Burning Hearts [SEQUEL INCLUDED]

Chapter 2

Luffy

"Hey, Mosshead. Look behind you." Sanji said.

Zoro turned his head and Sanji kissed him on the cheek. Zoro was startled and blushed furiously.

"You shitty cook! Get back here!" He shouted as he chased Sanji around the Thousand Sunny.

Usopp and I laughed. Ever since they told us they were dating, things turned out well for those two. We were glad those two got together. They made a great couple. Well,  it was Nami and Robin who did the magic, specifically.

"Seems like they're having fun with each other," I commented.

"Could say the same to you, Luffy. You sure are having fun with your badass of a boyfriend." He smirked as he said that.

I blushed and then roughly nudged his shoulder, making him laugh. Our reactions to Nami and Robin dating were smiles. They tried to confess to each other but it felt awkward. At the end of the day, they managed to confess to each other and now, they're a couple. Quite cute to see them together. We smirked when Zoro and Sanji ended up together. Then, their jaws almost dropped one fine day when I told them I was dating Trafalgar D. Water Law, captain of the Heart Pirates.

The delivery seagull, with its postman's hat and a messenger bag, dropped the newspaper on the lawn. Nami thanked the seagull gratefully, picked it up and took it to her room. Usopp and I talked as we looked out at the view. Brook was on watch duty when he saw a boat in the distance. He took out the telescope and zoomed in on the visitor.

"Everyone! Incoming boat!" He shouted.

We looked ahead and saw it too. It was a small boat with the logo of a familiar group. I squinted my eyes and it was the Whitebeard Pirates logo.

"Don't worry. It's the Whitebeard Pirates. They helped me save Ace from his execution," I said.

"Ace-kun? You mean Fire Fist Ace-kun?" Brook asked.

"After all, he is one of theirs and a commander, too." I answered.

"Isn't Ace your..." Chopper asked.

"Yeah. He's my older brother. Well, brothers by promise. Anyway, I know I'll win in a fight against him now that I'm stronger-" I was interrupted by a chuckle.

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Ace

I jumped off the boat and chuckled. Luffy, Luffy. You never change, do you? Luffy turned and was startled when I landed on the lawn.

"Yo. I see you've been doing well. Thatch there begged to visit you since we won't see you for a while because you're always going ro weird ass places. Oh, here they are," I told them.

A ladder was brought down and Thatch climbed up.

"Luffy! Long time no see!" He greeted Luffy.

"Thatch! How're you doing?" Luffy asked.

They talked amongst themselves while I talked to his crew. It was good until suddenly, a cannonball was fired and it hit the ship. We lost balance and stumbled at the impact. I looked out and a group of ships were firing bombs at us. The ships had a Marine logo and a jolly roger. Must've been a joint bounty hunt. We immediately prepared to set sail and escape from them. We unfurled the sails and accelerated just in time before they circled us. We sighed in relief, thinking we were safe from harm. Usopp then looked below and gasped softly as he noticed a hole collecting water at the side.

"Oh no! Hole at the side! Quick, grab some wood and-"

Usopp got interrupted as we got hit by another cannonball. I looked out at the sea and the ships from earlier found us. The pirates and marines threatened to take our bounties. I jumped off the Thousand Sunny and landed on my boat. I sailed towards the attacking ships and knocked out the inhabitants. Little did I know, seastone bombs were stuck on the undersides of their ships. As I defeated the attackers group by group with ease, the seastone bombs ticked softly underwater.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Once the enemies were defeated, I looked at the others on the Sunny and smiled while waving.

"Everyone! The danger is elimina-"

The bombs then exploded and I was flung off my boat. I tried to keep my balance but I lost it in the end and fell into the sea.

"Ace!"

I plopped into the deep blue water and bubbles of water were seen shooting out of my mouth and nostrils. I couldn't hear the voices above. I felt my lungs filling up with water as I sank. Is this really... it? My eyes were closing and as everything turned black, someone was swimming towards me. He looked like he was coated in a layer of resin which helps ships go underwater with ease. He grabbed my hand and then, everything really went dark.

A few hours later

I woke up, opening one eye before another. As I opened my eyes, I turned my head and someone was standing next to me, arms crossed. I then sat up and rubbed my eyes, hoping my vision would come back. It did and I thought it was Thatch.

"Thatch?" I called.

"Sorry. Wrong person."

Marco? My vision resetted itself and I realised my mistake. It was Marco. I tried not to blush seeing him as he stared at me, confused.

"Y-Yo, Marco. What happened?" I asked.

"You attacked a group of ships that had bombs at the undersides and when they exploded, you fell off your boat and almost drowned. You know how worried I was?" He said.

Worried? For me? What? I gasped at his concern and tried not to blush as soon as I felt my cheeks puff up and turn pink. How do I get out of this?

"Oi, Marco! We need to help Straw Hat with his ship. Mind coming?" A crewman said.

"Be right there!" Marco said before turning to me.

"Ace, don't... move around too much. Try to rest, okay?" Marco told me as he left the room to help.

Once the door closed, I squealed in bashfulness and blushed furiously. I then covered myself with a blanket and screeched under my pillow. After that, I thought of his concern.

"You know how worried I was?"

I smiled, baffled at the same time. I was unsure whether he was trying not to blush because from my point of view, his cheeks were slightly puffy and light pink.

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[End]