【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

"Ace!" Lucci walked forward and put his arm around his shoulder worriedly.

"I'm fine." Ace responded with his head down and a gloomy face, then turned and left the tavern without waiting for Lucci to say anything.

Lucci looked at Ace's leaving back with some worry. He turned around and looked down at the fallen man, then said to the Spade Pirates who were chasing after him, "Deuce, you lead everyone back to the ship first. Ace, I will bring him back."

"Okay, Ace is in your hands, Lucci." Deus patted Lucci's shoulder and said in a deep voice.

"Yeah." Lucci turned around and chased after Ace's back.

They have been in the new world for a month. During this period, they have continuously challenged powerful enemies, and Ace's bounty has continued to increase. Although they have encountered many powerful enemies during this period, they have never encountered an enemy that cannot be defeated. Basically, Ace's fire can quickly eliminate the opponent.

He had a very happy time in this month, and he had become completely familiar with the crew of the Spade Pirates. But he also found that Ace would sometimes sit alone at the bow of the ship, staring at the sea in silence. Every time he did that, he felt that Ace's figure was very small, and the whole person seemed to be shrouded in loneliness and darkness.

Although he would try to divert Ace's attention every time this happened, sometimes he would refuse everyone to approach him. At that time, Ace would take out something like a photo album from his bag, and he would return to his previous vitality after a moment.

"Hey! Ace!" Lucci called out to Ace in front of him. He was alone in the forest. Lucci quickened his pace and walked beside Ace, then asked, "He has already escaped. Why are you chasing them?"

"Have they returned to the ship?" Ace was silent for a moment, then said.

"I asked them to go back to the ship and prepare first. The navy should send more people over later." Lucci looked at the sea level. They were standing on a cliff facing the sea. From here they could just see the coast where their ship was docked.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me." Ace stared at the sea level calmly. This cliff was a bit like the one where he and Luffy often lay down to take naps and read books when they were on Dawn Island.

"Anyway, Ace, you're just avoiding my questions." Lucci looked at Ace and said seriously, "Really, we need to talk."

"They want to hurt you..." Ace felt some anger rising in his heart, but he quickly suppressed the anger.

"But we have already defeated them, and they have retreated. There is no need for us to chase them anymore!" said Lucci.

"But he hurt you, I can't let him succeed!" Ace retorted.

"But he didn't, and I can protect myself." Lucci took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. "But you, Ace, you were handcuffed with seastone handcuffs at the time. Apart from your own wisdom and crazy brute force, you had no way to protect yourself!"

"I'll be fine." Ace pursed his lips and said stubbornly.

"Damn it, Ace, you are a big idiot. What on earth made you do such a stupid thing!" Lucci scratched his hair hard, a little crazy about Ace's answer. He tried to calm down his anger and looked at Ace with a serious expression. "Promise me, Ace, don't do such stupid things again. Have a little self-protection awareness. You are very important to me, and I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Lucci..." Ace was a little dazed when he saw Lucci's serious expression.

……

Late night

Ace thought about what Lucci said today. He didn't understand why Lucci was so angry and worried. He recalled that when he was a child, he asked them whether the Pirate King's child should live. Everyone didn't want him to live, so he rejected everyone, even his crew members. Although he cared about them, they didn't know much about his life experience. Ace would rather keep it this way. He knew very well how disgusting people would become after the secret was leaked.

He trusted three people and told only them his biggest secrets, and even though they knew whose blood ran through his body, they still loved him.

Before he was 10 years old, when he asked those people this question, they only gave him ridicule and curses. When he thought back to what Lucci said to him today, he felt the urge again. He wanted to try it again. He wanted to know his reaction.

……

Lucci was sitting on the lookout. A cool breeze blew over him. He gathered the blanket around him and looked at the starry night. It was his job to guard the ship tonight, and the crew members were already fast asleep. He took a sip of the hot tea in his hand.

"Lucci!"

He turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw Ace climbing up the rope.

"Well, Ace? Why don't you go to bed?" Lucci looked at the boy walking towards him with some confusion, then pulled off the blanket that was wrapped around him and gave half of it to Ace.

"I slept too much during the day and couldn't fall asleep." Ace responded as he stuck to Lucci's side and wrapped himself in a blanket with him.

"It's great to have the Flame-Flame Fruit. You look so hot, Ace." Lucci felt the heat from Ace, and his body, which had been cold, instantly became warm. He sighed comfortably.

"Of course, after I got the Flame-Flame Fruit, my body temperature is much higher than before. If Luffy were here, he would definitely like to stay close to me." Ace said with a gentle smile.

Lucci looked at Ace with some surprise. This was the first time he saw Ace showing such a gentle smile.

"Luffy?" Lucci repeated.

"Well, he is my younger brother, but he hasn't gone to sea yet. In order to protect his safety, I seldom talk about him." Ace said with a smile.

"Is that so? Then you must like your brother very much." Lucci said with a smile.

"Of course, he is my most precious treasure." Ace smiled.

Lucci looked at the happy smile on Ace's face and couldn't help but become curious about Ace's younger brother. It would be nice if he could meet him in the future, Lucci thought to himself. He also felt that the name Luffy sounded a little familiar, but he couldn't find any trace of it, so he couldn't help but smile.

Ace looked at the dark sea, thought about the purpose of his coming here, lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Hey, Lucci."

"Hmm?" Lucci heard Ace calling him, turned his head and looked at Ace's lowered profile, but didn't ask anything, waiting for Ace to continue.

"Why don't you want me to get hurt?" Ace asked softly.

Lucci was a little confused by Ace's question, and responded seriously, "Because you are my friend, and the first friend I recognized. We may not have been together for a long time, but you give me a sense of familiarity, as if we have been together for a long time. I want to protect you, just like protecting my family."

"Really? I feel the same way." Ace said with a grin, then he looked serious and said softly, "My father is the Pirate King."

"Uh, then what?" Luffy asked nonchalantly while picking his nose.

"Hahaha, I thought you would have a surprised expression." Ace felt strangely familiar looking at Lucci's expression, but seeing him behave like this, his pressure to reveal his darkest secret suddenly disappeared.

"Ace is my recognized friend. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Ace will always be just Ace and will always be my friend. This has nothing to do with bloodline." Lucci said seriously.

"Thank you, Lucci!" Ace said softly.

"I should be the one thanking you." Lucci put his arm around Ace's shoulders and said with a smile, "You are my first friend."

"Why do you say that?" Ace was a little curious. Lucci didn't seem like a person who had few friends around him. As long as you get along with him, you will find that although he looks cold on the surface, he is actually a very gentle person.

"I have amnesia." Lu Qi said.

"Amnesia?" Ace was confused; he had never heard of it.

"Well, I have no memory before the age of 10. I was found on an island near the Grand Line. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. It took me a month to remember my name. I have no memory of anything else." Lucci had a look of loss and sadness on his face when he talked about this.

"Sorry, Lucci." Ace knew that Lucci was sad about this matter, so he changed the subject and asked curiously, "Amnesia, what does it feel like?"

"Yeah, I feel blank and confused, and everything around me is unfamiliar to me." Lucci said with a smile as relaxed as possible. "Although I feel lost sometimes, it's been a long time, and I've adapted to it."

Ace could sense Lucci's sadness, so he hugged him tightly and comforted him, "If you need any help from me, just tell me, I will help you regain your memory."

"It's okay, I already have a clue." Lucci said with a smile. He didn't want Ace to worry about him.

"That's fine!" Ace smiled and patted Lucci's shoulder. Although he wanted to help, he also knew that no one else could help with things like memory.