Y'ALL ARE SO NICE!! WHY ARE YOU SO NICE???

But for real now. I really appreciate the support from every single one of you. College has been ruthless with us ever since we started online, and I have projects after projects with deadlines that make you wanna pull your hair out of your head. I'm involved in a super important team project right now - the six of us have to make one website for our college. We don't even get that much credit for it but its mandatory we take a team project this semester.

This is why I'll probably be on and off on here. Keep in mind that I'm always working on the next chapter, it's probably just not finished yet.

But don't worry, I plan on updating more regularly starting from May, as spring break finally comes.

I plan on making this story a bit more mature in the nearest future, hope you don't mind ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) But knowing your thirsty asses, I know you won't ~ ;)

Thank you for your patience!

×

"Doflamingo!" Ace's voice roared throughout the corridors. His anger for this man was beyond measure. He was ready to pounce on him like an animal at any second.

You felt a chill running down your spine. Ace needed more time to heal - not to cause more injuries to the ones he already has. You trusted Ace with your life, but you knew he was no shape to take on enemies like Doflamingo just yet. You struggled to break free from his protective grip. You escaped Doflamingo once, you can do it again. Even if you had to drag Ace along with you.

Finally breaking from his arms, you took one deep breath for courage and then -

"Who the heck are you?" You immediately blurred out. The man standing in front of you was dressed exactly like Doflamingo but looked nothing like him. You looked at him and then back at Ace, who clearly had no idea that this person was not the enemy he thought he was.

'Doflamingo' was frozen in place, holding his arms in the air, looking like a complete idiot. Your mouth opened automatically in complete and utter confusion.

"I am the Young- AH!" The man began but before he could finish, Ace started to attack him.

Looking at the two, you couldn't help but let out a big sigh. It was a good thing your son didn't inherit his father's smarts - or rather the lack of it. The anxiety from earlier vanished immediately. You rubbed your temples as you looked at the pathetic fight between the two.

Ace threw a few punches here and there, barely missing the target. The ground shook with every punch he threw.

"Ace..." You groaned, as you noticed he still didn't understand the situation.

"(Name), run! I'll hold him back." Ace said with a smirk on his face. How long has it been since the last time he threw a fist at someone. He missed the adrenaline. However, he couldn't help but be surprised by his strength that managed to overpower Doflamingo's. From what he remembered, this man was supposed to be pretty strong, even for himself. Nevertheless, the fact remained that this man was in fact his and his brothers common enemy. If he could take him down right now, all their problems would be solved.

"Ace-" You said again, but Ace immedietly shrugged you off.

"Just run, (Name)!" He repeated, preparing his stance. You felt your hand slowly drag down your face. He was lucky you loved him. Otherwise, he would be dead before he knew it.

"ACE!" Your voice overpowered the two men, startling them. The two froze and looked at you. It wasn't Doflamingo the scariest person in room anymore, but rather your imposing figure overshadowing the two men. Ace felt a little shiver going down his spine.

He might be made out of fire, but even he could feel the chill in air caused by your anger.

You let out a lone cough and stepped closer to 'Doflamingo'. Perhaps yelling was a bit overboard, but this was the only way to get their attention. The man in front of you gulped, and you felt Ace tense up with every step you took.

"Now, I think I asked you a question. Who are you?" You repeated, and god knows you didn't need to repeat it the third time. Pink man gulped and threw his hands in the air.

His arms, as well as his legs were shaking. He took a deep breath and then- his eyes slowly moved towards Ace, wanting more than anything to escape your sharp stare (that could likely cut deeper than his blade). Suddenly, his eyes lit up finally noticing just who he was fighting this entire time.

"Wait! You were with Luffy-dono in the Colosseum, weren't you?" The man said, looking directly at Ace. Bewildered, Ace was at a loss of words. What was Doflamingo talking about? And how come he was scared of you? Well scratch that, you are pretty scary when you are angry, but this was Doflamingo he was talking about. A simple stare shouldn't scare Doflamingo that easily.

"Luffy-dono? You know Luffy?" You said quietly, looking at him and then back Ace.

You already knew that Ace went after Luffy, after your reunion. But you had no clue what happened after the two of you separated.

Suddenly the disguise on the man vanished with a poof. Ace felt his mouth open wide open. This wasn't Doflamingo!

"So you're Luffy-dono's friends!" The man grinned, relived to see you less apprehensive. Ace on the other hand, stared at him in shock.

"What the-" Ace blurred out, feeling completely left out of the situation. You sighed and stepped closer to Ace.

Taking his hand into yours, you subtly examined his hand, under the pretext of caressing it fondly. Luckily his little fist fight didn't cause any unwanted injuries. Ever since the two of you reunited, the fear of seeing Ace hurt ate up your soul. It's been such a long time since the two of you been together, you almost forgot just how reckless Ace actually is. You would think dying and coming back to life would serve as a good enough lesson.

If anything happened to him again, you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself.

The man previously disguised as Doflamingo introduced himself as Kin'enmon, a samurai from the Wano country, who has been traveling with Luffy for a bit of time now. He parted with Luffy and Zoro a while ago and was on the lookout for a man named Kanjuro, another comrade of his - whom apparently has gone missing. But before he could go into more detail about his tear worth story, something jumped out of his pocket.

"We should join the others! They need all the help they can get. Sugar isn't the one to take lightly!" A little voice said. You looked at the ground only to see a little human like creature, almost the size of your hand.

As if this country couldn't get any more weirder...

"Is that a-"

"Mini-human?"

The two of you completed each other's sentences. First the talking toys, now mini humans, just when you thought you have seen it all, the world proved you wrong.

"I have a name, you know!"

"Ah sorry..." You said, feeling a bit flabbergasted.

"Never mind! Let's go!" The chibi-human, who you later learn her name is Wicca, yelled out, pointing on ahead.

Following right behind them, you felt a sense of relief knowing you will join the others soon. You knew you could only hold Ace on a leash for so long. You didn't know much of what had happened these past two years, but there is one thing certain, and that was the fact that he starved for some action. Ever since he was little, Ace has never been as limited as he's been now. He always ran around and did what he wanted, so naturally you felt bad for him. But this was for his own good.

By the time you finally got to the top, Ace was out of breath. You immediately went to his side to check on him. As usual, he dismissed it and just threw you one of his famous smiles. He grabbed your hand that was resting on his cheek.

"Don't worry too much about me. I'm fine." He said kissing your forehead. You felt something stir inside of you. Were you this touch-starved? Your eyes left his as you felt your cheeks turn red. He could do the bare minimum and you'd still feel your heart skip a beat or two.

"The elevator should be around here." Wicca said.

The place looked rather empty for it to be Doflamingo's lair. Something was definitely going on. Where was everyone?

As you got closer to the elevator, all of you placed your guards up once more. There should definitely be someone here to guards the lift but... The place was empty. There was a sign of a battle, which meant the others probably were down there as we speak. But just as you were about to step into the elevator, a small groan of pain was heard at the bottom of the floor.

"Everyone!" Wicca yelled out, surprised to see three more of her friends passed out on the floor. She jumped out of Kin'enmon's hands and went to hug the three. "I'm so glad you're all ok!" She gleefully said.

"They don't look quite alright to me." You said quietly.

"Oi! Are you alive?" Ace asked as he shook the life out of one of them.

"ACE!"

×

The ride on the lift took longer than expected. It just showed you how deep underground the trades were being made. No wonder Koala and the others had a hard time finding it.

Your eyes didn't leave Ace. You perfectly remembered Marco's words. Ace needed to take this slowly. He needed to recover - not to run around and fight. He probably hasn't traveled this much on foot in a very long time. You instantly moved closer to him and grabbed his arm, hugging it.

Ace smiled at you. Seeing how worried you were and how much you showered him with affection really made him feel sorry. Every time he looked you, he was reminded just how much he had hurt you these past few years. And despite all of that, you somehow found a way in your heart to forgive him instantly, not only that but to love him as if nothing happened at all.

You have changed, he could see that. You were different than before. You were stronger - and it wasn't because of the devil fruit powers you now had.

Once closer to the bottom, all you started to hear a rucks. Perhaps it had something to with that Sugar girl Wicca was talking about earlier. She didn't had the time to explain the entirety of the plan, but apparently, Sugar was the first enemy they had to take down.

The lift's door opened and all of you were surprised to see an entire crowd, waiting to climb up. All of them having at least one weapon in their hands. Everyone froze as they stared right back at Kin'enmon, who was still dressed as Doflamingo.

"Dolamingo?!" They yelled out, anger clearly written on their faces.

"Hey, sorry for the wait. Let me through." Kin'enmon said, completely ignoring the crowd who were now pointing their weapons at him.

Ace gripped your hand.

"You jerk!" The crowd yelled at Kin'enmon. "How dare you turn us into toys!"

A shot was fired, and then another one. Suddenly everyone started to fire at Kin'enmon, and as a result, to you too. You pulled Ace behind you, before he even had time to react and focused everything you had at the bullets coming right at you.

As if in slow motion, the closest bullets to you missed you, but you knew it was only a matter of seconds before the others will hit you directly, from every direction. You knew you had to repel them one way or another.

Holding your hand in front of you, you focused on the energy around you, trying to create a barrier of some sorts. You closed your eyes and imagined the bullets stop right in front of you.

Suddenly it was quiet, no one was firing any shots anymore. You opened your eyes and let out a gasp. All the bullets were stuck in the air, as if time had paused. A bullet was just near your eye and you slowly grabbed it. Once you ceased your attention from the barrier, all the other bullets dropped on the floor. The fog around you started to clear up, and to everyone's surprise, 'Doflamingo' was gone with it.

Disappointed and angry, the rowdy crowd disappeared in search for Doflamingo, completely ignoring - or rather not seeing the two of you at all. Seeing that everyone else started to run in a different direction, you turned back to Ace, who looked at you, completely shocked.

"I thought I was supposed to be the knight in shining armor." He grinned, placing his arm around your shoulders. You could only smirk at him, swelling up with pride.

"You'll just have to get used to it." You grinned, patting his chest.

"I might just do that." He answered back as leaned in, kissing your cheek.

Staring into each other's eyes, a familiar tension began to build between the two of you. You watched his adam apple move as he gulped. The tension was almost palpable. With every breath you took, you felt the space between the the of you become smaller and smaller. You could feel his breath against your left cheek and his heart hammering inside his chest.

As you started to remove your hand that was still gently touching his chest, he quickly grabbed it and held it close to him once more. You shily moved your eyes from his to your intertwined hands. You had forgotten just how big his hands were compared to yours.

He slowly leaned towards your face, and as you felt his his lips touch yours, a voice made both of you jump.

"That was close." Kin'enmon said as he dropped back to the ground from the celling.

Ace immediately pulled away from you with a cough. You let out the breath that you were holding. You could feel your face turn red. You had forgotten you weren't alone.

"I thought this was Doflamingo's stronghold. Why am I targeted?" He asked, completely clueless of his appearance.

Both you and Ace sighed.

"Could it be..?! The toys must've turned back to their original forms! The accomplished operation SOP!"

"Oh so they managed to pull it off!" Kin'enmon grinned, while Wicca jumped around in his hand in glee.

"If so, then you should probably take that disguise off." You said, interrupting the two.

"Honestly, no wonder they were after your ass." Ace mumbled as he leaned his head on your shoulder.

"Ah!" Both Kin'enmon and Wicca exclaimed as they finally noticed the attire.

Stepping away from Ace, you took a peak outside.

"We should find Koala and the others. It's not safe yet. Plus you need to rest for a bit, you're starting to look a bit pale." You told him.

Ok, maybe the last part was a lie, but you didn't want to risk anything. Ace noticed that but decided to just roll with it. He let out a laugh and followed after you.

"Yes ma'am!" He teased, placing his arms around the back of his neck. "Ah! Kin'enmon, will you be alright on your own?" Ace stopped, looking back at at him.

"Of course!" He grinned waving back at the two of you. "Kanjuroo! I'm coming for you-" His voice slowly faded as he ran on ahead.

You knew from the minute you came here that this place was out of ordinary. But to think that the toys were actually humans... This country was more messed up than you originally thought. Doflamingo had to be brought down, but will Ace be alright with sitting this one out? Knowing him, probably not.

Especially if it involved Luffy and Sabo.

That is why you worried so much and acted more annoying than usual. You knew it would be only a matter of time until Ace will start to get tired of your over-protectiveness but you had no choice. You lost him once, you didn't plan on doing it again.

As the two of you hurried your pace, trying your best to not attract any unwanted attention, Ace spotted a small crowd hiding behind some crates. It was Sabo and the gang (and someone you had yet to meet before).

With a huge smile on his face, Ace started sprinting towards his brother, not before grabbing your hand to drag you along.

Koala was the first one to spot you two.

"(Name)!" Koala cheered as she started to wave at you. At her words, Sabo immediately looked in your direction as well. A big smile on his face appeared, one that could only compete with the one Ace had on.

Sabo immediately pulled Ace into a big hug and the two began to laugh.

Koala moving closer to you, she smiled at you and then looked at the two brothers along with you.

"It's been so long since I've seen Sabo this happy." She said staring right at the blonde.

You felt a small smirk appearing on your face.

Koala and Sabo were always together. Every time you saw Sabo, he was rarely on his own. Koala was always right there next to him, and for them, that was something completely natural. Even if one of them wasn't present, somehow, they always managed to bring the other person into the conversation.

It was clear as day that the two had a crush on each other, or rather, strong feelings for one another.

"Then you probably never saw the way Sabo looks at you." Koala's face flushed red at your words. You could only laugh at her.

Looking for anything to distract herself with, Koala's eyes searched around the entire area. As if heard by the heavens, a voice called out for her. Looking behind, Koala's eyes widened as the person running towards them was none other than Robin!

"Robin!" Koala said as she jumped right in her arms.

You have heard about Robin before. She was in Luffy's crew and for the last two years, she was with the Revolutionaries. You never got to meet her, as by the time you got to Baltigo, she was already on her way to Sabaody. All you knew was that she as an incredible person and highly intelligent. Even Dragon regarded her highly.

Noticing the new-comer, the rest of the group got a little closer.

"Sabo! Hack! You haven't changed at all!" She said with a big smile on her face, but suddenly, seeing the fourth person next to Sabo, Robin almost felt her soul come out of her body. She stared right at him, not even bothering to be subtle about it. After all, its not everyday the dead just suddenly start walking.

"Haha... Hi!" Ace waved at her, understanding her reaction.

Robin immediately looked at Koala for answers, who could only sigh.

"I only just heard about it myself. Don't really know what happened." She whispered to her.

"D-Did you see Luffy?" Robin asked the two brothers, who at the mention of Luffy's name, another grin appeared on their faces.

"Yeah!"

Your attention however wasn't directed to their conversation. You have failed to notice earlier, but Robin wasn't alone. You have forgotten his name, but you were sure that the half-dead guy lying on the ground next to Robin was another one of Luffy's crew mates. He was surrounded by other Tontattas, just like Wicca.

At the presence of Robin, the green haired guy standing in the back, who seemed to know Sabo and Ace, started to almost hyperventilate.

Sabo was the first one to notice the almost dead Usopp and pointed it out.

"Oh, the guy from earlier."

Robin smiled as she kneeled down next to him and pulled him up for a better view, as if to display him to the others.

"He's one from our crew! He's Usopp!" She said, showing him off as if he was some kind of pet.

She defiantly fitted right in with Luffy's crew, that was for sure.

The roster guy looked completely shocked at the info. He stared at Usopp for a second and then all of a sudden, he started crying.

You've been away from wierdos for so long, you had forgotten their dynamic.

"Robin-senpai! Let me be your slave!!" Roster-kun yelled out. "But that guy's nose... It looks like Sogeking-Senpai's!"

"It's him. His name is Usopp."

"Asdfjfghkjlk!!" Roster guy almost started levitating from the excitement. "There he is! And Robin-senpai was moved by the actions of her pirate group that turned the world against them in order to save their friends! That makes them the Enies Lobby Shoot-out Duo! YES! OH YES!" His eyes sparkled as he began to run in circles.

"What are you excited for, you geek! Shut up!" Sabo yelled out.

You moved closer to Ace, who continued to smile like an idiot. It's probably been so long since the last time he spent time in Sabo's presence. He was probably overwhelmed by joy.

"I've gotten by hand broken by this idiot?" Hack sighed.

"Ah! That guy." Ace finally noticing the green haired wierdo.

"Why is it that you know all the wierdos?" You said, which only made Ace laugh out loud.

The whole dynamic was a mess, but you realized that you missed being surrounded by utter chaos, as crazy as it sounded. It reminded you of the time on Whitebeard's ship, and you knew you weren't the only one who shared your view. Ace was ecstatic being surrounded by others, after such a long time hiding away from the world. From what you understood from Marco, the entirety of the two years he has been 'dead', Ace was bedridden. He wasn't up and about but rather stuck in a bed for the entire time - and for someone like him, that would be nothing more but torture.

You could only imagine what that would be like. Perhaps he wasn't alone, but from what you heard from Marco, there weren't many Whitebeard pirates left. You slowly grabbed his hand, and held it as tight as possible. You wanted to know everything, but you knew it was not the time yet. You weren't about to force it out of him, you could only hope he will tell his tale soon.

Ace looked down at his hand, that was intertwined with yours, and smiled fondly at you. It wasn't just his brothers that he missed - he missed you more than anyone else.

The moments of peace however, was suddenly cut short by a small and simple announcement.

"Citizens and guests of Dressrosa-"

A sudden chill went down your spine. You knew that voice all too well. The grip on your hand tightened, as Ace, much like everyone else, tensed at the sound of that voice.

"It is I, Doflamingo."

And this time, it was the real one...