high_seas | fiery violent pirate babies

[Ikki was observing Ace and when the pipe he's twisting snaps... The would-be Phoenix Saint simply moves to hand the other a new pipe. Here, break this one too if you want.]

Thank you very much. [Ace didn't look at Ikki, instead taking the new pipe and beginning to bend it all over again.

After awhile, he noticed what he was doing and frowned.]

How long was I doin' that?

Haven't kept track of the time, but for a long while now. Are you feeling better or do you want me to get you another one?

[Little Ikki is just... Very amused by Ace. He likes Ace, it's why he follows him even if he's a child captaining a ship. Anyway, Ikki doesn't fully trust adults much so obviously he would go with the child forming a crew.]

I'm not gonna be happy 'till I break Davy Jones' stupid neck.

[Not his face. Davy Jones wasn't just some comedic jokester. He did enough to warrant his own murder, really.]

Anyway, what're you doin'? You don't remember me, do you?

Of course I remember you!

[Ikki frowns, offended at that.]

You're Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates, from which I'm a proud member. Even if half the others forget that or me!!

[He growls, still offended and annoyed.]

I just want this to be over. All the other kids are forgetting about us and it's as if they just arrived here. And the adults act as if being in a ship with kids was new. Weird.

[And in the middle of that all was Ikki who thought that those who were kids had always been kids and remembers more or less everything of his time in this world.]

You remembered!? Why aren't you helping me subjugate the damned ship again!? Go get me a harpoon!

Why would you need to subjugate the shi-... Oh, right, they don't remember that you're the captain, right?

[Damn it all. Ikki turns and leaves running, returning sometime later with the freaking harpoon as requested.]

Why do you want the harpoon anyway? Can't we just punch them until they listen?

Eh? What's the harpoon got to do with the crew?

[Ace just wanted to go fishing.]

I always punch 'em anyway.

You talked about subjugating the ship and then asked for the harpoon, how am I not going to think you want to use it to threaten them?

[Which would be a waste of time when a punch works just as well and even better.]

Nah, I'm hungry.

[And, as a child, Ikki shouldn't have been surprised that Ace's mind was in 20 different places when his adult mind was roughly much the same.]

[No one said he was surprised, but following Ace's thought process is always hard.]

Okay, what do you need now?

A lot of rope.

[Something they were actually on short supply, not counting replacement lines for the rigging.]

We might have to tie those idiots up.

[Tie the idiots up, seems they are back on talking about subjugating the ship.]

I don't think we have much of that, actually.

[Unless they decide to use some of the ropes that are reserved for other uses or even currently in use.]

Would rope make from blankets suffice?

[He's willing to take his bed sheets and rip them to make the rope if Ace needs it after all.]

Ah, probably not. Marco could probably tear it if we left it too loose. He's not super strong, but his will can make him stronger.

[He'd never seen Marco use it to lift heavy things like Jozu did, but then Marco's style didn't revolve around lifting icebergs or anything.]

Anyway, if ropes aren't gonna work, we probably gotta beat them all up.

Marco's a phoenix too so he can heal quickly even if we beat him.

[And he's the strongest and most badass of them all by default in Ikki's books, but he keeps that to himself because it's coming from Ace. And Ace is the only one who can say that Marco isn't the strongest of all without Ikki arguing back.]

Do we have to beat him too?

[He doesn't want to, but if Ace gives the order he will have to. He's not going to abandon his captain even for his idol... He just hopes that Marco will understand it.]

And Thatch and Namur too?

Thatch and Namur are fine, but Marco's refusin' to listen to my orders. I don't think he'll expect it if I use my will on him, so I might be able to surprise him.

It'll be really tough to fight him, 'cause my arms are so short now.

[And, he didn't have his Devil Fruit available at the moment. Ace wasn't pleased with the immense disadvantage of being a child and losing his main style of combat, but he was adapting quickly.]

That idiot's famous for conquering. Along with pops, he captured a lotta pirates and put them under his wing. If he gets it in his head that he needs to take over the ship and deny me my title, I'm gonna have to knock his teeth out--and turnin' into a Phoenix ain't gonna help him against armaments.

[So it's just Marco, still sucks but Marco is being weird after all, he forgot Ikki, even if that was quickly fixed. So he isn't surprised to hear that he's refusing to listen to Ace's orders. Ikki frowns at the comment regarding his arms, though.]

Ace, your arms are the length they have always been. [A heartbeat.] Don't tell me it actually got you too and you think that you are actually older, Natsuno has that too. And Naesala thinks I was an adult.

[Anyway, regarding the rest.]

I love Marco, but you're my captain. I won't let him take the ship from you. Even if you both are being crazy now.

[Sigh.]

[Ace stared at Ikki, realizing the situation had only managed to get even worse. He reached up to touch his face with one hand.]

Ikki.

What's my pirate nickname?

Hm? Fire Fist Ace.

[Where does that question come from?]

... I don't count how far you can reach with your fire as part of your arm length, you know.

[Welcome to Ikki's memories which are... Bizarre at best.]

Yeah, Fire Fist. [He continued on--]

And, I didn't have this power when I was a kid. I only ate the Flare Flare fruit after I set sail. I only vowed to become a pirate when I turned seventeen, too--

So, I wouldn't wanna be a pirate captain if I were just a kid, right?

[He reached over to hand Ikki the pipe again.] Anyway. If you're so sure I can turn to fire, hit me with this pipe.

[What? Wait, what?! That's... Ikki opens his mouth to object, because he's sure that Ace could turn into fire and all that. He saw it! But as the pipe is handed to him and he's told to hit the other... What is Ace playing?

Ikki frowns, looking at the pipe and then at Ace.]

... What about haki?

[Ace had no idea how strong Ikki was as a kid, but he would just turn his head into an armored shield if he needed to. He was pretty sure Ikki would feel guilty if Ace started bleeding everywhere and needed a tetanus shot later, too.]

'Haki' is different. It's in my mind and it was always in my body. Since I remember it, I can still use it.

[He still doesn't look convinced. Because... Honestly he doesn't want to believe that. Because then... Then what Naesala said was true, wasn't it? Then he was being affected as well and it wasn't just that he had been turned into a child, it wasn't even that he had forgot, but his whole memories were changed. If what Natsuno, Naesala and Ace are saying is true, then he has forgotten everything from his future, from his life? And got his memories of this place changed and played with. Is that why some things are fuzzy to him?

He's not using the pipe to hit Ace just yet. The poor pipe is busy at the moment being twisted and crushed by Ikki's hands as he frowns and thinks, anger burning inside of him. Trying to find an answer, something that would say that Ace was wrong.]

... So... Then if I hit you with this it won't just go through?

And all of us are actually adults? Even me? I remember you, I remember the ship, I remember the ambush at Nuevo Empieza and everything. But my memories are actually wrong?

[Ace knew that look. Even if that look was kind of tiny and Ikki looked fucking adorable, there were few things he really felt he could do to alleviate the situation.

So, Ace reached over and swung his hand down in a little karate chop to the other young man's skull.]

Wake up. If you think you were a kid or an adult, it doesn't matter. Your crew's still here, idiot!

Until this gets fixed, you gotta keep your mind in the game! Now, hit your captain with the damned pipe!

[Ikki doesn't even flinch at the chop, but it gets him to focus on Ace, glaring daggers with poison and fire even if they don't seem really directed at the other.]

You are the one who started going about this, you idiot!! If it doesn't matter then why do you even care if I remember things right or wrong? What do you want me to do? Pat you in the shoulder and go "there, there" just because your punch can't reach as far as when you're an adult?!

[He grabs the pipe and raises it, but stops and lowers it, still glowering. Because as angry as he is right now, he still can't bring himself to punch Ace, not out of anger at least.]

I'm not going to hit you!! If you want to be hit go pick a fight with Marco! I'm not attacking my captain unless you've gone mad and try to destroy the ships!

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