Old Adventures: Evil Plagues the Pure
Ace gasped as he shot up from his sleep, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead as he huffed a few breaths. Irin, who was at his bedside and who had touched his face prior to his sudden gasps, stared at him with worry in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked, reaching out to him once more.
Ace moved back and swallowed a lump he didn't know that was growing in his throat, "I-I'm fine!" he stuttered as he stood up and got out of bed. "Can you go out for a bit? I wanna change," he said as he pushed the girl out of his room.
Luckily, the rain had died down and it was only drizzling. Irin stood outside of his room with wide eyes and a slightly raised brow, "But you already changed...?" she muttered to herself, remembering how she had already put on the shirt for him.
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The raven haired male dashed into the bathroom the moment he pushed the girl out of his room, he panted as he splashed water on his face. He didn't know why his memories had suddenly resurfaced in his dreams.
They weren't kind memories but instead memories that left an uncomfortable lingering feeling behind. Memories of his early childhood weren't the fondest. Ace hated his parentage for the longest time and he believed that he was the son of the devil.
Shaking his head, the water he had splashed on himself, flew off. He stared at himself in the mirror as he remembered all the horrendous words he heard in his childhood.
Those words plagued his mind.
He had long gotten over it but sometimes they reappear in his dreams and he can remember the feeling of disappointment and hate all too explicitly.
The echoes of his past; of the belief that he was undeserving of the world.
Ace grunted at the memory that had invaded his brief happiness, he had made Irin happy and he, too, was happy but the monsters of his past that visited him every now and then had paid him a jarring visit.
Irin was happy. He made her happy and he was sure, now, that he was truly in love with her.
But wait.
His eyes widened at his sudden remembrance of his words from not so long ago and he frowned when he remembered what kind of person he was.
He was Portgas D. Ace, son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. He was none other than a man with the blood of a devil in his veins, he was the son of the devil.
'The scum'
'The liar'
'The murderer'
The Pirate King'
'The Bullshit King'
That was who he was, that was who Portgas D. Ace really was.
That was who he believed he was...
The whole belief that Ace had was the sole reason why he promised himself that he would never fall in love and that he'd never get himself a significant other.
He swore to himself he would never fall in love because he didn't want his demonic bloodline to continue. He didn't want to fall in love knowing that he was the son of such a terrible person and that he would hurt the fated woman he was to be in love with because of his parentage.
Irin was different, she knew who he was and she didn't care but that was what made it worse.
The Ace who thought that he was undeserving of this world sought for love from the one person he thought the world was undeserving for.
He didn't deserve to be born and he, especially, did not deserve to long for love from such a person.
Ace did not deserve Irin's love.
Those words screamed in his head as he began to feel small. He crumbled into a cramped corner of his bathroom as he felt his tears leak out of the windows to his soul.
'Why? Why did I have to fall for the most perfect human being in the world?' he questioned himself, 'Why is fate so cruel that I ended up falling for the one person in the world that deserves all things good?'
She was too kind, too graceful, too beautiful, too pure; she was an Angel.
And he was the son of the devil.
His dreams had reminded him who he was and he came to a realisation that the two of them weren't meant to be together, rather, they shouldn't be together.
He would not allow it.
For the most beautiful angel, who the world did not deserve, should not fall in love with the son of the devil, who did not deserve to be in the world.
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The rain that was raining with much fury before softened out into a delicate drizzle then soon faded into nothing. Lights from the island were turned on as they illuminated the evening sky with a soft glow, though still unable to outshine the light of the setting sun.
Irin was dragged away by the usual group of men when Ace pushed her out of his room to 'change'.
Marco and Thatch did the dragging while Izou just followed calmly behind them.
They chucked her into her room then grinned at her, "Sooooo did it work? Did he apologise?" Marco and Thatch asked with stars glittering in their eyes.
Izou, who seemed to mask his disinterest in the topic with his eyes closed, opened his left eye to glance at her, awaiting her response.
There was a beat of silence, it took the pinkette a second to realise what they were questioning about. She bit down on her lip to hide her excitement but she couldn't contain it.
Irin smiled from ear to ear as she nodded repeatedly.
The two men who stared at her with much anticipation then grinned from ear to ear; they were suckers for cute relationships.
Izou had a content smile on his face as he closed his eyes with his arms folded while he remained standing at the side of the room.
"Irin, there's a festival tonight-yoi, you gotta look your best for tonight!" Marco exclaimed.
"Yes! Thank God we have Izou here because he's the best at helping us dress up for festivals on this island since the mayor of this town was an escapee from Wano Country so the festivals here are apparently Wano-styled!" Thatch explained with excitement in his voice.
Izou opened his eyes, this was the moment for his talents to shine. He liked dressing people up; especially in kimonos and Irin was a fine specimen, she could make the cheapest kimonos look expensive.
"But why? Ace has already apologised, why do I still gotta look the 'best'?" Irin asked, clueless as to what Marco and Thatch's intention was.
The two men cried comical tears, 'What a pure little bean!'
Izou just shook his head and chuckled as he walked towards her, dragging her towards the bathroom and pushing her in before telling her to wash up.
He then looked at the two men who were scheming on the room floor. Izou looked at them expectantly but they did not budge until he cleared his throat.
"What?"
"This is the part where you two leave and go get ready by yourselves."
The two men pouted like children who had just been told to spend five minutes in a corner.
After they left, Izou opened his closet and searched for a kimono that would be fitting for Irin. As he swiped his hand across the wide selection he had, he stopped at a beige coloured kimono that faded out into pink at its tip and had white flowers along with pink ones dancing across the clothing.
Izou smiled, this was the one that was perfect for Irin.
The light coloured kimono symbolised her purity and the pink flowers that were littered across it reminded Izou of her grace and innocence. Unbeknownst to Izou, the pink flowers also symbolises gentleness, happiness and love; all which Irin possessed.
She was a gentle and happy person who always shared love and kindness wherever she went. A perfect kimono for such a woman.
He set the kimono out on the bed and left the room to look for Ace, leaving Irin behind to have her privacy.
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The man in the kimono knocked on the room door several times, there were no replies. Ace, who was behind the door, quickly wiped his tears clean and splashed his face off with water to hide his reddened face from Izou. He unlocked the door just when Izou was going to knock again.
Ace forced a grin on his face, "Hey Izou, what's up?" he asked as his voice cracked a little. Izou smiled at the freckled boy and gave him a pat on his shoulder, "Well done, Ace, you actually pulled it off!" he beamed.
The ravenette raised a brow.
"I've never seen Irin-sama so happy before! She was so worried that she'd ruin your friendship with her!"
Ace let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and forced another smile onto his face, "Yeah..." he said.
Izou raised a brow at his lack of enthusiasm but decided to ignore it. "Anyways, you should get ready for the festival," he grinned. The raven haired boy frowned a little, he had initially decided to not go because of the dream he had; he believed he needed time to cool off and to organise his thoughts but now it didn't seem possible.
Everyone would be suspicious if he didn't show up and he didn't want that.
Izou helped himself into Ace's room, leaving Ace to stare at him with confusion written on his face.
"Now, go get a shower and I'll be here to help you dress up," Izou said as he pulled out an orange yukata from nowhere.
Ace was speechless as he stared at the grinning Izou who held out a yukata. "What?" Izou raised a brow, "Go get a shower, shoo shoo!"
The freckled man was shoved into the bathroom with a towel as Izou slammed the door shut with a content smile.
He spread the yukata out on Ace's bed and scanned it as he thought about how he was going to do his hair. 'A normal top-knot perhaps' he thought.
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Ace stood under the shower as the water dripped off his toned body. He stared at the bathroom floor as the water flooded over him along with his darkened thoughts.
He felt the need to avoid Irin after he remembered who he was. He didn't want to show up but he had to, for her.
So she wouldn't be worried.
So she'd be happy.
'We should just stay friends'
After all, he couldn't have her even if she wanted him. They'd have to be just friends.
Ace believed that they were only allowed to be friends, nothing more.
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The pitter patter of the shower ceased and Ace stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his torso. He looked around his room to see a yukata set out on his bed. Right on time, there was a knock on his door and it was Izou, he had returned to help Ace get dressed since the freckled boy was still rather unfamiliar with the ways of Wano clothing.
Ace stared at the yukata laid out on his bed and switched his gaze back to Izou.
Izou raised a brow once again at Ace, "What's up, Ace? You're being rather quiet right now, is everything alright?"
"N-Nothing!" The freckled boy stuttered, trying to hide his negative emotions and thoughts.
Izou thought he was being suspicious but he decided not to question it and went on to help Ace get dressed. He helped him put on the yukata properly then he helped him to tie his hair up into a top knot.
Ace looked rather dashing in Wano clothing and Izou was sure that Irin would find him attractive.
The freckled ravenette looked at himself in the mirror, for a moment he had forgotten about why he was upset but then thinking about how he had dressed up to impress Irin, he was put in a sullen mood once again.
His change in expression did not go unnoticed by Izou.
The man from Wano frowned at Ace's change in expression, "Okay, Ace, be honest with me, what's wrong?" he asked.
Ace shot up at Izou's question, "W-What? Nothing's wrong!" he exclaimed with false happiness. He flashed a force grin at the man as he held out a thumbs up next to his face.
Izou narrowed his eyes at Ace's stiffness and fake smile then sighed, "It's fine if you don't want to tell me but I'm here for you and so is Irin-sama. We're all here for you, so talk to at least one of us about your troubles because it won't go away if you just keep it to yourself," he smiled, the worry still evident on his face.
The raven haired boy frowned a little before returning the smile, "Yeah..."
Who was he kidding? How was the trouble of being the Pirate King's son just going to go away if he talked it out with someone? Ace clenched his fist lightly before releasing his grip and sighing.
"You should head to the festival first, we'll meet you there," Izou said.
"Mm, okay, gotta get the food before y'all get there!" Ace grinned. The change in his mood was sudden but he wanted to make sure that nobody knew of his troubles, he had to make sure that he wasn't a burden, after all, being the son of the devil was enough of a burden to the world.
Ace forced himself to be happy. He had to be happy for Irin and for his family, the Whitebeard Pirates.
And so, Ace left for the festival in the town of Coco Cave Island while Izou left to Irin's room to help her dress to impress.
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Izou was a true artist when it came to helping Irin dress up. The beautiful beige-pink kimono with flowers wrapped around her body with style and her lips was painted light pink to match her personality.
He helped do her hair and he artistically styled them into a side braid with flowers gently placed in them. The flowers brought out the beauty of her light pink hair and her fringe gently hung over her forehead.
Irin looked absolutely beautiful when she was all dolled up, not that she wasn't already pretty but her looks when she's all dressed up could rival the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
"Err, Izou-san, are you sure this isn't too much?" she asked, "It almost doesn't feel like myself anymore..."
Izou smiled at her, "Nonsense, you look absolutely fine. Everyone's getting all dressed up for this too, so might as well," he said.
"But-"
"And don't worry about sticking out like a sore thumb because you won't." he said, as if he read her mind.
The pinkette closed her mouth and nodded at Izou's words. She looked at the layers of pink and beige that hung over her body and pushed through the creases, straightening her kimono. Truth be told, the kimono was rather warm due to its layers but she thought it was rather comfortable.
The kimono made her feel protected and safe yet seen.
Irin liked how comfortable the kimono was and how not much of her skin was shown but the kimono was beautiful, she was afraid that she'd stick out. The young lady did not like it when people stared at her but she'd brace through them. However just because she was strong enough to brace through the uncomfortable gaze, it does not mean that she wouldn't try to avoid herself from getting into situations as such.
Deciding to not think too much about her article of clothing, she just huffed a breath and put a bright grin on her face. After all, she was beyond overjoyed that day.
The two then left Moby Dick and headed towards the annual Coco Cave Island festival. With Izou by her side, Irin matched his pace as they conversed happily on their way there.
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When Izou and Irin reached the bright festival of Coco Cave Island, they were greeted by a ring of laughter and a dozen of beautiful illuminations. She gawked at the beauty of the festival as her jaw slowly dropped when her hazelnut brown eyes met with dark brown, almost black, ones.
And there Ace was, in front of Irin as they stood at the beginning of the long line of stalls. His left arm tucked in the sleeve and resting inside the yukata on the obi and his chest visible as the yukata hung loosely over his body. Ace was not used to being clothed after all so he loosened his yukata to allow air to his tiddies.
Ace's horrible way of wearing the yukata was noticed by Izou. The man had put in effort to help him get dressed up and yet he had just ruined his efforts.
"Ace you bastard!" he yelled as he dashed towards the freckled man and sent a kick straight to his face, "Why can't you just dress properly for once in your life?!"
The ravenette who was sent flying jumped up as he held a hand on his cheek where Izou's kick had landed, "What's wrong with you?!" he yelled back.
"You-"
Izou was cut off by Irin, "I think Ace looks fine, Izou-san. If that's what makes him feel comfortable then it's fine. Plus I think this look suits him more than a prim and proper look," she reasoned, hiding her blush as she shrunk into her kimono a little.
He looked too good, she couldn't help but admire his looks.
Izou sighed, accepting the fact that there was no chance that he'd be able to get the freckled ravenette to wear clothes properly.
Ace on the other hand became speechless when he readjusted his gaze back to Irin. She looked gorgeous; her hair, her kimono, her rosy cheeks and her nicely painted lips. Every cell of his body was screaming to reach out to her but Ace only stood absolutely still as he took in every inch of the beauty that stood in front of him.
His cheeks were warm but he did not know if it was the stinging bruise that was growing on his face from Izou's kick or from the ethereal beauty that the pinkette possessed.
Oh how he longed to have her in his arms and to kiss her soft pink lips.
Oh how he longed to have her be exclusively his.
But wait, wake up Portgas D. Ace, stop daydreaming. She could never be yours, you're the son of the devil and she's the most wonderful, most beautiful person in the world.
You could only dream of a world where you were born a normal boy instead of the son of the Pirate King. Yes, you could only dream.
If only you were not the son of Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, then you would allow yourself to be hers and for her to be yours.
Those thoughts came to him almost too quickly, how was he going to get through the night without showing his emotions? How long could he hold back his feelings?
How long could he hide his pain?
The answer is, not very long.
a/n: im so sorry for the late update!! to make up for it, i'll be posting twice this week!
also, this was definitely a fun chapter to write for me. Ace has a very vague character and being able to explore his personality was extremely fun. it's a little headcanon of mine that Ace would find it difficult to fall in love because of his parentage.
anyways, i hope you enjoy this chapter and i'll see you in the next chapter!! the end is coming!