𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟐: 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐃. || ᴏɴᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟎

♡⃝ ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ◡̈ ☽⋆

Lia sat on the edge of the cliff, while Luffy laid on his stomach. Ace walked over to him and bonked Luffy's head like Garp.

Ace crossed his arms, "How much longer are you gonna lie there?" Luffy stayed silent, making Ace to let out a sigh. "The treasure that we were hiding in the forest is all gone. The survivors from Bluejam's crew took it or maybe the military found it. I don't know where it went."

"But I don't care about the treasure anymore." He continued. "That was the pirate savings that I was gonna share with Sabo, but he didn't need it after all." Ace told them. "So I'll just let it go too. It's no use having treasure if you can't even protect it."

"Ace, Lia," Luffy called out their names, sniffing his nose. "I-I want to get stronger! More, and more!" He cried in frustration. "Then I can protect anything or anyone! I don't have to lose anybody." Tears rolled down his cheeks. "You both gotta make me a promise."

Lia and Ace glanced down at him. "Please!" Luffy pleaded, not wanting to experience another death. "Promise me you won't die!"

Ace honked Luffy's head again. "Cut it out!" He shouted as Lia and Luffy stood up. "Worry about yourself first! You're far weaker than Lia and I!"

"Yeah, well..." Lia mumbled as her blue eyes got watery. "Sabo was also strong." She looked down at the grass, a teardrop falling to the ground. She bite her lower lip, "And yet... he's dead."

Ace let out a soft sigh, and gave her a headpat. His eyes softened as he saw her biting her lip to stop herself from crying. He looked up and looked at Luffy.

"Both of you listen!" Ace told them, making Luffy and Lia to look at him. "I'm never going to die! Sabo told me to take care of you both." He looked out at the ocean as he crossed his arms. "I'm not smart so I don't quite know what really killed Sabo yet."

"But it must be something opposed to freedom. Sabo died before he knew freedom." Ace resumed to talk. "We exchanged that same cup of sake and we're alive!"

As Lia listened to Ace talked, she lips curled into a frown. Luffy noticed her expression and wrapped his arms around her to make her feel better. She glanced down at him, and hugged him back.

"Lia, Luffy, listen to me, okay?" Ace told his younger siblings. "We have to live without leaving any regrets." Lia and Luffy move their heads up and down, nodding. "We gotta go out to sea someday... and live as we like. Freer than anyone else." He said. "That means we'll make enemies of many people. Even the old man will become our enemy."

"You gotta risk everything. Let's go out to sea at seventeen. And we will become..." Ace paused, placing his hands on his hips. "pirates!"