Ashes To Ashes | One Piece

𝟕|Yuba

( Alabasta Arc )

The golden rays of the setting sun reached across the cascading dunes, draping deep shadows in the curves of each mound, while a humid breeze blew through the desert gently. Ashe basked in the evening warmth as she puffed leisurely on a half burnt out cigarette. Her red eyes were fixated on the blank piece of paper in Luffys hand. It looked like nothing special, just a blank sheet of white, but the boy was holding it tightly in a secure grip.

"Hey, Luffy" Usopp groans weakly as he dragged himself forward using a stick as a cane "what was that thing your brother gave you?"

"I don't really know ,it looks like a scrap of paper" the captain answered as he gazed at the thing Ace had given him before leaving. They all had exchanged quick goodbyes before the black haired man disappeared into the desert. Ashe had given Ace a flirty wink and blew a kiss when he looked back over his shoulder as he walked away from them. She revelled in the blush that spread across his freckled cheeks. She was surprised with how much she was going to miss him. He was easy to talk to, not to mention nice to look at, and the quick goodbyes had left her a little deflated. She quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"It's just paper?" Chopper asked, confused.

Sanji reaches for the thing and plucked it out of the black haired boys hands "let me see". The blonde held it up to the sun, as if it would reveal some secret, before huffing "well it really is just paper. There's nothing written on it or anything"

"Is that all, really?" the long nosed sniper moaned.

"I'm not really sure why Ace gave it to me" Luffy said truthfully before crying out in surprise as a gust of dry desert air blew the piece of paper out of the cooks hand and towards the camel. The beast didn't think twice about chomping down on the thing.

"Don't eat that!" Luffy cried as he hit Eyelash over the head. He grabbed the paper and clenched it in his fist as he muttered out a harsh "dumb camel!".

Ashe rolled her eyes and dropped her cigarette bud into the sand. She grabbed a second one out of her back pocket, finger brushing over the handle of the knife strapped to the back of her belt, and lit her match by scraping it over the bottom of her boot. She lit the cigarette and watched as Nami took the paper and sewed it to the inside of the red ribbon that wrapped around Luffys straw hat. The white haired woman pondered over the possibilities for the paper but gave up out of laziness and boredom.

"There. It's all done" Nami cut the string and gave the hat back to the joyful captain.

"Now I don't have to worry about loosing it. Thanks!"

"If there isn't anything written on it then what's the point of hanging onto the thing?" Zoro asked from his spot beside Usopp. Ashe squinted against the setting sun when she turned her head to look at him and quickly turned back to the pirate captain when the rays of light began to hurt her eyes.

"Ace said it's important and I should hang onto it so I'm hanging onto it, that's all."

"So your pretty much just basing your decision on nothing" Sanji pointed out and the white haired woman scoffed.

"I normally follow my instincts, they're right a lot"

Ashe slapped her hand against her forehead and sighed harshly. 'I can't believe this kid is their captain' she thought, pitty and worry pooling in her stomach at the though of all the trouble this poor crew must get caught in. She caught Vivi in the corner of her eyes. The young princess was turned away from the group and gazing at the tops of the dunes behind them. Ashe turned to look at them as well but found nothing interesting. She puffed out a smoke ring.