You'll see. [He's got his own plans, his own desires for this, whatever this nameless bond is going to end up being. But for now, he's all play, drunk and happy and full of hope and good intentions.]
Good. 'Cause when someone doubts me, I really get to be a pain. [They're an awkward pair, and they'd probably be better suited to other people. But when Ace is this happy, he's not letting go, and he'll make this work somehow.]
[Grumps and leans an arm on his head.] Yeah, you're somehow more talented at it than your baby brother. Did you teach him or does it just come naturally to you both?
I think it's a skill we all honed together. Being this skilled in being a pain in the ass doesn't come naturally, it takes practice. Years of it. But from what I keep hearing, Luffy's capable of picking up the slack for me now that I'm gone.
Pretty much. [LEANS ARM ON ACE'S HEAD. It's not affectionate, you're delusional. It's just being taller than Ace and making fun of him for it okay okay.]
He keeps making more friends though. Trafalgar, obviously. But Jinbei, Dragon's Revolution of course, all of Dressarossa once he freed them from Doflamingo. He'd be giving you heart attacks.
[My god Smoker you have emotional issues.] He's got a talent for attracting crazy powerful people to him. It's pretty impressive. I'm proud of how strong he is.
Anyway. So it's settled. Luffy is amazing, he's gonna be the king of the pirates, and here we don't have to worry about piracy or marines or any shit like that. [Hey you two, break it up, have a slobbery ball pushed between by an impatient dog.]
Well, neither of us will be there to see Luffy go to the top. [And it absolutely hurts him, in a way that he won't word.] So we just gotta keep making the best of here.
If you stay here long enough, you might see his dream come true. I don't know how time works between universes. Your phoenix might. But I know even though no time progresses for people who live there, people can still come here progressively further in the future than the last person from that point.
Happened with Jinbei. Sabo. A few others.
So even if the next time Straw Hat comes back, he might be a little kid again for all we know, he might also actually be King.
I might see him as the king of the pirates, sure. But I wouldn't have been there for him. I can't be. [He's in a quiet mood now, pretty drunk and snuggly and bittersweet. It hurts, it aches, but he's happy somehow at the same time.] You'd better hope we don't get him here as a brat, he cried so much.
Maybe. I left him, we had our own paths, and I keep thinking that if I could go back, I'd do so much differently. But hell, it's not like I'd have known. So maybe my memory can be there for him, maybe a part of me can guide him. [He shrugs.] Something like that.
[He's getting sleepy, and it's obvious. Eyes closed a little, too much rum and late nights catching up to him.] He was pretty weak back then. A cry-baby and fussy, and really cute. I shoulda been nicer to him early on, but I didn't know how to.
[Snorts.] Nah. It's a big brother's job to be an asshole.
Top secret, but that's why I don't mind Namur too much. It's too hard to fight the Whitebeards when they've decided to treat you like one of their own. Completely exhausting.
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[Grumps and leans an arm on his head.] Yeah, you're somehow more talented at it than your baby brother. Did you teach him or does it just come naturally to you both?
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He keeps making more friends though. Trafalgar, obviously. But Jinbei, Dragon's Revolution of course, all of Dressarossa once he freed them from Doflamingo. He'd be giving you heart attacks.
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[Another snort.] A long way to go. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's not still just a little kid.
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Saying it is one thing. Seeing it in practice is another.
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[He doesn't have to say it, Smoker KNOWS.]
If you stay here long enough, you might see his dream come true. I don't know how time works between universes. Your phoenix might. But I know even though no time progresses for people who live there, people can still come here progressively further in the future than the last person from that point.
Happened with Jinbei. Sabo. A few others.
So even if the next time Straw Hat comes back, he might be a little kid again for all we know, he might also actually be King.
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[Snorts.]
[Lightly nudges a fist to Ace's chin, leaning an arm around his shoulders still.]
I think I could handle it.
Way more than if he was stronger than me.
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[He's getting sleepy, and it's obvious. Eyes closed a little, too much rum and late nights catching up to him.] He was pretty weak back then. A cry-baby and fussy, and really cute. I shoulda been nicer to him early on, but I didn't know how to.
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Top secret, but that's why I don't mind Namur too much. It's too hard to fight the Whitebeards when they've decided to treat you like one of their own. Completely exhausting.
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