Nobody Else (Portgas D. Ace x Reader)

Come back ~ Ch3

5 Years Ago

3rd Point Of View

"Ace, is that a pirate ship that just docked?" (Y/n) asked softly, a worried frown tugging on her lips as her eyes squinted, attempting to make out the ship's jolly roger. Pirates never came to Dawn Island, so it was odd to see a ship docked so casually on their port.
"Yeah, I think so." He muttered as he leaned forward, one of his arms holding onto the trees trunk for support so that he wouldn't fall down.

Ace and (Y/n) always loved climbing trees together, particularly the ones closest to the port so that they could watch the sun set over the sea. This tree that they were currently sat on, and the cliff on the other side of the island were their two favourite spots that they'd choose between everyday to watch the sunset together. it was the best parts of their day- and yet (Y/n) had a feeling today's sunset would be ruined by these new visitors.

"That's weird, don't you think?" (Y/n) asked with a frown, "Pirates never show up to our island. We're too small." Ace's brows furrowed, his eyes still locked on the boat that didn't seem to have any movement. Did everyone leave?
"Maybe they're low on food and water?" Ace then suggested, hoping that was the reason and their only reason. Having pirates on the island made him feel uneasy because he knew just exactly how much they were capable of.

"Maybe Dof-" (Y/n) was cut off by the sound of angry yells coming from the village then accompanied by the sound of glass breaking. (Y/n)'s eyes went wide as she looked towards Ace who was staring back at her, mirroring her fearful expression. The breaking of glass continued for a while as well as another few sets of yells, and then everything went silent.

"Ace..." (Y/n) whispered, "We should go see what's happening. We might be able to help?" Ace then immediately shook his head as he reached for a branch.
"No, you should stay here. They sound violent." Ace told her sternly as he began his descent down the tree. (Y/n) frowned as she watched him climb.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Ace!" The girl then yelled angrily at him.

"Yes, you are. Stay, (Y/n)! I mean it! I'll be back soon!" The boy then told her as he jumped down the remaining length of the tree. (Y/n) frowned when Ace then immediately ran out of sight, leaving her behind on their tree. The girl then brought her knees up to her chest with a frown. Yes, maybe she bruised easy and yes, maybe she wasn't the best and fighting animals like he and Luffy are but she wasn't completely helpless- at least, she didn't see herself as completely helpless.

(Y/n) waited for almost ten minutes straight for Ace to return and only began getting restless when it hit the fifteen minute mark. She never left the tree, not wanting to make Ace mad because she knew when to kid around with him and when to take him seriously. He may act like a goofy idiot sometimes, but he was responsible for a fifteen year old and he knew how to protect himself.

"Captain, I just caught a bear!" An unfamiliar voice yelled from among the trees, making (Y/n) freeze. Only pirates called their leader captain, which meant that the pirates were in the forest.
"It's huge! This meat could last us all the way to Sabaody archipelago!" The man continued to say as he dragged a dead bear behind him, walking into (Y/n)'s line of sight. She held her breath as she pressed herself against the tree bark, hoping that she was too high for them to notice her presence.

"That's definitely a stretch, Sako." Another voice replied, walking into (Y/n)'s line of sight from the other direction. Compared to the first man, this one was more muscular while the first was more lean. Behind the man (Y/n) assumed was the captain, was another man who looked quite young- maybe around Ace's age or even a bit older. He had a dead expression on his face, staring straight ahead.

"Not if we ration it!" Sako replied giddily.
"Why would we do that? We should eat our usual respective amounts and arrive to Sabaody archipelago within the usual time frame. You're eagerness to arrive with leave us in famine." The young boy replied in monotone, making Sako chuckle as he moved to sit on the stomach of the dead bear.
"I can't wait, man! It's been so long since we've bought a slave." Sako grinned, excitement running through his veins.

"We wouldn't have to if you hadn't given the last girl the snail snail fruit and then killed her with salt!" Their captain then snapped, making Sako scratch the back of his head sheepishly with embarrassment as he shrugged.
"Well, in my defence, I didn't think salt would actually kill her! I just...thought it would burn her a bit?" Sako defended with a wince, making his crew roll their eyes.

"Yeah, well it's because of you that we lost the chance to sneak her into the marine base headquarters as a transponder snail. The snail snail fruit was expensive! And the only fruit we have left is a mystery- nobody knows what it is which means that it'll probably be weak-" The captain was then cut off by the young man at his side.
"Captain, you're ranting." The kid said, making the captain take a deep breath in.

"Look, old man. I apologised for that like a million times, how many more apologies do you want?" Sako whined.
"Whatever. Anyhow, I've decided that you're not allowed anywhere near the new girl after we buy her-  at least not without Tora's company." The captain huffed.
"But do we have to buy her? I mean, can't we just grab any girl- maybe even one from this village?" Sako suggested.

"Slave girls are more tame- they do not try to escape and know their place. If we attempted kidnapping a random villager, she'll constantly be trying to escape or even attempt to kill us." The captain explained, so that Sako understood.
"Then, we should just break her." Sako grinned, masochism in his eyes. Second passed until his captain burst out in laughter, somehow finding that amusing.
"Fucking hell, you really are a psychopath." The captain chuckled.

"What can I say? Oh- hey! Lookie over here! I've found one already!" Sako grinned, making (Y/n) open her eyes with suprise. She hadn't even realised she had closed them. No way he'd seen her, she'd been so silent. Her eyes nervously looked down to the pirates only to see that they were indeed all looking at her. Her heart tumbled to the bottom of her chest, fear scraping at her bones.

"I guess she'll do. She's a kid so it won't be too hard to break her." The captain muttered before waving his hand in the air, "Do what you wish, then." With the permission said outloud, Sako moved like the wind, jumping up the tree like he'd been tree climbing all his life. (Y/n) shrunk into a tight ball when he appeared infront of her with a grin.
"Hello, sweetheart." He greeted.
"Ace...please come back." She whispered to herself, trembling.

"You know, I used to live on an island just like this- trees everywhere. Tree climbing was my favourite thing to do." Sako grinned as he came closer, "But then I hit the sea, and I realised swimming was even better. It was more freeing- especially when she stay under untill you have no more oxygen left in your lungs. It's like a high! I can't explain it... But don't worry, I'll show you, okay?"

With that said, Sako grabbed onto (Y/n)'s neck and lifted her from the ground, squeezing harshly.
"Tell me how this felt when you wake up, okay?" He asked sadistically. (Y/n)'s hands immediately went to Sako's arms to attempt to rip him away from her. But it was no use, she was too weak. (Y/n) felt the oxygen drain from her body, as if it all curled into a ball around the bottom of her throat- refusing to go anywhere. Her face went red, her eyes watering as she began seeing black dots. Sako grinned even wider, everything going black as he said,

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

(A.N ~ Psycho.)

Chapter 4 Quote Teaser :

"(Y/n), I thought we were too old to do the silent treatment? You know how much I hate it when you don't talk to me. If you wanna be mad you can just yell, you kno-"