Hello everyone, here is the next chapter

This is a bit of this and that, and it's a bit short, but I hope it is good

Hope you enjoy

Read and relax

Ace walked into Lance's room, hoping for good news, Marco close behind. Marco had wanted to join, wanting to be sure he was fine or if there was anything they could do. It had been a week since Lance took the tests. "Ah, Ace," started Lance when he saw them, "thanks for coming so quick." Lance had had someone come and ask him to come when he had time, and he had right away. Ace shook his head. "It's nothing. How… did you find anything out?" Lance sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't. Everything seems normal. There is none of the silver liquid left, at least not in the samples I took. You're healthy. At least from what I can see." Ace blinked. "I am? Nothing is wrong?" Lance nodded. "Nothing is wrong." Ace nodded, not sure what he felt about this. He was glad he was healthy, but he had hoped Lance would find something. Found a reason as to why his fruit wasn't working. "Is there- is there anything else you can do?" Lance sighed. "Not that I know of. I'm searching for rituals that might give some info or results we're after. But nothing yet." Ace nodded, he hoped the man would figure something out.

They two then went out on deck, Ace updating Pops on what Lance had said, that nothing was amiss, which the man said was good, and it was. Ace had just hoped something would stand out in his tests. but after being out for about an hour, Ace got a thought he wanted to check out, heading over to Lance. "Lance, do you have any mercury on you?" Lance nodded slowly. "I do, why?" Ace felt glad about that. "I want to try and hold it. Maybe I am immune to it? Since I had it in my body I mean." Lance nodded slowly. "We can try. Here." Lance got it out of his pocket, being some kind of spoon. "I use it for rituals and such, try carefully." Ace nodded and slowly moved to grab the spoon, first touching it with his fingers, blinking when nothing happened, even when he grabbed the spoon fully. He should be burning where he held it, but nothing was happening. "I feel nothing unusual. Or, I feel nothing, it's just a spoon. I'm not burning." Lance had a frown as he watched the spoon, before his gaze shifted to his other hand. "I wonder. Can you take your ring off? Let's head to the shadows." Ace nodded slowly, not liking this. But he was now curious himself. When they were in the shadows, Ace carefully took the ring off, before he moved a hand to the sun, blinking confusedly when nothing happened for the first second, before it got red, Ace moving his hand back. "It- it doesn't hurt as much, but it still hurts." Lance nodded. "So a bit more resilient. Can be a coincidence; it is a half-cloudy day." That was true, the sun wasn't completely out. Ace nodded, taking his ring on again. "Maybe… I don't like it. I hoped you would find something out." Lance sighed. "I know, and I will, It might just take some time. I will be sure to keep an eye and ear open for anything that might help. I've just sent a note to a friend, and I hope she will have something to say. I should hear something within the next few weeks." That was good to know, Ace really wanting his fruit back. He missed it. He felt cold and sort of naked without it. He had been a devil fruit user since he was young, so it was just… weird.

He tried not to think of it, especially as it was a blood moon soon, meaning he could enjoy himself. Maybe even take a trip with Marco around the boat. He really enjoyed when Marco could do that.

-x-

Ace gave an excited sound as he flew out of his room, today being the blood moon and he was quick to find Marco and throw him overboard as he did, before they started a chase, Marco chasing him so he could get back at him for throwing him overboard. He would just get some duty, and Marco didn't need to chase him, but he liked it. He liked the rush of it. When the chase ended, Ace feeling himself in high spirits and he knew Marco would never catch him, he landed on the deck and got some deck duty, which was fine. He could handle that.

As Ace was out and enjoying the day, liking the feeling of wind on his wings, Ace moved his wing around himself, so he could look at it. He really liked his new wings, his adult ones, he had always wanted those. But it had cost him his devil fruit, so was it worth it? Ace didn't have an answer for that, at least not now. Ace shook his head, before he headed to his room again, breakfast just finished- not that he had eaten anything- he couldn't eat human food now without it making him sick, but he could take the tablets Lance had given. So when he got to his room, he took his pills, the ones he had gotten from Lance, wanting it to work fast as he was hungry. It still took half an hour, but it helped.

But when lunch was over, Ace was suddenly asked to join the commander meeting, sure it was something bad, but when he was Lance joining too, he hoped it was since Lance had some good information. When everyone calmed down, Marco spoke, a hand out to Lance. "Before we start, Lance has some information." Lance nodded. "I do. I need to check more, but I got a small breakthrough with the Dread Doctors." Ace felt a chill go down his back at the name, and he really hoped it was good information. Lance took a breath. "It seems they work on something called frequency, a different one than what we use. That's why they seem so… glitchy, I've heard." Marco nodded. "Yes, it was as if they were out of focus and moving weirdly, as if they were glitchy, yes." Lance nodded. "Yes. I just need to figure it out somehow, which frequency they are on. Frequencies can also have something to do with how Ace was changed from a devil fruit user." Everyone nodded, even Ace. He was glad Lance had something. Marco then spoke next. "Is that all you have, yoi?" Lance sighed as he nodded. "Yes. But I also wondered if anyone here has heard anything about it? Know how one can use frequency to manipulate things." Everyone shook their head, making Lance sigh again. "I had a feeling about that. And, I don't want anyone to tell people this. About the frequencies. I want to keep this as low as possible, I don't want to alert the Dread Doctors, we still don't know how they work. For all I know, they can read minds. I don't think they can, but you get what I mean I hope." Everyone nodded again, and this time, Ace spoke up. "Do you… do you have any things you can try out?" Lance sighed again. "Maybe, but I need to test it more out. I will get you if I need you. For now, try and be in good spirits. If you feel anything weird, tell me. I want to know about everything." Ace nodded. He could do that. If he felt anything weird, he would tell the man. He had felt weird the first time the doctors came after him, he had felt scared, terrified actually, so he would hopefully feel the same, so they knew when the doctors would come. Ace hoped they wouldn't come, but he also hoped in a way they would and that they could stop them. He didn't want anyone else to be in their hands. But they knew nothing, so if they came, it would be bad. Ace just needed to keep thinking positive things.

Marco then asked if Lance had any more information, which Lance shook his head to, and Lance and Ace were told to head out, so the commanders and Pops could have their normal meeting. When they got out of the meeting room, Ace turned to Lance. "I'm glad you got something." Lance nodded. "I am too. But let's not speak about this in the open. I want to keep this silent. I haven't even told my friends." Ace blinked. "Have you told Whitney?" Lance shook his head. "I don't want to tell anyone, unless it's person to person." Ace blinked. "But, don't you have rituals you can use to speak with each other?" Lance nodded. "We do, but the Dread Doctors-" Ace shivered at the name again, "-They might be able to listen in. that is possible. Maybe they are keeping a watch on you. And, did you just shiver at the name?" Ace nodded. "I did. I don't know why." Lance hummed. "It might be something. You didn't shiver before." That was true. "Okay, so that's something." Lance nodded. "But let us keep this silent, very silent." Ace got it, he did. This needed to be kept low. They didn't want the dread doctors to know they had something on them. He then stood and spoke a bit with Lance, before they parted, Ace heading to do his things. He still wanted to fly around for a while, to just enjoy this day. Next time, they might be docked, so he couldn't have his wings out.

-x-

Ace moved to sink his teeth into his prey, being a cow, and when he drank the blood, a warm feeling swept over him, making him feel warm inside. He hadn't gotten that feeling since he was young, before he ate the devil fruit. He was always warm since he ate his fruit. But the feeling he felt now was really good, it made his meal feel so much better, so he savored it as long as he could before there was no blood left. When it was empty, Ace moved to stand up again, sending a look at Marco, who had followed him. "Can I take another one?" Marco hummed. "Can you, yoi? Would it be safe, wouldn't there be some worry as two cows got taken." Ace shrugged. "I don't think so, there is many wolves here, even a few lynxes." He could smell that, so the two dead animals would be quickly eaten. Marco nodded. "Then fine, you can have another one, yoi." It had Ace smile, glad about it, before he ran to take another cow. They thankfully ewrent fast, it was worse when it was deers, but Ace was still fast enough to take them, so a cow was easy, and it was bigger than a deer. When he bit down into the second cow, he got the same feeling as he got with the first cow, which had Ace almost moan out. It felt great. He had forgotten about this feeling of warm blood, he hadn't gotten warm blood since the dread doctors, or since he had the reaction that changed him. If he had, he would have known something was off as this felt better than it had in years. He always liked when he ate something warm, but not this good. He hadn't felt like this last time. Wait, that was after the doctors and reaction. Why hadn't he noticed then? Although that was close to when he had a reaction. Had this been a thing that had slowly gotten to be where it was? Was that why he hadn't noticed it? It had to be. He would be sure to tell this to Lance.

When he was doen feeding off of the second cow and stood up, Marco sent a look at him. "Why does this feel different than last time, yoi?" Ace blinked. Marco had felt it? "Wha- what felt different?" Marco seemed to think for a second before he spoke. "It felt more special, as if something has changed." Ace nodded. "It just, it felt better, warmer, and that made it feel more great." Marco nodded. "Do you know why it feels different, yoi?" Ace nodded. "I think it is since I'm no longer a devil fruit user, I am not always warm now, so it made me feel warm inside, a feeling I haven't felt since I was young. It made the blood taste so much more delightful." Marco nodded. "I'm glad it felt good. But we should head back, yoi." Ace nodded and they headed back to the boat, speaking about small things as they walked. When they got back to the boat, Ace told Lance what he had felt when he drank the blood to the cows, how it felt much better than usual, but also telling why he thought it, and Lance agreed it was since it was warm blood, and not cold as he usually got it here. And this could be something that had happened over a span of maybe a month, which also made sense. Lance said he didn't find anything weird with it, but glad Ace told him about it. The rest of the stay on the island was uneventful, no one thinking twice about the two dead cows as they had been feasted on by predatory animals.

Things were going fine.

-x-

Ace had been on the pills for a week and half now, and it was going fine. He hadn't felt anything different, so he kept on going. How bad could it be? He also hadn't said anything to Lance yet, not that he have asked either. Ace had been with Bay once, her getting a nurse to fetch him to ask if he really was fine on these pills, seeing as a week had passed and she wanted to know if he was fine, and he was. He had told her Lance kept an eye on it, so it was fine. It was enough for Bay, and let him go, telling him he could come back when he needed blood. Aside from that, she would give some blood to Thatch now and then, so he could make blood food for Ace, which Ace said was good. He liked it when he got food with blood in it. It was rare, but it happened. He had been meaning to speak with Thatch about it, to ask if he really was fine with it, if not, Ace could make his own food. He could do that, having learned a lot from Benn and Aoba about it.

Ace had also felt his hunger was higher, so when breakfast was done the next day, he headed to take his pills, but this time, instead of taking two, he took three, feeling hungry, and he still didn't want to ask for blood, so it would be fine. How bad could it be to take an extra pill? And that was what he did the next week, feeling it helping. There was a day he got blood in his food, so he skipped that day with the pills, not seeing a reason to take double as he got food. But after a week and half more, when he took the pills, something felt a bit off. He didn't get the feeling he was full after half an hour. Ace tried to tell himself it was nothing. But after an hour, he felt himself coughing and ran to a bathroom, it being thankfully empty, and coughed into the sink. He felt as if his lung would come up, when suddenly he coughed the pills up, which had him stop coughing. Why did this happen? This hadn't happened before. He at least felt better, but he still felt hungry. What should he do now? Should he actually go to Bay, or should he go take a couple more pills and hope for the best? Ace sighed, he really didn't want to go to Bay. So he headed to his room, this time, taking the pills with water, hoping it would help. And after half an hour, he felt his hunger go down. He was still somewhat hungry, but it was fine. He just hoped Marco wouldn't notice it.

And that's the chapter, hope you enjoy

I know it was a bit short, but I had some issues with it. I hope the next chapter will come easier and be longer

If you have any scenes or ideas you want to see, don't be afraid to leave a comment

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