Portgas D. Ace X Reader - The boy from the church

6

Smoker stopped you before leaving, to clear out some aspects. You didn't quite enjoy his presence, but you knew he was just doing his job.

"I appreciate taking your time to give us more information, and, though I really don't wanna waste your time, Marco keeps telling us that you actually have a closer relationship with the boy we're looking for, and it's just keeping me awake at nights." Smoker said, lighting another cigar.

"I'm sure Marco is just paranoiac, you know how it is, losing your father and a brother, it's almost impossible not to want to get your revenge, and that's just how some people deal with grief, you know... I'm really sorry about him, and I would've really loved to help him, but unfortunately he's going through this tough time, and since we're also former high school colleagues, could also be a reason for his temperament; we didn't really get along back then..." you tried to sound as natural as possible, but all you were doing was to find excuses for Marco's assertiveness.

"Hm, I didn't get to know him very well, but you clearly know what you're talking about. I'll get Tashigi to look into your school's archive, and from then on, we'll just gonna leave him alone for some time, because we clearly don't want any more conflict, especially in these hard times, thank you, y/n."

"No problem, I'd be glad to help you any time."

You glanced over to see if they're following you, and fortunately you were now all alone. You hoped that they would never reach you again, now that they got what they wanted; and this time, you're gonna be more careful who you're telling about your plans. 

Going back to your house, you thought twice about leaving the place. It's very dear to you, and now that the police believes your lies, you couldn't see any reason to move, so you messaged Ace and told him everything was good. He was relieved and you took a deep breath. 

Right after you started cooking something for dinner, you got a notification from an unknown number once again. You rolled your eyes to see what they wanted.

'Hi y/n! This is Shanks. Ace gave me your number. Don't worry about having to spend a few days here, I'm down to have you as my guest. In fact, I was actually looking to sell this place, so you could move in here if something goes wrong, until I find a buyer. I doubt people will fight for this old house anyways, so it'll take some time until it gets sold. Ace and I will be moving at a friend from another town in a few days, so don't hesitate and come here anytime you wish.'

You took a while to process what Shanks told you, but eventually you came up with an answer. You were devastated to hear about their leave and it ruined all your mood.

'Things are going pretty well at the moment. Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll only drop by to say goodbye.'

You threw your phone on the table and you started rubbing your eyes. You couldn't believe it. Your friends were going out of town, and the police is after all of you, so you tested to see if it was all a dream by pulling your hair and drinking a cold glass of water. The TV was running in the background, but you couldn't hear it anymore. You picked up your phone again and you scrolled through your social media feed, only to find more news about Ace's disappearance. 'Why do people care about this man so much anyways?' you started questioning, and you frowned in front of the phone screen, scrolling once more, only to find an interview with Marco. You increased the volume.

"A friend of mine has actually talked to him after he was reported missing. She told us she found him in a local church, just praying and minding his business..." Marco stated in the interview, seeming to have put special emphasis on your interaction with his brother.

The next frame of the video showed a dark skinned man, responding to the same interviewer.

"Of course I was worried! You know, I'm not usually in touch with my family, but when it comes to the disappearance of one of my brothers I couldn't stay quiet!" the man looked overly concerned about the situation, almost suspicious.