Ace of Spades

Fanfiction Based off of: One Piece

Original Story: Eichiiro Oda

Chapter 1: Spade

The sky was cloudy, dark, damp. It was late. Two people could be seen at the edge of a ship in the middle of the ocean.

A woman. Green eyes. She spoke quietly.

"Marco."

"Ace sleeping?"

"Yeah."

"Poor guy…knocked out like a light."

A shrug.

"Whatcha just shruggin' for? Guy just got beat up for you."

"…Weak."

"Don't be sayin' somethin' like that. Tried his best. You couldn' do better, y'know."

"Tch. I'm leaving."

"What?!"

"No point staying here any longer. I'm leaving. Taking a spare boat, Marco. Tell the others when I'm gone."

"Hey, whoa, girlie, you can't just leave, what about Ace?"

"What about him?"

"C'mon Skye…"

"It's Spade. Don't talk to me like you're so familiar."

"It's been two years since you came on this ship…some familiarity's gotta be assumed, y'know? Spade, you can't just leave. That'll kill Ace."

"He won't die from something that petty. I'm leaving. Tell him when he wakes."

"Skye…"

A pause. Some scuffling, a splash. A boat floated over the edge of the ship.

"See you later, Marco. Learned a lot from you."

"Spade, I'm gonna wake up Ace."

"Let him sleep. Even if you do go, I'll be gone long before you get him outta bed."

"Just wait a moment, Spade. I'll go wake him."

Marco went inside the barracks, finding a heavily bandaged teenager snoring loudly on a bed.

"Hey, Ace, wake up."

A grunt.

"Wake up, kid. Spade's leaving."

The teenager continued snoring.

A sound came from outside. A thud against the wall. Marco left the sleeping male and returned to the deck where he left the woman. She was nowhere to be seen. He looked over the edge. Blue waters. The boat was gone.

He turned around and looked at the wooden wall of the barrack. A dagger had been thrown, nailing up the center of a playing card. Marco took a step closer to see what it was.

Ace of spades.

******************

"Zoro!" Luffy called. "Look, Zoro, there's a bar!"

"Wanna drink?" the swordsman grinned, pushing open the doors to a small but crowded bar. Given the late hour, Zoro assumed that the inhabitants were a bunch of workers that wanted to kick back and relax on Friday night. Nevertheless, the pub was jam-packed with people, young and old, mostly male, which made the bar seem like a very popular one.

A lone girl was behind the bar, dressed casually in cuffed shorts and a tight white short-sleeve, completed with a dark gray vest and a matching beret hat. Dark black hair, cropped short, barely protruded out from under the hat. She stood out of the crowd, the only slightly sophisticated looking one in a sea of ruckus.

Zoro and Luffy squeezed their ways through, finally finding empty seats right in front of the girl.

"Hey," she said lazily. "What can I get ya?"

"Where's the bartender?" Luffy asked, stupidly looking around.

The girl gave a grin. "I am the bartender. Surprised? It's alright, everyone is the first time. But believe me, I can do my job. So what can I get ya two?"

"Sake," Zoro said easily.

"That's it?"

"Sure."

The bartender rolled her eyes, which Zoro noticed to be a peculiar green, and turned around to grab a bottle of sake from the fridge. She placed it indecorously in front of the swordsman and turned her attention to Luffy.

"And for you, kiddo?"

"Beer!"

"Jeez, you guys make a bartender's life boring," she smirked, setting a tankard in front of the seventeen year old pirate. "So what brings you here? This is just a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the coast of Alabasta; nothing to see, if you're just touring around."

"We're pirates!" said Luffy excitedly.

"Idiot," Zoro said with a roll of his eyes. "You're not supposed to go telling people you're a pirate."

"Why not?" the bartender said with a shrug. "It's not a terrible thing. Some pirates are all right. We get a few pirates here and there…"

"All of them good?" Zoro challenged.

She gave a cryptic smile. "Some."

"What happens to the ones who aren't?"

"I kick them out," she answered breezily.

He took a better look at the woman. She radiated an aura of confidence; her arms, though thin, were muscled and fit. She was in good shape…perhaps around the same amount of strength as Nami.

"What are you guys doing here?!" a female voice yelled in Zoro's ear.

Speak of the devil…

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy greeted. "Wanna drink?"

"No thanks," she snapped. "We're supposed to be in Alabasta soon, think about Vivi!"

"Aw, c'mon," Zoro groaned. "We can kick back for a while. There's no point sailing away at this rate…"

"I suppose," Nami sighed, slipping into a seat.

"Where's Vivi anyway?"

"Back at the ship with the rest of the crew."

"Anything for you, dear?" the bartender asked.

"Oh!" Nami gave a small exclamation, just noticing the bartender. "Oh, sorry about that. It's probably best if I don't drink anything alcoholic…"

"I can make things without alcohol, dear."

"Oh. Sure, then."

"And that, gentlemen, is a much better response from a customer. Sake and beer…you guys'll bore me to death."

She bustled over the shelves, reaching up for a bottle on the highest shelf. Her hand knocked over the side bottles as she took the one she needed, causing a domino effect of crashing and falling.

"Careful!" Nami exclaimed.

The bartender leaned out and caught one jar lazily with her free hand, catching another simultaneously by sticking out her left boot. The cork landed perfectly on the tip of her shoe, balancing shakily.

"Whew," the girl let out a breath. "That would've cost me a fortune if it crashed…"

She kicked the wine bottle up and caught it between her third and fourth fingers, placing it gently in front of Nami.

"Pretty dexterous, aren't you?" Zoro remarked, eyes cloudy with suspicion.

"Things like that happen all the time," she answered, taking out a dusty glass from the cabinet and washing it. "If I didn't learn how to catch those by now, I'd be very much in debt." She set the glass by the bottles. "Now…I didn't need this one…"

She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out another two bottles. Measuring and pouring the liquids into a container with one block of ice, she stirred it easily and poured it out into the martini glass.

"Cinderella," she announced, placing it in front of Nami. "Just three juices put together; no alcohol. Tastes good though."

Nami took a sip, her eyes lighting up immediately.

"Wow! This is great! Thank you."

"You're welcome," the bartender replied.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked bluntly. He seemed to have been contemplating the question for a while.

"Ava Spade. I go by Spade."

"Want to join my crew?"

"What?!" Zoro and Nami exclaimed. "You can't just ask someone to—"

"I want a bartender. I'm gonna be the Pirate King, I've gotta have a bartender!"

"You don't even have a bar on deck!"

"Oh, hell…" Spade groaned, eyes focused past the pirates and into the crowd. She hadn't been listening to their conversation for a while.

Zoro turned around to see what she was staring at, eyes landing on a group of bulky men, very drunk, who were beginning to start a brawl.

"What?!" one shouted. "You're supposed to pay!"

"Hell, I paid last time! This one's your treat!"

Spade leapt agilely over the table and into the growing crowd as the two men began to circle around, cracking their knuckles.

"Hey!" Her feminine voice was easily discerned through the low grunts. "Break it off!"

"Stay out of this, girlie!"

There was a loud bang as a figure went crashing into the wall. Zoro stood up, unsheathing his sword.

"Zoro, what're you doing?" Luffy asked.

"Helping out Spade, right? I mean, it's one girl with a horde of guys…"

"She's fine," the captain said simply, pointing at the crowd.

Spade was more than fine. It seemed that she had been the one who had sent the man flying, and she was preparing for another kick.

"The rule," she shouted, balancing herself on a table, "is no fighting! If you don't want to pay, I'll just put it on your tab! Men like you guys are so dense!"

She swung around rammed her knee into the face of the other brawler, causing him to stumble back and crash onto the ground, his face bloody.

"Clear off!" she ordered.

The man didn't need a second warning, scrambling away as soon as he regained his sense of balance. Spade gave a sigh, dusting off her clothes.

"Jeez…"

"Awesome!" Luffy said happily. "I gotta bartender who can fight!"

"She hasn't even said 'yes!' You can't just assume they're going to join!" Nami said indignantly.

"Why not?"

"Luffy, use your head for once…" Zoro grinned.

Spade returned to the pirates, shaking her head.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said. "We have fights in here…a lot."

"It's a pub. It's expected," Nami said. "Say, Miss Spade—"

"Spade's just fine."

"D'you know anywhere we can stay for tonight?"

"Upstairs," Spade answered, gesturing above her. "I've got a few rooms available…but don't you have a ship?"

"We'll be staying on land tonight."

"Right. Well, I'll be happy to have ya. At a price, of course."

"Of course…" Nami said dryly. "It better not be an inflated price."

"Course not. Hundred beli per room?"

"Fine…" the navigator responded grudgingly.

"I'll show you there," Spade said brightly. "Let's go."

******************

"Everything all right?" Spade called, poking her head into a room.

"Yes!" Nami's voice came floating back from the bathroom. "Ah, this bath is heaven!"

"Good to hear."

The bartender stepped lightly down the stairs, having already checked the men's room to see if everything is fine, and returned to the now-empty bar. She sighed at the mess and grabbed a broom from behind the door just as a loud knocking shot through the silence. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, she strode over to the entrance and yanked open the door.

"Ava Spade?" a man inquired, clothed in a Marine uniform, accompanied by two others.

"That's me," she replied coolly.

"Come with me."

Spade grabbed a leather pouch from a counter and tucked it under her belt, following the three men briskly into the moonlit street.

"Looks like you guys found me again," she said tersely when they stopped behind the building. "Damn, and I was just starting to rake in the dough too…"

"We're here to offer you a proposition," the Marine officers said importantly. "If you want us to stop bothering you, accept it."

"No. I already know what you're about to offer. I want nothing to do with the Marines."

"Are you aware that we could arrest you at any time?"

"You're not that capable."

"We're offering you a very good deal, Spade. Pardoning all your past crimes, withdrawing your bounty in return for your position as a Shichibukai."

"Shichibukai, eh? There're seven already. Don't see why you need me."

"We can make it eight."

"No thanks."

"Very well…a pity. Gentlemen, arrest her."

Spade reached into the pouch at her belt and sent two daggers, hilts out first, flying into the throats of the soldiers. Before they had a change to retaliate, she leapt up and kneed the two sidekicks in the face, twisting midair and slamming the main official's head in between his subordinates'. The three of them collapsed onto the ground as Spade did a handstand and flipped gracefully back onto her feet. She patted her hands and stared at the three unconscious men, thinking.

"Hey," she called. "I know you're there. Wanna give me a hand?"

The swordsman that should've been sleeping stepped out of the shadows. He gazed at her with a suspicious look on his face.

"You're a buff guy," Spade commented. "Help me haul these guys onto a ship and send them away."

"You're a good fighter," Zoro said, his face shadowed with wariness. "Good enough to be Shichibukai?"

"They're just exaggerating," she said mildly, hauling one unconscious male over her shoulder and dragging the other two with her hands. "What a nice guy," she added sarcastically, "helping a poor girl with her burdens."

Zoro sighed and unloaded her of the one on his shoulder.

"I'm not complaining," he said, "seeing as these guys are Marines. Saves us a bit of trouble. But seeing you like that makes me not trust you."

"Don't worry," Spade said soothingly. "Like I'd hurt random people."

"So where're you gonna dump these guys?"

"At the port. There's a free boat there…we'll just send them on their way."

The two of them arrived at the waterside, the water shimmering under the reflection of the moon. Spade plunked the two loads into the boat, causing the tiny boat to rock back and forth, sloshing water into it. Zoro unceremoniously dumped the last man in and stood back, watching Spade as she untied the boat from the dock and kicked it off.

"You're gonna need a couple winds…" Zoro said skeptically.

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when a wind came, blowing the boat into the distance and out of sight.

"Convenient," grumbled Zoro.

Spade shrugged.

"Hey, was your captain being serious about me joining your crew?" she asked.

"…Probably."

"Mind if I do?"

"Why? That's a bit sudden."

"Marines found me, I gotta get going. I'm a veteran pirate. I've sailed all over the Grand Line…I daresay I'd be of some use."

"…No offense, you're a bit suspicious."

"I suppose," she said, exhaling. "Guess I can't join then."

Zoro seemed to be studying here intently. He opened his mouth to speak when a call broke through the silence.

"ZORO!" Luffy shouted. "Where are you? Did you get lost again?!"

"Over here!" the first mate yelled back. "And no, I didn't get lost!"

Luffy skipped over, eyes lighting up as he saw Spade.

"Hey, Ava!"

"It's Spade."

"I like Ava more. Want to join my crew?"

"Luffy," Zoro began warningly.

The captain shrugged off Zoro's warning.

"C'mon, it'd be fun!" Luffy said brightly. "Join my crew!"

"I wouldn't mind," Spade said slowly. "But your first mate seems a bit unwilling."

"How'd you know I was first mate?" Zoro demanded.

She gave a cryptic smile.

"Intuition."

"Aw, ignore Zoro. He's just paranoid! Join my crew!"

"Sure."

"Sweet!" crowed Luffy.

"But…I have a few conditions."

Luffy grew serious at Spade's tone.

"What?" he asked warily.

"Don't, under any circumstances, pry about my past."

"Why?"

"You'll take what I give you. In addition…I'm a veteran pirate of the Grand Line; I've been much farther than you guys might ever make it to. However…I think that it's up to the captain to navigate through trials and trouble. I…won't help you with the navigation or major problems unless I deem it absolutely necessary. Are you willing to accept that?"

Spade met Luffy's eyes sternly, awaiting his answer. If the kid didn't take her condition, she'd have to hightail out of here in the morning, as she had done for the past year. But something about the kid intrigued her, and she had the vaguest feeling that Luffy would be someone important, and she'd want to be there to see it. Besides, it'd been a year since she'd left Ace's ship, and she was itching to get back onto the seas. It all depended on Luffy, all on his naivety and willingness to accept help from strangers…

"Okay," Luffy said innocently.

"What?!" Zoro exclaimed. "Luffy, she said she might not even help you—"

Spade gave a rare smile and took Luffy's outstretched hand.

"It's a deal then, captain."

"Welcome aboard!"

Free Talk

Hello! I'll be talking here and there after chapters to ask for your opinion and comments/questions.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Even though Ace is briefly mentioned already, it will be a little while (perhaps another chapter or so) until he pops up. Believe me, this is AcexOC!

There's really not much to say. Spade's personality, ability, and past will take a while to develop, so please bear with me.

Please review and tell me what you think!!! I like reviews. :)