𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 58

Konan kept Smoker at distance to deal with her other needy opponent who was trying to break through her other wing. She let it disperse and met his fist with her own—with a little touch of chakra. She smirked at the satisfying crank the meeting of their knuckles made. Ace winced at the impact.

Konan barely had enough time to breathe as she felt the air shift behind her back. Her body transformed into a rain of petals, narrowly avoiding the Haki-coated Jitte.

Unfortunately, Ace wasn't so lucky and the weapon met his stomach full-force.

The blow made a loud sound that even the cowering habitants heard from where they hid. Ace felt the wind being knocked out of him as he let out a painful groan.

Konan tilted her head from where she reappeared, "That sounded like a lot of pain..."

"Yeah, it's-" Ace struggled to breathe, "pretty painful," he bitterly remarked from where he landed. The attack was unexpected so the shock, added to the pain of haki against his bare skin, did more than a little scratch. He could feel the bruise forming beneath his skin.

Smoker turned towards her, preparing another blow, only to stop as he felt particles of sand gathering around. He frowned, knowing what followed the unpleasant feeling.

Konan didn't need to wait a second longer before grabbing Ace and disappearing, the last thing she needed at the moment was a warlord on her tail.

"Why are you here Konan?" Ace asked carefully once they settled in a back alley.

She simply smiled, throwing him an ointment for his bruise. "You lot really have an addiction to injuries."

"Wait, what do you mean-" He barely got his question out, when he saw half of her body already begin to scatter.

"It was nice seeing you again, Ace," she said, blowing him a goodbye kiss, "say hello to Luffy for me!"

And Ace was left alone in an empty alley, with only witness some scattered trashes on the floor. A soft sound soon echoed of flesh hitting concrete before the silence settled back in.

"Alright, time to go visit my little brother..." He got up as if nothing happened, stretching carefully before walking away.

Soon enough, he found himself on the edge of the Harbor, gazing out at the sea and trying to make out where the boat of his brother could be. "Here!" He exclaimed with a grin, setting his sight on the straw hat skull.

Without hesitation, he jumped before landing perfectly on the chaotic water. The sea reluctantly tried to shake him off, waves crashing with more violence against the sole of his feat, but he simply walked over the water, his skin tingling at the contact of sea foam. Within seconds, he crossed the sea, sprinting across the moving floor, the tip of feet barely touching the liquid to propel him across. If Konan saw him, she would nod in approval, probably.

He could feel a curious gaze on him, and when he finally jumped on the deck of the boat, he crossed her eyes. A tall woman, lean and disturbingly familiar, her black hair tugged at his memory but he couldn't pinpoint the origin of the familiarity. The only face that remotely resembled hers was Robin but that wasn't it, the woman standing in front of him had blue eyes and a different bone structure. Before he could further delve on the matter, a rubber band crashed against him, tightening in a matter of seconds around him.

"Luffy," Ace smiled fondly, gently trying to pry himself apart.

"I've missed you Ace," Luffy grinned widely before freezing, his nose twitching, "Is Konan with you?" She had a distinct candied scent he could recognize a mile away, perhaps that was why her disguises could never really fool him, save for the few times she took care to put on perfume.

Ace minutely flinched and that was all Luffy needed to know. "Where is she?" He gazed up at him with puppy eyes he whipped out anytime it concerned his sister. "Ace?" His voice was deceivingly soft as he saw Ace stay quiet.

Nami stared at the scene with a shiver, she had never seen her childish captain act like that, like a cunning person. As for Zoro he pretended to sleep but he couldn't help the half-opened eye that observed the scene with hidden curiosity.

Ace sighed in defeat, he knew what tricks Luffy was trying on him, a little courtesy of his sister's meticulous teachings. "She left but she told me to say hello to you for her!" He raised a brow when he saw Luffy visibly deflate, "What? Not happy to see your big brother?"

Nami gasped, finally connecting the dots while the black-haired woman simply smiled mysteriously.

Luffy sticked out his tongue which earned him a Haki fist. "Glad to see you too, you brat."

That night, Ace got introduced to the whole crew. "You're my favorite, Sanji-" he muttered, face stuffed in food, hands reaching out for dishes at the same speed as his brother.

Sanji lit a cigarette up, while watching the pile of plates getting empty within seconds. He already sensed a growing headache at the thought of having to feed the two brothers with their limited food resources.

"Hands off, he is mine," Luffy defensively said, glaring at his brother sideways.

Ace simply raised his shoulders, looking at Sanji with some reluctance.

The next day, Ace stretched as he walked to the deck, the sun barely getting up. He saw someone—Zoro if he remembered correctly—swinging his katana around, slashing the wind.

"Woah," Ace took a step back, smiling peacefully at the blade resting inches away from his neck.

Zoro's brows twitched before he quietly put down his blade, looking Ace up and down for a solid second.

Ace recognized the look, "Wanna have a go?" Being with Konan for so long taught him to value every opportunity to grow stronger.

"You're talking my language now!" Zoro cracked his knuckles and gripped the handle of his blade as he stepped back a little.

Miss All Sunday shook her head, sipping on her morning coffee before getting a bit further away. Without Konan around to supervise, Ace tended to go overboard, and she wasn't very keen on blowing away the cover she worked so long for. Dragon wouldn't be very happy, and it would take away all the fun.

Ace's hands turned black before he clashed against Zoro's blade. It was going to be a long morning.