"A World to Store"

A Name Unspoken

The night was calm on the Moby Dick, the waves gently lapping against the hull. Most of the crew had turned in for the night, but Yuki found herself sitting at her usual spot on the railing, her green eyes fixed on the endless expanse of the sea. She toyed with her Devil Fruit power absentmindedly, conjuring and dismissing small objects into her hands like she was trying to distract herself from something.

She wasn't expecting Ace to join her, but there he was, climbing onto the deck after a long talk with Whitebeard. His expression was lighter, like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

Yuki raised an eyebrow as he approached. "So, did you finally decide to stop trying to kill him?"

Ace sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah... I guess I did."

She smirked. "Took you long enough. What changed your mind?"

He leaned against the railing next to her, gazing out at the sea. "I guess I realized he's not the monster I thought he was. He's... different."

Yuki studied him for a moment. There was something raw in his voice, something she hadn't heard from him before. "Different how?"

Ace hesitated, then shrugged. "He's more like... a father than I expected. Not the kind of guy you'd think a pirate could be."

Yuki's smirk faltered. She turned her gaze back to the horizon, her fingers tightening around the object she'd just conjured—a small shell she'd found as a child. The word father echoed in her mind, stirring emotions she tried to bury.

Ace didn't notice her change in demeanor. "You know, he reminds me of someone my little brother talks about a lot," he said, his voice softening with a hint of pride. "Luffy always talks about this red-haired guy who gave him his hat. Shanks, I think his name was."

The name hit Yuki like a thunderclap. Her grip on the shell tightened until it cracked. She quickly stuffed it into her pocket, forcing a neutral expression onto her face.

"Shanks, huh?" she said, keeping her voice steady. "What's he like?"

Ace grinned, his eyes lighting up. "From what Luffy says, Shanks is amazing. He's the reason Luffy became a pirate in the first place. Apparently, Shanks gave Luffy his straw hat and told him to return it once he became a great pirate. That hat is like his treasure."

Yuki's lips curved into a faint smile despite herself. "Sounds like he left a big impression."

"Oh, he did," Ace said, his grin widening. "Luffy never shuts up about him. 'Shanks this, Shanks that.' It gets annoying, but you can tell how much he respects him. I mean, he's the one who taught Luffy that being a pirate isn't just about treasure—it's about freedom."

Yuki's chest tightened. Freedom. That word had always been a double-edged sword for her. Shanks had chosen freedom over her mother, over her. Or so her mother had claimed.

Ace continued, oblivious to her turmoil. "You know what's crazy? Shanks saved Luffy's life. Some bandit tried to drown him, and Shanks jumped in to save him—even lost his arm in the process. And after all that, Luffy says Shanks just laughed it off, like it was nothing."

Her fingers brushed against the cracked shell in her pocket. She forced herself to chuckle lightly. "Sounds like a reckless guy."

"Yeah, but in a good way," Ace said, his tone fond. "Luffy's lucky to have someone like that to look up to. He's been through a lot, but you'd never know it from how cheerful he is. That kid's got a heart of gold."

Yuki looked away, her thoughts racing. She wanted to ask more about Shanks, to piece together the truth of who he really was. But every time the words formed in her mind, fear held them back. What if Ace's stories were just a sliver of the truth? What if the Shanks she wanted to meet didn't exist?

When Ace finally left, she stayed behind, staring at the sea as her mother's bitter words replayed in her mind.

"He didn't want us. He chose his crew over you, just like he chose the sea over me."

She didn't want to believe it, but what if it was true? What if Shanks knew about her and simply didn't care? What if he saw her as nothing more than the daughter of the woman who betrayed him?

The stars above seemed impossibly far away, unreachable. She let out a shaky breath, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm not ready."

For now, the truth would stay buried, just like everything else she couldn't face.