Work Text:
It had been around four hours since the hunt for the best flowers around the forest started. The competition between the brothers began after what occurred the other day—when Ace and Sabo found out Luffy was making a flower crown. Luffy is the catalyst of all this mess; of course he was. The sun’s already sitting proudly at the top of its throne, overseeing everything below. Ace didn't feel too hot; he thought it was the right amount of warmth. He felt the sun gently touching his exposed skin, followed by a cool breeze that made all the plants nearby rustle, so he smiled.
It was fun, was the thought running through Ace’s mind all the time. Scouring all the best spots that he kept to himself all this time, discovering a new trail as well as some hiding places, and learning about the flora of the forest that was his home ever since was never not fun.
Ace might not be the best at reading and writing, but he knows flowers and places all too well! If there's one thing he’s proud of, it's that Ace is best when there are flowers around. At first, he wondered why. He tried asking his gramps about it, but there was no answer. His gramps don't have an answer for the genuine question Ace presented.
“Why do I know this plant, gramps?” Ace asked innocently, for as long as he can remember.
Whenever Garp spent time with him, it was always the first thing that left his mouth. Ace always greeted Garp with gifts around holidays and for all the limited vacations he took to spend time with him. It was a surprise after the first few times when Ace gave him all the different kinds of plants he discovered on his own, proudly telling everyone where and how he acquired them. Garp gave him a wide smile and patted his head, before saying “That's a good boy!” and so it became their tradition.
Still Ace didn't know how he knew all that information. How did he know which plants are dangerous, contain poison, and he should avoid them? How every plant gives off similar scents if they're safe to touch, or which of them he should use for treating the wounds. How some flowers look like they're related to one another and where they might be of use. It's all wild instincts; Ace just knows. He stopped asking why or how. Everything that needed thinking, he didn't bother anymore. Thinking is for Sabo, not Ace.
All three of them knew that Ace had an advantage in this little competition, but it was never an issue. Sabo loves it when his reserved brother openly talks about something he enjoys, with bright twinkling eyes, a wide smile, and animated movements. Luffy, who loves listening to Ace share something that he loves, was always laughing happily when it happened.
“Oh! Found it!” He yelled in surprise, spotting the white flower from a distance. Ace excitedly trailed down the top of the rock he was stepping on, jumping over twigs and branches that fell from the other night’s storm. He propelled himself on a tree trunk to reach the vine hanging down from it, joyfully swinging over the location of the attractive orchid. Don't ask him where that word came from, he just knows . Granted, Ace also believed that it would make for a great flower crown.
After all, it's the reason why all of this even happened in the first place. The three brothers compete with each other to see who can make the best flower crown for Makino.
It filled him with awe and wonder as soon as he landed, the area was decorated with white orchids all around. Everywhere Ace looks at the flower’s still in his line of sight. He took a step closer to one, lifting both shaking hands to carefully examine it. “Wow! This is surely so beautiful!” He uttered, the amusement in his voice was evident.
While counting the petals and a few times turning them around, the hands that were holding the flower suddenly stopped. Ace’s eyebrows seemed to connect, confusion completely took over his facial expressions. It took a short while before his eyebrows shot upwards and his mouth formed a little o, understanding painted across his face.
“Oh! What?!”
“Wait, don't tell me—” Another flip. Ace counted the petals, for the third time. ‘One, two, three, four, five! There's five petals!’
That exciting newfound information made him beyond ecstatic. Ace quickly pulled out the journal that Makino gifted him last Christmas and flipped through the pages. Scrutinizing every page with a determined look.
“I knew it! This one’s different!” There wasn't any other flower with the exact same features as the one he found right now, although there were about two of the similar kind.
Ace has kept a record of every plant, especially flowers, he comes across. It's one of the hobbies that he really loved doing, but he didn't understand why it felt so personal and close to his heart. Again, he long stopped searching for answers.
The set-up for his journal was very organized. It contains observations of what it looks like, how it feels to the touch, the location where it can be found, and a warning of whether it's dangerous or not. Ace kept it simple; he never liked anything complicated anyway. A simple drawing is on the left side and the description is on the right side of the paper. Sometimes there's an additional pressed sample of the plant, although that is a very time-consuming thing to do.
Not that he's complaining, he loved every second of it!
Ace prepared to record his latest discovery with vigor. “I need to show this to Sabo, Luffy, and Makino!” He muttered to himself.
Little adventures like this gave Ace hope that there are still many wonders and treasures to look forward to every day. Every flower is always pretty to look at.
He could spend hours and hours venturing the whole island, set to discover more and more. It filled something inside him, quenching the thirst to find more , more. It's never-ending, and that's why it's fun.
“Woah! Does it even have some specks at the bottom of these petals? This is new!” The pencil pressed on the paper deeply, the messy scribbles of letters were that of a child filling the blank canvas with words.
The grin on Ace’s face was an indication of the overflowing glee he was feeling at that exact moment. No amount of words can precisely explain what transpired . No, not even close.
The original purpose of setting out for this little adventure was forgotten. Ace has spent the whole morning documenting everything. The thought of making Makino a gorgeous flower crown fitted for her lingered at the back of his mind, save for later. After all, new things are never not fun, right? Right. That was everything that Ace convinced himself with, and it was enough.