~Ace’s POV~

                The Whitebeard Pirates were a pretty rambunctious bunch and I fit in perfectly. Everyone welcomed me in without question once Oyaji deemed me worthy. Though, if they knew the truth, I had a feeling everything would crumble.

                “Ace!” Talia’s singsong voice called giddily as I lost myself in my darkening thoughts.

                I turned curiously to find her twirling her way toward me in a bright yellow sundress that hugged her slender figure perfectly before fanning out around her legs stopping just above her knees. Her frosty pink hair was free as always falling around her delicate frame in loose waves. A pair of baby blue glasses sat atop her head and I smiled to myself knowing full well she probably thought they were lost.

                “I can’t find my glasses!”  She pouted adorably as she finally stopped her twirling run and pouted adorably at my side against the hull of the ship.

                With a chuckle I reached up and caught the bridge of the baby blue frames and eased them onto her face, “Mystery solved.”

                Her smile was as radiant as ever and instantly made my heart take flight. Talia knew my secret, yet she didn’t act any differently around me, though Talia was anything but normal. After a moment her smile faltered and she poked my cheek. I gave her a curious look. She frowned adorably before repeating the action with a little more vigor.

                “What are you doing, bookworm?”

                “Something is wrong with your face.” Another poke.

                I threw her a skeptical look, “What’s wrong with my face?”

                “There’s this weird look on it.” She scowled before poking near the corners of my mouth.

                “I’m the weird one?” I raised an eyebrow at this.

                “Fix it.” She stammered cutely and stomped her feet like a child.

                “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I laughed.

                She smiled, “Better.”

                It was all because I hadn’t been smiling? No she let me get away with not smiling before. Perhaps Talia could read me better than anyone else, she knew something was bothering me, and was attempting to cheer me up.

                “What are you doing tonight?” She asked me out of the blue.

                I shrugged. It was our last night docked at the island before setting back out to sea. “Nothing in particular.”

                “We’re all going out to a festival they’re having on the island, you should come with us.” She beamed.

                I smiled a genuine smile, “I’d like that.”

                Talia beamed and threw her arms around me, “Yay!” She grinned before turning slightly serious and what she thought was intimidating, “We still have a race to finish. You’re going down.”

                I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous she looked. The frail girl attempting to be intimidating was the most uplifting thing I’d seen in my entire life. “In your dreams, bookworm.”

                She stuck her tongue out at me childishly before scampering off.  A chill ran down my spine, someone was watching me. I turned cautiously to find the first division commander leaning against one of the upper cabins. Though he didn’t appear threatening, I still felt a little apprehensive.

                “What is it that’s bothering you?” The blonde asked softly.

                “Eh? Noth-.”

                He cut me off with a stern look, “She’s worried about you.”

                I wanted to snap at him and ask why it was any of his business, but I already knew the response. She was the reason, because whatever I was worried about was affecting her. “She shoul-.”

                “We’re the only family she has.” Marco cut me off once more before I could say something stupid.

                Did she not have any family? I turned and looked in the direction she’d disappeared. Was she possibly like me? Could it be that Talia was all alone in the world? If that were truly the case, how could she be so bright and full of life?