Stolen // One Piece

chapter twenty-two

Ace laid in the cool shade of the tree on the grassy deck of the Sunny. A soft breeze drifted through the air, carrying with it the smell of seaspray and tangerines. He looked up at the swaying leaves and branches, rustling against each other. Peaceful, he thought, listening to the seagulls call to each other in the air, the splash of waves against the ship, the leaves swaying above him, and the creaking of wood as the Thousand Sunny rocked against the ocean. He found that there was no wonder why Luffy liked being the captain of this particular ship so much. He closed his eyes, simply listening.

Someone sat down next to him. He didn't need to open his eyes to know it was his blond brother. Ace could feel his purposeful presence, and sighed.

"I just found you again, and we're already fighting," Sabo lamented. Ace opened one eye and trained it on his brother.

"I know I was awful to Luffy, but I swear I got better at being a big brother to him," Ace said, sitting up and opening his other eye. Sabo nodded.

"I know. I just... I'm on edge. I had to be the mediator for all of your fights when we were kids, and you were making progress, and now I learn that after I disappeared, you went right back to the way you were treating him. It hurts to know that I could have just waited to set out, and I could have found you again and fixed it," the taller boy explained, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you got better, Luffy's crew told me about how kind and polite you were, and how much you cared about him." The two men locked eyes.

"I realized he was kind of the only family I had left, after we lost you," Ace responded. Silence hung between them as they absorbed each others' words. There was a long moment before Sabo spoke again.

"I can't wait until we find him," he said, turning his face away from his brother. "He'll be so excited to see you again. To have us both, and the three of us can be Ace, Sabo and Luffy again." Ace smiled, laying back down and staring up at the tree's leaves. A few moments later, Sabo joined him, and the two simply laid there, enjoying the imaginary situations of how Luffy would react to seeing both of his brothers, rescuing him from the villain of his childhood like they did when Luffy was seven.

~   ~    •    ~   ~

Ace sat on the railing of the Thousand Sunny, watching as the sun sunk below the ocean's horizon. Two years ago, he would have been worried for his safety, and made sure that someone that could swim was around him at all times, but he no longer cared, as he had lost his Devil Fruit ability once he had died. Learning to swim again was a challenge, but one he embraced anyway, knowing that when he saw his little brother again, Ace would probably need to save Luffy from the cold depths of the watery hell that was the ocean.

So he sat, with his legs dangling over the waves that rocked the Thousand Sunny. On either side of him, two random arms appeared, seemingly out of the wood itself. Unsettled, he jumped slightly, and almost slipped off of the railing, but more arms appeared and held on to him, preventing him from falling. They carefully placed him back onto his spot. Several of them disappeared, but three held firmly onto him, securing his safety. Ace chuckled in realization.

"Thanks, Robin," he said, turning to the dark-haired woman. She smiled, leaning against the railing on her elbows, nodding in reply. The two stared at the horizon in companionable silence until Sanji called everyone for dinner.

~    ~   •   ~    ~

Ace had taken to sleeping on the couch in the Men's Quarters. Usopp found it odd, but didn't say anything about it. He looked rather uncomfortable, but insisted on laying eagle-spread, with his head tilted all the way back, behind the back of the couch, his nose pointed so far up in the air that, had his nose been metal, could have been used to conduct electricity. The only thing bothered Usopp was the fact that it caused Ace to snore so loudly that it could be heard, even up in the Crow's Nest. Eventually, after Usopp had decided covering his ears with his pillow would not make the noise any quieter, he decided to do something about it.

Gingerly, the long-nosed sniper poked his friend with the end of his staff. Ace did not move, and the snoring did not cease. Usop huffed and tried again, poking a bit harder. No difference was made. Sabo, who was sitting on Luffy's top bunk and reading a book he had borrowed from Robin, looked over, amused at the attempts Usopp was making. He chuckled lightly and finally set his book down, but only after the sniper had angrily tossed his staff to the ground. Sabo stepped swiftly over and stopped beside Usopp.

Smiling, he said, "No, you have to do it like this. Otherwise he'll snore until he decides not to." Sabo cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, and then took a deep breath in. "GARP'S COMING! DADAN'S WITH HIM AND SHE HAS HER SHOE!" Sabo shouted, grabbing Usopp's wrist and taking a step back. Ace rocketed to his feet in an alert stance, his wide eyes scanning the room.

"Oh god, is she wearing the heels or the boots?" Ace spun around, taking in his surroundings. He narrowed his eyes as they settled on Sabo, who was grinning devilishly. "You dirty piece of shit," he growled. The taller blond shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Whatever do you mean, dear brother of mine?" he replied. Ace made a sound in his throat that sounded like a snarl.

"Flashbacks, Sabo. That gave me flashbacks." Sabo let out a loud bark of laughter, throwing his head back. Ace rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, easing out of his fighting stance. "I saw Dadan running around chasing the three of us with those damn red heels of hers, and Garp winding up his fist to knock one of us out!" The two men shuddered at the imagery. "Never do that again."

"Don't snore so loud," the blond responded, crossing his arms. Ace sighed and rolled his eyes again.

"Is that was this was about? Me snoring?"

"I could hear you even when I was in the Crow's Nest," Usopp answered. The older dark-haired man huffed.

"Fine. Whatever. Just," he looked at his brother, "don't do that again." Sabo chuckled and nodded, walking back over to the hammock bunks and climbing into Luffy's. Ace sat down on the couch and supported his head on the arm rest, preventing him from snoring. Usopp, glad to finally have some peace and quiet, climbed into his hammock and closed his eyes. Silence fell for several minutes.

"Do you think if I dutifully found Luffy, Nami-san would let me see her panties?" Brook asked in the quiet room. Usopp rolled his eyes, yanked the pillow out from underneath his head, and leaned over to the bunk next to his to whack the skeleton in the face, before laying back down.

"Shut the hell up, Brook," Usopp said good naturedly.

"Good night to you too, Usopp-san."