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Deadman Blues	By : crunchysalad Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 2596 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters. I make no money from this piece of fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 1-Deadman Blues
- 1
This fic was inspired in part by the movie Sam and Max (I think that was what it was called). It was about a pair of incestuous brothers in the pop industry who spend the movie giving each other blue balls. It was a pretty awful movie with no sense of narrative, but I did like some of the character interactions, which are re-purposed here to fit Smoker and Ace.

Also, I started writing this, got tired of the idea, and kind of rushed through the rest. So sorry if the pacing seems too fast.

Deadman Blues

"I want to entrust you with a secret task."

Those were words Smoker had never heard before. Through his long tenure as a marine he had been nearly kicked out no less than six times, and his official record of "insubordination" was one of the worse in the force. He had gotten to the point where he was well-respected among the marines, but not always well-trusted. Tasks that required discretion usually weren't assigned to him.

"Okay," he said, before saying nothing else. Better to let the details come to him.

"Of course you know about the War at here at Marineford," Aokiji said.

Smoker nodded. Why it was being called a 'war' was beyond him, unless the powers that be were just trying to make it seem more epic than it was. If anything, it was just a large battle involving much too many factions.

"After all, you were here," Aokiji continued, rather needlessly. He tended to ramble a bit, no doubt thanks to his rather slow, laid-back way of thinking.

Smoker only nodded.

"Ace's execution was. . . necessary."

And here Smoker stopped breathing for half a moment. Ace. . . he had never felt that the execution was punishment commiserate with the man's crimes, but it hadn't been his place to say anything. He wouldn't have been able to do anything even if he had wanted to. Which brought him to the confusing part of the whole thing: had he, in his heart, wanted to do something about the execution? But before he could get into some internal philosophical debate about it, Aokiji was continuing.

"It was necessary," Aokiji said, "but not in the way that you think. We wanted him to draw Whitebeard out. That was the primary objective behind his execution. The fact that he was Gol D. Roger's son also meant that his death would deflate morale among a good number of pirates who idolized Roger. But we had no concrete reason to kill Ace. Not that I can tell, at any rate."

Smoker couldn't even bring himself to nod this time. That much had been clear to anybody with two brain cells. Ace's crimes should have landed him life imprisonment in Impel Down, and not even necessarily in the deepest levels.

"In fact," Aokiji continued, "it's actually in our better interest to keep Ace alive. If Roger left a clue as to where One Piece is, he might have left it with Ace. And if we get to it before any pirates do, we can prevent a lot of unnecessary bloodshed over it."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Smoker asked, unable to keep his tone of voice from getting just a little bit gruff. Ace was dead. Pirate or no pirate, Gol D. Roger's son or Whitebeard's cherished subordinate, Ace was gone. That idiotic grin and that dusting of light brown freckles scattered across an angular nose. . . Smoker would never see those things again.

"I guess," Aokiji said, "I'm just trying to explain the circumstances so that you'll understand. But the fact is, Ace D. Portgas is very much alive."

It took a few moments for Smoker to respond. At first it was because the words were so unexpected that he didn't hear them at all. Then it was because he assumed he must have misheard. Finally, when he was able to process the sentence and its meaning, he wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure what to feel, either, but that was a part of himself that he was suppressing for now.

"That's impossible," he said, and heard at once the lack of conviction in his voice. "He died. We all saw him."

"His death was staged. A little too convincingly, to be honest. That fool Akainu nearly killed him for real. But the fact is Akainu left him intact enough for our medics to save his life."

Another minute or two was needed for Smoker to process this new information. A minute after that, however, and Aokiji was impatient enough to continue without any affirmation from Smoker.

"We need to keep this a secret," Aokiji said. "But we need someone we trust to keep watch over Ace."

"What about Garp?" Smoker asked, curious despite himself.

"He doesn't know."

"And why me?" That was the million dollar question. "With all the people in the marines, you'd think the brass would have one or two that they trust more than me."

"You've always been tight-lipped when you wanted to," Aokiji replied. "We figured it would come in handy now. Plus you're chasing after Ace's brother-yeah, don't think that escaped my attention-and Luffy's chasing after the same thing we are. One Piece. This mission coincides with what you've already set out to do."

Smoker scowled and ran a hand through his hair, eyes on the floor for just one moment before looking up again.

"So you want to send me on this wild goose chase all these pirates are on," Smoker said. "And you want me to try to see if Portgas will help me do it."

Aokiji's lips spread out into a slow smile. "I knew you would be amenable. You have discretion to tell any of your subordinates, if you really must do so, but we'd prefer it if you didn't. And you've probably figured it out by now, but you can't refuse this order. One dead man has already been delivered to your ship as of noon today in pristine condition, though still unconscious. I'll leave it to you to fill him in on the details."

Of course. Ace would just be delighted to hear what was going on.

"Understood," Smoker said, because he couldn't really say anything else. He wasn't even sure that he was upset about his new orders. Not really. If anything, he felt strangely blank about the whole thing.

At any rate, Aokiji was dismissing him, so he left his office and the marine base. From the terrace outside he could look over the island's port. The Able sat moored there, pristine after the mechanics had given her the usual routine maintenance. And in her bowels was Ace D. Portgas. For a long while Smoker just stood there, staring. Not really willing or able to take another step forward. He could smell the ocean in the air and it smelt like a storm. Whether that storm would be a literal one or a figurative one, Smoker wasn't so sure.

Eventually it was Tashigi who startled Smoker from his reverie. Her voice was so small at first that Smoker didn't hear it, but after who knows how many times the word "Commodore" finally reached his ears. Smoker's head snapped to the side to see Tashigi standing there, head tilted down a little bit even as she looked up at him, fingers clasped on the band of her sword.

"Commodore? How did everything go?"

Smoker wasn't sure just yet.

"Did we get permission to go to the New World?"

Smoker nodded. That question he could answer easily enough. "Even better. We have full permission to go after Luffy at our discretion."

Tashigi's eyes simultaneously widened and lit up at the statement. "Really? They're giving us that much leeway?"

"Pretty much," Smoker said. "Take care of whatever outstanding affairs you have before the morning. We leave at dawn."

"Yes, sir," Tashigi said. Then, taking that as a dismissal, she saluted and ran off.

Smoker turned back towards he ship. He debated sleeping in headquarter barracks or staying in the Able, then decided on the latter. He was sure that Aokiji had assigned guards for the night, but when it came to Ace, the more security they had the better. When he got to his ship, though, he was surprised to find the guards he had assumed would be in the holding cells to be in front of his room instead.

"What's the meaning of this?" he said, not at all sympathetic when the two grunts there flinched at his tone and shrunk back.

"Sorry, Commodore, sir," said one of them. "We were just making sure the prisoner is being set up properly."

"In my quarters?" Smoker asked, unable to keep his voice from rising. "Why aren't you putting him in the holding cell?"

"Umm. . . I'm not sure, sir, but the orders-"

"I don't give a shit about your orders. These are my quarters, and-"

"Commodore Smoker," came a voice. The door to Smoker's quarters were opened, just enough for a tall, dark-haired man to peek his head through. One of the rear admirals, Smoker's mind supplied, though not one he had ever really interacted with before. "Stop antagonizing my men and step inside. You should be intelligent enough to know that there are reasons for this breach of protocol."

Smoker scowled but did as he was asked, stepping through the partially opened door and into his room. It was a small, dark room, but compared to the crew quarters it was positively palatial. One small porthole usually illuminated the room. Right now, however, the sunlight coming through it was filtered by a thin curtain. It was still enough light for Smoker to see Ace in the corner of the room. The young man was laying on his back in Smoker's bed, blanket pulled to mid-chest, arms flat at his side. He would have looked dead if not for his shallow breathing. It was eerie, seeing him like that.

"Too many people go through the holding area," said the rear admiral. "From an inquiry of the crew, no one but you ever goes into your quarters. It was decided it would be the best place to hold Portgas D. Ace. Some reading material for you, Commodore."

A dossier was handed to him, which Smoker took with one hand.

"He's on sedatives right now, but he should be awake in about two days time. Good luck, Commodore. You'll need it."

"Yeah," Smoker said, as the man left. "Looks like."

He guessed he would be sleeping on the couch tonight. He settled into the too small space and tried to get comfortable as he opened the dossier. At least it would make for good bedtime reading; considering the way the higher ups at headquarters wrote, it was sure to put him to sleep soon enough.

The next day Smoker woke up to the sound of chains moving about. He turned towards the clanking metal, only to see Ace awake in the bed and tugging on a thick chain that was affixed to his wrist with a cuff. Figures a drug that was supposed to knock Ace out for two days wouldn't even last twelve hours. As he stirred Ace looked up at him, for the moment regarding him with a level gaze.

"Last thing I remember was dying," Ace said. "But I guess you guys managed to save me. So I guess I'm your prisoner now."

"Pretty observant of you," Smoker said, voice gruff with sleep.

Ace held up the chain attaching him to the bed. Long enough to move around the captain's quarters, save for the last few feet necessary to reach the door. "This metal made of seastone? I noticed that I don't have my powers."

"No," Smoker replied. He sat up and ran his hands through tousled hair. He never was a morning person and was already getting a headache thinking of the discussion he was going to have with Ace. "You could always turn around and use something like that against me. A piece of seastone was implanted under your skin."

"You're kidding me," Ace said, lips set in a half-pout, half-scowl. "That's pretty screwed up. So, what, you're here to take care of the big, bad pirate? You going to rape me?"

Smoker's eyebrow twitched. "Why would you even think that?"

"Hey," Ace said, lips twisting into an asymmetrical smile. "A guy can hope, yeah?"

Yes, he was definitely getting a headache.

"After what happened in Cartuga," Ace continued, smile growing, "I'd think you'd be happier to see me."

Smoker felt his teeth grind together and heat rise up to his cheeks. He needed to get some cigars. "Don't you dare bring up Cartuga. Cartuga was. . . a lapse in judgment. It never happened."

"Sorry, what was it? A lapse in judgment or something that never happened?"

Smoker reached for his jacket, then reached for the cigars in a pocket there. He shoved them in his mouth, sought out his lighter, and lit up. As the cigar smoke swirled around him, he started to feel a little bit more calm already.

"How can you be so casual right now?" Smoker asked. "Don't you realize your situation?"

Ace shrugged. "I can think of worse places to be than chained to your bed. Besides, I figure I'll find a way to escape soon enough, seastone or no. The old man's probably worried about me."

Smoker didn't say anything at the mention of Whitebeard. He wasn't sure what to say. And apparently his silence was disquieting enough that, eventually, the Ace let out a nervous sounding chuckle.

"What?" Ace asked. "What is it?"

It took a long while for Smoker to respond. He knew what Whitebeard had meant to Ace and wasn't sure how to relay the information. He thought of the last time he had seen him. Whitebeard had been a tall, imposing figure during his last moments at Marineford; regal and commanding even in his death. "Whitebeard. . . he didn't make it out of Marineford."

The smile was frozen on Ace's face, but his eyes were completely blank. Several moments of silence stretched between them before Ace spoke. And when he did speak, his voice was strangely monotonous and sounded close to cracking. "You're lying. There's no way."

Smoker looked down at the floor. Crossed his arms. Uncrossed them. Then, finally, "I'm sorry, Portgas."

Smoker looked back up, only to see that Ace look as though he was on the verge of crying. His eyes were big, unblinking, as though keeping them open that wide would prevent the tears from falling.

"Leave," Ace said, and this time his voice did crack. "Please."

Smoker nodded. He could allow Ace his pride as a man; he could let the other man cry in private. He got up to leave, careful to lock the door behind him.

Once outside his quarters, it was easy for Smoker to let Ace fade from his consciousness and allow his obligations to come front and center. They were departing port, after all, which always meant a fair bit of work. Smoker watched as Marineford disappeared over the horizon, as their small ship was surrounded by vast, dark ocean. This was the part of being a marine he loved the most. Being out on the ocean with the smell of seawater, the constant breeze, and the sense that the whole world was open to him.

Smoker kept busy attending to many different tasks until it was time for lunch, at which point he grabbed a tray from the kitchen to bring back to Ace. He had let several of his crew know that there was a high-profile prisoner kept in his room, and had let them know that said prisoner's identity was off-limits for discussion, so it wasn't a surprise when people saw him carrying a second lunch to his room. When he got there he found Ace laying on his side in bed, staring out the now uncovered porthole. The light from outside shone in a distorted circle onto the bed, casting Ace's hunched over shoulder and part of his arm in a golden glow. Smoker came up to the bed and placed the food on table beside it. Then, against his better judgment, he placed his hand on Ace's head and ran it slowly over his hair.

"Ace," he said. "You should eat."

"Luffy," Ace said in reply, his voice dull. "What happened to Luffy?"

Smoker hesitated to answer, but figured that Ace deserved to know. "He made it out. He was heavily injured, but he was able to escape."

"I need to go see him. I need to make sure he's okay."

"You know I can't let you do that," Smoker said with a frown.

Ace turned then to face Smoker. He was oddly expressionless, mouth pulled down at the sides just a little bit. Even if he had been crying earlier, he showed no hint of it now. No lingering puffiness or redness in his eyes. He hand reached for Smoker's waist and rested on a piece of his belt. It was a touch that would no doubt be sexual in any other context, but now it was probably just the need for human contact that made Ace do it.

"I'm not saying to let me go. I'm just saying to let me see my brother."

"I can't do that," Smoker said again, surprised when he felt a little bad for doing so. "The world thinks you're dead. Strawhat thinks you're dead."

"All the more reason I have to see him," Ace continued, his tone one of quiet exasperation. "I have to let him know that I'm okay."

"No," Smoker said, tone of voice final. "You can just try to escape and see him, but I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Ace's hand tightened around the leather of Smoker's belt. "What about Gramps? Does he know I'm alive?"

"No," Smoker replied.

"Huh." Ace's eyes dropped as his lips pulled up a little on one side. "Now he only has one troublemaker grandson to worry about."

Smoker brushed his fingers through Ace's hair in what he hoped were comforting movements. He wasn't sure if he should tell Ace that Garp had retired from the marines. Eventually he decided that it wasn't necessary; this was already a lot of information for Ace to handle, and telling him his grandfather had left the marines he had always loved might have negative effects. Perhaps feeling sorry for the young man, Smoker didn't even protest when Ace rested his head down on his thigh, even if it did make Smoker somewhat uncomfortable.

"So what are you going to do with me now?" Ace asked.

"The higher ups want me to use you to find One Piece. They think that if we find it before anyone else does, it will stop a lot of possible problems. There's a whole new generation of pirates looking for it, after all."

"You're out of luck then," Ace said. "I don't know anything about One Piece that isn't public knowledge."

"They think your father might have left some kind of secret with you."

Ace chuckled a little, but it was a bitter noise. "By father I guess you mean Roger. He died before I was even born; the only thing he left me was his reputation, and that's something I never wanted."

"Maybe he left you something that you're not even aware of," Smoker said.

Ace looked up at that remark, turning his body so that he was on his back with his head in Smoker's lap. "You don't sound like you believe that."

Smoker scowled and shrugged. "I don't believe in One Piece. I think Roger's declaration of treasure was something said by a dying man to stir up trouble and preserve his legacy. But I have my orders, and besides, they'll get me to where I want to go."

"Hmm." Ace stared blankly ahead of him, no doubt thinking things over. He didn't ask what Smoker's goals were. It was possible he already knew. "You know. . . if you marines are looking for One Piece, there are people who know a lot more than I do. People who might even know where it is and how to get to it."

"Such as?"

"If you have to ask," Ace replied, "than you'll never know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Smoker asked, getting a little bit irritated once again.

Ace smiled a little bit as he reached a hand up to rub against Smoker's stubble. His voice, though, was completely serious, free of the teasing tone he often used with Smoker. "It means you marines should be able to gather that much intelligence by yourselves at the least. Smoker. . . you'll sleep with me on this bed tonight, won't you? I won't do anything. I just don't feel like sleeping alone."

Smoker nodded before he could help himself. "Eat your lunch. I'll be back with your dinner later tonight."

Smoker spent the rest of the afternoon working with his crew, only taking a break to drop off some food for a still solemn Ace. And when night came he fell asleep, with much difficulty, with Ace's body pressed against his back. His dreams that night took place in Cartuga on a full moon, on a blue pebble beach with emerald-tinged water, gentle waves lapping at his back as he leaned forward.

It was a two weeks before they reached the the first port of call in the New World. It was a trip without incident, most of Smoker's time spent training and deciding his plan of action once he got to his destination. G-5 would be the most strategic place to lie in wait, and was where Smoker was planning on heading after restocking at this island. The Straw Hat pirates probably hadn't made it to the New World yet; from G-5 he could more ably keep abreast of their movements.

During this time Ace had, more or less, returned to his usual self. Smoker was sure that underneath his surface Ace was mourning Whitebeard's death heavily, but the young man was intelligent enough to realize that he couldn't let his grief disturb him too much. Not if he wanted to break free sooner rather than later. He spent much of his time staring out the porthole and out over the ocean. Perhaps he was thinking of his crew and his family; perhaps he was plotting his escape. It was what he was doing when Smoker came back that night.

Tired from shopping and an unexpected detour to capture a small pirate crew, Smoker threw off his jacket and collapsed on his back in bed. As he sunk into the firm mattress he vaguely wondered what Ace was looking at. The sun had gone down and the moon wasn't shining on that side of the ship; all he would be able to see was darkness. Before Smoker could ponder it too much, he felt the mattress sink under someone else's body weight, and he felt that familiar body heat pressed against him.

"Must be nice," Ace said. "Being able to wonder around town. Be out in the sun."

"If you're trying to get me to feel sorry for you," Smoker said, "it's not going to work."

Fingers came to trace over Smoker's shoulder. "That damned window makes things even worse. At least at Impel Down there wasn't anything to remind me of freedom. But being here, staring out that window at the ocean. . . even though it's only a few yards, it feels so far away. That sense of being able to go wherever I want, do whatever I want. Just a few inches of glass keeping it away and it's completely out of my reach."

Smoker opened his eyes. Ace was staring blankly ahead, expression serious, and for a moment Smoker did feel sorry for him. For a moment. "You chose this life, Ace. Being a pirate means bearing the punishment if you're caught."

Ace's lips quirked upward as his gaze came to rest on Smoker again. "Only until I break free."

Smoker snorted. "You can try."

"Hey," Ace said, his fingers stilling as his voice dropped. "Doesn't cuddling like this remind you of Cartuga?"

At the mention of that now detestable place, Smoker shot up into sitting position. Only to be shoved back down onto the bed by two strong hands and have Ace's leg wrap itself around his leg. Ace's face moved out of his field of vision, but then he felt Ace's hot breath against his ear. A hot tongue came out to trace over its outer ridges before teeth nibbled at his lobe.

"I thought," Smoker said, voice completely level, "that you were still grieving."

The mouth disappeared from his ear, though a kiss was placed right underneath before Ace answered. "Don't you know that humans crave physical comfort during times of grief?"

Smoker crossed his arms as Ace pressed another kiss against his skin. Then another, and another, making his way to the side of Smoker's mouth. Then Ace shifted so that he was half on top of Smoker and started to kiss his lips directly. But after several moments of Smoker not responding to his kisses in any way, Ace drew away.

"Hey," he said, a hint of insecurity in his voice, "don't make me feel more stupid than I already do."

Maybe it was the way his lips were tugging downward, or the way his eyes had a plaintive gleam to them, but Smoker found himself feeling a little bad. Smoker tilted his face to meet Ace's and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"There," Smoker said, closing his eyes and settling back into his pillow. "Now go to sleep."

"You're no fun," Ace said, quite predictably. He placed his head on Smoker's shoulder and his hand over Smoker's groin.

"Stop that," Smoker said. "I told you to go to sleep."

"But you're half hard," Ace countered.

"I'm tired. It can't be helped."

"Just go to sleep then," Ace said, right before unzipping Smoker's pants. "It might even be easier for me if you do."

"I'm not going to let you molest me in my sleep."

"Then stay awake. I don't care."

Shit. Ace's hand had reached into his pants and was now gripping his cock and pulling it out. Memories of Cartuga rushed through Smoker's mind. He wasn't even sure how it had happened then; there was adrenaline, then lust, then Ace's body pressed against the post of an old pier as he thrust into it. And afterwards he couldn't get Ace completely out of his head. Couldn't forget those gleaming brown eyes, those child-like freckles scattered across a decidedly masculine face.

"Look. It's completely hard now."

"What do you expect when you keep pulling on it like that?" Smoker asked, wondering why he wasn't doing anything to stop him. "Now let go and let me sleep."

"You don't really mean that. Look, you're so hard you're leaking."

The bed shifted and Smoker finally opened his eyes. He watched as Ace moved down the bed, until he was eye level with Smoker's cock. A cock that was currently rock hard and jutting out of a nest of curly public hair. Ace was licking his lips and eyeing it like it was the biggest lollipop in the candy store. Ace lifted his head up then, making direct eye contact with Smoker before darting a pink tongue out to lick up the side of his cock.

Smoker couldn't suppress the shudder than ran through his body at the contact. It wasn't even so much the feeling of it; he could have gotten that from any whore in any brothel that always popped up near port in towns. It was the way Ace always looked like sucking cock was his favorite thing to do in the world. Smoker figured that since he had allowed things to go this far, he might as well let Ace finish what he wanted to do. Might as well enjoy the show. He watched as Ace licked up and down the shaft of his cock, as those lips wrapped around the side of it and sucked there. Licking and slurping noises filled the room, and Ace. . . with that expression of absolute rapture on his face, Ace looked like he was chowing down on the most delicious thing in the world. Smoker had to admit it was good for the ego. After awhile Ace must have gotten tired of his teasing. He smirked against Smoker's cock, then lifted his head and placed a kiss at the very tip of it.

"Told you you didn't mean it," he said, before swallowing half of Smoker's cock with one gulp.

Smoker's hips thrust upwards as that hot, wet mouth surrounded him. He placed a hand on the back of Ace's head but didn't push down; he'd let the young man go at his own pace. He watched as Ace, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, bobbed up and down his cock. Smoker could feel that hot tongue swirling around him at the same time, could feel the pressure as Ace sucked and moaned around him. Dear God, those moans. . . he could feel them reverberate around his cock, right down to his balls. After awhile Smoker could feel himself getting close. His fingers tangled in Ace's hair as he grunted out the words "I'm coming."

That delicious wet heat left his cock, Ace's hand coming to take the place of his mouth. He stroked it a few times before Smoker started shooting, spurt after spurt of white cream arching into the air to land on his stomach and chest. When Ace had milked the last drops out of him that pink tongue darted out again, this time to lap up the semen spilled on his body. When Ace was done with that he sucked Smoker's half-limp cock back into his mouth, giving it one last cleaning before letting go. Then he slunk up Smoker's body, pressing his face against Smoker's neck and placing a kiss there.

"I love watching you come," Ace said. "You shoot like a fire hose."

"Mm hmm. I guess I should be flattered with a compliment like that." Smoker wrapped his arm around Ace's back, so that the fingers of his hand could tangle in that wavy black hair. He supposed that this had been inevitable, really; no sense in fighting. He could feel Ace's half-hard cock pressing against his hip, and he wondered if he should do something about it. "Do you want me to reciprocate?"

"I'm good," Ace answered. "I want to save it up for when we actually fuck. You'll be more impressed with how much I come that way, yeah? Besides, you suck at giving head."

Smoker scowled. "I've been told that there were no such thing as bad blow jobs. That even bad blow jobs were good."

Ace smiled against Smoker's necks. "Aww. Aren't you cute for believing that."

Smoker contemplated throwing Ace out of bed right then and there, but decided that he was too comfortable right now.

"I'm going to miss this when I break free," Ace said. "Why don't you come with me and be a pirate? I don't know what's going to happen to Whitebeard's crew, but even if they don't let you join you can come aboard as my personal prisoner."

Smoker couldn't help but snort at the suggestion. "Never in a million years. And you're not breaking free, not on my watch. If you want to stick by my side, why don't you become a marine? Garp would be proud."

"I don't think that's an option that's open to me," Ace replied, sounding a little bitter about it. "And it's not what I want, anyway. I want the freedom of being a pirate, I want to live my life without anyone telling me what I can and can't do."

"It seems like a pretty selfish way of living if you ask me," Smoker said. "The worse of you lot go around racking up civilian deaths like frequent sailing miles; the best get away with causing massive amounts of property damage. I never had a problem with Whitebeard because he kept to himself in the New World, but do you know how much local governments and private citizens have had to pay in order to keep up with the damage caused by most pirates? Your brother's crew alone has caused millions of beli worth of damage. And it may seem like an abstract number to you, but real people have to toil and struggle to raise that kind of money."

"But Luffy's done a lot of good too," Ace countered.

"He's more than capable of doing good while obeying the law, yet he chooses not to," Smoker said. "Somehow Garp really screwed up when it came to raising you two. . . actually, I shouldn't be surprised. Everyone in your family is crazy-adopted, biological, or otherwise."

Ace chuckled into Smoker's neck. "It's not like the marines don't go around causing property damage and civilian deaths either. Don't pretend that it doesn't happen. Don't pretend that everyone in the marines is all goodness and light."

"I never said that," Smoker said. "I see that all first hand. But just because parts of the system are corrupt doesn't mean you abandon it altogether."

"Hmm." Ace's arm tightened around Smoker's chest. Throughout their little conversation his voice had grown slower and lower, as had Smoker's. Sleep was something that both their bodies obviously wanted. "Smoker. I really like you. You're gruff and kind of anal, but you really do care about everyone around you. And your hands are always so gentle when they touch me."

As Ace nuzzled into Smoker's neck, Smoker's hand ran through Ace's hair a few more times. He could feel himself falling asleep. Maybe it was the fact that he was tired that allowed him to say what he said next. "I guess I like you too, kid. Your earnest way of living-I just can't hate that about you."

Maybe tomorrow night he would tell every one to stay below deck for a few hours. He could bring Ace out, so the other man could get out of this tiny room and be on that ocean for at least a little bit. They could watch the ocean at night, its black surface always terrifying and at once beautiful, like it would swallow them up without a trace and they wouldn't even mind. With thoughts of Ace and the night ocean swirling in his head, Smoker fell asleep.

When Smoker woke up the next morning he sensed instantly that something was wrong.

"Ace," he said, sitting up in bed and snapping his eyes open. The space beside him on the bed was empty. The chain sat in a loose coil on the mattress, the end of it sawed off. And on top of the coil was a note.

Sorry but I had to go, it read, thanks for letting me give you that blow job.

"Fuck!" Smoker shouted. He got up and tossed on his jacket and boots. When he slammed open the door Tashigi and some others were already in the hallway, no doubt summoned there by his shouting.

"The prisoner got away," Smoker said, his voice still louder than normal. "Find out if anyone's seen anyone suspicious leaving the ship today. Put out an order that no ships are to leave port until we say otherwise and find out what ships have left since last night. Tashigi, come with me."

Tashigi fell into step beside Smoker as the others scurried off to take care of his other orders.

"Tashigi," Smoker said, "I'm going to tell you the identity of the prisoner. Concentrate your search for him on the port town while I explore the rest of the island. For now, don't tell anyone else his identity."

"Yes, sir," Tashigi said. "Who are we looking for, Commodore?"

"Portgas D. Ace."

"What?" Tashigi shouted, apparently unable to keep the exclamation from leaving her mouth. She slapped a hand over her mouth right after she did so, apparently embarrassed by the slip.

"I'll explain later," Smoker said. "For now just concentrate on finding him."

Tashigi nodded and raced off just as Smoker reached his bike. He got on it and, in a torrent of smoke, he was off. He briefly wondered how Ace had managed to cut the chain, but figured it didn't matter. Ace had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, after all, and what was done was done. Smoker would just have to deal with the after effects. He took the only road out of town; actually, it was the only road on the island. It looped around the circumference of it, roughly speaking, connecting all the seaside towns together. As far as Smoker knew, there was nothing on the interior of the island but jungle. That's not to say that Ace wasn't hiding out in there; he may very well be, so Smoker kept his eyes out for any disturbances in the vegetation that could tell him if a human had entered it recently.

For the next few hours Smoker went from town to town, stopping in each one in order to see if Ace had come through. Most of the towns were empty. Ghost towns; ruins of what they used to be, pieces of houses and buildings falling off into the ocean. They were all designed with the same kind of architecture: large, thick metal roofs that overhung the walls by quite a bit, blue stone walls. There were lots of hiding places but no sign of Ace. Still, without any clues, this was the best Smoker could do. Hopefully either he would find something or Tashigi would find something and call him on his den den mushi. After awhile even the roads, not just the towns, seemed to be falling apart. Apparently this thoroughfare wasn't a well-used one.

It was dark before Smoker found anything of note, but what he did find was huge. In a small, run-down town exactly like all the towns he had already passed, there was a Marine Ship anchored off shore and a smaller boat pulled up onto the sand. Smoker could see the flashlights held by his fellow marines as they seemed to methodically move around the town. Upon closer inspection, Smoker could find two lanterns outside the door of one of the houses. They must have commandeered it. Deciding that it was better for him to know what was going on, Smoker rode his bike up to the building and parked it outside before going up to the two men standing there.

"Commodore Smoker," they said in unison as they saluted.

"What's going on here?" Smoker asked. "Who's your commanding officer?"

"Admiral Sakazuki, sir," one of the men replied. "We happened to intercept the Strawhats' ship off the coast line. We managed to heavily damage their ship and force them ashore, and now we're looking for the crew."

Luffy and his crew were here? Along with Akainu? Smoker's mind reeled at the thought. . . there was just too much going on, especially with Ace loose. But if Ace had heard anything about Luffy, or had managed to see his ship, he might be here looking for his brother too.

"They really are like cockroaches."

Smoker looked up, scowling when he saw Akainu standing there. He hadn't liked that bastard Akainu the first time they met, and his opinion of the man had only solidified over the years.

"Although you should know that all too well, Smoker," Akainu continued. "How's that precious cargo of yours doing?"

"Just peachy," Smoker replied. "Couldn't be better."

"What a coincidence that we're both on this island, what with you looking after one brother and me looking for the other. I assume you'll be happy to help us look for Strawhat Luffy. You're eager to bring him in as well, aren't you?"

"Sure," Smoker said. "I'll help look."

If he could somehow manage to get both Luffy and Ace in custody, Smoker would be a very happy man.

"Good," Akainu said, nodding. "The sooner those two are terminated, the better. Hopefully the World Government will realize how useless Portgas is soon enough; I look forward to personally taking care of him when that time comes."

Smoker was biting down on his cigars so hard that he could taste tobacco falling out of the ends and onto his tongue.

"Be careful out there, Smoker. According to our barometer there's a storm coming, and rain on this island is strong enough to kill you if you get stuck out in it."

"Yeah," Smoker replied. "I'll keep that in mind."

He watched as Akainu walked off into the darkness, presumably to continue his own search. When he was out of sight Ace rode his bike up to a higher vantage point. From there he could see the ocean and part of the shore, and the Thousand Sunny sitting still in the shallows. It was very much damaged, but not anything a day's worth of repairs wouldn't fix. Most of the marines were concentrated on the area the current would have carried any bodies from the ship. Normally it would be a sound tactic, but Smoker could hear the waves as they crashed towards shore, could hear the irregularities there. There was something underneath the water off shore; maybe a reef, maybe some large rocks. But it was enough to divert the current, to an area of the shore the Smoker couldn't see from here. He decided to head there.

Once he got to the general area he found it empty. He rode his bike onto the sand, but there was nothing there. It ended at a vertical cliff face. Smoker scanned the ocean for anything odd, but didn't see anything. But then he noticed it, something trying to move across the cliff face. Someone trying to move across the cliff face.

"Shit," Smoker muttered, revving up his bike. "Portgas!"

The figure turned, the whites of his eyes flashing in Smoker's direction, but he kept going. What the hell was he thinking. . . there were only a few feet separating him from the ocean and no proper footholds for him to cling on to. It was a miracle that he made it that far without falling off. Smoker raced across the ocean on his bike, careful not to let the spray from the waves touch his body. A few feet away he could see Ace slipping and reached an arm out- just a few feet- just a few seconds- and just as Ace fell off the cliff, Smoker's arm wrapped around his chest, pulling him onto the bike.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Smoker yelled. "You couldn't think of any other way to get away?"

"It's not that!" Ace shouted back. His voice was borderline frantic, taking Smoker aback. Ace had never been anything but calm or teasing before. "I saw Lufffy, the ocean was sweeping him towards that cropping of rocks!"

"Shit," Smoker said, before turning his bike and heading to the rocks Ace pointed at. When he got there he slowed the bike to a slow crawl. After what must have felt like forever to Ace they saw it: a sliver of pale pink flesh clinging onto a rock.

"Over there," said Ace, fingers digging into Smoker's shoulder.

Eventually Smoker managed to maneuver his bike close enough for them to see that the flesh was a hand. Ace leaned forward to grab onto the wrist, then pulled up a scarily still Luffy. As he cradled his brother to his chest, Smoker turned his bike and made his way straight to shore. Even after that he kept going. He went back to town, cautious to keep his eyes out for other marines. They were, however, mysteriously absent. But then Smoker remembered Akainu's warning about a storm.

Smoker picked a building far from the one the marines were staying in. He parked his bike next to the front door, underneath the roof overhang, and ushered Ace off the bike and inside. He had barely stepped over the threshold when there was a loud explosion from behind him. He looked back to see fragments of rock scatter from where something had collided with the road. Were they under attack? Smoker slammed the door shut behind him, made sure the building was secure, and looked out the window. Only to realize that the object that had caused the collision wasn't a cannonball; it was a huge drop of water even bigger than a cannonball. There were many of them now, falling from the sky and damaging anything in the way. Smoker watched as a wooden cart that had been left outside, no doubt by the marines searching through the town and moving things out of the way, was demolished by just a few raindrops. No wonder Akainu had warned him about the storm, and no wonder all the roofs in these towns were made from thick metal.

Smoker turned back towards the room. Ace had laid Luffy down on the bed that was on the room. He was sitting beside him, head in his hands.

"It's all my fault," Ace said. "He had my vivre card. He was probably looking for me."

"You think Strawhat would still have that thing? You were on death's doorstep. Your vivre card would have been as small as a speck of dust; there's no way Luffy could have hung onto it in those circumstances." Smoker moved over to where the two brothers were. Luffy seemed fine. He was breathing and looked as though he were just asleep. He really was like a cockroach. "It's not your fault, and he'll be fine anyway."

Smoker dug around in his back pocket. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and was about to slap them on Luffy when Ace's hand grabbed onto his wrist.

"What are you doing?" Ace asked, eyes wide. "You can't possibly be thinking of bringing him in."

"Of course I'm bringing him in," Smoker said. "He's dangerous. I'm going to make sure they throw him into the deepest part of Impel Down and make it so he can never escape."

"If you turn Luffy in, they won't just lock him up. They'll kill him. They'll kill him just because he's Dragon's son. Do you really think that's what Luffy deserves?"

No, it wasn't, but that wasn't really the point. Smoker shook his head. "It's not my job to make or interpret the laws. I'm just supposed to enforce them. If I can't do my job because I'm afraid the higher-ups won't do theirs properly, what good am I as a marine?"

"And you think a guy like Akainu should be doling out justice in the world?" Ace all but yelled. "If you bring Luffy in, you'll be giving him a death sentence. It will be no different than if you had killed him yourself."

The mention of Akainu made Smoker stop. His mind raced back to Akainu's words from earlier. It was a sure thing that he would do his best to see Luffy killed. And not just Luffy. . . if he convinced the World Government that Ace was more trouble than he was worth, he would kill Ace as well. And this time he would make sure that Ace wouldn't survive it. Smoker's hand faltered. Ace let go of his wrists, the gleam in his eyes going from pleading to relieved.

"Lie down," Smoker said. He put the handcuffs back and pulled out a dagger instead.

"Whoa," Ace said, eyes widening again. "What are you doing now?"

"If you're going to escape," Smoker said, "you should escape now. Akainu might still be out looking for you, but all those other marines won't be able to stay out in this rain. You should go before it stops."

"And that explains the knife how?" Ace asked.

Smoker's eyebrow twitched. "You won't be able to survive in this rain either, without being able to turn your body into fire. I'll have to cut the sea stone out of you."

Ace paled but nodded. "Okay. Yeah. I get it."

"Lay down on your stomach," Smoker said. "And bite down on something."

Ace did as he was told, his body shaking a little bit. Smoker wasn't any less nervous, to be honest. He wasn't a surgeon. He had no idea what he was doing, but this would have to do. He sat down beside Ace and rolled up the right leg of his shorts, then started to feel around the back of his thigh. The reports had said it would be around there. Sure enough, soon Smoker felt a hard, rigid lump about four inches in diameter, nestled right underneath the skin.

"I'm going to cut it out now," Smoker said, trying to hide how unsure he felt from manifesting in his voice.

All Ace could do was nod, black hair bobbing up and down on the bed.

Smoker steeled a breath as he pressed his knife against Ace's skin. At the first deep cut scarlet red rushed out around the blade and Ace's body jumped. It was disconcerting, but Smoker realized that if he wanted to do this even semi-properly he would have to do it fast. He tried to ignore Ace's muffled screams as he dug around his flesh in clumsy movements, until he was finally able to separate the stone from all the muscle and fat around it. Once it was out the back of Ace's leg was a mess, in a way that made Smoker want to throw up. He grabbed the old tablecloth from a nearby table to wrap tightly around it, not surprised when it turned bright red almost instantly. Once he was done, Smoker's heart stopped when he noticed how still Ace was. He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder and shook.

"Ace," he said, unable to keep the worry from clouding his voice.

But he didn't have to worry. Ace spun around so that he was on his back and reached his arms up towards Smoker. He wrapped them around Smoker's shoulders and neck, pulling Smoker down until the older man's ear was resting on his chest. Smoker was relieved to make out a strong, healthy heartbeat.

"Yeah," Ace whispered. "I'm okay."

Smoker pulled away and let Ace get up. There was no time to waste and both of the knew that. Ace limped a little as he picked up Luffy, but was still pretty quick. Smoker figured that they'd both be fine, especially given their track record.

"What about you?" Ace asked, as they all got to the door.

"I'll stay here," Smoker said. "See if I can't delay Akainu and his crew."

Ace lifted an eyebrow and smirked at that. "Aren't you a little renegade?"

"Portgas," Smoker said, as Ace opened the door. "Be safe."

Ace's eyes softened a little bit. "Yeah. You too, Smoker."

They stayed like that for a little bit, just staring at each other, until Ace turned away. They had to go. Still, he couldn't help but turn his head and leave Smoker with one last smile and remark.

"Next time," Ace said. "I'll be the one to take you prisoner. Be ready for it."

Smoker scowled as Ace and Luffy disappeared in a wall of fire.

"I'd like to see you try it, kid."
- 1
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Deadman Blues