#spades pirates

[gangly-criminal]

I had to make this for graphics class, pretending the glow is their Haki (I asked my friend who - that I've met where I'm at rn - has Haki so this will be a at least accurate) to put my stamp on it tho Ibispaintx took the resolution down so I hope it doesn't look shitty/pixelated

The scene I imagine:

"Oh my gosh it's Shanks!!! I haven't seen him in forever"

*gets ass kicked by Garp because yeah*

*Shanks turns around because he wasn't paying attention before*

[teazingsassy]

i'd love to see your take on masked deuce if you haven't already drawn him 🥺 maybe him being subjected to the terror that is the asl bros 😂

i'll try to get to that asl drawing soon but here's deuce!

[spitfire-of-the-sea]

Sea Shanties

Some fluff with the Spade Pirates, featuring mostly Ace and Saki, but also Deuce, Saber, Aggie and Kotatsu. <3 Just needed something to get myself to writing again, having a bit of a hard time with the next chapters of my fic right now. =)

Ace can’t quite explain it, because honestly, it’s simply weirdand doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. She has absolutely no musical talent, the only thing she’s got down is the rhythm, but she couldn’t carry a tune with a freaking bucket. And yet… somehow he doesn’t think he’s ever enjoyed listening to anybody sing more than to her. They are shouting at her to stop, Deuce is even begging her and it only makes her sing louder and even more off-tune, if such a thing is possible.

Ace can’t help it, the biggest grin is splitting his face in half as he is watching her eyes sparkle with mischief as she starts a new strophe of the sea shanty Saber has taught them, ignoring Deuce tugging at her jacket desperately and Aggie demonstratively clutching his hands over his ears. Saber continues to drum the rhythm on the barrel he’s sitting on with his bare hands, unperturbed and leading the song with his clear baritone, almost compensating for Saki’s singing voice. Almost. He doesn’t seem to mind, grinning from ear to ear as he chants the lyrics.

It’s only when Deuce wrestles her down from where she has taken a stand on a box that she erupts into giggles and finally is too breathless to continue her assault on their ears. She lets herself drop onto the ground, and looks up at the stars above them. Ace’s eyes linger on her as she catches her breath and finally audibly draws in a big lung full of air to continue again, only to have Deuce pounce on her and clasp his hands over Saki’s mouth.

“If one of you would just sing along, maybe Saki wouldn’t feel the need to,” Saber throws in between two verses, before he continues and she nods emphatically. It had been her threat from the get-go: if nobody else joined Saber, then she would. They didn’t take her seriously, and now… well… now there are regrets. Aggie finally does joins in – not with a perfect singing voice, but a nice deep bass that accompanies Saber quite harmoniously. Then, a long moment later, Deuce hesitantly joins in, throwing Saki a warning glare as he does so, only sending the girl into another fit of laughter.

She’s a happy drunk, at least this early in the night, Ace knows from experience by now. As she lies there and listens to their crewmates sing, a smile tugs on her lips and she closes her eyes for a moment, nodding her head along. He doesn’t know why he does it, but he gets up and sits down next to her, careful not to touch her. Her eyes snap open the moment he has planted himself there, and she immediately meets his eyes. A faint blush adorns her cheeks since her first bottle of sake, only deepened by the second one. She’s a lightweight, and it doesn’t take much for her to get tipsy.

“Hey,” she says as if they hadn’t talked only half an hour ago.

“Hey,” he answers back, smiling and leaning back on his arms.

With a low groan she sits up and glances around searchingly and when she doesn’t immediately see what she’s looking for, she leans forward and braces herself against his shoulder as she peeks around him.

“A-ha!” she mumbles triumphantly and briefly gets on all fours to retrieve the bottle still standing next to the box she used as her little stage just before. Ace is pretty sure she doesn’t even realize she’s leaning half over his lap as she does so, and keeps carefully still as his eyes follow the gentle curve of her back. Just then she puts a hand on his thigh to push herself up again and sit down next to him. It’s probably his imagination, but it feels hot even through the fabric of his trousers. Which is ridiculous, seeing as how he’s fire and there really shouldn’t be anything feeling hot to him of all people.

“Your crew,” she says then, “is highly unappreciative of my talents!” There’s a dramatic pause, in which she takes a swig from her sake, before she adds a sniff for emphasis and yet looking way too happy. Her motion is a tad too enthusiastic and she spills some of it, single droplets escaping the corners of her mouth. She is quick to wipe them away with her arm, but misses one that runs along the edge of her jaw and then drips down into her cleavage. Ace does his best not to follow its path with his eyes.

“I’m sure they’re aware of your many other talents – or maybe you just need to give them more material to judge your lovely singing voice properly?” he says instead and chuckles.

“I beg you, do not! I’ll literally pay you not to!” Deuce throws in quickly, giving them both a side-eye.

“You have no money!” Saki retorts, puffing out her cheeks. “You can’t pay me not to sing!”

“I’ll sell a kidney if I have to. It’ll be worth it, even if I can only stop you from singing twice by that!” he answers, underlining his words with a bump of his fist against the wooden deck.

“See what I mean?!” Saki immediately says, turning to their captain to put an arm on his shoulder and bury her face in his side. Ace’s breath catches and he clears his throat, embarrassed by how he still let’s her catch him off guard with these simple gestures – he knows that touchy-Saki comes on the coattails of giggly-Saki. It really isn’t surprising anymore, and yet, somehow it still makes something in him feel weird. Like that one time Luffy had tried to bake him a cake for his birthday, but had eventually given up on trying to bake it because the wood was just too wet to get a fire going and they had then just eaten the batter as was; it had been really bad – to this day Ace can’t decide whether looks or taste were more off-putting, but he’d eaten all of it. After all, Luffy had made it especially for his birthday. Sure, he had groused about it for weeks, but he’d still eaten it. Only for Luffy to tell him afterabout how he’d added some caterpillars because they’d looked juicy and Ace hadn’t been sure for days if what he thought to feel in his belly were actual freaking caterpillars or just his nerves.

He lifts a hand and pats her arm, trying not let his mind linger on the whole caterpillar dilemma. This time at least he knows he hasn’t eaten anything filled with live caterpillars, he just isn’t sure what else could be the cause; it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Luffy had clung to him so often and so much tighter, and it never gave him any trouble. That is, aside from bursts of anger – and this here definitely isn’t anger. He’s fairly sure it isn’t. Maybe it’s weird because he’s used to rubbery limbs wrapped around him like an anaconda trying to suffocate him? Maybe it’s because she’s too soft and that’s weird?

“There, there,” he says, smiling, pushing the analysis of this whole weirdness aside for later. “No need for kidney-trades. You’ll keep singing along and I’ll make sure she doesn’t. It’s my responsibility as a captain, I guess.” Ace isn’t sure what amuses him more – Deuce’s big fat shit-eating grin as he turns around to join the shanty again, or Saki’s audible gasp as she straightens and looks at him wide-eyed, her arm dropping away from him.

“Et tu, Ace?” she says and shakes her head in disbelief just before puffing her cheeks out again. And then she glares at him, hard. It’s adorable, really, but he definitely won’t tell her that. “Fine, you didn’t want it any other way…!” she says finally, squinting at him and he sees her take a deep breath again.

She is still close enough for him to reach out and clamp a hand over her mouth and he’s not quite sure how it happens, but within a few moments she’s half in his lap, struggling against his hands – one on her mouth and one around her middle to keep her from getting out of his grasp. It’s not like she has the strength to pry his fingers off, even though she hooks the fingers of both her hands under his thumb and tries, but she’s wriggling and twisting and it’s hard to contain her, really. At one point she half manages to free her mouth and pelt out a few words, causing Deuce and Aggie both to increase their volume demonstratively.

In the end, he has her in a secure hold with her back flat against his chest and he can feel her body slump against his as she dissolves into giggles. Her head drops back against his shoulder as she looks up at him and he’s momentarily distracted by the way her half-lidded eyes meet his, her body still shaking slightly with laughter. He swallows hard, wondering if there honestly haven’t been any caterpillars in any of the food he had today, and can’t help but just look at her and want to… he doesn’t know what.

“Do you admit defeat?” he asks, softer than he wanted to and she nods, tears of laughter sparkling in the corners of her eyes. And so he lifts his hand from her mouth and drops it to his side, suddenly acutely aware of his other one around her middle and the way her shirt bunches up where his fingers rest on her waist. He can feel her soft, warm skin against the tips of his fingers.

“I will add,” she says, “that I do so only under protest and because you’re pretty cozy and I’m actually quite comfortable here.”

He is caught off-guard by that and faintly wonders if anybody in his whole life had ever called him cozy and comfortable of all things. He’s been called a lot of things, few of them actually positive, but this has got to take the cake. What was that even supposed to mean?! He grabs her bottle and takes a few big gulps to buy himself some time.

“Hey!” she protests and sits up and he immediately feels the loss of warmth against his skin and almost regrets what he did, but at the very least it gets a bit easier to sort his thoughts like this. She reaches for the bottle, but he lifts it out of her reach and keeps her from going after it with the arm still secure around her middle. “That’s mine!” she adds, apparently thinking that he doesn’t know.

“I think you’ve had about enough.” He eyes her critically as she struggles to stretch enough to reach the bottle, fingers almost touching it but just not quite.

She lifts an eyebrow at that comment, halting her attempts and giving them up in favor of half-twisting under his arm to look at him. “Huh?” she says, untypically inarticulate.

“I’m not cozy,” he elaborates and she blinks at him, cocking her head to the side.

“How’d you be able to judge that?” she asks, sounding way too serious for the topic of conversation. “Honestly, I don’t think you can. It’s physically impossible for you to do that, objectively speaking, and so I guess we’ll have to trust in my opinion – which, anyways, is superior to yours in all things related to coziness, seeing as how you can fall asleep on a stool. Or a stone. Or in your food. All of which I have witnessed, so there’s no use denying it, by the way. I, on the other hand, can not only differentiate between soft and hard surfaces, but also….”

There’s more, she continues her exploration of his ability – or rather inability – to judge how cozy he supposedly was, but he stops listening to it at some point and instead enjoys the way she keeps chattering on with that serious expression, one hand raised to underline the most important points she was making with gestures. Maybe he is drunk, he thinks then, it shouldn’t be so entertaining to just sit here like this, watching her and listening to Saber, Aggie and Deuce sing the sea shanty up and down until they’ve found their rhythm.

He’s ripped from his thoughts when she prods him with a finger to his chest. “Right?” she asks and he slowly nods, unsure what he’s even confirming now. He doesn’t care too much, since it earns him the brightest of smiles. She turns again and sinks back against him, her back meeting his chest again and he thinks that he should probably move away from her, now that she has finally stopped to attempt either singing or reaching her bottle. He decides that he’ll do so in just a little while. After all, she has just settled down and the guys are so into the shanty right now, he doesn’t want to interrupt them.

It takes another three rounds of the song before the three men agree that they’ve practiced enough for tonight. “Okay, so how about a different one now?” Deuce asks Saber then. “How about the song you played yesterday evening? I liked that one!”

“Sure!” Saber agrees happily. “I’ll just go get my guitar, gimme a moment.” He gets up and stretches his legs, casting a glance towards his captain and raising an eyebrow at the sight. Ace clears his throat and is quick to loosen his hold on Saki.

“So, I guess no more containment is needed, then, if you anyway switch songs now,” he says and is starting to disentangle himself from her. There’s a grumble of protest from her and he realizes too late that she had already closed her eyes, for after touchy-Saki followed sleepy-Saki once she stayed in one place for too long. Biting his lip, he helps her get up and watches her yawn with a big stretch and a low groan.

“Sure,” Saber says with a grin that Ace can’t quite interpret, but then the musician is already off to grab his guitar from their room. He’s back by the time Saki has already settled down again next to Kotatsu, stroking her hands through his fur. The moment she sees Saber, she stretched out her arm, gesturing for him to give her something.

Saber chuckles and digs around in his pocket, making a show of the coins he brings forward and the way he counts them. Then, he drops them in her palm. “You drive a hard bargain,” he says and she grins.

“Told you I’d get them to join you with the shanty,” she answers and put the coins in her own pocket before grinning widely at Deuce, Aggie and Ace who are all staring at her. Unperturbed, she settles against Kotatsu and beds her head on his soft back. The big cat cracks open an eye and then shifts to curl around her before he closes it again.

[whirlybirdwhat]

crown the king (with bloody flowers) - 8

Hanahaki au drabble series, in which Luffy is in love with the sea. Ao3 Links in reblog

Chapter 8 - roses and plum flowers - ace

Ace didn’t expect to see Luffy in Alabasta - didn’t expect to see him at all, because Luffy was supposed to be at home at Dawn for the next three years.

Instead, a newspaper flutters down from a News Coo that morning, heralding the bounty of Monkey D. Luffy, and Ace burst into flames.

(Ace used to love the Sea - really, he did. It wasn’t a love like Luffy’s but it was a love all the same, and looking back, maybe it was freedom he loved more than anything else. The chance for an answer, hanging over the horizon.

Then, he met Luffy, who choked on his own breath and smiled so brightly at the thing that hated him, and Ace found he really didn’t care that much for the sea after all.

Because Ace? Ace didn’t love much. He loved Luffy, and Sabo, and his mother, and Makino and though he would never admit it, Gramps and the bandits too. The rest of the world hated him and yet - no flowers ever bloomed in his lungs.

Ace was always loved back. Luffy wasn’t.

And it hurt.)

Deuce had to calm him down, slap him over the head, yell at him, before Ace started making any sense again. When he did, they set out for the next island on the log pose immediately.

They couldn’t go back. Ace was the captain, the star rookie (though Luffy had a starter bounty higher than him what the fuck did he do), and he would not let his crew’s dreams die just because Luffy was an idiot.

So they went forward and arrived in Alabasta after being swept off course by a storm so horrific even the Grand Line residents of the Spades were in awe of it.

(Privately, later, Ace remembers a secret about a dragon, and knows it wasn’t really a storm at all.

Or at least, not one made of cloud and thunder, but flesh and bone and the letter D.)

In Alabasta, the same day he saw the wanted poster with rage still coursing through his veins at the stupidity of his little brother, Ace sees Luffy, unexpectedly, and out of the blue.

Laughing, bright and joyous, and choking in the same breath.

Just the same as when Ace left Dawn, with maybe fuller cheeks and more seaswept hair. Fourteen, and so stupid.

Ace saves him from the Marine, and doesn’t quite shake him in the next moment but its a close thing.

“Luffy!” Ace growls.

“Ace!” Luffy cheers.

And well, that is that before Ace slings Luffy over his shoulder as a volley of bullets follow in their wake.

“What the hell are you doing out here, you idiot? Seventeen! We promised!”

“Shishishi!” Luffy laughs, a few bright orange petals drifting out from the hand covering his mouth. “I couldn’t wait!”

Ace snorts at that. “It’s been five months Luffy. Did you even set off at your birthday?”

“Yep! Snuck out too! I stole Old Man Johnson’s boat, shishishi!”

(Ace remembers Garp walking up to the bandit hut with whining brat with blood on his cheek. Luffy, he had introduced the kid to Dadan. Take care of him for me! Keep him away from the water.

The rest of them had thought it was because of his devil fruit. It wasn’t till Makino visited and explained Luffy’s love, the way he looked out to the horizon and its foamy waters, that they understood.

They didn’t like to let him out after that.

Why accelerate his death, after all.)

Ace snorts again, a familiar smile creeping its way across his face at his brother’s antics. “Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Do you even have a crew?” It’s a good question to ask. Luffy is nothing but a miracle worker, even as blood drips from the petals in his mouth. He would be able to make it too the Grand Line on sheer luck, but…

“Of course!” Luffy knows the importance of a good crew. “And a ship! And a duck! And a princess and - “

Ace finally laughs, fullheartedly, at his little brother, because Luffy isn’t dying as he thought, isn’t rushing out to sea in a panic because the last sets of Hanahaki are setting in and -

Maybe the sea might be killing his little brother a little bit more every time he touches sea stone or dips his toes in saltwater but -

Luffy is alive. And both of them will live without regrets.

If Luffy doesn’t regret setting out to sea and letting flowers rot in his chest like an omen of death, then Ace cannot regret it either.

Ace rarely loves, but he has always been loved back.

Luffy loves so much yet it kills him, day by day.

Ace holds his brother in his arms (for the last time? He hopes not) and hands him his vivre card.

“If you need to find me,” he says, “We’ll meet at the pirate’s summit!”

The top - when both of them are big names with bigger bounties, sometime in the future.

Luffy broke one promise to Ace and left early.

Ace will make sure he doesn’t die before he breaks another.

(Don’t be stupid, Ace had told Luffy on that cliffside so long ago. I won’t die. Promise.

Luffy didn’t promise him back, but he said he would be King.

Ace ignores the part about or die trying, and clings to the hope that Luffy will live.)

He leaves Alabasta with bloody roses and plum tree flowers and sand crushed underneath his shoes.

He doesn’t talk about it.

---

Roses (in general): Love, beauty, worthiness

Plum Tree Flowers: 'keep your promises'

[spitfire-of-the-sea]

The importance of phrasing

Random falling-asleep-thoughts that lead to random scenario. Inspired by real life, because I'm usually one of those giggling idiots.

SFW! Spade Pirates: Ace, Deuce, Saber and Saki - just having some fun. ;)

„Saki, I need an R, can you give me one?” Ace asked, leaning over and trying to look at the letter tiles she was holding in her hand. With a frown, she closed her hand and pressed it against her chest.

“That’s not how Scrabble works!” she told him sternly. Of course to absolutely no effect, because he only leaned closer and nudged her with his shoulder, flashing her a beaming smile.

“Please?” Extra teeth were added for effect. She clutched her hand closer to her chest, frowning and trying very hard to remain stern. He tilted his head to the side, the smile dropping as he blinked at her out of big brown eyes and a sad tilt to his eyebrows. “Pretty please, Saki?”  The puppy dog eyes. Shit. She quickly averted her eyes, trying her best to ignore the heat that was rising to her cheeks.

“What do you even want to spell?” Deuce interrupted them and flinched when Ace turned his eyes on him. “No, don’t even try it!” He, too, quickly looked away.

“Right here, I can spell ‘Fire’ if I get an R,” Ace told him and returned his attention to Saki, placing a hand on her knee as he leaned forward. She made the mistake of looking at him, startled, and by that directly at his big, sad eyes.

With a sigh, she wordlessly took a tile from her hand and held it out for him. When he plucked it from her fingers, he flashed her the brightest grin, squeezed her knee in thanks, and then went about arranging his word with so much happiness that she couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile.

“You’re doing it again,” Deuce said, accusingly. “You’re letting him get away with it. It’s like the Poker thing all over again.” He shot her a dark look and rolled his own letter tiles around between his hands, making them click together.

“That’s because she’s weak,” Saber said with a sniff, waiting for his turn.

Glaring at both of them, she threw up her hands. “What’s the harm? He’s anyway losing right now. Plus, all he needed was an R and I didn’t need it.” Like hell she’d admit that she’d give him all her letters if he looked at her like that for just long enough.

“Sure, that’s the only reason…,” Saber drawled, looking at her with raised eyebrows. “It’s got absolutely nothing to do with those damn puppy dog eyes of his.”

Looking up, Ace grinned at him. “Look! Fire! Seven points!” And then, bumping his shoulder against Saki. “Thanks, Saki!”

Rolling his eyes Saber set down a few of his own letters. “There, Lute! Four points – earned all by myself, without any help!” He clicked them down with extra emphasis and Saki stuck her tongue out at him.

“You know what?” Deuce muttered darkly. “Why don’t we all play like that, then? Rules apparently mean nothing here!”

“I mean… Pirate crew and all, but hey,” Saki retorted, feeling defensive.

Disregarding her, Deuce looked over to Ace, who hadn’t even bothered to hide his own letter tiles from the others from the start, blatantly ignoring that the others could have used that to work against him – either because he didn’t care enough or because he trusted them way too much.

“I need the D!” He stretched out a hand, palm facing up, and looked at Ace expectantly. Blinking slowly, Ace took it but halted, when a gigglesnort escaped Saki. She clamped her hand over her mouth and quickly looked away when they both raised an eyebrow at her antics.

“Ignore her. Give me the D!” Deuce snapped and a muffled chortle escaped her, even as she twisted her body away from them and bit her lips hard.

Saber’s eyes widened and then he burst into laughter, not even trying to reign it in. The result was immediate, Saki erupted into giggles, dropping her hand to her belly. Ace let his hand sink again, leaning back to try and look at her but she quickly turned her head away.

“Huh?” he asked, nudging her shoulder with his again. When that didn’t get him an answer and only resulted in more laughter, he turned to look at Deuce who only shrugged.

“You heard him,” Saki pressed out once she managed to reign herself in somewhat. Her eyes met Ace’s for a brief moment. “He wants the D.” And then she and Saber both lost it, guffawing and doubling over, unrestrained laughter shaking their bodies.

Deuce abruptly jumped to his feet, color rising to his face in an instant. “You’re such idiots!”

Confused Ace looked at him, then at Saber – he was slapping his thigh and his hat had fallen down – and finally at Saki, who was in tears, helplessly wiping at them and unable to stop laughing.

“What are you, twelve?” Deuce snapped. “I’m done with you! I’m going back to my writing!” He threw his hands up and turned, throwing Ace a glare. “You and your D can stay with those dorks!” And then he stomped off, leaving an utterly confused captain, who watched his two other crewmates drop to the ground, still shaking with laughter.

[spitfire-of-the-sea]

Ratlines

Little One-Shot about Day-to-Day Spade Pirates life, sat rather in the beginning of their journey once they finally got themselves a nice big ship. :D

My headcanon is that Ace is ridiculously good at all things that demand good body control, balance and a lack of fear.

It was really unfair, Saki mused, how effortless Ace made it all look. Seeing him balance up on the ratlines as if he’d been born up there simultaneously made her want to gawk in awe and scream in frustration. Not even looking where he stepped, he easily maneuvered around, shifting his weight as needed and working the sails as if he’d been doing it all his life, as if he wasn’t several meters up in the air on ropes of seemingly no substance. Watching his sinewy forearms as he gripped a line and started working with it, she could hardly believe that he’d never done more than sail around his little home island until a few weeks ago.

“So – are you guys just there to watch, or is somebody maybe inclined to help me?” he shouted down to them and Saki almost jumped, ripping her eyes from his arms to meet his eyes. He was grinning down at them, black locks tousled by the wind. Once again he had left his yellow shirt unbuttoned, granting her a clear view of his pectorals and toned abdominal muscles. Honestly, he looked like advertisement. For what she wasn’t sure. A romance novel perhaps, or for joining the marines. Or a pirating life. Which, coincidently, she’d done; although in her defense, there had been much less advertising going on back then and mostly it had been gut feeling and a couple of lies to herself that she’d leave on just the next island. Well, several next islands had gone by and she had absolutely no desire to leave anymore – and the advertisement didn’t feature into that. It was just a bonus she enjoyed.

This, she thought, was highly unprofessional. She couldn’t decide whether she and her hormones or he and his obliviousness were to blame. Perhaps both, but she leaned towards blaming him. After all, she could hardly not notice all of it, not after years of learning how to take note of every detail that might come in handy later. And oh boywere there many details to notice about Portgas D. Ace.

“Seriously, guys?” he yelled, putting a hand in his hip, all but pouting. “You’re gonna let me do all the work up here?”

“I’m more of a feet-on-solid-ground-kinda-pirate,” Saber answered, grinning and giving Ace a thumbs up. “But you’re doing a wonderful job up there, captain. Exquisite form, great balance! Keep up the good work!” Ace glared at him.

“I would,” Aggie shouted, quick to make sure his captain knew he was willing. He was fidgeting, looking up at Ace. “But I’m really not good at climbing. I’m sorry, captain! I promise I’ll take care of the anchor instead! In fact, I’ll do it right now!” The big man hastily saluted and then jogged off.

Deuce seemed to still debate with himself whether he should try to help when Saki stripped out of her jacket and handed it to him, just before kicking off her shoes and wiggling her toes in preparation. “Well, Kotatsu lacks opposable thumbs, even though he’s probably better suited than the rest of us in all other regards; and I believe Deuce should probably stay safe, so he can put the shards of my broken bones back into place if I drop from all the way up there. Anyways, I’m coming up! I haven’t done this in a while,” she yelled up at Ace. “So don’t expect too much!”

Kotatsu was sitting half-hidden behind a barrel, peaking out at them as if he was expecting an ambush anytime. Hearing his name, he uttered a soft mewl, and dared to take one step forward, watching her as she moved to the mast and started climbing. It took her a few moments to adjust her movements – it was easy to climb up the first few meters along the mast where a sort of ladder had been worked in, but once she had to step onto the ratlines, it got more challenging. They swayed with the ship, pushed this way and that by the rough sea. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but looking down now and seeing how small Deuce and Saber looked made her gulp. Dropping down from this height would hurt, no matter how well she’d stick the landing.

She didn’t even realize she had closed her hands around the rope in a veritable death grip before Ace was suddenly next to her, beaming at her with a wide smile. “I knew I could count on you!”

Startled, she almost lost her balance for a second, but found it again – just before she felt him move behind her, one foot between to hers. The sturdy width of his chest touched her back briefly and she felt goosebumps run up the length of her spine, sending a shiver through her body. He probably thought she had gotten scared, because he leaned closer, close enough for her to feel the heat he always seemed to emanate. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly, just behind her ear. “I’ve got you.”

One of his hands came to cover hers, gently prying her fingers loose. For a moment she watched, fascinated by how much bigger his hand looked compared to hers. Not that she hadn’t been aware that she was the smallest of the Spade Pirates – she just usually made up for it with her big mouth. Now, though, she couldn’t quite come up with anything to say.

“You don’t have to hold on so tightly. Just make sure your feet are planted firmly. See?” He nudged her feet wider apart with his own and she immediately felt a better balance in her stance.

At least she was sure now, it was definitely his fault that she got so distracted. Every other wave swayed them enough to make his chest brush against her back, reminding her of how little fabric there actually was between them.

“I know, I just have to get used to it again,” she answered with some delay, but made no move to disentangle herself from him. She was fighting bravely to alter the route of her train of thought to a different station. “Where do you want me?”

There was pause and she felt his gaze on her, and only now did she realize the potential innuendo. Eyes widening, she tried to think of a way to make sure this didn’t turn very awkward very quickly, but then he lifted his hand from hers and she almost panicked. Before she could say or do anything, she felt it land on her hip, gently coaxing her to move past him to the other side.

“Let’s get you used to being up here first. Climb over there to the other side and then move up. See that rope line there just below the yard? That’s the foot rope. Once you’re securely there, move to the outer part of the yard. I’ll show you what to do to set sail,” he said quietly, still close to her. “Don’t worry about anything but keeping your balance for now. I’ll be right behind you, I won’t let you fall.”

She swallowed, looking over her shoulder to meet his eyes. He was still smiling at her, a twinkle in his eyes and she didn’t have the faintest trace of doubt that he would indeed catch her if she fell. “You realize that if you’d try to catch me, most likely both of us would be dropping out of the sky like dead birds instead of only just me? Which means two sets of bone shards Deuce has to assemble?” she asked him with the barest lift of an eyebrow.

His smile widened as he shook his head. “Jeez, have some faith in your captain, will you? A lightweight like you won’t be a problem.” His hand on her hip squeezed gently, and he added: “Plus, you won’t fall. You have good sense of balance. Now, come on, move it! We’ve got a sail to set if we want to leave this island!” He shifted and she felt him brush past her to open up the path he had indicated just before. She resisted the reflexive reaction to shudder at the sensation.

“Oi, you two gonna do something interesting or are you set on just snuggling up there?” Saber called out. “I’m getting bored!”

She felt Ace stiffen next to her, but before he could do or say something, she turned to look down at their crewmates. Deuce and Saber stood watching them, hands in hips. “You jealous?” she yelled down. “Should have come up here yourself if you wanted some extra time with the captain in lofty heights!”

“Not sure he’s my type,” Saber shouted back, flashing teeth, “But do let me know if his performance is as good up close as from down here!”

“His performance is for sure better than yours from any point of view,” she answered and stuck out her tongue at him. He clutched his hands to his chest in a dramatic gesture and tumbled away as if she’d shot him. Even from all the way up here she could see Deuce roll his eyes at them.

Ace groaned and she chuckled, looking at him. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he was actually blushing slightly. Noticing her eyes on him, he seemed startled for a second before quickly averting his eyes to look back down to Saber.

“If you’ve got time to run your mouth, you’ve got time to wash the dishes!” Ace told him sternly. Then, without looking at her, he placed a hand on the top of her head and ruffled her hair, making her yelp and duck away. “And you – get moving! Unless you want me to rate yourperformance!”

Saber was shouting something about tending to his wounded heart, but ambled off towards the kitchen anyhow, and Saki started to climb along the path Ace had indicated to her earlier. True to his word, he was always but a step behind her and once or twice when she struggled to find her footing, she felt his warm hand at the small of her back to help her find it.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally reached the footropes he had mentioned, pausing a moment to lean against the mast and catch her breath. Her heart rate definitely had gone up, and she was glad the wind didn’t feel as strong as she’d initially feared.

“You good?” Ace asked and she turned to look at him as he came to stand on the other side of the mast. When she nodded, he beamed at her and with one easy move hopped onto the yard just before extending his hand to her. She stared at it with some confusion.

“I thought you said to get to the footropes? Like… here?” As she spoke, she wiggled her toes for emphasis.

“True,” he answered and beamed at her, “but I thought you might come up here for a second to just enjoy the feeling.” She glanced from his hand to him and then along the yard – sure, it was definitely more solid ground than the ropes were. As she grabbed his hand, he surprised her by lifting her easily up to the yard with one hand. She did manage to keep from flailing, but she was quick to grab at the first best solid thing she could get her hands on – which was Ace. He laughed as her fists bunched into his shirt, feet splayed wide and one hand on the mast as he balanced them both.

“Too fast?” he asked with a grin and if he hadn’t currently been the single static object within arm’s reach, she might have considered revenge. As was, she decided for the more demure route and elected not to answer. Until his grin widened at her lack of reply.

“Is that often a problem for you?” she retorted and almost rolled her eyes at his completely clueless look of confusion. It was no fun to tease if you had to explain the jab first. “No, usually you can keep up just fine,” he answered earnestly and she huffed a breath of laugh.

Ah, sweet, sweet Ace.

“Glad to hear that,” she said and slowly let go of his shirt with a least one hand to try and find her footing again. After a moment, she let go also with her other hand, but kept it outstretched to reach for him again if necessary. He watched as she took a tentative step away from him and then another, spreading out her arms to keep her balance more easily. Once she had reached the outer edge of the yard, she turned on her heel and made her way back to him. She had almost managed when a particularly strong wave made the ship sway and she felt herself tilt to the site. With a yelp she allowed herself to drop onto all fours, hands grabbing for hold just as one foot slipped off completely. Ace was already next to her, his hand firmly closed around her upper arm, while the other held onto the yard tightly to catch both their weights if necessary.

“Are you trying to give me a heart-attack?!” she heard Deuce yell from the ground. “Stop screwing around and come back down here! I don’t even have any equipment to take care of a broken bone!”

Her eyes found Ace’s, who looked her over carefully before breaking out into a smile again. “Good catch,” he said her and she just had to laugh. Just leave it to him to praise you even when you had basically just failed.

“I’m serious!” Deuce warned them. “Nobody is allowed to break a single bone, you hear me?!”

“Loud and clear!” Saki shouted back and climbed down to the rat-lines with Ace’s help, where she could stand more securely. “Now, show me what to do – and then I should probably practice by yard dancing skills a bit, maybe a bit further down for now.”

He smiled at her again, slowly letting go of her arm when he was sure she had a good stance. “Sounds like a plan.”

[spitfire-of-the-sea]

Game On

I had way too much fun with this; I'm not yet sure which direction this would take, but I can see something like this happening, I mean, there's basically a person for everybody's taste on board of that ship, isn't there...? :D

SFW! Featuring Cornelia (Spade Pirates), Deuce briefly (Spade Pirates), and Tate, plus several WB commanders. :D Would love input for how you think their characters are, since we don't see much of most of them.

Game On

„Okay, okay... so listen... you could pick one of them, who’d it be?” Tate asked excitedly, leaning forward and looking at Saki with a grin that would probably have looped around her head if not for her ears.

Saki stared at the blonde nurse, blinking in confusion. She wasn’t exactly sure what she had expected when she’d been invited to join the girls’ side during the banquet – the sheer amount of giggles as they had announced exactly that and had grabbed and all but dragged her over hadn’t boded well – but certainly not this. Cornelia, one of the two other female Spade Pirates, met her eyes and lifted her glass in a salute with a wry smile before she downed its content.

Saki didn’t really know any of them besides Cornelia and Tate, who had changed her bandages a few times and was a really sweet person. She had easily chattered away, tending to the wounds, and told her about the Whitebeard Pirates and how she’d easily fit in here and where she could get some food and where she could take a bath and on and on… Saki’s head had been spinning, but she’d felt welcomed by the nurse. Tate had even borrowed her some clothes – not that they fit her very well, but hey, they were clean and smelled nice. The nurse was taller than her and certainly curvier, so Saki felt like a little kid wearing them, while at the same time trying to keep her bra from showing whenever she moved the wrong way. She really hoped she could get some new clothes that actually fit her soon.

Cornelia she hadn’t seen since their fight with the Whitebeard Pirates, when their crew had been beaten up in a matter of minutes… she seemed fine and unhurt, which made Saki happy. Having her here also made her feel more comfortable. For the last half hour or so she’d been sitting awkwardly tucked away in some corner, unsure what to do with herself among all these people she didn’t know.

Most of the girls here were still wearing uniforms, she could safely assume they were almost all nurses or doctors in the medical team. The animal print stockings and pink uniforms or white coats gave it away quite easily. A few wore something completely different, Saki wasn’t sure if that was because they disliked the uniform as much as Saki did or because they were working at different divisions.

“Sorry, whom do I need to pick for what?” Saki finally asked, raising an eyebrow. This wasn’t one of those crews, was it? Because then she’d wait for Ace on some island, thankyouverymuch.

Tate rolled her eyes at her: “No, silly. It’s a hypothetical question. If you had to, who’d you pick? To sleep with. Or just to smush against a wall and snog thoroughly. Like, who’s your type? We’re curious! We have a guess, but we need to confirm it!”

Cornelia chuckled and moved to sit next to Saki, who was truly grateful to have somebody familiar close to her. She was seriously confused by the topic. Why were they talking about snogging and smushing? Or sex, for that matter?!

“She means which one of the commanders,” Cornelia elaborated, “It’s apparently a sort of personality test here. Banshee decided to show, not tell.”

Saki followed her friend’s gaze and spotted their other crewmate standing next to Jozu, the 3rd division commander. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw Banshee run a hand over the big man’s arm, saying something to him that made him blush like a little girl. It was interesting, seeing that hulking man so embarrassed. Saki chuckled. Banshee had never been shy.

“Guess we know who she’d pick, hypothetically of course,” Cornelia grinned and thanked one of the nurses that handed her a fresh bottle of sake.

“So?” Tate asked, wiggling around impatiently. One of the other nurses leaned in now and eyed Saki – it would have been awkward, if her expression wouldn’t have been so friendly and curios.

“Come on, she probably doesn’t even know half of them yet! We need to introduce them to her!” she said, flicking her short red hair back as she quickly moved until she could sit down next to Saki. She craned her neck, spotted Banshee and Jozu and grinned.

“Who’ll it be? Would you also pick our 3rddivision commander, Jozu? A giant teddy bear, with arms strong enough to lift mountains for you and a chest so wide and strong you can just sink into it? Plus, he doesn’t have to gift you jewelry, he is jewelry. Raspy voice and cute blush included,” the read-haired nurse introduced him and Saki rubbed the back of her neck. Diamond Jozu it was, right? She’d studied the wanted posters while they had made their way here. Not that it had helped any, except that she had known who was beating her up. Yay.

“I’m not sure…-,” she started, but was interrupted even while she was still speaking.

“Good idea! Wait, over there is Izou, look! Our 16thdivision commander,” Tate jumped in, gently directing Saki’s glance the other way with a hand on her chin. She spotted a tall… woman? Cocking her head to the side, she tried to get a better look. No, a man, and probably the prettiest one she’d ever seen at that. He wore a fine silk kimono and his long hair was put up in an elaborate style. “Deadly with his pistols and the only one around here who’s able to pick clothes that don’t make you want to gauge your own eyes out. I can assure you, he’s ripped below that kimono and he’s looking as good without it as with it. Plus, he’s from Wano – so he’s got this exotic flair about him.”

Saki felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she very quickly looked away when he turned to look at them, probably having felt their gazes on him. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. She prayed he hadn’t caught her looking. She’d been on this ship for what, two weeks now? No need to already go making bad impressions.

“Hi Izou!” Tate greeted him excitedly, waving both arms. Saki didn’t see his reaction, trying very much to keep her back to him.

“How do you know that?!” Another of Tate’s colleagues joined in and put her hands in her hips – she had braided her long black hair and wore a white coat. In her hand was a delicate glass of sparkling wine, a stark contrast to what the others were drinking. “Is there something I should know about, Miss?!”

Tate laughed and waved her off: “I bandaged him after that scuffle a few months back, remember? Can’t say I was displeased at what I saw. Buthe’s pretty impatient, I have to mention that before you make your decision. I guess that can also be hot, though.”

“Don’t you think this might be…-,” Saki tried again, but already the redhead had grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her yet another way.

“Vista just arrived!” she cooed. “Over there, our 5thdivision commander! A gentlemen through and through, with broad shoulders and a strong chest. Never heard a single bad word from him, he’s always nice! Nobody is as good with swords as he is! Look at that mustache… and at that chest. Ah, what a sight! And you know what they say about big men with big swords…”

Saki watched the tall man join the festivities, tipping his hat at them with a smile as his gaze wandered over them. He then caught sight of Whitebeard and immediately went to talk to him. By now she was fairly sure her complexion was growing more and more similar to the color of the rescue ring just behind her. Now she had to think of big swords…

“Oh, no, wait, I know!” Tate tweeted, clasping her hands together and quickly shuffling around Saki to put a hand around her shoulder and turn both of them towards the buffet tables. “You’d want somebody that radiates confidence and makes you feel comfortable! A guy that’s handsome and funny and nice and down-to-earth – and who will bring you breakfast in bed after a long night. I’ve seen you two together, you’d be cute! I knowthe hairstyle is an acquired taste, but get him to let his hair down… you won’t be disappointed! And look at those shoulders… and those arms! Ah, I love muscular arms on guys! He is a bit of a womanizer, though. I only heard good things about the results, though.” Tate giggled.

Saki’s eyes fell on Thatch and she blinked slowly. What was with these advertisement pitches? Had they practiced before bringing her over or something? Feeling her eyes on him, Thatch turned and their eyes locked. A grin pulled at his lips as he waved at her. “Hey, princess! You hungry?”

“Hungry for a night of passion,” Tate purred into her ear and Saki stiffened, putting all her willpower into keeping a straight face as she weakly waved back.

He did look good and he definitely had put her at ease when she went to thank him for the meal. And now that Tate had pointed it out, those arms and hands did look especially nice. Hell, most of the commanders did look good and there was certainly no shortage of steeled bodies and interesting characters. But she hadn’t exactly thought of them in this context. And now she kinda did. Which was all Tate’s fault.

“Thanks, Thatch! I’m all good!” she croaked out and let her hand sink, ignoring the giggles of Tate and her two friends next to her. Cornelia chuckled, too. Traitress. The commander raised an eyebrow quizzically, but was distracted when somebody grabbed him by the shoulder and started asking something.

“I have an inkling who she’d rather hypotheticallyhook up with,” Cornelia piped up and Saki’s hand shot out immediately, grabbing her arm in a warning. It did nothing to perturb Cornelia’s wide grin and Saki pressed her lips together, glaring in warning.

“You do? Who is it?” Tate asked, leaning past Saki to look at Cornelia. “No, wait, don’t tell me! I know!”

Saki absolutely dreaded what was about to come, but thankfully the dark-haired one – she’d have to ask for their names – jumped in quickly: “Maybe you like them wild? Rakuyo is right over there! Commander of the 7th division. I like his style… and his laugh! He’s for sure a character, but you won’t get bored with him. Ever. Usually he’s out and about, patrolling the territory, and he always brings back something for us, or takes us along.” Following her gaze, Saki spotted the commander – among all of them, he was one of the few who could dress half-way decently. His dark blond dread locks were flowing over his shoulders and he had really pretty eyes. Right now, he was engaged in a lively discussion with some other men and threw his head back in a loud laugh. Hm. He did have a nice laugh.

“I don’t think that’s what Cornelia was about to say,” Tate drawled, eyes on Saki, who winced at the piercing glance. Perhaps she should just divert their attention and pick one – it didn’t matter, anyhow, it was a purely theoretical question and she just needed to name anyone and she’d be saved; she could take a bit of teasing; what she couldn’t take was salt in the gaping wound that wouldn’t close since months now.

“It’s Marco, isn’t it?” the nurse asked her then and Saki bit her lips and felt a wave of relief. She quickly looked at Cornelia, who blinked at her innocently. When Saki glared, Cornelia smiled and put a finger to her lips in a sign that she’d keep quiet.

“Is it? He’s literally got magic hands, and he’s kind and so tall – but not too tall! Oh, and those abs… I bet it’s Marco, you felt some chemistry in that fight between the two of you, huh? I’m not surprised, out of the lot of them he’s the most reliable one, he’s looking out for everybody and he’s just plain hot. Plus, he can actually fly.” Tate prodded and Saki looked back at her, frowning. Sure. Their fight in which she’d thought they’d kill them all and he’d kicked her hard enough to see stars. Sexy as hell. Not.

“I can call him over, if you want?” the nurse offered happily. Panicked, Saki quickly looked around, but couldn’t spot the commander anywhere – instead, she saw Deuce load some snacks onto a plate and just as he looked up, their eyes met. She mouthed a ’Help me’ to him, but his eyes briefly wandered over the women next to her, then back to her and then he ducked his head and quickly scuttled of.

That little shit…. She’d get him back for that. Her eyes narrowed as she watched his retreating form.

“Look, I’m not sure I know any of them well enough to…-“, Saki tried to get out of it. She was half afraid they’d try to play matchmaker if she gave them any sort of answer to this question and the thought alone made her wonder if there was a Devil Fruit that made it possible to just magically teleport out of these kinds of situations. A Teleport Devil Fruit. Now that was a thought.

“Don’t tell me, it’s one of your former crew mates?” Tate interrupted her and her eyes widened in surprise. “You already got a beau? Who is it?!”

Saki panicked and her brain short-circuited.

“I just didn’t want to say it out loud like this, I’m easily embarrassed… but I think Marco is absolutely delicious. Those abs, and the eyes and his calm demeanor…! But you know, we’re only here for a few days and I barely know him, so I shouldn’t be so forward. You know what? I’m getting really hungry, I’ll go grab a bite. You want something? I’ll just bring something!” Saki chattered off, not giving any of them a chance to butt in. She had already jumped to her feet and was quickly backing away towards the buffet table, waving her arms as she talked.

Shit, shit, shit, shit. Tate had gotten way too close to the truth and Saki didn’t care to discuss the issue – because it was an issue, it had been for some time now and everything was a complete mess and she didn’t even wanna think about any of it – here in public. Or in private. Or at all.

So, sure, Marco, why not? He was tall, he was good-looking, he allegedly only kicked idiots who tried to knee him in the balls and he was nowhere in sight, so that made him a perfect answer for now. She still cringed about calling him delicious, but hey, best to throw them off the scent right away, right?

She looked over the buffet table, a bit forlornly as she tried not to think of the problem at hand. She hadn’t seen Ace since the fight back then. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried, she had… but somehow, she never managed to catch him. Was he avoiding her? He had no reason to, though.

“You wanted to talk to me-yoi?”

To say she jumped at the sudden presence behind her would have been an understatement. She jerked back so violently that she bumped into the person behind her, her elbow connecting with something hard, and she heard a low grunt before a hand grabbed her elbow and stilled her.

“It would be nice if you’d stop trying to hit me, you know?” Marco drawled, standing now with his chest to her back and he felt the color drain from her face. Or raise to it. She didn’t know anymore. She felt hot and bloodless at the same time.

He’d been nowhere in sight. Why the hell was he now here so suddenly? And why did he think she wanted to talk to him? And why did she keep being weird around him?!

She slowly turned around, hands lifted as a sign of peace. “I’m sorry, you startled me there.” Leaning to the side ever so slightly, she caught side of Tate, who was giving her a thumbs up with a wide grin. The realization of how grave the mistake she’d made before sank in.

“Wasn’t on purpose, sorry-yoi,” he said and when she looked up, he was wearing his usual laid-back expression. “You wanted something?”

Yes, she wanted that Teleport Devil Fruit. Please and thank you.

“I did?” she asked and tried to sort through her brain for what she could possibly ask him to diffuse the situation. What had they told him?

He raised an eyebrow at her, putting his hands in his pockets as he blinked at her. “Tate said so. Something urgent about tonight?”

Okay, hyperventilating wouldn’t help but she was getting very close to doing just that. She blinked back, sorting out any topic that wouldn’t exactly count as urgent. Or tonight. Such as her findings that the rat population in the lowest deck had a weird mutation that made them grow to obese sizes and they seemed to be rather smart, so one could make an argument that one might want to take care of the problem before they started their own kingdom down there.

“Something about that deliciousness,” she heard the read-head shout over to them and electricity shot through her spine. Grabbing his hand she dragged him over to the other side of the buffet, far away from where the other women were sitting.

She’d strangle them all. Sure, that would make her a mass murderer, but any jury would decide in her favor. First, she’d get Deuce because he could have saved her, but decided against it. Then she’d get Cornelia, because honestly, she was a traitress and that was unforgivable. Then Tate and the read-head. She had a pretty good chance of taking them, she figured, if she didn’t die of embarrassment before then.

As she came to a stand and Marco besides her, she noticed the amused grin on his face as he eyed her. Quickly she dropped his hand, looking around and then grabbing a glass to push into his hand. He took it, but his eyes didn’t leave her face. “Pineapple!” she said and gestured to the glass. “It’s a pineapple flavored cocktail.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. “Which is delicious,” she added and he nodded slowly, quirking an eyebrow at her. “And only here tonight,” she continued and his second eyebrow tilted up almost imperceptibly. “So it’s urgent,” she ended.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he took a sip and kept looking at her. “Mhm,” he made. “Pineapple, huh?”

Her eyes wandered to his hair, as usual standing on end in a wild mess and reminding her of a pineapple. Quickly she snapped her eyes back to his and she was sure she’d seen where her eyes had gone. Damn her subconscious for betraying her like that.

“Funny-yoi,” he drawled, not breaking eye contact. “Maybe a bit cheeky from a rookie like you.”

When he hunched down to be on eye-level with her, she swallowed heavily. It only underlined how much taller than her he was, and she was pretty sure he knew it. The trace of a grin pulled a corner of his mouth up as he cocked his head to the side, his expression still lazy, but she didn’t miss the glint in his eyes. She felt like a mouse staring at a shadow in the sky that was rapidly taking on the shape of a falcon.

“Game on,” he said and patted her head in an overly calm manner that made her stomach drop. Well. Shit.

[spitfire-of-the-sea]

Survival

Little one-shot about the daily struggles Deuce has to face with Ace and Saki. :D SFW!

Saki skidded around the corner not a second behind Ace, dragging a huffing and puffing Deuce behind her. The dark alley was narrow and Ace had to slow down so he didn’t bump his broad shoulders against the walls – Saki and Deuce, on the other hand, finally could catch up to him, unhindered thanks to their slimmer stature.

“I… I can’t anymore…!” Deuce wheezed, but Saki kept pulling him behind her relentlessly.

“You gotta...!” she snapped. “There’s at least 5 restaurant owners behind us and they are not happy! I think I’ve got shards in my hair…!”

They slipped out of the alley and Ace stopped for a second, looking around to orient himself. As Saki started to take off to the left, he caught her by the elbow and dragged her in the opposite direction. “That way goes back into the city! We have to take this road!”

It took them another five minutes, but then they were out of the streets and had slipped into a forested area, where finally they slowed down and Deuce could try to catch his breath.

He was doubled over, panting for air and shooting them glares – but for now, he was unable to say anything, still trying to recover from their mad dash.

“That was close!” Ace laughed, looking back towards the city they had just left.

Saki wiped the sweat off her brow and glared at him. When that did nothing to perturb his good mood, she punched his arm and he yelped in surprise.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Ace rubbed his arm, staring at her.

“That was for making me run from people throwing plates at me,” she grumped. “I don’t even know why I was running!”

“Oh, that. I forgot my wallet, so I couldn’t pay for dinner, I think they were angry.” He shrugged.

Deuce uttered a suffocated groan and Saki crouched down next to him, patting his back comfortingly. “What do you mean, you forgot your wallet?!” Deuce snapped, slowly recovering from their sprint.

“I thought I took it, but I must have forgotten. Hey, the food was really good, though!” Ace smiled and Saki felt her eye twitch.

“It didn’t occur to you to maybe just go and pick it up? Or ask one of us to pay for it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Ace pondered that for a moment. “I thought you said you had no money?”

She stared at him for a bit, then stood up again and dusted off her knees with way too much force. Putting a hand to her chin, she thoughtfully stared off into the distance and starting to walk again. “So, the ship is that way, right?”

Ace caught her by the elbow and pulled her back, a smug smile in place. “So you don’t have any either.”

Deuce flopped onto his back and groaned. “You’re both unbelievable! How did you survive until now?!”

“Eat and run,” Ace deadpanned.

“Pity or day work,” Saki replied with a shrug.

“Although I mostly just went hunting in the jungle,” Ace added, thoughtfully scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, sometimes you can scavenge some fruits and vegetables. Usually that tides you over,” Saki agreed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and nodding.

Deuce stared at them in disbelief, then shook his head. “I have no words. You’re both feral. Don’t grin like that! It’s not a compliment!” He bristled when Saki gifted him a bashful smile. “I’ll go back and pay them…!”

“Oh, that’s an idea…!” Saki beamed and offered him a hand to help him up. He grabbed it and let her, finally coming to stand next to them.

“Why, though? We’re pirates,” Ace reminded them and the question seemed to be born from honest confusion. Deuce faltered.

“I guess he’s got a point,” Saki mused, looking as if she was contemplating his words.

“No! No, he does not!” Deuce snapped. “Even if we’re pirates, we don’t have to be assholes! We have the money, so we can pay them, we don’t need to steal! They are just trying to make a living – and Ace probably ate his weight in meat. I’ll go back and pay them. You two stay here.” He pointed to the ground and when Ace made to follow, he reinforced his command: “Here!”

Deuce stomped off and left his two friends behind, staring after him. He turned around once, making sure they still stood where he left them, and then shouted: “Saki! I hold you responsible! You keep an eye on him!”

Surprised, she stood at attention, saluting the retreating form “Aye, aye, captain!”

Ace elbowed her in the side immediately. “Hey! I’m the captain!”

She patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Sure you are. By the by – this does not count as inviting me for dinner.”

“No, of course not!” Ace seemed scandalized by the notion. “I’ll invite you for a really nice dinner! Once we found some treasure, that is. Oh, but wait…!” Rummaging through his pockets, he pulled out a few coins. “I could invite you for an ice cream, if you want?”

“Oh, yes!” She happily skipped a few steps forward and they started back towards the city. “There was a little ice cream stand somewhere close to the main square! We can get one for Deuce, too!”

Ace gently corrected her path with a hand on her shoulder, so they would end up at the main square and not the suburbs. “Sounds good! Let’s go!”