole?” Ace smirked. “The door won’t unlock until the passage is clear. It’s about a twenty minute walk, but I dunno, I could probably stretch that into a couple of hours if I’m not supervised.” Ace conjured a ball of flame into his palm, illuminating the tunnel. Sabo stomped after him, making it very clear he wanted nothing to do with him or this situation. Ace slung his arm around his neck again. “So, Sabo! What were you doing with my gramps?” Because damned if he wasn’t going to leave with every scrap of information he could get. “None of your business.” Sabo tried to shove him off, but there was the whole issue with Ace being stronger than him again. “I’d say it is my business, seeing as he’s my grandfather and all, and I could ruin your negotiations with him if I wanted to.” Ace bluffed. There was no way Garp would drop sensitive government business just because Ace wanted him to. Hell, he led one of the gangs that Garp was committed to capturing and bringing to justice. But Sabo didn’t know that. Sabo looked like he’d been forced to eat a lemon. “I am not going to disclose sensitive information to a ruffian.” He sniped. “Would a ruffian have a direct line to a navy admiral?” Ace asked, doing his best to look innocent. Ace could practically hear Sabo grinding his teeth. It was sweet fuckin’ music to his ears. “I represent parties interested in collaborating with the world government to ensure world peace.” Sabo finally spat out. “Huh.” Ace let his arm relax around Sabo’s shoulders where it had been not-quite-threateningly tight around his neck. “Sounds a lot like…” he trailed off into thought without really meaning to. He had more than an inkling of what Sabo was talking about. More like an inkwell. If he was talking about the Revolutionaries, that was wild. If he was in a high enough position to speak to the government on their behalf, that was even wilder. Sabo tried to shove his arm off again, this time, Ace let him. Sabo peeled his blazer off and set about rolling his sleeves up by Ace’s firelight. He finally produced his snapback from where it had been… tucked down the back of his pants? Ace snorted his amusement, which Sabo loftily ignored. Sabo popped it on his head, bill facing forward, smoothing his hands over the ends of his hair. Ace felt a little sloppy next to him. His jeans were baggy, ripped out at the knees. His white tank top for Shakky’s Rip-Off Bar was at least one size too big, and his elbow brace probably still had ketchup on it from breakfast where it had landed in Luffy’s hash browns during a tussle. His unkempt hair was half-up in a small ponytail that was probably ready to fall out of his hair altogether. Next to Sabo, he felt like a hot mess. Next to Ace, Sabo tripped over a stray brick sticking out of the path and swore profusely when he almost fell on his face. That made Ace feel a little bit better. He grinned and offered a hand up. Sabo ignored his hand and picked himself up, dusting off his pants and palms. That kind of negated any good feelings Ace had and he scowled. They continued to walk in silence, both tacitly agreeing that since neither could learn anything about the other, they would ignore each other. They reached the end of the tunnel after about fifteen minutes of brisk walking: Sabo annoyed and Ace sulking. Ace knelt by the keypad and punched in a long series of numbers. He pulled the door open and gave Sabo a cheeky wave before yanking it shut behind him. “Fucker!” He heard Sabo yell from behind the door. He could hear him pounding against the door. “Let me out!” Ace childishly sat against the door, listening to Sabo pound on the door for a while, yelling obscenities. It felt kind of good, to be a dick to someone who was a dick. He could feel someone scolding him in the back of his head for being so mean, probably Makino, but pushed it aside, basking in the feeling of karmic retribution. It didn’t last for long. Sabo’s pounding got quieter after about a minute. A moment of silence. Then a soft “Shit.” from behind the door and a soft thump that he felt more than heard. Suddenly, Ace felt like an asshole. Just because he’d had kind of a bad day didn’t mean he had to be a dick to someone else, even if they deserved it after knocking him on his ass the last time they met. His stomach twisted uncomfortably and he jumped up. He typed in another long code into the matching keypad on the outside of the door and yanked the door open. Sabo went sprawling, flat on his back. He’d obviously been sitting against the door, much like Ace had been. He stared up at Ace, slightly stunned. Ace smiled down at him, extending a hand to help him up. This time, Sabo took it, letting Ace haul him to his feet. “My names Ace.” He offered. “Sorry I was a jerk. Want to get burritos?” He realized awkwardly that he hadn’t let go of Sabo’s hand yet. Sabo smiled and didn’t let go either.