A Ghost of the Past

Chapter Six:

Ace

The water was nice and cool as he sank into it. He had at first felt strange, being able to swim again when he had died. After all, water couldn't kill him if he was already dead.

The Moby Dick was docked at an island one of the crew had fabricated - they liked to amuse each other by creating random islands, leaving the others to explore it. In some, gravity was non-existent. In others, the islands were made of mirrors - that was like a very strange and complicated funhouse.

This one seemed relatively normal. He had thought he had seen a rabbit hop by, dressed in a waistcoat and holding a pocket watch - it was rambling something about time....

Anyhow, Ace had decided to just sink into the water at the beach. He couldn't stop thinking about Sabo - and Teach. Ace wanted to go back to the world of the living, but for some reason it was as if he was being blocked from it, unable to go to his brother.

Rouge had said that it was an inevitable consequence of using too much power from the Mera Mera no Mi, but it just left Ace impatient. He didn't want to spoil the crew's mood, so he had went off on his own.

"Hey!" Ace turned around - it was Thatch, who had splashed into the ocean making his way to Ace. Thatch grinned at him as he slowed to a stop next to Ace. "You looked so lonely out here I just had to come join you.'

Ace rolled his eyes. "I wasn't lonely," but he was smiling.

"Sure, sure," Thatch assured him. "Didn't want to explore? I've got to say, it looks pretty interesting. I'm sure I just saw someone grow like, ten feet by eating a cake. Hey, maybe if we eat one of those we'll be as tall as the other members of the crew."

The other members were rather tall. Besides Haruta (who still lived), just about everyone was nine feet tall at least. "I wonder what they all ate when they were alive," Ace mused.

Thatch raised his hands in defense. "Don't look at me! I may be the cook, but they were giants before they joined up."

Ace chuckled. "Okay, whatever you say."

They both stayed quiet, Thatch sinking down so just his eyes were above the water.  Ace eyed him.  After he had returned, Thatch had been awfully quiet.  He felt the prime cause was Teach.

And after they both realized that Pops had a connection to that bastard.....

"What do you think...." Ace started, hesitantly.  "About Pops, and, you know....Teach."

Thatch's eyes darkened, but he rose above the water just enough to speak.  "It just gives me more reasons to hate him.  It's like he's trying to take everything we care about away from us....I just hope your brother is alright."

Ace nodded.  "I gave them a warning, but beyond that, I have no clue what they did with it."

Thatch frowned.  "From what Pops said, it seemed as if not many people were hurt.  Teach was fighting Dragon, so that at least kept him busy."

Pops, after he revealed his connection to Teach, had offered to go to the world of the living to see if Sabo was well.  Ace had protested, of course - Pops didn't need to do that for him.  But Pops went anyway.

When Pops had come back, he revealed that the entire island of Baltigo was destroyed, but during the fight itself, Teach got a hold of none of the revolutionaries.  Apparently, Teach had been occupied by Dragon, likely so everyone else could escape.  Teach had once more been unable to harm his brothers.  Ace just hoped that his brothers never had to face Teach, but the paths the two chose were not easy ones.