"Spade Pirates?"

Their little fishing boat was rocking on the blue waves of the sea. The little flag above the sail rustled in the wind, the gale haphazardly blowing the pirates' hair around their face. The pair were sitting on the tiny deck across from one another and basking in the sunlight, letting the wind speed them onward.

"Yeah," Ace grinned toothily. "Sounds cool, right?"

"Better than most." Btella strained her brain, trying to remember a certain name she'd heard awhile back. "Curly pirates? No..." she mumbled.

"Did you say something?"

Btella waved her hand absentmindedly. "It's not important. I'm guessing you want followers."

"Crewmates," Ace corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Btella fingered her aviator googles. "We'll need an actual ship."

"And a flag."

"Some more supplies might be preferable. You practically cleaned out the kitchen with that stomach of yours."

"And a flag."

"You're a good navigator so we don't need to worry about that. We'll have to find a ship's doctor for sure."

"And a flag."

Btella's eyes cut in half, gazing in irritation at the speckled cowboy. He beamed at her innocently. She opened her mouth to continue when he interjected again.

"And a flag."

"Food comes first!"

Ace pouted and turned his head to the side. "I want a pirate flag."

Btella leaned forward. "Are you always this childish?"

He bowed formally, his hands on his knees as he was sitting with his legs crisscrossed. "Take good care of me."

"Oi!"

The raven haired pirate burst out laughing and stood from his seat to stand behind the bow of the ship. The breeze made his unbuttoned collared shirt dance and his locks of hair flew out of his face, allowing the sun to set it aglow. Btella speculated him, he had on a small but contented smile, his eyes closed as he took in a deep breath.

"I can feel it," Ace opened his eyes and looked out toward the horizon. "The adventures beyond this sea, beyond the sky."

Btella's mouth creased into the frown and looked over the gunwale to watch the waves lap against the side of the boat. "'Don't underestimate the sea.'"

Ace rotated around to stare at her. "Hm?"

Btella rested her head on the wood of the boat and stared up at the sky. "Do you know what connects us, Abraham?"

The cowboy pirate disregarded her incomprehensible ability to completely butcher names. "What?"

"The sky," she pushed back her bangs as the wind kept blowing. "And the sea."

Ace nodded in agreement. "You know what else?"

This made the cook fixate her gaze on him. "What?"

"Brotherhood."

She scoffed. "Sexist bastard."

Ace laughed through his teeth. "Alright, then," he hmmed in thought. "I don't want to say friendship. It's stronger than that."

"How about family?"

His smile slid off his face. "I have mixed feelings about that word."

"It's not about the definition, but the connotation," Btella heaved herself up. "I'll get some food ready. Tell me when you see land."

"Os!" Ace saluted.

Btella laid out her collection of knives and brought one up to eye level. The blade glistened from the sunlight and she could see her smiling face reflected along the side. "Long time no see, old friend."

She frowned suddenly and placed the knife back in its place. She skated the tips of her fingers on the smooth surface of the black kitchen knife before quickly moving to grab a slightly stouter one. She went about creating the first meal as a cook on a pirate ship.

_

Ace could really chow down. She'd seen him eating before but now... it was almost breathtaking.

"Ah!" she'd just come out of the kitchen with another plate of food when it disappeared before she could say One Piece. She hit him with the tray. "Savor it! Savor it, you orange of a cowboy!"

Ace clutched at the growing, pulsing bump on his head. "Sumimasen..."

"Sheesh." Btella sat down next to him, fishing out a bunch of gears and tinkering with them. "If I'd known you could eat like this I would've stocked up more."

A bubble came out of his nostril and Btella's comrade began snoring. "YOU FELL ASLEEP?!"

He just went on sleeping. Btella's eyes were halflidded as she raised a marker and took off the cap.

Ace woke up, smacking his lips and rubbing his head. He scanned around with droopy eyes and his gaze landed on Btella looking through a telescope at the head of the ship. He went over to her and yawned.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good night," Btella responded.

Ace noticed that the sun was sinking into the horizon and the dark sky was showered with stars. "How long was I asleep for?"

"Long enough," the cook lowered the telescope to stare at his face.

Along with a uni-brow and a mustache, whenever Ace blinked a marker drawing of eyes were on his eyelids. On his forehead, with wonderful calligraphy were the words:

PORTGAS D. ASS

Btella held in her laughter and had to turn away from him. He lifted his uni brow. "What's so funny?"

He saw something in the sea water and he hurriedly leaned over to see his face all scribbled on. Ace chuckled darkly.

"Now you've done it, gears for brains."

Btella was catching her breath when she felt a shadow loom over her.

A few minutes later, Btella had a messy eye patch drawn over her left eye and a huge mole above her lip. She was preparing a special tool and a couple of bottles of ink as Ace sat in a chair patiently.

"Are you sure you don't want a professional to do it?" Btella asked him once more to make sure.

"I'm sure," Ace lifted up his arm. "Hurry up."

"Hmm..." Btella sighed and secured a bottle of ink on the top of the machine she'd hurriedly put together. "Don't blame me when your arm blasts into bits."

Ace started. "Why would my arm-!"

"Don't move," Btella commanded as she placed the tip of the mechanical device on his skin, a flashlight placed in her mouth. He obediently froze up, not twitching an inch.

She creased her eyebrows in concentration as she carefully finished drawing the A. "You said you wanted an S after right?" she queried around the flashlight.

"Yeah, with an X over it."

"I still don't understand why..."

"You don't need to," Ace rested his chin in his hand as he gazed lazily at the night sky. "Thanks for giving me the idea, though."

Btella grunted in response.

"Done!" the brunette grinned, removing the flashlight and carefully placing the tattoo creator to its place.

Ace moved his arm around as Btella went to bring over a mirror. She lifted it up and directed it at him. He scrutinized her artwork before his mouth spread into a smile from ear to ear. "Awesome!"

"Glad you like it," Btella began to disassemble the tattoo machine. "It wouldn't matter if you didn't, anyway."

"As payment," Ace pushed her to the cabin. "I'll take first watch."

"Of course you will," Btella poked him in the chest. "You took a five hour nap, you hay brained pirate."

"Hai, hai," he kept pushing her along, smiling brightly. "Leave it to me, first mate."

"You picking a fight?!"

Btella ended up agreeing with the order and went on to get ready for bed. Ace placed a hand over his upper arm where the tattoo now graced it and smiled warmly.

"Sabo..."

Something clicked in his head and he shouted at Aoi who was brushing her teeth. "Oi, Bell!"

"Whaaaaat?!"

"I found it!"

She spit and rinsed. "Your intelligence?"

He glared at her. "No..."

"Too bad."

"Kinship."

Btella paused in drying off her face as her eyes widened. She lifted her head to look at him. "Kinship?"

"The word we were searching for," Ace explained further. "It's kinship."

The cook kept staring.

"Do you know what that means?" Ace asked.

"Of course I do!"