PELAGIC - Ace x Reader x Law

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Belonging Out of Place

Wow...I knew he was past his prime, but this is...

Whitebeard had summoned me to his quarters, and when I had arrived I had been utterly shocked by what I saw. The legendary man looked like he was on death's doorstep with so many tubes and medical apparatuses hooked up to his body. It was almost sad.

"Please, take a seat, girl." He motioned for me to sit down, but I shook my head firmly, hands clasped tightly in front of my body.
"I'll stand, thanks..." I rejected his offer, knowing I wasn't going to be able to get comfortable, even if I tried. At least by standing I could hide my nervous fidgeting a bit better.

Whitebeard studied me with his stern eyes for what felt like the longest time, sizing me up in a way that made me silently plead with any and all higher entities that it wasn't with I'll intent.
"You made quite the scene the other day, didn't you?" He pointed out, and my nerves began to climb.
"I..I'd say it was justified...Your men kidnapped me, after all..." I murmured, attempting not to sound too catty, just in case he wouldn't take kindly to such an attitude.

There was no way he wasn't picking up on my discomfort, that was for sure, but he didn't seem to be angry. That alone was relieving.
"A sound argument. Now, you mentioned that you wanted to return to where you were taken from, right? May I ask why? I've heard many things about the Donquixote Family, and none of it has been good."

Here we go. Nobody is going to listen to me, are they?

"With all due respect, Sir, none of you know Doffy like I do. He may have a vicious reputation, but I lo-" Why was my throat growing tight all of a sudden? That one word really didn't want to come out, but I pushed it through with all my might, despite how it seemed to drag and cut against my tongue. "I love him, and he loves me. I wouldn't be asking you to let me go home if that wasn't the case. Ace made a mistake."

Much to my surprise, Whitebeard truly appeared to be taking my words into account, nodding along and humming to himself.
"I don't doubt your feelings, girl. Not at all. Though, from my perspective, I have two issues to deal with." He began to explain, shifting slowly so he was sitting up more. "In your case, you want to return to Dressrosa, which is a long and risky trip, well off of our course. In my son's case, letting you return will cause him great distress, and he makes poor decisions when he's in such a state of mind."

Why is he calling Ace his son? There's no way he's his father...

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I thought about how I could plead my case. Ace was a valued member of the Whitebeard Pirates, which meant I was starting off with a major handicap.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, b..but don't I have the right to make my own decision? No offence, Sir, but you're not my captain. Ace may be your crew member, or s..son, but all he is to me is an old friend, from childhood. Neither you, nor him, have anything to gain by keeping me detained."

As I waited for Whitebeard's response, I fidgeted around with whatever loose sections of my clothing I could without it seeming too obvious. The faint, sandpapery rasp of his breath predicted his impending fate, likely in the same bed where he currently sat, pinned in place by tubes and tanks, cruelly prolonging his inevitable demise. It was almost sad to think such a simple death awaited somebody so powerful.

"Listen, (Y/N), was it? Though you may be right in regards to me having no principled objective for keeping you on my ship, or personal benefit, I can't simply disregard Ace's feelings on the matter. He's spoken of you often, almost as much as he has about his younger brother. I request that you take some time to really think about the situation, and if you truly wish to return to Dressrosa, then I shall personally escort you there myself. Can we agree on that?"