Blind Eyes, Strong Heart
Day Three: Ace, Time to Confess

XxXxX
What if I'm right and you are wrong?
What if you knew it all along?
What if I figured out that I did not belong?
What if it always bothered me?
What if I never did believe?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should leave?

What if I pretended to be blind and struck it from my mind?
Would it still be there?
What if I'd do anything to make it seem all right?

What if it's all inside my head?
What if those words were never said?
Would it be easier if I could just forget?
What if I didn't run away?
Could it be any other way?
Would it be wrong if I decided I should stay?

-Rise Against (Blind)
XxXxX

Ace was having a bad morning. It was true he found the darkness that enveloped you when you slept comforting, but that didn't mean the darkness was always comforting. Not long after he fell asleep a nightmare crept into Ace's mind.

Ace was on the deck of the Moby Dick; his hands were in seastone cuffs that were chained to a shackle on his neck and he was kneeling on the ground. He looked around and caught the eyes of several crew members. They glared darkly at him, a deep spiteful look their eyes. It made him uneasy, and he began to grow worried when he noted several members were holding unsheathed weapons. Directly before him stood Whitebeard, Marco, and Thatch; all with the same dark look in their eyes. Ace found himself swallowing with difficulty, he didn't know what was going on or why everyone looked so mad. But he did know one thing: he was in serious trouble. His eyes landed on the bisento in Whitebeard's hand. No, this definitely was not looking good. His eyes then ran down to Marco and received a hiss from the male.

"Don't look at me, you pathetic weakling!" Ace visibly flinched at the harsh words.

"You have no right to look at any of us, traitor!" Thatch growled, the grip on his sword's handle tightening until knuckles were white.

"We offer you a home and a family and you just sitthere and do absolutely nothing while we work our asses off to keep each other safe!"

Ace wasn't sure he could take much more verbal abuse, his heart already felt like shattering. "B-But I–!"

"Silence!" Whitebeard's voice boomed, and everyone around fell silence. "I do not need, nor want, someone with such bad blood in my crew."

"Oyaji–"

"You are NOT to call me that!" The hatred in those once friendly golden eyes tore Ace apart. Whitebeard was his father, the man took him despite his heritage. So why was this happening all of a sudden? "You are no longer apart of my crew!"

"Marco, please, don't let him do this," Ace suddenly pleaded. He could feel tears start to prick at his eyes. He didn't want to leave, this was his home, he'd been trying so hard to earn his place among the others. Marco gave a disgusted look.

"Why would we want someone with Roger's blood on our crew? You're nothing but a good-for-nothing. You're nothing but a regret and a burden." Oh. That stung. That really stung. He could feel his heart suddenly shatter, and the breath was taken from his lungs. He couldn't breath.

"Furthermore, why would I want a blind son?" His sight suddenly turned black, and he couldn't see a thing. It scared him, it wasn't like the usual darkness he saw when he was blind. Somehow, this darkness was even blacker, it was more thick and had a terrible malevolence to it. It truly frightened him. The fact that he couldn't use his senses frightened him even more. He heard several people approach him and the urge to run took over his mind, but his legs refused to move. He heard several swords be drawn and he tried his hardest to see what was happening, but the darkness never left him. He felt a large, sharp blade at his neck and he didn't need his sight to know it was Oyaji's weapon.

"For your crimes on the Moby Dick, I hereby sentence you to immediate death."

Ace didn't even have the time to scream or plead when the blade cut through his neck, decapitating him instantly. All the other crew members dug their swords into the headless body, turning it into a pincushion. Ace regained his sight as his head flew from his body, and he managed to catch the maniacal grins everyone wore as they stabbed his body over and over and over–

He awoke in a cold sweat and a scream caught in his throat. He quickly looked around but the darkness was the only thing he could see. It scared him now, put him on edge. His lungs started to burn fiercely and he realized he wasn't breathing. He took in a gulp of air, his lungs thankful for the action. He sat there catching his breath, his hands gripping the blanket tightly. 'It was only a nightmare, Ace. Nothing more than a nightmare.'

'Then why did it feel so real…?'

It was almost three a.m. yet he had barely slept. Yesterday's events kept replaying in his mind and every little mistake he made, every second he wasted clinging to that mast, ate at his mind. He sat on the floor, his back against the wall, with his knees pulled up to his chest. He pressed the palms of his hands harder into eyes until he swore he saw dots floating around in his darkness. "Stupid stupid stupid," he muttered as he lightly banged the back of his head against the wall. "I'd hate to see you die here, kid. If you still want to fight, then take my name and roam the seas wild and free! Become my son!" He shook his head. Whitebeard didn't want sons who were weak, didn't want sons who were afraid. "Stupid stupid stupid…"

"Because he calls us his sons. To the rest of the world we're all just outcasts. It makes us happy. It's just a word, but it makes us happy!" He didn't deserve to be called son by Whitebeard. He didn't deserve to be on such a wonderful ship, surrounding by countless amazing brothers. But if he left, who would watch over them all? Who would give their life to protect every one of them? "Stupid…"

"When you said you had something important to talk about, I thought it would be bigger than this… It doesn't matter who your parents were. Everyone is a child of the sea." But even though Whitebeard thought that, that didn't mean everyone under his command thought the same thing. Squard, for example, despised Roger with a passion. Which was why he was afraid to tell Thatch and Marco. Right now, at the moment, those two were the only ones he felt truly comfortable with. Those two were the only ones he held in the same light as Luffy, he saw them as true brothers. Those two, the thought of them turning him away…it hurt so much just thinking about it. "Stupid stupid…"

"Ace, if you're not feeling fine, say something. We're a family now, we look out for each other. You are most certainly not a burden just because you can't work for a day." "Honestly, you can be such a handful sometimes." "Ace! What the hell are you doing? Get over here and help!" He shook his head harder. "Stupid stupid stupid stupid. I don't belong here," he whispered. "Not anymore, not like this. Not while I'm blind." The thought of just leaving in the middle of the night popped into his mind. It would be better to just leave than to suffer the humiliation of having to be kicked out. But leaving in the middle of the night was practically the same thing as running from a fight.

And Ace never ran from a fight.

Because he felt that if he ran from a fight, he would lose something precious to him.

He was conflicted on what to do. "I have to stay here," he answered. "I have to stay and watch over everyone until my secret is exposed." He tried to shake the negative thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to fall into despair. "Whitebeard said I belong here on the ship, so that means I belong here no matter what, right?" Then why did staying on the ship while being blind leave such a bitter taste in his mouth? Why did it feel so wrong? 'Is it wrong…if I decided I wanted to stay…?' It shouldn't be, right? Or was it wrong? No, he had to stay positive. He couldn't start doubting himself so soon. The chances of another storm as bad as that one hitting any time soon looked slim – though he knew he could be wrong, it was the Grand Line after all and he wasn't the most skilled navigator – so it would be alright to stay a little longer and help out everyone. Besides, if he left now, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. Ace froze in his place. Regret…?

"Listen, Luffy. We'll live life without any regrets. We'll set sail and live freer than anyone else!"

He really would regret leaving. He'd come to see this place as his home ever since he joined the crew. This was his home. And those people out there sleeping in their beds right now? Those were his siblings. And that larger-than-life man who was probably snoring away in his room? That was his father. This was Ace's life. And there was no way in hell he would be giving it up just because he was blind.

"I am Portgas D Ace, son of Portgas D Rogue, brother to the future Pirate King, Monkey D Luffy." He lifted his head, pulling his hands away from his eyes. A new determination filled him as he continued to speak. A determination that wasn't going to be disappearing any time soon. A determination that would beat out and erase any doubt we would have about being on the Moby Dick. "Second Division Commander to the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard." He stood up, his hands clenched in tight fists. "I am Portgas D Ace, son of Portgas D Rogue, brother to the future Pirate King, Monkey D Luffy. Second Division Commander and son to the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard. I do not run from anything. I will protect my family no matter what." He took in a deep breath and let a smirk slip onto his features. "I am Portgas D Ace, and I am not about to give up just yet."

Half an hour later, Ace found himself grinning ear to ear on the deck of the Moby Dick (quietly) repairing what little things he could. Some of the railing needed to be replaced and it was within his set of skills to do it. As long as he used his mind's eye, he could picture everything he was doing clearly. Sure, it took him ten minutes longer than it normally would have, but being blind did have its setbacks. He organized the the storeroom and the supply room. He pretty much organized everything he could get his hands on for most of the morning and repaired a few things here and there. And all the while, that grin refused to leave his face. It was a little after five when he snuck into the kitchen and started peeling all the potatoes Thatch had set aside for breakfast. He even began humming a little tune as he did the small chore. Thatch was definitely going to be surprised when he got up in half an hour to begin cooking.

"You know, I haven't done anything lately for Izou," he suddenly realized as he finished coiling a loose rope. "And I should thank Vista for taking over and mopping the rest of the deck the other day." He tapped his cheek as he stood there and thought of what he could do for his two brothers. When nothing came to his mind, he began to pace the deck slowly. "Let's see, what could I do for them… What could I do for– oof!" His foot caught on something and he landed face first on the deck with a hard wham! Had anyone been there to see it, he would have turned red in embarrassment. He began to pick himself up, wondering what the hell he tripped over this time, when something big and furry leaned against his side. He blinked. "Stefan?"

"Woof!"

"Stefan!" Ace happily hugged the dog, who licked his cheeks several times, before pulling back and petting him. "How the best dog in the world doing today?" The large creature happily panted before settling himself in Ace's lap. The commander couldn't help but chuckle as he continued to pet and scratch Stefan. He could feel the large tail bat against his leg every half second. "Well, someone is certainly happy this morning. Did someone promise to give you treats today?"

"Woof!"

"I knew it. Let's see, was it…Thatch? No? Alright, then how about…Haruta? Really? Huh, then it must have been Vista? …Seriously? Not him either? Then…Jozu? Eh? That's a no too? Namur? No? Hm… Theeeen… Oh! Rakuyo?"

"Woof, woof!"

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Stefan snorted before attempting to roll over onto his back in Ace's lap. "Wait, Stefan, you're too–!" The dog successfully managed to roll over. However, because of his size (a bit bigger than a retriever* or german shepherd), he managed to push Ace halfway to the ground, making the human lean back on his elbows. Now his head rested on Ace's chest while the rest of his body rested in the male's lap. The dog continued to pant and stare at Ace upside, waiting for the male to resume petting him. Though Ace couldn't see Stefan's face, he knew just what it looked like. Big eyes, tongue hanging out, mouth pulled into a smile beneath that mustache. He couldn't resist something so damn cute. He gave in and rubbed the dog's stomach for several moments. "Not fair, using the puppy-dog eye trick." He abandoned the animal's stomach and gently pet the mustache that grew under its nose. 'Just like Oyaji's.' It was at that moment did he come up with an idea for Izou. "I did break his comb accidentally last week… I guess I can make him a new one. And maybe for Vista, I can make a mustache wax? No, he has a special brand he uses." He shrugged – as best as he could in his current position – and gave a smile. "I guess I better get what I need for Izou's comb. Sorry Stefan, but I gotta get up, buddy." The dog whined. "Don't use that tone with me," he answered. "It's too cute and completely unfair." After a few more minutes of trying to convince Stefan he needed to get up, he went and grabbed what materials he needed and headed back to his room to start his project.

Ace peeked his head out of his room and looked both ways – he didn't know why he bothered to do that, seeing as he couldn't see at all. When he didn't sense anyone's presence, he snuck out of his room and over to Izou's. Everyone was in the galley right now eating breakfast so it was safe to enter the male's room. He planted the comb on the neatly made bed and gave a small smile. It wasn't as nice as the one Ace broke, but hopefully it was good enough. He had engraved a blossom-like pattern on the top of the item. If Izou didn't like it, well, it was the thought that counts. Leaving that room, he went over to Vista's room and slipped a piece of paper under the door. He hadn't come up with anything to make for the fifth commander, so instead he gave the male an IOU.

Thanks for mopping the rest of the deck for me. If there's anything you need or anything that needs to be repaired, I'll try my best to make and/or fix it. And don't try to be modest! This is an IOU, therefore, I must do something for you. -Ace

The note was probably messy and the handwriting probably slanted up and down in some places – much to Ace's great displeasure, he liked his notes neat and in order – but, you know. Lack of sight will make things messy. He felt unusually proud of himself as he gave a nod and headed for the deck to eat. He managed to get a lot done this morning. As he stepped onto the deck, he headed for the railing for a quick moment of fresh ocean air. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, giving a large smile. His peaceful moment, however, did not last.

Marco was approaching him.

And by the sound of his footsteps, and by the aura he was giving off, he was not happy.

Ace suddenly had the unusual urge to run. Hell, he even thought of jumping overboard just to get away from the oncoming blond. The determined first commander was nearly to his destination and the second commander was having a mini panic attack. Why was Marco in such a bad mood? His foot steps were quick and sharp, his aura was serious and slightly dark. Not knowing what else to do, Ace began a mental chant once more. 'There is nothing wrong. Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. I am Portgas D Ace, son of Portgas D Rogue, brother to the future Pirate King, Monkey D Luffy. Second Division Commander and son to the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard. I am Portgas D Ace, and I am not about to be murdered by a walking pineapple with the ability to turn into a giant blue fire mother hen.' He put a smile on his face before turning the blond who finally reached him. "Hey, Marco! I never got the chance to say–"

"You're going to tell me what's wrong, and this time you are not getting out of it," the blond growled, catching the freckled male off guard as he was cornered against the railing.

He stammered, "I-I told you, there's–"

"Cut the bullshit already, Ace!" Oh he hadn't seen or heard Marco this angry before. It was a little scary – okay maybe a lot scary, and seriously intimidating – if Ace had to be honest. The first commander was always so relaxed and in control, the complete of opposite of his current state. "Something happened during that fight with those pirates three days ago."

"I…" 'What do I do?' he desperately thought. 'I-I can't lie to his face now, he's already–'

"Ace." The blond's voice was different now. It was a little quieter, but much more tense. "Are you blind?" Ace meant to try and come up with an excuse, to laugh off the question like it was a silly accusation, but he had waited a second too long. Marco swore under his breath. He had been hoping he was wrong, and that he really was just imagining things. But the truth was out, and oh how angry he was. "I knew something was wrong, I knew it. Ace, why didn't you tell us?!" The second commander started waving his arms around, not knowing what else to do.

"I didn't want to be a burden to the crew! I-I didn't want to be kicked off the crew! I like being here, Marco! This…I've come to accept this place as my home!"

"You idiot!" For a moment, Ace thought Marco was going to strike him. He could actually feel the blond's anger, could feel how tense he was. "How can you be so–?! You–! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Marco suddenly turned on his heels and bolted, leaving Ace absolutely speechless where he stood. Thatch, who had heard the blond's outbursts, stared in mild shock as he watched his oldest friend take off towards the galley. He turned to face Ace who was looked like he had been slapped across the face. The second commander ran over Marco's words once more. Marco had cut off one of his sentences, but Ace knew what he had meant to say.

How can you be so blind?!

"Ace…?" Slowly coming out of his thoughts, he looked in the direction Thatch had called from. The fourth commander was hesitant. "You alright…?"

"I…" don't know, he finished in his mind. Thatch threw the male a worried look before approaching him, setting his hand softly on Ace's back. He had heard everything. Ace was blind. As he thought over the past three days, everything started to make sense. The way he couldn't find his napkin, the reason why he couldn't finish cleaning the deck, why he tripped over that chain, why he nearly fell overboard yesterday. He couldn't help but think why Ace hadn't said anything. A burden? Kicked off the crew? What the hell made him so paranoid as to think Whitebeard would kick one of his own sons off the Moby Dick when he was blind?

"Come on," he said, "Let's have the nurses take a look at your eyes."

"Yeah…" Ace numbly let himself be guided to the sickbay, all the while thinking of how angrily Marco had reacted. Of all the ways he had imagined Marco to react, anger hadn't been at the top of his list. This was all wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

After the nurses and doctors checked Ace's eyes, they gave the same diagnosis Ace had made the day of the surprise attack. Unless they got their hands on some Egyptian Senna in less than two days, Ace would never be able to see again. They left to give Ace and Thatch some privacy. The chef looked over at the male and noticed how dejected he looked. "Ace?"

"He was so angry," the other whispered. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to upset anyone." Thatch remained quiet for a moment. "I didn't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden, Ace. When one of us gets injured, we're all injured. You should have said something, we would have–"

"Would have what, Thatch? There's nothing anyone could have done. So what was the point of bringing it up."

"…Do you know why Marco was so mad earlier?" Ace shook his head. No, he didn't know why. "We used to have a Second Division Commander before you. His name was Jin. He was kind of like you in a way, except, you know, minus the idiotness and silliness and all that." Ace's lips twitched for a moment, but it quickly fell away. "He had been with us for four years when he received a letter from the island he was born and raised on. A powerful pirate crew had landed there and raided his town, holding everyone as hostages. The letter received told him to steal important information from our ship and return to his island alone or they'd kill everyone. He had a week to complete the task.

He never told us. Marco and him had been kinda close so it didn't take Marco long to realize something was off about Jin. He asked him a few times what was wrong, but Jin never said anything. Nothing's wrong, he would say. I'm fine, Marco. Really, I am. Just a little tired is all. So Marco stopped asking, thinking it was just his imagination. Jin ended up leaving for his home island without saying a word, he just left in the middle of the night. He left us a letter that we found the next day. He wrote why he had to leave and that he was sorry. When Jin got to his home island, the pirate captain was waiting for him. Everyone in the town was already dead. They killed Jin the moment he stepped on to their territory. Had Jin told us, we all would have helped him. He would still be alive, but he refused to tell anyone. You did exactly what Jin did, Ace. That's why Marco was so angry. One of his brothers was in trouble, and he failed to help before it was too late."

Ace felt his stomach twist with guilt. Had he gone through with idea of leaving in the middle of the night, he would have done exactly as Jin had done. And Marco would have lost another sibling. No wonder Marco wouldn't leave him alone before, and no wonder why he'd got so angry. It made him feel sick that he had unintentionally caused Marco so much trouble. "I didn't know…"

"It's not your fault, Ace." He gestured towards the door. "Come on, let's get you some food. You haven't eaten yet."

"I'm not very hungry," the second commander answered. He was the farthest thing from hungry. He was sure that if he tried to eat anything, it would just come back up in a few minutes. "I think I just want to go to my room." Thatch gave a nod, understanding where he was coming from. They left the sickbay and found several crew members outside waiting for Ace. News of Ace's blindness had reached everyone by now and some were eager to show they were there to help the second commander whenever he needed. They were there to support him. Ace couldn't help but feel happy so many of the crew members cared and were willing to help him out. "Thank you," he told them.

"Ace." He recognized that voice. He turned to face the speaker.

"Izou?"

"Thank you for the comb. It's beautifully crafted. When you get your sight back, would you mind making me a few more?"

"When I get my sight back? Izou, I'm not going to–"

"I refuse to believe you're going to be blind for the rest of your life," the sixteenth commander interrupted. "Not if any of us have a say in it."

"Marco informed me of your situation. We'll reach an island with senna in two days, but it's cutting it awfully close," one of the navigators repaired. Ace blinked, confusion clear on his face. Two days? But Marco told him, three days ago, they would reach in five to seven days depending on the weather.

"But Marco said five to seven days…"

"Well, yeah, at the pace we were going at. That was a leisurely pace, Ace. We're sailing at full speed now." Ace's stomach twisted even more.

'If I had just told them right away, we would have made it in under five days…? I brought more harm by not saying anything than just telling everyone.' He bit his lip and curled his hands. 'Why can't I do anything right?!' Seeing the change in the second commander, Thatch gave everyone a look that they all knew. They gave several nods before telling Ace to take it easy as they all left. Ace thanked Thatch as he entered his room and walked to the other side of the room where he sat on the floor against the wall once more, just like he had started his day out. His stomach was in knots. He had just started to regain his confidence…then this all happened. 'Why can't I do anything right…?' He didn't know how many minutes passed when a knock came at his door. He gave a sigh. "Come in."

"Ace?"

"Marco?" Ace's male's head snapped up, eyes wide. He thought Marco was mad at him, that he didn't want to see or have anything to do with him. He was genuinely surprised the male was here to visit him.

"May I sit?" Ace gestured to a chair or barrel. Instead, though, Marco took a seat next to him on the floor, shoulder to shoulder. "I wanted to apologize for earlier," he said after a moment. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did." He had gotten so angry earlier, but not at Ace. No, he had gotten angry at himself. He knew something was wrong the first day Ace began to act strange, but again he hadn't acted fast enough. Now his newest brother might go blind for the rest of his life. He shouldn't have waited so long to corner Ace, but the freckled male had insisted nothing was wrong, and Marco started to wonder if the nagging feeling in his mind was nothing more than paranoia or his imagination, or his overprotective nature of his siblings. Unfortunately though, in the end, it was not his imagination.

Ace instantly shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who should apologize. Because of me, I caused you a lot of stress and worry. I…I'm sorry. I did exactly as Jin did…" Ace lowered his head. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden," he whispered.

"Why do you think you're such a burden?" Marco asked with furrowed brows. Ace looked off to the side, gripping his arms tightly. He wanted to tell Marco, he really did, but the thought of him despising him… It hurt. Ace shook his head. No. No, he couldn't risk telling the blond the truth, couldn't risk losing someone he saw as a brother.

"I…I can't tell you."

"Do you really not trust me that much?" Ace quickly turned to face the blond. He had caught the hurt in Marco's voice. Was that what Marco was thinking? That Ace hadn't said anything because he couldn't trust Marco?

"No! No, it's not that I don't trust you. If anything, I just might have too much trust in you. It's just…I'm…afraid." He shifted uncomfortably. That was probably the first time he had ever admitted to someone that he was scared. All the other times, he couldn't say it. He had been taking care of Luffy and telling the younger male he was afraid of losing him would have just either confused Luffy or made him worry. "If you're scared, then I'm scared," Luffy had once informed him. So Ace had been brave, very rarely was he afraid. But then this all happened, and the fear that hadn't haunted him for years was suddenly back.

"Afraid of what?"

"That you'll hate me," was the quiet answer. Of all the answers in the world, the blond had not expected that. It confused him, why in the world would Ace think that?

"Ace, we're family. You can tell me anything, I'd never hate you. Ever." He thought for a moment. "Remember when you first joined the crew, what Thatch had said? 'Hope you like us, Ace! 'Cause you're stuck with us now until the day ya die!' He meant it, believe me." His gaze softened. "So you can tell me. Have some faith in us, Ace."

"I…" He took in a deep breath. 'Don't do it don't do it don't do it he's going to hate you he's going to despise you because you're his son and then the rest of the crew will find out and oh how they'll shun you!' part of his mind screamed at him. But the other part…the other part, the part that he trusted the most, was telling him 'Tell him, Ace. He'll accept you. If Whitebeard accepted you, then you know Marco and Thatch will. They're not narrow-minded like the others from Goa Kingdom. They'll accept you with open arms. So tell him. Go on, it'll be okay.'

The words slipped out of his mouth before he even knew it. "Gold Roger is my father."

A silence followed. A silence that Ace didn't like at all. It was thick and tense, and Ace was pretty sure his nails were about the break the skin of his his biceps. 'See? I told you he wouldn't accept you. Whitebeard will let you stay on the ship but everyone around you will despise you, shun you. You'll be surrounded by countless people but you'll be utterly alone. Congratulations, Ace. You just managed to turn the World's Strongest Man's crew against you with only five little words.'

Ace felt that urge to run again. He felt like he couldn't breath, the silence was suffocating him. He had to get out, he had to leave, he couldn't stay there he had to lea–

"You really are an idiot, you know that?"

'I told you, he hates you. He want's you go–' Wait…What?

"Who cares if you're his son? That has nothing to do with the fact that you're apart of our family for the rest of your life and you failed to tell us something important, Ace. Please, don't feel like you need to hide the fact that you might go blind from us. Because we can help, and we do care about you. You'll never be a burden to us. Do you understand?" But Ace was staring off into space. 'Marco doesn't care I'm his son… He doesn't care. He accepted me. He accepted me for whoIam.' He felt the corners of his mouth twitch when Marco called his name again. "Ace." His attention snapped to back to Marco. "Do you understand?"

"Yes…Yes, I understand. Thank you." He smiled. "Thank you."

"Honestly, Ace, you being blind wouldn't have changed anything. We still would have worked you to the bone." The freckled male couldn't help but laugh, and Marco smiled at the sound. Ace had been so tense the past few days, it was nice to see him finally let go of all the stress and worry he'd been holding onto. Marco stood and ruffled Ace's hair. "Oyaji wants to see you in a little while. Until then, get some rest." He headed for the door but stopped before he exited the room. "And Ace?"

"Hm?"

"…Please don't hide anything from me again."

"I won't, Marco."

And with that, Marco left.

"Marco, I can walk by myself, you know. I've kinda done it for the last three days," Ace murmured as he walked across the deck of the Moby Dick. Still, Marco refused to let go of Ace's arm as he guided him on his way. "I feel like an old man now."

"You're so dramatic," Marco lightly chuckled. "Does it really irk you that badly?"

"A little, yeah. It makes me feel like I'm gonna run into something or trip and fall the moment you walk away."

Marco gave a sigh. "Fine." He removed his hand from Ace's arm. "Just be careful that chain you're about to trip on," Marco teased.

"Shut up," Ace replied with a smirk he was trying to hide. They reached Whitebeard's room and Marco opened the door for Ace. Giving his thanks, Ace entered the room and immediately felt the captain's eyes land on him. The large man stared down at his son with soft eyes. "Hello, Oyaji."

"How are you feeling, Ace?"

"I'm feeling great," Ace answered honestly, a large smile pulling at his lips. "I feel better than I have in a long time, actually."

Whitebeard couldn't help but smile at hearing his son was feeling in such a way despite his current situation. "I'm glad to hear that. Now Ace, why didn't you speak up sooner? It's not good to keep such important troubles from your family."

"I realize this," Ace answered. "I panicked. I thought…I thought I might be kicked off the crew. But I can see that I was wrong. It is a mistake I will not be making again."

"No, it–" The door slammed open and before anyone could do a thing, Ace was tackled to the ground in a flying hug by a very happy Thatch.

"Thank you, Ace! Thank you thank you thank you!" Bewildered, Ace was left speechless for a moment. Why in the bleeding hell was Thatch thanking him? And damn, could Thatch give a flying hug. He had, literally, flown from the doorway to Ace. And here he thought the only people who could fly were him and Marco. He wouldn't underestimate Thatch again any time soon.

"Uhm, you mind telling me why I was tackled by so many thank you's?"

"For peeling all those potatoes earlier! You have no idea how much time that saved me. I didn't get the chance to thank you earlier so I decided to wait until you left your room. So THANK YOU."

"Okay, yeah, you're welcome and I can't breath, Thatch. Ease up on the hug there." Thatch did and stood up, helping up Ace as he did. He forgot about the warning Namur had given him when he first officially joined the crew. "If you ever help Thatch with kitchen work, be ready to be tackled." He now understood that warning. If only he'd taken it more seriously sooner. Thatch's grin slightly fell when he realized he had just burst into Whitebeard's room without warning.

"Oops. Sorry for interrupting, Oyaji."

"It's fine, Thatch," Whitebeard grinned. "Nothing could stop one of your tackles." Oh boy, that was an understatement. "We were done talking anyway, unless you wanted to stay for a while," he said to Ace, who politely turned down the offer.

"I think I'm going to get some fresh air." The large man nodded, understanding.

"We'll be arriving at the island in under two days. Take care until then. My door is always open if you need anything."

"Thank you, Oyaji," Ace smiled before leaving the room. He wasted no time in going over to the nearest railing, taking in a deep breath of the fresh ocean air without any worries. Marco and Thatch stood beside him, doing the same as they all watched the ocean waves glisten beneath the afternoon sun. Minutes passed by without anyone saying a sound. Then Thatch opened his mouth.

"So, is Roger really your father? That's kinda cool!"

The way he said it reminded Ace of the time Luffy found out he was the son of Roger.

Ace looked like he was going to blow a gasket.

Dinner time rolled around before they knew it. And nothing had changed. No one treated him specially or differently. It was just as Marco had stated earlier, "You being blind wouldn't have changed anything. We still would have worked you to the bone." It made Ace more relaxed, he didn't want things to change between him and his siblings. Everyone, though, hadn't expected him to still pull pranks. But there was no way Ace was going to give that up; blind or not, it was his, Thatch, Haruta's duty to be the pranksters on the ship.

And nothing was going to take that away from him.

So it came as a real surprise when a fuming Marco came barging into the galley covered in a clear-green slime. "Thatch. Ace." The pure bloodlust in his voice was enough to scare the bejesus out of the two commanders, yet they couldn't help but laugh. Everything was back to normal. Well, almost back to normal. Ace may or may not have ran straight into the wall while trying to run out of the galley for his life. And the crew may or may not have burst into hysterical laughter at the sight. And Marco may or may not have almost wanted to double over in laughter. Luckily though, Ace managed to recover quickly – though his face was red with embarrassment – and got out there before a certain fiery mother hen was able to get ahold of him with those terrifying talons.

The same, though, could not be said for Thatch.

The fourth commander would spend the rest of the night in the infirmary while the nurses patched him up.

But even then, he'd still burst into a fit of giggles every time the image of Ace running straight into a wall would pop into his mind.

A/N: Holy crap, guys. I had no idea this chapter would turn out to be a monster. I unknowingly made this my longest chapter ever written. 8,700 words. :'D Yep, I have the urge to apologize again. I feel like this chapter reeeeaaaaallllyyyy dragged on in some parts, and I apologize for that. Yes, I decided to add Stefan! :D We can't have a Whitebeard story and just not include Stefan! :D Don't worry, he was fine during the storm. He was cuddled up with Whitebeard. :D So yeah, Ace kept switching personalities in this, sorry about that. Aaaand, yes, I know Oda said no other commander had died besides Thatch, but I decided to change that. Hope you guys don't mind too much. And yes, the Whitebeard pirates chased after Jin to stop him, but Jin was an excellent navigator and took a fast little boat and a quicker route. And yes, they killed the pirate crew that killed Jin. Cuz NOBODY MESSES WITH OYAJI'S SONS. Aaaand I'm sorry for so much ooc in this. o.o (lot of apologizing going on in this A/N.)

You guys… Your reviews… Okay, roo, don't cry, don't cry! ARGH. I can't help but cry. Your kind reviews have honestly made my year. And I must say thank you so, so much for everything. :D I hope this is living up to your expectations, readers. If not, I deeply apologize. Hey! Did you know the cover picture for MarcoxAce story (Blind in the Eyes of a Lover) is the whole reason I came up with this idea?! Weird how writers get inspired, huh?(Muahahaha- *coughchokegasp* Woah, that was close.) Yes, Thatch bringing up Roger was exactly like Luffy in the anime. Ace still doesn't like Roger being brought up as his father (as you can tell). And, yes, I decided to ended it on a light note today. :)

I am going to attempt, that's right, attempt to upload the next two (and final, yes, there's only two chapters left, surprise!) chapters within the next 11 days. It probably won't happen, but I'm still gonna work my ass off to try and make it happen. Again, sorry for such a late update (I got stuck on a few parts in this) and hopefully this story will be updated somewhat regularly now.

So! Until the next chapter, my friends! Take care of yourselves, and have a great monring/afternoon/evening! :D

Your ice elemental,
~»roo the psycho«