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Language:
English
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Published:
2021-05-13
Completed:
2021-05-21
Words:
1,000
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
20
Kudos:
1,178
Bookmarks:
128
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9,185

Two Truths and a Lie

Summary:

Two Truths and a Lie:
A game in which a person makes three statements about themselves, two true and one false, and the other players have to guess which one is the lie.

Alternatively: Three potentially true statements about Portgas D. Ace by Portgas D. Ace.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

1.

Marco watches with a slowly rising eyebrow as their newest little brother keeps shoveling food into his mouth. It’s… well, it’s impressive, definitely, but Ace is on his twenty-fourth plate by now and he can tell that Marco is reaching a limit just watching him.

As Ace cheerfully declines a twenty-fifth plate the cooks slump in relief, and Marco can finally finish his own (first and only) plate without feeling too ill. Ace politely waits for him to finish before turning to Thatch and asking about dessert.

Marco, ever so slightly green all of a sudden, pushes his own plate away and rises on wobbly feet.

Grinning only a little bit too wide, Ace starts in on dessert with the same enthusiasm he had for dinner.

“I told you I’m a big eater!” he yells at Marco’s back. Marco flips him off without turning around.

2.

“I’m really strong,” is what Ace says as justification to why he’s joining them on the supply run. He can tell that they think they’re humoring him, but he’s watched and even here, in the New World, on the Moby Dick, his pure physical strength is unusual. Not as ridiculously as it was on Dawn Island, but still way above human average.

The supplies have already been loaded into huge crates, so all they have to do is get them to the ship. Izo is dragging a trolley and they stack four of the ten crates on it. It takes both Izo and Thatch to start pulling it.

Namur takes two of the remaining crates, hoists them onto his shoulders and grits his teeth. Ace follows his example, stacking two of the final crates on top of the other two, and picks them up, balancing the four just like Namur is balancing his two.

Ace then starts whistling cheerfully as he casually strolls past first a wide-eyed Namur, and then a slack-jawed Izo and Thatch.

3.

Early morning watch isn’t all that bad. The pre-dawn chill hardly bothers Ace, and the colors that play on the horizon in preparation of the sun’s rise are beautiful. And even if absolutely nothing else, the company could be far worse.

Thatch leans against the railing next to Ace, nudging him slightly with his elbow as they watch the dawn break and the new day begin.

”Times like these,” Thatch says slowly, warmly, “really make me glad to be alive. You know, these times that make me want to turn to my birth family and thank them, for me being born even if nothing else.”

Thatch’s words are a warm blanket around his shoulders and a tight hug just as much as they’re an icicle spear to the heart. But Thatch means well, so Ace swallows down too many different emotions to identify, too many years of knowing that he’s the son of a demon, he's someone that never should have existed, and answers. Agrees. Lies.

”Mm. You’re right. It’s a good thing that I was born.”

Chapter 2

Notes:

This is ASL fluff. If you liked the slightly angsty tone of chapter one, skip this.

Chapter Text

Two boys stare at the third, who is glowering at them in challenge. The silence stretches far past the point of comfort, until the youngest of them starts to laugh.

“Ace is really bad at this game,” Luffy laughs and points at Ace and then laughs some more. “He doesn’t know he’s supposed to lie!”

“Maybe Ace is actually really weak,” muses Sabo. He’s resting his chin on one hand. Luffy’s eyes light up and Ace scowls at Sabo.

“I’m not weak,” mutters Ace. His protest is almost lost under Luffy’s delighted exclamation.

“Then, if Ace is weak, then I’ll beat him when we fight tomorrow!” Both Luffy’s hands are raised in cheer, like the future victory has already come to pass and he’s accepting the accolades of a crowd.

As one, Ace and Sabo turn to him. “No you won’t.”

“Besides,” Sabo continues, “if Ace is really weak, and you couldn’t beat him today, that means you’re really really weak.”

Sabo is clearly ignoring that Ace beat him too, even managing one more win than usual today.

Luffy cries out wordlessly in dismay as Sabo keeps going. “Maybe we’re all really weak.”

“No way, no way!” says Luffy. Ace doesn’t speak up, but his agreement is clear as day.

They’re not weak. Well, Luffy is weak, but not really really weak. And even though Ace would never ever admit it out loud, their little brother is getting stronger.

Sabo looks solemn as he makes a crushing argument. “None of us, even when we work together, have ever beaten Gramps.”

Again, silence reigns.

“Gramps doesn’t count!” says Luffy desperately.

“Yeah,” agrees Ace, “Gramps is a freak of nature!”

“Very well,” says Sabo, “then there’s only one possible conclusion. Ace has a hollow leg.”

Huh?

“What does that mean?” Luffy’s face is the very image of confusion.

“It means,” says Sabo, with the air of someone who is using words he’s only half sure what they mean, not that Luffy can tell. Ace totally sees right through him though, “that Ace really only eats very little. Instead, all that he pretends to eat he really saves in his leg so he can have snacks later.”

“Which leg?” Luffy demands, greedy little rubbery hands already reaching to grab at Ace. Ace dodges without missing a beat.

“My legs aren’t hollow!” He jumps away from another grab from Luffy, and dives away from Sabo when the blond tries to get in the way.

“No,” Sabo counters, “’cause they’re full of food!”

“Food!” echoes Luffy, and makes yet another attempt at getting at Ace’s legs. He misses, and somehow manages to tie his hands together instead. “Wait.”

Ace doesn’t wait. He punches Luffy in the face, which of course doesn’t do anything but send the rubber-boy bouncing into a tree, and then ricocheting straight back at Ace and Sabo both. From there, the impromptu brawl just picks up.

Ten minutes later, all three of them are laughing, having completely forgotten how the fight started.