AIR— A one piece Portgas D. Ace Fanfiction
“What does this world have to offer you when you have nothing to give but lies and deceit?”
Summary
Chapter I : Air
Everyone seemed to be under a spell as their gazes followed the hands of the young airbender. With every movement, every smallest gesture, there was an almost weightless grace about her. Like a feather carried by the wind, aimless, yet full of meaning. Gently, she turned with the rhythm of the air, letting it guide her as if they were one. Step by step, her performance transformed into a small masterpiece. Slowly, she raised her arm, and between her palms a shimmering sphere of air began to form. With a fluid motion, it grew, expanding, alive and light at the same time. A murmur ran through the crowd. The children stared in awe, bursting into bright laughter, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Entranced, they followed every movement, as if hoping the air might one day obey them too. But behind all that elegance lay control. The airbender gave nothing away.
Not the tension.
Not the fear.
Because as much as she knew she had enchanted her audience, she also knew the truth: One single mistake...and she would pay for it. So with determined smooth steps, she continued to spin. The delicate chains on her sari began to softly chime, a gentle, almost hypnotic sound, like the distant rustle of a tambourine by a campfire. Then, suddenly, she jumped. The sphere of air shot upward, light and weightless. Dozens of eyes followed it full of expectation, full of wonder.
And then…
A faint shimmer.
Glittering dust rained down, catching the light and dancing through the air before settling softly onto the children's heads. A cheer of excitement spread through the tent. But not everywhere. In a remote corner, it remained quiet. Too quiet, they sat there; Unimpressed, Unmoving.
They knew these tricks. Knew the abilities of Devil Fruit users. To them, this was nothing special. And Mira felt it, those gazes. Heavy and Judging. Almost piercing, as if her art was collapsing under their eyes. As if it were nothing more than a game they had long since figured out. An uneasy tightness spread in her chest. But she couldn't hesitate. Not now. With a bright, clear voice, fresh like a breeze on a warm summer evening—she called out:
"Simba and his four royal Raikiuus!"
In the next moment, dense fog enveloped the entire tent. Visibility? Almost none. Perfect; Now. The thought shot through her mind, and she moved. Silently, she slipped through the crowd. Light as a feather. Her hands moved quickly, expertly reaching into pockets, loosening pouches, making coins disappear. Every fourth person. Like always. Like a feather in the wind. But this time, it felt different. Heavier. With every grab, something familiar gnawed at her. The all too familiar feeling she couldn't shake: Guilt. Because even the children weren't spared.
‘One little child wouldn’t make you weak, would it?’
A mocking echo in her mind made her falter for a moment. Like the wind on a stormy coast, relentless and unforgiving. Just one more group, the quiet corner. Her steps slowed almost imperceptibly. She knew she had to be careful. These people were different, more attentive, dangerous even. But the fog was already beginning to lift and time was running out. So she reached. Her fingers slipped into a pocket but to her utter shock she was abruptly stopped. A hand clamped tightly around her wrist.
Scorching and unyielding.
For a moment, her heart stopped. This couldn't happen, she had never been caught. Never. She had always been like air, too fast to reach, untouchable. But now... she was trapped. "What do you think you're doing?" The voice was calm. Too calm. "Trying to steal from me? Maybe my crewmates were too distracted to notice you... but I felt you." A jerk and suddenly, she was outside. The cool night air hit her skin, making her shiver. The wind tugged at her hair, almost stealing her breath. Slowly, she raised her gaze and froze. That face—She knew it…From a wanted poster, A Supernova. One of the most dangerous pirates on the Grand Line. "What's wrong?" he said dryly. "Not so brave anymore as you were on stage?" Her throat tightened. "I—" Nothing. No sound, just her racing heart, just the fear gripping her. "She belongs to me." The voice was deep. Calm and yet there was something in it that made Mira freeze instantly. "She tried to steal from me!" her captor snapped immediately, his grip still tight around her wrist. Mira's heart pounded in her throat. She didn't dare turn around.
"Is that true?"
The question hit her directly. A tear dared to slip from the corner of her eye, but she blinked it away quickly. "Yes," she managed. Quiet, somehow controlled. As indifferent as possible. But her body betrayed her. She was trembling. For a brief moment, there was silence, Then... a soft laugh. "Oh, you know what? That was probably one of my crewmates. They do like their little jokes." Mira blinked in surprise.
What...?
"If that's the case," the voice continued calmly, "Mira, you know you're supposed to be back in the tent by 11 p.m." Her thoughts spiraled. Now he knows my name. Of course he had to address her by name. After all, no one was supposed to connect his name with "theft" in the same sentence. Before she could react, the footsteps behind her faded away and what followed was Silence, Heavy and so, so pressing.
Mira was just about to wretch herself free and run, just run as fast as she could. But the grip on her wrist remained. Unyielding. "And where do you think you're going?" His voice was closer now. Calmer. More dangerous. "I think you owe me an explanation.” Thoughts ran through Mira’s mind, frantic and just as panicked as she was; ‘Who did he think he was?’ ‘Nobody had asked him for help.’ So she decided to stand her ground… somehow… "I didn't ask for your help," she snapped at the somehow familiar male. pulling her hand back as best as she could. "Here! Your four Berries." She fumbled hastily in the small pouch adorned with beads and gold, at her hip and shoved the coins against his chest.
‘Damn it, why were they so hard to get out with one hand? Just go away...’ Thoughts kept running around and were so unwilling to cooperate. Or better yet, her thoughts ran through paths she would rather not think of now: ‘Why can't I just disappear into thin air?’ "Listen," he replied, looking at the rosy haired woman intently. "I can see you're still scared. And in case you didn't notice...I just saved you." All she could reply with was puffed cheeks, ready to snap something venomous back but then she froze. I suddenly became aware of how close she actually was to him.
Too close.
Her hand, still half closed around the coins—rested right on his chest. On his bare chest. Heat shot to her face. "Are you out of your mind?!" She screeched, smacking him on the head with my free hand, in a desperate attempt to make him let go. "Damn you woman—" He didn't get any further. With full force, she kicked him between the legs. A choked sound escaped him. For a moment, she faltered and clapped her hands over her mouth in shock but once she realized that her hand was free, she took off.
Run. Without hesitation, she turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
"You damn—!" his voice echoed behind her. Too late. She ran, something very known to this particular woman. The pounding Heart was all too familiar to her. Her breath came in sharp bursts as she rushed through the dark streets. ‘Iwas dead. As good as’ If she showed up back at the tent at 11 p.m. they would kill her, no doubt .And if not—he would find her. Gasping, she threw open the door to the small bar.
Warmth hit her. A familiarity she did not loathe.
Cora.
She dragged herself to the counter, dropped onto a stool, and weakly raised her hand. A silent plea for water. "Well, kid? How was your day?" His voice was calm, gentle. As if everything was fine, Like always. He set a glass in front of her and she grabbed it as if her life depended on it. Cora has always treated her like this. As if she weren't a thief. As if she hadn't already stolen from everyone here… even him. A lump formed in her throat. "You had to 'clean up' again, didn't you?" he asked quietly to which she could only nod. “You should've seen their eyes," she murmured softly. "The children... they were so happy—“Mira choked out. "—And now they're going home without their money... if they even had any." She tried to convince herself it wasn't what it seemed. That somehow it was okay.
But it wasn't. She was a fraud, had two faces; One that stole and one that laughed, played, danced and pretended everything was fine. "Everything will be okay," Cora said calmly, sliding a jug of sake toward her. She gratefully accepted it and shook her head. "Someone caught me," she whispered. A short silence followed "I'm sorry—what?!" The next moment, he spat out the sake he had just tried to drink—straight in her direction to which she flinched in surprise, slowly, the liquid ran down her cheeks. Without a word, she grabbed a napkin and wiped it away. "And he noticed," she added, ignoring the stickiness on her face, her gaze darkening. That was it.
‘The end of my time in this world’
"..." But then—a thought. "Cora," she said suddenly, "can you give me your wanted posters?" He looked at her briefly, a little concern laced his expression, then turned without a word and handed them to the young airbender . One after another, she flipped and flipped through them. Faster, faster...Not there. "Is that all?" She asked desperately. "I still have the Supernovas." And her heart skipped at that, left her soul then and there. She knew she saw him in one of those, she was just silently praying that she was mistaken.
Slowly, she reached out.
He handed them over.
The numbers made her stomach drop.
100 million.
300 million.
500 million—
And then—
She froze.
Her eyes locked onto one.
No.
No, that couldn't be—
"Fire Fist Ace?!"