A/N: Hello! Yes, I'm alive and well! My first year of college was great but it got in the way of all the fun stuff! I'm back to finish up the final instalments of Scarlet. I'm planning on writing two more full length chapters and an epilogue to tie loose ends. Also throughout the summer I will be editing older chapters as well as attempt to write a few 'bonus' chapters about laidback crew antics. I will also begin to reply to reviews at the end of each chapter. I can't reply to every single one, but if there is a question or a comment I feel like I could elaborate on, I'll include it!

Sorry for my absence, and thank you all for sticking around! We're almost at 500 followers which is incredible for me!

Without further ado! Enjoy!

You're the light inside my eyes

You give me a reason to keep trying

You give me more than I could dream

And you bring me to my knees

You bring me to my knees

Your heart is gold and how am I the one

That you've chosen to love

I still can't believe that you're right next to me

After all that I've done

I don't deserve your love

But you give it to me anyway

Can't get enough

You're everything I need

And when I walk away

You take off running and come right after me

It's what you do

And I don't deserve you

{ Don't Deserve You by Plumb }

Her answer filled the silence between the three of them. It was as if all of them needed a moment to process what she had said, even Akane herself. She knew this was what she wanted though. Would she love to get to know her father better and catch up on lost years? Of course, but she couldn't give up the new family she had found for that. Maybe if they exchanged transponder snail numbers they could talk to each other- or maybe get a messenger pigeon and train it to send letters back and forth. Whatever it was, she would oblige gladly.

"I see." Shanks finally replied, wearing a grin that stretched across his face. Was he a little upset? No doubt about it, however he hadn't expected much from this meeting in the first place. The fact that she was being civil with him and thanking him was more than he expected from her or what he deserved. So he was happy. "Whatever your choice is, I understand."

"Yeah... Thanks again." She said, her voice a bit quieter. She paused for a moment before closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. When it came to physical affection Akane could be picky, but... Her face was pressed against his chest, a wavering whisper leaving her lips, "I've always wanted to meet you, so this is enough." Despite the years of acting like she didn't care to know her father, it was something she had longed for deep inside her heart... To know the man that her mother had loved.

He wrapped his arm around her, and it was at very rare times like these that he wished he still had his other limb. He hugged her sturdy- as sturdy as one could with one arm.

Ace watched in silence, feeling a bit out of place. All he could do was cast his eyes away to give the father and daughter their private moment. He could tolerate the feelings of awkwardness though, because aside from that he was happy. Akane had chosen to stay with the Whitebeard pirates. With him.

Akane pulled away from the embrace, taking a step back before giving Shanks a smile, "I guess this is bye for now then. I'd like to see you again at some point... if that's okay."

"-Of course it is." Came Shanks' immediate reply, his tone certain. He reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out a white sheet of paper. He held it out to her, "You mind ripping a piece?" He waited for her to tear a small square from the paper before he continued, "My vivre card. It's not the best, but it'll let you find me if you need me. I can give you our ship's number before you head out too, if you ever want to give me a call."

A smile tugged at her lips and she gave Shanks a nod, "That'd be great... It was nice meeting you Shanks." She turned to look back at Ace, "We should go meet up with the others then. They're probably looking for us." She walked over to Ace and patted his shoulder, "Let's go."

"Yeah, if you're ready." His eyes left Akane to look at Shanks, staring at the man for a moment before saying with a tip of his hat, "We'll see each other again, Shanks."

"Of course, as long as the ocean still has currents." His large grin fell into a small, knowing smile. "Take care of her." He turned around without waiting for a response and began to head back to his crew's location, raising his hand up in farewell. Though he couldn't see their red faces, his ears caught their embarrassed sputtering. He chuckled. Youth was a wonderful thing.

Akane leaned forward on the ship's railings, watching the snowy island slowly fade into the distance, and the cold along with it. The temperature was almost normal again, and the sky was painted in beautiful reds as the sun hung low. It was still hard to take in all that had happened... It would take a few days for it to fully sink in, but she didn't mind. She knew that she was happy... That she was at peace. A missing puzzle piece in her life had finally been found. Some would think nineteen years old was too late to learn of someone's biological father, but she had never expected to hear anything from him at all. It was something she felt bitter about at times, yet a part of her understood the circumstances, even more so now. He hadn't even known about her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, the contact causing her to jump a bit. "Ah, oh... Hey." Her lips pulled upward as she greeted the blond. "What's up?"

Marco turned around to lean his back against the railings, using his elbows as support. "Nothing really'oi. Just wanted to know how you were doing." He studied her features, taking notice of how much more relaxed she looked compared to before. As far as he knew, the meeting with Shanks went well for her after she had gone back to talk to him a second time. Marco couldn't blame her for running off at first, however it had caused him some worry. It was good to see that she was content.

"I'm... good, actually." She replied, still surprised herself. "I thought meeting my father would be something life changing, or that it would be some perfect moment. But it wasn't, and I'm kind of glad for that. Everything's just really normal... Nothing's changed except now I know more."

He chuckled, "That's good to hear. By the way," he leaned his head towards her, lowering his voice just a bit, "I talked to Pops about what you asked. If keeping this a secret from the crew is what you want, then that's how it'll be. The only ones who know are us commanders. You should still probably talk to him about it later though."

Akane nibbled on her lower lip, giving him a nod. If there were any downsides to learning who her father was, it was that new worries stemmed within her. Very small worries. She might come out and tell the whole crew about her blood one day, but for now she felt most comfortable with only a handful of people knowing the truth. What if crewmembers started suspecting her of bad things, like if she was a spy for Shanks' crew or something? What if one of them took that idea and ended up plotting something against her? It's not that she didn't trust the crew, it was just that... There were a lot of people here and she hadn't had enough time to become friends with all of them. It was still far too early to reveal something this big to everyone. She had only officially joined the crew a short while ago... "Thanks, I will."

"Don't worry about it alright? It was the same with Ace." He ruffled her hair, his lip quirking upwards. Ace had had similar fears to what Akane was experiencing now, and because of that he limited the amount of people he told about his blood. It wasn't really information that needed to be spread from rooftops.

She opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted from a voice on the deck, "Alright, time to share any findings from the island!" Men began to gather together, but no one seemed to have anything to show. It was, after all, a very snowy and dead island. Akane would be shocked if anyone found anything of importance in such a barren environment. She looked over to Marco with raised brows, to which he returned her a nonchalant shrug.

There was conversation among the group until a voice spoke up, "I found something pretty interesting if I do say so myself!" The crewmates fell into a hush when Thatch took the stand. He held up a small pile of paper in his hand, "But before that, looks like a few bounties have been updated again!"

"Well don't keep us waiting yoi." The blond murmured, amusement on his lips. The only one who was close enough to hear him was Akane, to which she let out a snort.

A crewmate took the papers Thatch held out and skimmed through them. He noted in an impressed tone, "Your bounty's increased again Ace!"

"Yeah, what can I say?" The freckled commander replied, wearing a hint of a smirk.

Thatch held up a purple shaped object, but Akane was too far away to see the smaller details. "That's nothing compared to this! Ace, I found something interesting." He held the bizarre fruit with a proud look on his face.

Ace's expression filled with surprise, "Oh, ain't that a devil fruit?" No two fruits looked the same, but it was pretty easy to tell when a fruit was of the devil variety. The strange colours and swirls gave them away.

"I don't know what fruit it is yet though." He let out a sort of sigh, turning the fruit in his hands to look at it closer. "I'm going to look into it tonight. See if it's worth eating or not." He never really considered eating a devil fruit before, but now that the opportunity was in front of him he had to wonder.

The group watching was filled with excitement, some of them already guessing what the powers would be. To think a devil fruit would grow in a barren land like that! Who would've thought!

"What kind of fruit would grow on a dead island...?" Akane watched with wonder, truly surprised at the find. She wouldn't eat a devil fruit herself; there were too many uncertainties involved and the changes were permanent, however she always found interest in the powers. For some reason though... She felt a little uneasy about this. Why? She glanced over to Marco, wondering if he was picking up on any strange vibes. From the look of his expression, his lips pulled into a faint frown, he did too.

The feeling had soon passed and the crewmates that had the energy for it began to gather together on deck for some drinks and fun times. Akane joined in too. She had begun to ease into the crew's parties over the past few weeks, and while she wasn't the loudest person around, she still enjoyed to watch the other's have a good time.

She had been watching Haruta and Thatch performing a rather ridiculous skit, bad accents and flamboyant hand gestures included. She let out a snort of laughter at their antics before taking a sip of her grog. It was strange to think about, but for the first time in a very long time she felt true peace of mind. Her life had changed so much in just a few months... Everything had been so chaotic, from her almost-execution, to her amputation, to her trip with Marco, and then her meeting with Shanks. This was the first time where everything was just... normal. Hey, she wasn't complaining.

She felt the hand on her shoulder before she saw Ace sitting down next to her, flashing her a smile and resting his forearms on his knees. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied, sounding a bit more breathy than usual.

He chuckled at the fact, "Enjoying your drink?"

Her face was heated from both the alcohol in her system and her embarrassment about the fact. She was just buzzed at most though. Hardly drunk. "Maybe. Want some?" She gave him a lopsided-smile, holding up her mug towards him in encouragement.

"Don't mind if I do." He hummed, taking the mug from her with a hand and then downing several gulps of it.

"Hey-" She was about to interject, but was caught by surprise when Ace leaned his head back and blew fire up into the air. Her mouth opened in awe- which she really shouldn't have, considering his devil fruit ability, however it was still an amazing spectacle to see. "Whoa. Show off." She chuckled, snatching the grog from him and downing the last few gulps in a far less flashy way.

He snickered, obviously pleased with himself, "Haven't done that one in awhile. Glad I still got it."

"Did you ever doubt yourself?" She leaned back on her hands, raising a brow as she spoke in an amused tone.

His only response was a smirk and a wink in her direction. He then reached out, slinging an arm around her waist to pull her against his chest. She was so damn cute when she wanted to be.

The action came as a surprise and she didn't know how to react to being held against his body. It felt nice of course, aside from his physical warmth it was also just a comforting feeling. It warmed her inside and out. But... "Ace... We're not alone."

He let out a small laugh before replying with a smile cast down on her, "Don't worry so much. No one cares." He nodded his chin to the crewmates around them who were too engrossed in other things to notice the pair cuddling up to each other. Ace moved to rest his cheek atop her head, letting out a sigh through his nose. "See? It's fine."

Though she didn't want to admit it, he was right. Had the crew become that aware of their relationship, or were they just completely oblivious to it all together? It also begged the question of, what was their relationship anyway? Their feelings were mutual and they explored a bit together, but she had yet to address him as 'boyfriend'. Wasn't that what couples were supposed to do or something? While a nickname like that wasn't really her thing, some sort sort of clarity on their relationship would be nice... "Yeah, I guess so." A hint of a slur in her words. She let herself rest against his body, reclining back against his chest with a quiet sigh. This was nice... "Like the real deal..."

His hand rubbed her arm in reassurance. His gaze moved to watch as Haruta and Thatch tried to drag Marco by each arm to join them, and Ace already knew that wasn't going to end well for them. His main focus of attention was on another matter however. "I've been thinking lately..."

"You, think?" She said with a fake gasp, chuckling before turning her head upward to place a kiss on his jaw in apology.

He rolled his eyes in mild amusement before continuing, "I was thinking that you haven't joined a division yet. You've been part of the crew for awhile, but stuff's kind of gotten in the way and we never got around to it." He leaned back a bit to look down at her, "So?"

Akane straightened up, twisting a bit to look at him with blinking eyes and parted lips. A division...? That was right, she was never really assigned to one was she. Along with that, she was also in need of a certain tattoo. -It wasn't a necessity, but she wanted it to show that she was a part of the crew. The tattoo was something she could think about a little later though. "Do I just... choose?" It was an honest question. She didn't think that it was up to her.

"Yeah, pretty much. We usually only assign divisions when Pops recruits a group of people at a time. Doens't happen often." He himself had been assigned to the second division, and was then fortunate enough to be given the title of commander later on.

"Oh, well..." She trailed off, running a blank. A part of her felt like it was only natural for her to say, sure! I'll join the second division of course! Yet there was something holding her back from doing so. Was that... reluctance? It was, but not quite. She was caught off guard by her own reaction, oblivious as to why she was feeling such a thing. In a bout of panic she blurted out, "-Fourth! Fourth division." She gaped, just as shocked as he.

Ace froze, very unsure of how to react. Did she just...? Confliction began to stir in his gut when he realized her response. He was supposed to be upset about this right? It wans't unjust for him to feel such a way? "Uh," his brows knitted together in confusion, "you serious?"

"I-" She didn't know. She had felt reluctance to join Ace's division, and it would take her some time to understand why. She couldn't give him an answer for her idiocy just yet.

As if saved by the bell, a flash of lightning lit up the sky before a tremendous sound of thunder boomed all around them. It wasn't long until heavy rain started pouring down, bringing the party to an abrupt end. A group of crewmembers jumped into action to manage the ship while the rest ran below deck for shelter.

Ace had already pulled Akane up to her feet. He cupped her face with a hand and gave her a stern stare, "We'll talk about this later. Get out of the rain."

She stared up at him, gnawing on her lip with guilt and confusion until she gave him a hesitant nod. She turned to leave, pausing for a moment before spinning around and placing her lips against his in a firm kiss. Though she didn't understand the reasons behind her choice, what she did know was that she loved him. Yes, loved him, and she didn't want a moment of impulse make him doubt that.

Relief coursed through her system when he kissed her back, Ace leaning into her to further the contact. They soon parted though, and he nudged her towards the stairs heading below deck.

This was all alcohol's fault. She was sure.

While the rain may have let up at some point, Akane hadn't been awake to realize it. During her time taking shelter she had returned to her temporary room in the medical bay and had passed out for the night. That was until she was stirred from her sleep from gentle shakes.

She let out a tired groan in disapproval. Who was bothering her and why...? She battled with her eyelids before managing to open them, blinking in the dark to try and see who it was.

"Akane." The voice whispered, their hand retreating from her shoulder.

Ah... That was... "Ace?!" She blurted out in a raspy whisper. "What are you-" She had sat up to address him more properly, but soon realized the state of her undress. Remind her why she took off her clothes when she went to bed? She pulled the covers up to hide her chest. Thank goodness the lights were off. That didn't stop the heat from rising to her face in embarrassment.

Ace's eyes flickered back up to her face. Yup, he had totally seen that. Thank you eyes, for having adjusted to the dark for me. I am forever in your debt. Now wasn't the time to say anything though, plus he was sure she wouldn't be happy about it either way. Feigning ignorance was sometimes the best option. "Come on. Trust me on this." He encouraged her to get up, brushing her cheek with the back of a finger.

She stared at him with a displeased look. She heaved a sigh, yawning as well, "Fine. Just... let me get dressed. I'll be out in a minute." Ace seemed to get the hint, giving her a nod before heading to wait outside her door.

Akane let herself be led by Ace, hand in hand as he walked her up to the large whale figurehead. It was quiet save for the sounds of the water below since the crew had fallen into a hushed sleep after the thunderstorm. She kind of wished she was asleep too honestly. Why did she have to be dragged into Ace's nightwatch duty? Shouldn't they at least be in the crow's nest? That being said, she knew that Ace was laidback enough not to care, confident in his abilities to think that that wouldn't be necessary. It was a trait she had found annoying from the moment she had met him, but it was also one of the things she liked most about him now too. She needed someone like him, someone to remind her that it was okay to relax. It was strange, how people's views on others could change so much that it completely contradicts their previous perceptions. Before they knew it, a thought or an inkling of an emotion, wiggled and crept its way into the crevices of their heart and begins to slowly alter their feelings towards the other.

To think out of all the people it would be Ace that had managed to do that to her. His entire being was the opposite of something that would creep or sneak around. He was a brilliant light, demanding of attention whether someone wished to give it to him or not. She had gravitated towards his radiant light from the moment she met him onward. She knew that now. She had become the unsuspecting moth to a lantern in the darkness, and she didn't mind in the slightest. At least, not anymore.

When they got to the middle of the figurehead, Ace sat down, his hand holding onto hers, guiding for her to follow suit. She did, lowering herself before crossing her legs. After shifting for a couple more moments Akane finally stilled, eyes directed toward the cloudy sky above them as she said, "So?"

"So what?" He asked, as if pulling her out of bed and dragging her to the figurehead at five in the morning was a normal occurrence.

A feeling of disbelief began to creep up on her. Do not tell her that this had absolutely no reason for happening. Her head shifted towards him, meeting his gaze, "So why did you drag me out of bed?"

"Ah." He looked away, head tilting upwards to the sky as he said simply, "I wanted to spend time with you." And... Come on, just spit it out. You can do this. A heavy sigh showed how much effort it took for him to say the next part, "Maybe talk about some... Things you know?" Wow, this kind of thing was hard.

She just stared at him, jaw slackened and expression showing worry. Talk about things... He meant that didn't he... "We couldn't... just do this in a couple hours?"

"I would be asleep."

She sighed, her free hand going up to cover half of her face. Wait, they were still holding hands? Huh. Collecting herself and swearing that she wouldn't let her morning grumpiness get to her, Akane said, "Okay well... Say what you want to say."

She sounded upset. Great. To be fair he would probably be more than just annoyed if the same thing were to happen to him, but Akane had been so busy lately and there were always other crewmates around. This was the only free (not really free) time that he had that he knew Akane would have too. Why couldn't she have just joined his division? It would've made this so much more easier. Yeah, that's right. This was actually her fault, and no, he wasn't still peeved about her choice of division.

"Alright. Why don't you want to join my division?" The question slipped past his lips before he could filter them, his thoughts stated bluntly. Damn it. Why was it that he could never be cunning when it came to these kinds of situations? When he wanted to know something, it consumed his mind.

She sat still at the question, and a slight feeling of reluctance curled in her gut. She knew they would have to talk about this eventually, but she didn't think it'd be so soon. She had spent a few hours before falling asleep thinking about this, and she believed she knew the reason why she acted the way she had. "I..." Her face fell to their joined hands, staring at them for a moment before she said in a soft voice, "I want to be able to control myself."

"You think I'd control you?" Where did that even come from?

"I- no. Yes? You don't get it."

"You're right, I don't. Mind explaining it to me? I'm slightly offended."

She shut her eyes tight, knowing she messed up. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, "I don't know if I can. I'm having a little trouble understanding myself lately, so I doubt I could give you a straight answer."

His brows furrowed, the man seemingly even more curious. He looked away however, wanting to put a little pressure off of her. His eyes lay on the large expanse of the ocean in front of them as he said, "I don't need a straight answer, I just want to have an idea of what's going on inside that head of yours Red."

Red. A name she at first found annoying, but now made her chest feel lighter and warm- just like everything else Ace did. "I just... I didn't mean that you would actually try to control me or anything like that. I don't know... I guess I just got scared. Besides, I kind of owe Thatch. On the day that I joined the crew, he talked to me. It helped me a lot in making my decision to stay, so I thought it was only right to join his division, you know?"

Ace didn't move an inch as she spoke, his face calm as he took in everything she said. He could lighten up to the whole Thatch deal. She had made her choice in part out of respect, but the other part... "If you admit that I wouldn't control you, or whatever the hell you're thinking, what are you so scared of that you chickened out?"

"I did not-!" She cut her indignant reply off, remembering she told herself that she would keep her cool. Her head lowered, red locks obscuring her facial features from Ace, "I'm just confused alright? Of... This." A small nudge of her chin towards their entwined hands explaining what 'this' was.

His eyes followed suit, trailing down to where their hands were resting on his knee. Oh. I want to be able to control myself. He realized then what she had meant earlier, and his grip only tightened on hers, "It freaks me out too."

"What?" She peeked at him through the curtain of her hair, questioning on her features.

"I said," he leaned in closer, using his free hand to push her hair to the side, making sure she would look him in the eye, "what you do to me freaks me out. I can't 'control' myself either."

Akane gazed at him, trying to read his features to get a better understanding of his thoughts. Did Ace really feel something similar? How did it happen, that they had gone from not being able to stand each other to not being able to control themselves in each other's company?

"But I don't not like it though..." She made the quiet comment, her thumb absentmindedly running over his knuckles. It felt like whenever Ace gained the courage to put down his pride and express his thoughts, she gained the courage too, the words spilling out. "It's damn crazy. It's like, no matter what I do it somehow leads back to you, my choices, my thoughts, my feelings... I love it, the way it makes me feel, but it also scares a part of me. I feel like... I didn't choose your division because if I did, it would just prove to myself- and everyone... that you've taken over my mind."

How was it possible to feel so conflicted over a person? He understood her thoughts well. There was this desire, one he had never felt so strongly before, to be with another person- but there was also this fear and this stubbornness of pride that held him back from fully embracing that desire. They had spent weeks now acting like lovers, and yet they never addressed each other as such. Was that even normal?

Despite everything, her words caused him to feel elated above all else. Even if she was talking about why she didn't join his division which peeved him, the reasons she explained why were things he enjoyed to hear come from her lips.

A smile tugged on his face and he let out a quiet chuckle, "If that's the reason you didn't join my division, I can't say I'm too bummed." Of course it would have been ideal to have Akane around more often, but if her feelings were earnest and this is what made her comfortable then he would deal with it. It was probably for the best. Heaven only knew how distracted he himself would be... He leaned towards her, his smile taking a turn for a sly smirk. With their close proximity, his voice became hushed, "And what exactly are these thoughts of me you can't get out of your head?"

When his face had approached hers, Akane''s reaction was immediate and she anticipated for that exhilarating contact. To his question she gave him an unamused look, biting her lower lip in absentmindedness. "None of your business." She muttered back, though her voice was a whisper. No sooner did the words leave her mouth did Ace close the distance between them.

She felt his lips move against hers. First slow, but it quickly grew more eager and Akane more than obliged. She freed her hand from his and moved to place it on his chest, tilting her head to the side to kiss him with more ease. The fact that she was becoming familiar with this kind of intimacy still baffled her.

Ace breathed into the kiss. He placed his hand on her hip and he begun to lean forward, deepening the contact by passing his tongue across her lower lip. Somehow this made up for all the stress he had been put through tonight... "Red..." He murmured against her, "I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't even sleep."

Her brows furrowed, replying between kisses, "You're on watch duty idiot... 'Not supposed to sleep."

He hummed in response, smiling against her lips as he pulled her closer. Silence was passed between them in the thralls of their passion. They would have continued their affections if it weren't for the lightning that lit up the sky.

Akane broke the kiss, breathing heavy while she stared at Ace just an inch away. Amidst their affections she had ended up straddling him which she didn't mind, but she had to wonder where she got the energy so early in the morning. She opened her mouth to speak yet was drowned out by the loud crashing of thunder.

Ace rubbed her back, letting out a tsk at the weather. To think the sky had more rain to offer after the night's downpour. "I'll walk you back." He murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. Yet another moment was added to his rapidly growing collection of Times With Akane That Were Interrupted.

She ruffled his hair before getting to her feet and looking towards the deck, surprised to see a figure walking about in the stormy morning. Ace soon got up and stood close behind her, giving a glance to the crewmember and commenting, "Oh, it's Thatch. He helps out the chefs from time to time. Poor guys have to get up so damn early in the morning to prepare everything." He had to admire them. The only reason Ace was awake at this point was because he was with Akane, and even then he fought with the urge to pass out at any given moment.

She watched with surprise as another figure shadowed behind Thatch. This one was much larger.

"Teach?" Ace said under his breath, confusion clear on his face. As far as he knew Teach never helped out in the galley, in fact the guy avoided duties as much as possible. Seeing him up so early was kind of surprising.

Something about this seemed... off. Thatch didn't seem aware of Teach, and Teach looked like he was going lengths to conceal his presence. What was going- Akane's heart froze when she saw the glint of metal when lightning struck. That was... No way. She grew pale, giving one look to Ace who was confused as she, until all at once they were both thrown into action.

"Thatch!" They shouted out, running towards the scene. This wasn't actually happening right? Teach was Teach, but he wouldn't do something like this... Right?!

"Look out!" Ace shouted as loud as he could so he wasn't drowned out by the thunder. His eyes were enlarged, filled with panic as he ran. He lit his fists ablaze, but could only watch in horror as Thatch turned around too late. Thatch was slashed across his torso before collapsing to the floor. NO-!

Akane cried out, "THATCH-!" No, this scene... This scene was too familiar to her. She couldn't let this happen right in front of her eyes again!

"DAMN IT-!" Ace's voice was strained in fear. Within the same second, he had full-body tackled Teach, sending both of them barrelling towards a wooden wall. It shattered beneath the force, but neither were phased at all. "TEACH." He growled out, staring down at his division member with malice. To think that he would actually betray the crew like this... Betray him. Their father!

Teach's eyes filled with panic, the larger man struggling under the commander's pin on him. His skin was burning, but the rain that had begun to fall put it out. Damn it, he hadn't had the chance to snag the devil fruit from that bumbling idiot Thatch yet! "Oi oi, commander!" He said, trying to reason with Ace. "You wouldn't, right? Give me a second to-"

Ace grit his teeth before yelling out, "SHUT UP." He slammed his fist right into Teach's face. Ace's entire body was seething with rage, the unbridled emotions making it difficult to keep his solid form. He was littered with flames from head to toe, the small licks of fire flickering wildly. His voice fell, dropping to a dangerous level, "You just broke the most important rule in a pirate crew." He drew his fist up once more and it burst into flames, "Now face the consequences, TEACH!"

Akane ran up to Thatch, collapsing to her knees when she was by his side. "Thatch!" She called out, trying to keep her composure as much as she could. She was so shaken that it felt impossible, but she had to focus on Thatch now, not flashbacks of a traumatic past. "Thatch, are you with me?" Her hands moved to lay him flat on his back. The image which she saw was awful and made her stomach twist in a nauseating way, but she refused to give in to helplessness.

His blood was beginning to seep into the deck when the rain started to fall, washing a good portion of it away. Akane fumbled with the buttons of his white jacket, the shakiness of her hands and the slipperiness of the rain not aiding her in the least. "Thatch, it's okay. I got you. I got you Thatch." It sounded like she was reassuring herself more than anyone.

"..kane... Akane..."

She looked up to his face, her large eyes giving him her full attention. He was conscious! "Thatch! You're going to be okay! Just hold on!" She needed to get nurses immediately, or at least get him somewhere dry so she could help him properly!

"The fruit..." He gasped, his hands clutching at the gash across his entire torso. "The fruit... It'll... work..."

She didn't understand at first, but then it clicked. Her eyes darted around the deck, searching for where the fruit could have rolled off to amidst the chaos. She prayed that the rain hadn't already washed it away. She didn't know how long Thatch could last, but that fruit was the fastest way to save him- depending on its power. She would hold more doubts about that in particular, however she chose to trust in Thatch's words that it would work. It had to work.

She spotted the fruit rolling across the deck, the rain making it extra slippery. She shot up, dashing towards the purple fruit with great speed. She was so focused in her quest that she couldn't pay attention to Ace and Teach who were farther away. Teach. She seethed. No, she could fume about him later. Ace could handle him just fine- she trusted in his strength.

She grabbed the fruit and ran back to Thatch, sliding half of the way there. She fell to her knees once more and moved to cradle his head with her arm. "I got it Thatch. Stay with me. You just need one bite okay?" She held the fruit to his lips, hoping he had enough energy to do so.

It took him a few seconds to react, but Thatch bit into the devil fruit. If his face wasn't already contorted in pain, he would have cringed in disgust at the taste. Between life and death, he'd pick life any day. The putrid taste of this fruit would be what saved him. His vision was already gone but...

He swallowed the bite right before he fell limp.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger! Please follow and review if you're enjoying the story! I really appreciate and love reading your comments. :)

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Replies!

9momentos said: Has Shanks realized that Akane is missing an arm?

-Nope! He didn't realize it because she her entire upper half is covered by a poncho/cape type article of clothing. The detail was just something I didn't find necessary to include because there were a lot more heavy conversations in the snow island scenes. Her arm doesn't really matter. She might tell him through a phone call. :p

Guest08 said: bittersweet... That's the word I would use to describe this chapter. Loved the conversation she had with Shanks at the end and I am glad she understands how important the Whitebeard pirates and especially Ace are to her. But I hope she will stay in touch with Shanks, felt really sorry for him not knowing about his daughter for so long

-Yes, it was definitely a bittersweet moment even for me to write. It's a very sad situation, but Shanks always looks on the bright side of things. And yes, they will keep in touch!

Christine said:I love Scarlet so much. I am so happy to find an ace/oc fanfic that is still ongoing and hasn't been abandoned. Hope you will update soon. Thank you for your good work!

-Aw, thank you so much! I feel awful for my long breaks, but I'm always happy to come back. No matter what gets in the way I swear I will finish this story! It's taken an abnormally long amount of time (almost three years!) because of schooling and other things, however I truly do love writing this story for you guys.

Teicisaid: So, I've been reading this story for a few days and I'm sure this is one of my favorites now! I like how their relationship is growing, as well as Akane herself. Also, just loved how she and Marco had became good friends! I never read any AcexOc fic that the others pirates had these great paticipations! So, I just wanted to say, good work and keep going! 'Cause from now on you have one more reader to your story!

-Thank you so much! Akane and Ace's relationship is growing slowly but surely, and that makes it frustrating for me to write it. I want them to just stop being idiots about everything. xD I'm glad you like the inclusion of the other crew members! I do try to write them in when it's possible because her entire life doesn't just revolve around Ace and vice versa. The crew members are their friends and I wanted to include them in the story. Her friendship with Marco is my favourite one to write. :)

said: First off let me say I'm completely head over heels in love with this story. I literally just stayed up until 4 am to read it and couldn't bring myself to stop until I had read all the way through! So, half a pot of coffee and several emotional cliff hangers later here I am! Please for the love of all things anime continue! I can't wait to see what happens next! I love Ace and how you kept with his character but still put your own twist on things! And Akane! Omg! She really might be one of my favorite OCs to date! So please please please don't leave me in more suspense! I can't handle it! I need to know what happens! What's gonna happen with Law? Is Luffy ever gonna make an appearance? Is Ace ever gonna get over his blue balls? Lol but seriously! I'll be waiting anxiously for more Ace/Akane goodness!

-This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for leaving such a sweet review! I took a few months off because college got in the way but I promise I'll continue the story to its end, don't you worry! :) Regarding Law and Luffy cameos, I don't think it's likely for the main story. I'm planning on wrapping things up soon, however I might do a few bonus/omake chapters that include them! And yes, he will get over his blue balls. Very soon. ;)

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Thanks to everyone once again for reading! Your audience is what makes this worthwhile for me so I can't be grateful enough to you guys. I'll try to be back with an update soon! I'm off of school now and I have the motivation to wrap this story up soon. Stay tuned!