ᴀᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘᴀᴅᴇꜱ

Summer Heat

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When you first met Ace and Sabo, it had been a couple of weeks after your move to New York.

You were completely miserable and tired of staying cooped up in the stuffy house.

During your time here, you desperately missed Mihawk and Perona. On top of that, New York was excruciatingly hot and the culture was completely different from Sicily's. The sights and smells overwhelmed you, as did the civilians.

Occasionally, you went out with Luffy to dispel these feelings when he wasn't busy doing his own thing and since the school year was about to start, you didn't have much to do.

But it became abundantly obvious that Luffy was sneaking away to do only Pete knows what in his free time. Bored out of your mind and with nothing to do in Shank's house, you decided to follow him. Before leaving though, you brought your comfort blanket. The one Mihawk had given to you right before your departure. It was a black fabric with designs not unlike the ones on your father's overcoat. The blanket had swirling red and pink patterns lining the inside, something you often traced when you were bored.

As soon as you left the house, you looked around warily, searching for your friend.

'Where could Luffy possibly be going?' You thought, 'Did he even have friends? Was there someone else he was meeting with?'

Unable to satiate your curiosity any longer, you tip-toed after the lanky boy, hiding behind various buildings to conceal your presence--not that you had to do it, mind you--the boy was completely oblivious.

After several skips and turns, you found yourself staring at Luffy's back. He was stopped in front of a small ledge, one he was able to easily hop down from.

Judging from your surroundings, you were far away from the nicer part of New York City. Dirty alleys and shodden apartments with a few stray cats here and there were a far cry from Shank's area. You heard the occasional cough from the smokers and the creaks and groans of old, decrepit houses. It was abundantly clear that Luffy wasn't here alone. If he had, you'd certainly be concerned for him.

What was he doing in such a bad part of town?

You felt as if your heart was going to burst from your chest at any given moment. This place was eerily similar to the one back in Rome...

Back when you were still a homeless orphan.

You balled your fists in anticipation and prepared yourself for the worst. Swallowing the building fear, you pushed on, peering over the ledge Luffy had disappeared from. Below was an area you hadn't expected to exist, seeing as how it looked like a dead end. Underneath, there was a hastily built shed with what appeared to be a kitchen and a bedroom. Of course, there was no denying that it was built by children, but still, it was an impressive feat. With a makeshift oven made from junk and a bedroom with tattered futons, it was easy to tell that one could live here for a while.