'Why did this happen now? Why couldn't he stay longer?' You thought throughout the night to yourself while crying, your pillow soaked from the amount of salty tears pouring out from your eyes.

"Ace, come back... Please..." You choked out a desperate cry, but knew he wouldn't hear it.

As if the whole world just came crashing down on you like dead weight, you stayed in your room and didn't bother fighting back your emotions. The wails of your sorrowful sobbings muffled by your pillow didn't go unnoticed as a certain little boy peeked into your room.

Wary eyes blinked at the sight of the scene before him. "(Name)?" Chopper quietly called out as he entered.

"Huh?" You look up and hurriedly wipe away the evidence of your crying as soon as you saw him, wincing slightly as your hands roughly rubbed at your cheeks' sensitive skin. It was late at night and he must have heard your crying, so you send him a smile to reassure him. "Chopper, is everything okay?" You ask.

Hiluluk stood by your bedside as did Chopper. The two silently scanning your face and seeing the lie hiding within your smile.

Hiluluk sighed and shook his head, "So he finally left, huh."

Chopper frowned sadly as he heard this. Your eyes widened, but you quickly look away to keep yourself from breaking down in front of them. They didn't need to see you in such a pathetically pitiful state.

"I want him to come back..." You mumbled as you hugged your knees to your chest.

"I know..." Hiluluk smiled.

"But that's impossible, isn't it..." You sighed.

Hiluluk's smile widened and he let out a loud laugh. You looked at him confused and tilted your head inquisitively.

"What you say is true." He finally said and sat down beside you on the bed. "He won't come back."

You nodded and cast your eyes down. "I know..." You said and glanced up at the ceiling with sad eyes. "When a soul is done with their unfinished business then they leave..."

Chopper crawled up onto the bed and snuggled in beside you. "So Ace left after his unfinished business?" He asked you.

You nodded in response and hugged your baby brother. Hiluluk sat with his eyes closed, as if meditating. The three of you said nothing, until the doctor broke the silence with a quiet hum.

"What you say is true." He began. "Ace left. He finished what he needed to do." He looked at you with a mischievous grin and winked. "But how sure are you that he is truly gone?"

You blink confused and frowned, "What does that-"

"Nope! Sorry! I can't tell you any more than that." He laughed. "But I can tell you that you should finish this puzzle and find all the pieces."

"Puzzle? Pieces??" You were even more confused now. What did Hiluluk know that you don't?

"Think about it, (Name)," He said seriously. "Ace could touch you, right?"

You nodded, still not getting it.

"If he were a real ghost, he wouldn't be able to touch you as if he were solid." He chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Now why do you think that is?"

You simply stared at him in bewilderment. Thinking to all the times you've been with Ace, was there something you weren't seeing?

The moments when he hugged you and you couldn't hug back, the time you both were in Thriller Bark and nearly kissed him, the warmth his body emanated at that moment. You gasped and widened your eyes as you realize what he was trying to tell you.

"Ace is...still alive?"