The ship was eerily silent after my fist connected with Ace's face.

I knew it was a bold move, to strike a member of Whitebeard's crew directly in front of his gaze, but I couldn't control my emotions, which were all over the damn place.

Ace stumbled back a step or two, hand coming up to lightly touch at his now tender, reddening nose, an expression of shock washing over his features.
"What the hell did yo-"

Before he could finish his snapping, I lunged forward again, but this time my arms curled tight around his neck, the new broadness of his shoulders supporting me as my feet dangled.

"Wh..what the fuck kind of a way was that to come and see me, you pepper faced jerk..?!" I barked, but the bite in my voice barely came out as a nip through my tears. It had been so ridiculously long, I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't have even recognised him if it hadn't been for his freckled face.

Ace's arms closed around me, and he leaned forward so the toes of my boots could find the ground, a low chuckle tickling my chest as it rose from his.
"I could ask the same about that greeting of yours, dumbass." He scoffed half-heartedly, pulling back to give me a lazy grin. The same kind he used to reserve only for his brothers.

Wait a second...

Abruptly, I pushed back, holding a finger up as though I were a mother preparing to scold her misbehaving child.
"Hold on, let's just back things up here for a minute..." I started, pointing directly between the man's eyes. "As glad as I am to see you...why couldn't you have just shown your face instead of sending that creep, who literally kidnapped me?!"

My point swung to direct towards Marco, who gave me a cheeky little wave.
"I told you, girly. We made a game of it." He sounded like it was no big deal, but it really was. I went to take a threatening step towards him, but instead chose to pivot and focus back on Ace at the last second.

"A game of what? Abducting me?! Do you know how terrifying that was?! I nearly died!" Adrenaline was kicking in again, and Ace reached out to lower my pointed finger.
"Yeah, in retrospect it wasn't the best idea. But, in my bro's defence, you did squirm around when he told you not to."

Throwing my arms up in exasperation, I began to pace, back and forth across the lengthy deck, other crew members backing away if I got too close.
"How was I supposed to react when I thought a pirate was going to murder me, huh?! He didn't even mention you!"

"Yeah, my bad. I probably should have dropped his name, yoi." Marco agreed, but my focus wasn't on him. It wasn't even purely on Ace anymore. No, somebody else had taken my attention, and that was when I seriously began to freak out.

"Shit, you've gotta take me back right now..! Doffy is gonna murder your asses, and then I'm gonna get in so much trouble..!" I announced through my teeth, hands reaching to tug at my (H/C) hair. I hadn't recieved one of his punishments in so long, I didn't want to break that streak now.

Not only that, but he'd be hysterical if he found out I was missing. The last thing I wanted to do was scare him like that again. Ace stepped in my way, blocking me from my pacing path as he placed a hand on each of my shoulders, taking care to not put too much pressure on my injury.

"Calm down. Don't you remember our promise? You're free now. You don't have to go back to him. It's over." He explained, looking proud of himself. I, however, felt my stomach and all of its contents drop. "A thank you would be nice?"

He was incredibly lucky that his pompadoured crewmate realised I was reeling my fist back again, because right before I took a second swing, I was held back, hissing in both anger and in pain from my shoulder.

"A thank you?! Ace, that was what?! Ten years ago?! Things change!" Did he really take it to heart, even after all these years? Hadn't he grown up? I had discarded that promise along with all the other childish hopes and dreams a long time ago. I knew where I was supposed to be, and I was happy with it. I was fine with that.

Now it was Ace who was getting mad, stomping towards me just like he used to all those years ago to get up in my face, only being held back by a tall, scruffy looking creep of a crewmate.
"Things change?! Are you a damn idio- Teach, let go've me! A damn idiot?!"

Yep, you haven't changed in the slightest...

"Yes, things change! Are you dense?! I appreciate the sentiment, but you really need to tell this guy to let go of me, then you gotta turn this big-ass ship around and take me home to Dressrosa! I want to go home!" I couldn't keep thrashing about due to my injuries, so I stilled in the man's grip, but my glare was equally, if not more so violent.

Ace appeared to be completely taken aback by my words in the worst way, and the skin of his shoulders began to warp and glow a fierce orange, the man holding him quickly dropping him as his sleeve caught fire.

That's right...He goes by Fire Fist now, doesn't he..? A logia type...

"You're telling me, to my face, that after all of that crying way back then, those tears, and how fucking scared you were, that you really want to go back and marry Doflamingo?!" He got right up in my face, so much so that the pompadour man had to take a step back for the both of us. My face dropped when I realised he knew. "Yeah, I read the papers, (Y/N)! Better count yourself lucky for that, otherwise you'd be trapped there for life!"

As much as I wanted to, I didn't try and force myself out of the hold I was in. Instead, I took a deep, grounding breath.
"Put me down. Now." Hesitantly, my wish was granted, and the moment my boots clicked against the wooden boards I gave Ace a taste of his own threatening medicine, getting in his personal space. Though I doubted it would have much effect, given our height difference.

I hate that I can't be happy to see you...

"You listen to me good, Ace. I'm glad I got to see you, I am, really, but I need to go home now. I want to go back. I'm supposed to be there, and you're supposed to be out here. I'm sorry our little pre-teen fantasy to be pirates together didn't come true, but face the facts. Things don't work out like that."

He looked hurt, but the emotion that was dominating Ace's face more than that was anger. There was a lot he wanted to say, to scream into my face, I was sure, but he didn't get the chance to do so.

"I'd like to point out that I'm in charge of the Moby Dick." Whitebeard himself spoke out loud and clear, and my head snapped towards his direction. "I'm sorry to say, we can't just head off course when you say so. There are things we need to do, and we're already too far from Dressrosa."

My heart sank, and my stomach began to twist into nervous knots. What was he saying? I was stuck here?
"Th..then drop me off at the next island..! I can find my own way back!" I insisted, even though I knew that would be a hard task. I knew my way around Dressrosa, sure, but I'd hardly been out on my own. I wasn't the best navigator.

Whitebeard shook his head once, unphased by my less than polite way of speaking to him.
"I won't be leaving a young lady alone in an unknown country. I have morals." I really didn't like where this was going, and I became desperate.
"Then let me borrow a transponder snail! I'll get Doffy to-"

"That sick son of a bitch isn't coming anywhere near you or this ship, (Y/N). Give it up." Ace growled from beside me, and when I met his eyes, I knew I was completely and utterly screwed.
"You're...holding me hostage..?" I voiced my realisation, switching my gaze between him and his captain. "You start talking yourself up like some kind of hero for rescuing me, then you turn around and hold me hostage?! Are you screwing with me?!"

My third attempt at a punch was halted by the sound of Whitebeard's sword staff banging the surface of the deck a single time.
"Calm down and stop trying to beat my son's head in. We'll figure something out so you can get what you really want, you have my word on that, but in the meantime, just focus on recovery. You've been out for forty-eight hours and shouldn't be getting so worked up."

Son..? Wait...I've been unconscious for two whole days?!

There was no way Doflamingo wasn't a complete wreck right now. He'd have every executive out searching for me, but were any of them even a match for the legendary Whitebeard? Was Doflamingo?

My head began to throb as my panic truly set in, and I sank down to my knees, realising that there really was no way I was going to be able to get home any time soon. I felt a hand make an attempt to touch my shoulder and I slapped it away with as much force as I could muster.
"Don't you touch me, you asshole!" I spat towards Ace, my glare warping when I saw how visibly concerned he had become.

"He really has messed your head up, hadn't he..?"

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***There's a reason (Y/N) is acting so stupid. Ace was very much correct in his statement.

I'm nearing the end of the Dressrosa arc. When I started this I didn't realise how messed up Doffy was, but my god I still love him. I wanna be sick :')

Also in this household we love and respect Bartolomeo.

Next Time: B word, rhymes with Witch***