Chapter Text
Morning sickness was a bitch. Ace was hurling his guts every single morning with no hope for relief. The fire user was able to move around more, which would be nice if he wasn’t hunched over a toilet for the 3rd time just in the last hour. Garp decided to bring these awful-smelling rice crackers, and no matter how much Ace complained, the man wouldn’t stop eating them. The freckled boy heaved for what he hoped to be the last time that morning, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his hospital gown, and rolled and sat back on the floor so his back rested against the wall. It has been 2 weeks since he found out about his… little predicament, and he wasn’t sure the shock had quite worn off just yet. He placed a shaking hand on the bump that started to appear; soon, he wouldn’t be able to blame bloatedness to hide his secret.
He had really started to feel the effects of being 10 weeks pregnant. His torso and back were wrapped tightly in gauze, and while he was happy that it was protecting his back, the wrappings were tight around his aching chest. Ace had noticed that, much to his embarrassment, his chest was starting to look fuller and his nipples had started to darken, not to mention how sensitive he had become in that area. The freckled boy was constantly shifting to try to get away from the unwanted stimulation, but the gauze followed him regardless. There was absolutely nothing to prepare the boy for just how much and how quickly his body seemed to be changing. Despite it all, though, Ace was not regretting his decision in the slightest.
The only good development that seemed to occur was how quickly his back seemed to be healing. He didn’t know if pregnancy had anything to do with it or just the absurdly expensive medicine the Marines were able to afford, possibly just a combination of both, but his back had become one massive scab that was slowly peeling around the edges. The pink skin underneath was scarred and didn’t have much feeling, but every day, he was healing little by little. The nurses were putting ointments on it religiously at this point, keeping the skin well hydrated and soft so it wouldn’t crack, and thankfully, Ace was getting more and more movement back and was starting to be able to twist and move his arms more freely without worry. The one massive downside to all his healing, though, was that he was just so damn itchy. His skin constantly felt like millions of ants were crawling across his back, his chest hurt just from a small piece of fabric rubbing across his nipples, and he was peeing constantly.
Oh, seas, the constant need to pee was ridiculous. In addition to the constant throwing up, Ace was peeing nonstop. At this point, the freckled boy was spending more time in the bathroom than his own bed, much to his, the nurses', and Garp’s dismay. The onyx-haired boy let out a small whimper of frustration as his bladder had filled way too rapidly just from the action of sitting. With great effort, he got himself back to standing and relieved himself, finally feeling empty in all regards and praying to the seas that he could finally have a break to lie down.
With slow and careful movements to not shock his overly sensitive body any more than it already was, Ace shuffled his way out of the bathroom and made his way back to the med bay bed he had been staying in. Garp was not in the room, probably going to go find something else for the fire user to try and eat, or possibly just to torment some of his cadets, probably both, but either way, the freckled boy was disappointed to be alone in the room again.
Ace still was unable to get over the fact that he had caused Dr. Fishstock’s death. Her blank, lifeless eyes haunted his dreams, and sometimes he could see her face in the dark corners of the room. He was seeing a lot of familiar faces just out of the corner of his eyes, always the faces of everyone he had failed. The deceased doctor’s face hurt, but nothing could compare to the bloodied figure of his brother. At night, Ace could hear his voice, asking why he wasn’t fast enough, why he didn’t try harder, why he wasn’t stronger, why Teach was still alive, and worst of all, why Ace failed his family. Those nights usually ended with the freckled boy screaming himself awake, panic-filled as he was once again trapped in that dark room, always with hate-filled, piercing blue eyes staring into his soul. Ace hated the dark. Garp was usually the one to help shake the boy from his panic-filled mind, holding him close and just letting the boy cry. He never asked what Ace was seeing in the dark, never asked who was plaguing his mind; he didn’t need to. Garp knew that the voices and faces of the boy’s family tormented him even in what should be the peaceful realm of sleep. The demons that plagued the freckled boy’s mind were something Garp hated; he hated that they were something he couldn’t protect the onyx-haired boy from.
With a groan, Ace lowered himself onto his bed and pulled the covers close. The bed was positioned so he could sit up, so Ace just positioned himself till he was comfortable. As much as he hated being alone, it did give him time to think. His hand returned to the small swell of his belly, gently stroking it as he looked at it in wonder. He knew it was just in his head, but he felt like he could feel the warmth of life inside him. He wondered how big his baby was now, if they felt safe inside him. He hoped his devil fruit wasn’t making them too warm, and that they were getting enough food, even if Ace couldn’t keep much down himself. Like always, in the quiet of his mind, his thoughts started to wander back to the family he had to run from.
He wondered how Deuce and the other Spades were doing, if they had managed to escape or if they were being held captive… The thought made him sick, thinking about the possibility that they were going through what he had gone through. He hated himself because he didn’t try harder to take them with him, didn’t try harder to stay and tough it out in that dark cell… Maybe if he had stayed, he would have found a way to convince them of his innocence, or at least managed to kill Teach. The hand on his stomach had tightened; had he stayed, he wouldn’t have had this precious miracle, he would have risked killing this new piece of life along with himself. Ace quickly shook his head to dispel the thoughts.
Redirecting his thoughts, Ace focused on his hunger. He thought back to those meals in the galley, always filled with chaos, noise, and happiness. The freckled boy ached for those times, just the connection of family and love, all while eating tasty food. It was early summer, so Thatch would have prepared lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, maybe there would have even been some watermelon. Maybe had they visited a larger island, they could have gotten some good meat too, like pork, or maybe even crocodile meat. Ace’s mouth watered at the memory of watermelon and crocodile meat, groaning in dismay as his recently emptied stomach growled at him. While he wasn’t able to keep much down, he was still so insanely hungry it was maddening. He was getting sick and tired of the small, easy-to-digest meals; he wanted something heavy and dripping with juice. Maybe Garp knows if they have something on the ship…
As if the oceans heard his needs, there was a small knock on the door before a very familiar pink-haired cadet entered. Koby had been stopping by semi-frequently, always when Garp got swept up with something and couldn’t be at Ace’s side, and the nervous marine and injured pirate had started to make some kind of friendship, mostly in regards to Ace’s younger brother.
“Koby! It's good to see you,” Ace’s bright smile at seeing the boy fell into a pout as he noticed Koby did not, in fact, bring him food, “oh…” The pink-haired boy seemed to instantly panic at seeing the freckled boy’s sad face.
“I-is something the matter? Do-do you need the nurse?” As much as Koby had started to become calmer around Ace, his nervous stutter never really disappeared. Ace’s face fell more as he was reminded of another person who stuttered when they were stressed… Marco had hated his stutter, he had done everything he could to hide it from Ace and the rest of the crew. There were a few private moments when the fire user was privy enough to see the strong first division commander and first mate of the Whitebeard pirates break down, overcome by anxiety and stress. Ace knew Marco only stuttered when under extreme stress, particularly when it came to the well-being of his family, but he couldn’t help but think the man was cute even when he struggled to talk. He remembered the first time Marco was so nervous he lost the ability to speak. It was the first time he had ever gotten rough with Ace in the bedroom, and the freckled boy had barely winced in pain. Marco was reduced to nothing but a stuttering bundle of anxiety, apologies, and panic. As funny as it was now to look back on the incident, Ace did understand how scared the man had gotten about possibly hurting the freckled boy; he always became that stuttering mess when it came to the pain and suffering of his family. It was especially bad after those tough battles… Where both brothers and friends' lives were lost, the infirmary was packed with the injured, and Marco was no longer Marco, but the doctor who was responsible for all those lives… In the quiet of their room, though, where no more prying eyes could see, Ace had held the man as he lost the ability to speak.
“A-Ace?” The freckled boy in question snapped out of his sudden daydream, smiling sadly at the worried expression of the young cadet.
“I’m fine, sorry, just hungry.” Ace let out a sigh in longing, his stomach once again growling in protest as the fire user carefully caressed his precious bump. Koby straightened up at that.
“I-I can get yo-you something! We-we have a pr-pretty well stocked food storage because of G-Garp, do-do you want anything in particular?” Ace’s face immediately brightened up at the possibility, knowing Garp, he really would make sure his ship was stocked with everything.
“Yes, that would be wonderful! If it is possible, I would love some watermelon, crocodile meat, ooh, if you have that fancy cheese, that would be wonderful, but not the smelly stuff, maybe some extra spicy salsa, grilled sea-king, ice cream…” Koby was stuck in shock at the sudden bombardment with food requests, scrambling to grab a pen and paper to start scribbling down the massive list. Ace was for sure Garp’s grandkid.
“And just some chocolate and blueberries as well, please.” The pink-haired cadet was disheveled as he finished writing the five pages of oddly specific food requests. Some of the stuff he had never even heard about before, but the eager and hopeful smile from the beautiful man in front of him made Koby hope more than anything they had all of it on board.
“A-anything else?” Ace just smiled brightly as he shook his head.
“No, if you could get me even just some of that, I would be very grateful.” Koby just nodded as he looked skeptically at some of the weird food pairings.
“Right… I-I will go get that for you. Oh, Garp wanted me to tell you that we are getting close to the border of Paradise.” Ace blinked in surprise at that. Garp had not told the freckled boy where he was taking him, but never in his mind did he think he would take Ace back to paradise. A part of him dared to hope that maybe the man was taking him back to Foosha village, but the freckled boy was filled with anxiety at the thought. He had told his family, the Whitebeards, about the small and quiet village with the massive forest filled with deadly animals that he grew up in. They knew where it was, and he couldn’t possibly risk them going there to find him. Ace was so lost in his worry for the small village that he didn’t realize Koby had left, and once again, the onyx-haired boy was left all alone.
He needed to talk to Garp; Ace couldn’t let the man take him back to his home island. He fought too hard to get away, to put all the pain that island had caused into the past. Plus, now Luffy was no longer there, so there really was nothing there for Ace if he were to return. Sure, he had Dadan and the other mountain bandits, and he missed them in his own weird way, but he couldn’t go back to them and have them see how horribly he failed. Subconsciously, the freckled-haired boy moved a hand up to his neck, where a red beaded necklace usually sat, only for it to come up empty. He sighed as he remembered how he had nothing but the sleep shorts and boots he had left with that horrible day. He didn’t have the necklaces that Dadan had given him; the memory of his adopted mother hurt knowing he had lost a piece of her. She always acted like she didn’t care, but he knew how she would go out of her way to always make sure Luffy and him were always taken care of, or at least alive, even going as far as putting her own life at risk to save him. He owed her so much, yet even though they fought constantly, she still cried the day he departed that island, gifting him with his very own red bead necklace matching her own. He never really understood why those red beads meant so much to her, but he didn’t need to understand; all he knew was that he cherished them because they were a part of her, and now they were gone.
The drops of water on his hands weren’t surprising anymore. Anything could set off Ace at this point, even a bug dying on the counter, but memories like this hurt the most. The sobs that came from Ace shook his body as he tried to choke them down. He wanted to go home, he wanted Dadan and Luffy, he wanted his little brother to wrap him up in his rubbery limbs and give him that too-big smile, he wanted Dadan to pull him close and tell him how much of a brat he was. He missed the smell of old wood and cigarette smoke; he missed the early morning hunts and needed to save his baby brother from yet another crocodile. Ace startled as the image of his lost blond brother flashed into his mind, and with a hiccup, the freckled boy was crying harder.
He missed Sabo so much. Was Sabo watching over him now? Watching how much of a failure he was? That he tucked his tail and ran like a coward? How disappointed had Sabo become?
Ace let out a squeak of surprise as the infirmary door slammed open, Garp freezing in his stride as he looked at the freckled boy’s weeping eyes and running nose. The Vice Admiral barely opened his mouth before Ace let out another high-pitched whine, followed by choked-off sobs. Awkwardly, Garp walked over to his crying grandson and put the bowl of soup he was holding down on the side table before gently patting the boy’s shoulder. The crying boy didn’t wait for the invitation before he draped himself over his gramps and cried into his shoulder, smearing tears and snot on his freshly cleaned uniform.
“What's with the water works this time?” The question was a little insensitive, but it was about as sympathetic as Garp could get.
“I-I mi-miss Lu-Luffy, an-and Dadan, a-and Sa-Sabo.” Garp made a noise of awkward acknowledgement. He was always very bad at talking about Luffy and Ace’s deceased brother, always changing the subject before things got too deep.
“Ah, I see… Well, speaking of Luffy, I have some news for you.” The freckled boy looked up at the man with a concerned face, sniffling as he pulled back.
“Did something happen? Is he ok?” All the worst possible scenarios went through Ace’s head; he didn’t think he would survive if he found out something had happened to his brother.
“Yeah, yeah, the brat’s fine. Thought you would appreciate this, though.” Garp pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to the freckled boy. Ace snatched it away quickly, needing to know the damage of what happened, but what he found instead made him freeze in his tracks. There, smiling at him with that too-wide of a smile, with the words “Dead or Alive” right under the victorious picture, was his little brother’s first ever bounty. The onyx-haired boy blinked several times as he scanned the entire page, and then he felt it, the rumble started in his chest before taking over his entire body. Ace laughed in joy as pride filled every ounce of his being.
“Oh my seas! Luffy got his first bounty! And look how much it is!” He pointed the bounty to his gramps as though the man hadn’t been the one to bring him the paper.
“Still not as much as my first bounty, but a very good start for a crybaby like him!” Ace was so excited as he started rambling off about his younger brother, talking about anything and everything from their childhood, Garp making the occasional grumbled comment that he had been there and knew some of these stories already. Ace didn’t care as he was just too excited by the news; he was ready to show anyone and everyone. He couldn’t wait to show Marco-
The realization of his thought came to a screeching halt. He couldn’t show Marco; he couldn’t tell any of the Whitebeards anything. The freckled boy thought about how he used to tell all of his family everything about Luffy, how proud he was, and how excited he was for when he finally left out to sea. He remembered lying in bed with Marco and how the man had been so patient as he listened to all of Ace’s childhood stories, how he asked questions about how they even survived such a chaotic life, but also his snickering comments about how Ace made so much more sense knowing what he knew about the boy now. He remembered how Pops, er, well, Whitebeard had laughed and said that maybe the rubber boy should join their crew, but Ace laughed it off and said it would never happen in a million years, because Luffy was going to be king of the pirates.
He needed to get it through his head that Pops wasn’t his Pops anymore, Whitebeard probably wanted nothing to do with him, just like everyone else. Even if the man did still think of Ace, it was probably in disgust and hatred for causing the death of one of his real sons. Marco probably was grateful he no longer had to deal with Ace’s rambling, probably saw Luffy’s wanted poster, and just threw it away. The freckled boy had so desperately wanted to introduce his family to his younger brother, but now he just hoped they would stay away from the rubber user. The Whitebeards were not known to go after innocent people, but they were known to protect their own, and a part of Ace worried that they would go after Luffy as revenge against what they thought the fire user had done to Thatch.
“What happened? I thought this would make you happy?” Ace was startled as he had not realized he had zoned out. Garp was looking at him with a confused expression, trying to understand why his grandson had fallen silent so suddenly.
“Oh sorry, no I am happy, I just can’t believe how much he has grown… I wish Sabo was here to see this.” The onyx haired boy looking longingly at his younger brother’s wanted poster, he truly couldn’t be more proud. It felt like only yesterday the three of them were all together, playing pretend pirate excited and ready for whatever the future holds, but now only one of them had a chance to still be successful. Sabo was dead and Ace was a failure, and all Ace could do was pray to the seas that his brother’s dreams of becoming pirate king would come true. Ever since the onyx haired boy officially joined the Whitebeards did he give up on that dream for himself to become pirate king, that need to over shadow his bastard father was something he found other fulfilment in with finding a family who loved him, and since then the only person Ace wanted to see as the next pirate king was Luffy. Maybe he should feel more bad about not wanting Pops-, er, Whitebeard for being the king, but whenever Ace thought back on that soulful declaration of his brother, he couldn’t imagine anyone else with the title except him.
“I really miss home.” Ace was not sure if he was talking about Foosha Village or The Moby, probably a combination of both, but regardless, all he felt was when he was that lonely little kid again, with no one to love him.
“Well, don’t I have some other great news for you then!” Garp let out a hearty laugh as he smiled triumphantly.
“We are a week away from being back on Foosha!” Ace blinked at the older man a few times as he processed what he was saying before the horrible realization crashed down on him.
“No! You can’t take me back to Foosha!” Garp once again looked at his grandson in confusion, this time also with irritation.
“Why not? It's home, boy! I’ll get you set up back at Dadan’s-” The freckled boy couldn’t even let the man finish as panic took over his entire body.
“They know about Foosha! They will find me!” He didn’t have to elaborate on who “they” were. The massive scar on Ace’s back started to burn, almost like his body was physically reacting to the theoretical danger the Whitebeard pirates would become if they found him. Garp just scoffed offendedly.
“The island is under my protection; they aren’t going to find you, and even if they dare show their ugly mugs, I’ll send every last one of them to Impel Down.” Ace could only stare at the man in disbelief. There was no way he actually thought he could take on all of the Whitebeards and win. It did make a little spark of warmth flicker inside him, knowing his gramps was willing to protect him, but he couldn’t put the man in danger like that, plus he couldn’t risk the precious cargo that was still forming inside him.
“Garp, I cannot go back to Foosha.” It pained Ace more than anything to say that. He wanted to go home, he wanted to see Dadan and Makino, and more than anything, he wanted to see Luffy, but he just couldn’t risk it. Garp huffed out irritably.
“You’re being dramatic, you will be fine.”
“But-”
“Enough! I do not know what has gotten into you these last few weeks, but enough is enough; you are going back to Foosha, and that is final!” Ace could feel his face heat up in anger. He hated that his gramps never listened to him. He could understand why he wanted to do this, but he was always too headstrong in his ways, always assuming he knew what was best without considering other possibilities.
Before Ace could begin to argue, there was a knock at the door, and a familiar pink-haired boy peered his head in.
“O-oh, Vice Admiral G-Garp! I didn’t realize you were here!” Koby was quick to fall into a salute, awkwardly standing in the doorway. Both Garp and Ace could only look away from each other in irritation, the tension in the room becoming heavy and uncomfortable.
“What is it, cadet? Do you need something?” The Vice Admiral's tone was sharp and harsh, not liking that he had been interrupted during his time with his grandson.
“N-no s-sir! I-I just brought A-Ace’s food…” The pink-haired cadet stepped aside, showing the massive cart stocked precariously with so many different types of food. The older marine just blinked at the food, then at the small bowl of soup he had brought, then at Ace.
“What happened to not being hungry?” Ace could only roll his eyes at the question.
“Just not hungry for soup…” Garp let out a defeated sigh, sensing that the freckled boy had retreated from the conversation. He gestured for his cadet to wheel in the food, and despite Ace’s frustration from the previous conversation, his stomach demanded to be filled.
The freckled boy didn’t look at his gramps as he started picking apart the massive buffet of food, paring everything he craved together. Both Koby and Garp made a face as the onyx-haired boy purposefully piled on grilled sea king and ice cream, and their confused disgust grew as the boy created more and more weird food concoctions.
The silence in the room was agonizingly awkward. Garp was very obviously waiting for Ace to say something, but the freckled boy wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of starting the fight. The paper in Ace’s lap, however, created the perfect opportunity for a distraction.
“Koby! Did you see?! Luffy got his first bounty!” The boy in question jumped out of his skin at his name suddenly getting called, but the second his eyes landed on the bounty poster Ace held up, his entire demeanor changed. Koby always came out of his shell when it came to talking about the rubbery pirate, and Ace was always more than happy to talk about his brother, even more so that he could share such a spectacular achievement with someone else.
“His first bounty, and it's so high too!” And just like that, the two younger males in the room were instantly rambling about the pirate king dreamer. Garp tried to interject a few times, complaining about how the boy was supposed to be a marine, and that Koby shouldn’t be idolizing a criminal, but Ace just growled at him and told him to just be happy for the straw hat wearer.
“I bet he absolutely kicked that shark-man’s ass-” Ace gagged as the most foul-tasting piece of meat had entered his mouth. He thought it was crocodile, but whatever it was couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
“What the hell is this?!” The freckled boy had to physically scrape his tongue to get the awful taste off, and the two marines in the room just looked at Ace in shock.
“U-um, I think it's bananagator, is it spoiled? The chefs told me it had come in recently…” Koby looked mortified that he had served the onyx-haired boy rotten food, but only became more confused as Garp snatched the piece of meat away from Ace and took a bite himself.
“It tastes just fine. What the hell has gotten into you with getting so picky about everything? Food is food, boy, you eat till there's nothing left!” The older man tried to pass the piece of meat back to Ace, but the freckled boy just shoved it away.
“I’m not picky! It just tastes terrible, I thought it was crocodile meat.” Ace pouted as he realized there was no crocodile meat on the cart, looking back to Koby with big pleading eyes that gripped the boy’s heart.
“I-I am so sorry! W-we do-don’t have any crocodile meat, I thought bananagator would be an acceptable substitute.” Koby bowed down in apology, like he was taught to as a Marine, beating himself up for making such a critical error.
“Oh no, please, no need to apologize. I should be more grateful, please forgive me.” Ace bowed himself before he let out a longing sigh. He really, really wanted some crocodile meat. Koby had gone off on a rambling tangent about how his assumption was poorly thought out and how he would never make such an unforgivable error ever again, but Ace was no longer listening. Both Garp and Koby looked back at the freckled boy only to see him slouched over with a watermelon wedge in his mouth, completely passed out.
“Hmm, looks like his narcolepsy’s back.” Garp made the comment so casually as though it was common knowledge, but Koby just blinked owlishly at the man.
“Did you tell the nurses he has narcolepsy?” The vice admiral just shrugged, scratching his chin before helping put Ace’s bed down so he was lying more comfortably.
“Eh, I forgot.” The pink-haired cadet could only sigh as he watched his commanding officer take the watermelon wedge out of the sleeping boy’s mouth and eat it himself. Koby couldn’t help thinking how similar the man was to Luffy at that moment. After making sure Ace was comfortable, Garp gestured for Koby to leave, following close behind him. While the older man wouldn’t show his emotions to his younger cadet, he did send one last concerned look back to his sleeping grandson, still feeling worried about why the boy was so scared to find solace on his home island.
The sun was setting by the time Ace woke up, disoriented and confused, as he didn’t remember falling asleep. Realization hit him, and he groaned in annoyance. His narcolepsy medication must have worn off. When he was with the Whitebeards, Marco had been super attentive with getting Ace the medication and making sure he took it regularly, but now, without him, the fire user was without the medication itself, and he knew that he would forget to take it even if he had it. Just one more problem on the mountain of everything.
Finally, the fire user recalled everything that had happened before unwanted sleep had knocked him out, Ace looked sullenly at his hands. How could he possibly convince his gramps to not take him to Foosha? If Ace were there, all those people would be in danger; he would be painting a giant red target on the back of everyone he cared about who lives there. He refused to listen to the small voice in the back of his head that so desperately wanted to go home, deciding instead to focus on his resolution. With a heavy heart, the freckled boy started to create his plan to run away once again.
He didn’t have much time, but with great effort, he was out of bed and shuffling his way to the medical cabinets. With an extra pillow case he found, he started to stuff the bag full of the creams the nurses have been using on his back, as well as gauze and medical tissues. He had no idea where his shorts ended up, so he just pulled out an extra pair of nurses' scrubs and changed, grabbing his boots as well. Wearing a shirt after so long was uncomfortable and mildly painful, but at least the clothing was baggy and was easy to put on as it wrapped around his front to fasten. He knew he couldn’t be picky, but he hated the pants; they sat weirdly on his body and were incredibly itchy. With a reluctant sigh, he pushed his discomfort aside and, as quickly and as quietly as he could, exited the medical room. As he was leaving the room, he silently cheered as he spotted his large black cloak hanging on a hook by the door, draping it over himself before resuming his hasty escape.
Getting around the ship was so much harder than Ace thought it would be. He had never been on his gramps’ ship before, and the unfamiliar terrain was like a maze. The freckled boy held the wall to both support himself and also to help guide his way, as he couldn’t risk walking around with his fire. His observation haki was incredibly helpful as he was able to avoid any marines that came his way, and he could create some semblance of a direction based on how they moved. Eventually, he found a flight of stairs leading upwards, and with any luck, he would be on deck. The cool night air on Ace’s face was relieving and energizing. He was making great progress, now he just had to find his Striker… The deck was massive, and worst of all, it was incredibly open. There was no way the freckled boy would be able to just sneak around. Just from his hiding spot behind a crate, he could see multiple marines on night watch, observing the deck in an annoyingly thorough manner. A sudden realization hit Ace: Did Garp even keep Striker? A very painful ache at the thought of losing his beloved waterglider gripped Ace’s heart. That small boat had been there for the fire user through so many important adventures in his life, and it was something he and Deuce had built together. Has Ace really lost his ship without ever even getting the chance to say goodbye?
He didn’t get time to mourn the thought. A flutter in his stomach reminded him that he couldn’t wait any longer to see if his beloved waterglider was somewhere nearby, especially as his eyes landed on a tender boat very close to his left. The small transport boat was already tied off to the lift lines, and it looked small enough that Ace should be able to get it down by himself. With careful attention to everything and everyone around him, the freckled boy prepared to sprint at just the right moment. His back was already protesting from just carrying the bag of medicine, but Ace couldn’t stop now. Just as a marine pair nearby rounded a corner off the side, the fire user forced his legs to move, propelling himself forward as fast and as silently as he could. He barely had time to make it over the railing and onto the ship, pressing himself flat on the tender board's floor as another marine walked by. Ace had to cover his mouth and nose to silence his breathing in the dead of night; he trembled slightly as a cold sweat broke out across his skin. Despite how much he had been just sitting around and doing nothing, he had to acknowledge the fact that he was still healing and pushing himself like this wasn’t exactly ideal.
He had to lie there much longer than he wanted to before he was able to move again. Now with no one nearby, Ace crouched down and grabbed the rope tether that allowed the boat to be moved up and down easily. He frantically looked around as he untied the knot, not paying attention as the rope came undone too quickly, and suddenly, he was free-falling. He was barely able to catch the rapidly accelerating rope, barely above the water, rope burning the skin of his hands as he forced himself to hold on. The freckled boy couldn’t help himself as he whimpered at the scalding pain in the palms of his hands. With just a glance in the limited light, Ace could see the already forming blisters and newly opened cuts on his hands from the rope burn. He couldn’t focus on that right now, though; he still needed to get away before anyone spotted him.
Now with much more control, Ace lowered himself down into the black ocean below. The large waves rocked the tender boat into the massive hull of the marine ship, and Ace was half worried he was going to flip just from the waves off the side of the vessel, but he was able to steady his small ship and set off. He grit his teeth as he grabbed the two oars and positioned them in the metal stirrups. His hands protested, but he just gripped harder as he started to row away. His bottom lip trembled as he watched his gramps’ ship slowly start to disappear in the opposite direction. At least in the calm belt, he didn’t have to worry about harsh currents… And from what he could tell, there must be some entity out there taking pity on him as the hull of the tender boat was coated in sea stone, so hopefully the onyx-haired boy wouldn’t need to deal with any sea kings either. He couldn’t stop now, even if he wanted to. Garp’s ship was far enough that it looked like Ace could fit it in his injured hand, and soon it would be gone below the horizon. The fire user took a breath from rowing to place a hand on his swollen stomach.
“It's ok, I promise I will keep you safe.”
He had been rowing for hours. Flakes of light started to dance on the horizon, but massive clouds blocked their reach. Ace cursed as a sharp pain stabbed at his ears as he felt the literal change of a storm coming. His ability to feel a storm was something he had always been able to do, and it was the reason he was such a great navigator, but right now, by himself, in a small, rickety boat in the middle of nowhere, a storm was the last thing the fire user needed. He knew the second he broke free from the calm belt because the ocean waves began to roll bigger and bigger, and large fluffy clouds could be seen overhead. Ace’s hands were caked in blood and blisters as he kept pushing forward. He cursed himself as he fought back frustrated tears. The realization that he had nothing to help him navigate finally crashed down on him. In his anxiety to get off the ship, he forgot one of the most important things about sailing the New World, and now he just prayed to the oceans that somehow he would find an island. Every part of him ached, his muscles screamed for release, and he could tell parts of his back had split open; his skin felt like it was covered in tiny, irritating needles from the scrubs, and he was so incredibly hungry.
“FUCK!” He couldn’t stop himself from screaming to the sky his frustrations as his stomach rumbled for attention. His poor baby was going hungry because he was too stupid to ever plan something out well. The droplet that hit his nose made him scream out in frustration again. His ears were ringing at this point, and he knew he had to brace for a storm, but he just kept rowing. He needed to get as far as he could, no matter what; he could not stop.
Before long, Ace did find himself bracing under the seat planks of his tiny ship, clutching onto his bag of medicine as though it could save him from the hell store that appeared. His cloak could only do so much as he shielded himself from the assault of rain and hail the size of bullets. Even his Devil Fruit was struggling to keep him warm as his energy was running low. The ocean threw his boat around like a leaf in a whirlpool, dangerously tipping side to side, almost throwing him out time and time again.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His apology for being such a failure was the only thing he could offer his unborn child, now running very likely at being at risk of never getting the chance to be born, with how Ace may very well die before long. He huddled into as tightly of a ball as he could, protecting his belly above all else. The winds screamed in laughter at his futile attempt to protect anything, as if the world itself needed to remind Ace how much of a failure he was. A part of Ace found that he wasn’t as bothered as he should be at the idea of falling into the ocean… A massive wave pulled his tiny ship further and further up until it could no longer reach, and then the wave was curling over itself, rolling the small ship up and over with it, and for the briefest of moments, Ace was floating.