"A World to Store"

A Drink Between Friends

The moonlight glinted off the water as the two sat side by side, the only sound being the soft lapping of the waves against the ship. Yuki and Ace each held a bottle of sake, the familiar warmth of the drink offering them some comfort in the silence that stretched between them.

Ace broke the silence first. "Guess it's just you and me now, huh?"

Yuki nodded, taking a slow sip, her mind swirling with thoughts. "Yeah, feels a little... strange. Luffy and the crew, they've got this whole... thing. A dream, a reason to fight. But me? I don't even know what I'm doing half the time."

Ace glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his tone softening. "You're still figuring it out, huh?"

Yuki sighed, staring at the horizon. "I don't know who I am, Ace. I feel like I'm just... drifting."

Ace tilted his head, the gentle breeze tugging at his hair. "You're Yuki. That's who you are. No one else can tell you who you should be."

She shook her head, the words she had been holding back finally spilling out. "It's not that simple. I've been thinking about my father.

Ace looked at her, a question in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Yuki hesitated, not sure how to phrase it. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke again. "My father..." She paused, then looked away. "It's Shanks."

Ace raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Shanks? The red-haired pirate? 

 Yuki finished for him, her voice bitter. i alwaysasked my mother about him  "But she always told me he didn't want me. That he didn't even know I existed. And I... I believed her. For a long time." but i just can't belive it uou know i mean from what i heard he sound like a good man and from waht you told his story with luffy  but still ...

Ace's gaze softened, his posture relaxing a little. "I didn't know that. But why would you believe her? I mean, you're his daughter. That's not something you just ignore."

Yuki's eyes darkened, her thoughts heavy with the words she couldn't say. "Because..." She clenched her hands, her grip tight on the bottle. "Because my mother cheated on him. She lied to him. And I'm afraid. What if he rejects me? What if he doesn't even want to meet me, because of... her mistakes?"

Ace looked at her quietly, the weight of her words sinking in. His usual confident demeanor softened, replaced with something more thoughtful. "I get it," he said, his voice low. "That's tough. Thinking you've been abandoned... that your existence is just a mistake." He paused, his eyes turning toward the horizon. "I've felt like that, too."

Yuki turned her gaze toward him, confusion clouding her features. "What do you mean?"

Ace gave a dry chuckle, glancing back at her. "My father was Gol D. Roger. The Pirate King." He snorted, shaking his head. "But I never knew him. I was just a kid when he... when he left. And the world only knows him as this legend, this guy who caused so much destruction. People don't care about the person he was. And I'm left here, living with his name, his legacy, but not knowing a damn thing about him."

Yuki felt the air between them shift, her hand tightening around her sake bottle. "But that's... that's different. You're the son of the Pirate King."

"Yeah," Ace said, his voice cold. "And that's the problem. All I am is that—his son. People look at me like I should be some kind of... monster, because of his name. But I never met him. I don't even know who he really was."

Yuki's expression softened. She could see the pain in Ace's eyes, a reflection of the same fear she had been feeling about Shanks. "I... I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be defined by someone who might not even care about me. I just want to know the truth."

Ace was silent for a moment, considering her words. Then he leaned back, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "You don't have to figure it all out right now, Yuki. But when the time comes, when you meet him... just make sure you're doing it for yourself. Not for her mistakes. You deserve to know the truth, no matter how scary it is."

Yuki nodded, her chest tight with conflicting emotions. "I just... I don't know if I'm strong enough to face that. To face him."

Ace gave her a wry smile, his usual teasing grin starting to show. "Hey, if you're scared, then I guess I'm scared too. But we'll figure it out. Together."

The tension between them seemed to ease, and Yuki let out a small, relieved laugh. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Thanks, Ace."

"Don't mention it," he replied with a wink, before taking another sip from his sake bottle. "We've both got our demons to face. But we're not alone, right?"

Yuki smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Right."