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Ace runs his fingers along the cream-colored edge of the Piece of Spadille. Even at night, the color still stands out in his eyes. Or perhaps, it's his pride affecting his brain because it's only been days since he procured this ship for the Spade Pirates. They can finally move out from their previous, cramped temporary home, complete with all its leaks and creaky wood floorings.
Ace lets a grin grace his features. He's toured every nook and cranny of his crew's new home multiple times. All the rooms and hallways, Ace remembers them clearly inside his mind. In any case, a captain must know his ship from the inside out.
It's not Ace's turn to stand guard, but the bubbling joy spreading from beneath his ribcage to the base of his throat keeps him awake most of the nights lately. The Piece of Spadille is worth every Belli the Spade Pirates had been saving for a while. Ace does not mind sleeping on his new deck, out in the open, the night breeze caressing his skin gently. The fire burning in every single cell of his body is enough to keep him warm until dawn.
After circling the deck two times, Ace decides on a spot closest to the figurehead. He sits down and leans his back on the railing. Ace takes off his bright orange hat, setting it aside. When he looks up, he can see the cloudless, almost bare night sky. There is nothing to obscure the large cluster of stars forming a single line, stretching out beyond his reach.
A dear friend, a brother of his, once named what he's staring at as a galaxy. It's a term one must know when studying navigation. Once upon a time, said person was to be Ace's navigator. Alas, the greed of the world nobles forced Ace to pick that up all by himself instead.
A soft sigh escapes Ace's lips. By the time he realizes it, he's already reaching for the envelope tucked inside his bag. His hands move with the assistance of muscle memories, taking out the piece of paper neatly folded inside the envelope. Carefully, Ace flips it open.
It's a letter written by someone now long gone. The edges have all yellowed, with browning specks sprinkled all across the empty spaces. The lines formed from continuous opening and folding are all worn from age. A little insert of force will result in the letter torn into four pieces. The fragile state of the paper is why Ace has to remind himself not to read the content every so often now.
To Ace, the letter serves as a memento, a keepsake from Sabo. Ultimately, Ace's already memorized all of its content. Even the Take care of him part that's smudged and forever lost thanks to a droplet of tears he shed years and years ago.
Flashes of leaping from branch to branch, taking down animals three times his size, dining and dashing together with his crybaby of a brother appear in the back of his mind. The wind blows, flapping the fabric of his open yellow shirt and ruffling the black strands of his hair.
Over the years, Ace thinks that he's mellowed down. The temper from his childhood days is still there, but a lot more subdued, buried beneath the good memories he made with Luffy, growing up together in the jungle of Mount Colubo.
Ace directs his eyes to the crossed S in the corner of the letter. The flag never got to sail longer than mere minutes. Therefore, Ace would like to think that bringing his first-ever best friend's letter with him is his way to let Sabo live his dream through Ace.
As for Ace's dream, he knows that this raging fire of his will continue to burn as he races through the ocean. Ace and the Spade Pirates will charge full speed ahead to the very top and surpass the blood flowing in his veins. After a couple of years, he will meet Luffy again somewhere in this vast ocean and witness his little brother achieving his dream. So much to look forward to with no time to fool around.
And perhaps, along the way, Ace can also find the answer to his lifelong question and finally be at peace.
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