Chapter 2

Justin was grinning at me when I saw him downstairs. He looked happy today and I do not know why. He never grins at me whenever he comes home.

"You fine now, Tala?" Justin asked.

"Justin," I called. "I... I like you to meet someone."

He blinked curiously. "Who?"

"You'll see. Let's go to my room."

And he obliged. We went upstairs where my room was located. I do not know if this was the right choice. Letting my younger brother meet Ace. Well, I cannot hide Ace in our house. Justin was just eleven years old. I hoped he can keep a secret.

I opened the door of my room. It revealed Ace who was still sitting in my chair. He still looks the same after I left him a minute ago. But you can tell that he still have lot of questions. He was brooding by the looks of it. His face was stoic but when he saw my younger brother, he became curious.

"And who is he?" Ace asked.

"I should be the one asking that. You're the one in our house." Justin replied back with a scowl.

"Justin!" I scolded him. He really has no manners at all. I introduced them to each other to clear this up. "Ace, this is my younger brother Justin. Justin, this is Portgas D. Ace. As you already know, he's a One Piece character."

Ace raised his eyebrows as he looked at Justin. Justin, on the other hand, was shock. He looked at me and then to Ace and then to me again. He probably thinks that I am an idiot. I do not blame him. I probably thinks that I am too.

"Tala, you're not supposed to let a stranger inside our house especially now that you're sick. I left you for just seven hours and this happens?!" Justin said aghast.

"I'm telling you the truth! This is Ace!" I tried arguing to him.

Justin then turned to Ace. "Mister? Can I ask who the hell are you and what are you doing in our house?"

"Justin! Mind your manners!"

"Your sister already told you." Ace was taking this situation far more better than I expected.

"You're both crazy..." Justin muttered. "Tala, what do you think Mom and Dad's reaction 'bout this?"

"Ugh, Justin! Why can't you just believe me!?" I questioned annoyed.

"'Cause you're crazy!" Justin replied with a yell. He then turned to Ace. "If you're really Ace, who's your brothers?"

"Luffy... And Sabo." Ace answered. I did not even expected him to answer like that.

"What's your Devil Fruit?"

"The Mera-Mera no mi."

"How much is your bounty?"

"550 million beri."

Justin then turned at me with an angry scowl. "Pretty good actor you've got there, Tala."

"Justin! For the last time, he's the real deal!" I yelled at him annoyed.

"This is stupid! Portgas D. Ace is not real and he's de -"

I managed to stopped the mouth of Justin before he could say the word. I put my hand in his mouth and did not let him go. His saliva was in my hand now which was disgusting but I did not mind it at the moment. It will be over now if Ace would know that he died.

"What did you say?" Ace inquired.

Damn, why do Ace need to asked something like that? I let Justin go and I rubbed his saliva off. After that, I quickly said a lie to the pirate.

"Uh- Justin said that you're deprave for someone young like him!" I lied immediately.

Ace seemed to half-believe me and half-don't. "And why's that?"

"Because of your fire powers! He have had watched you in the past burn some Marine ships! Why don't you show him your fire to clear that your not a bad guy, hmm?" I gulped immediately after that.

Ace still have not believed me by the looks he was giving me. But he decided to ignored it for the moment. "Justin, right?"

"Yeah?" Justin seemed skeptical, raising both his brows.

"C'mere." Ace said.

Justin frowned as he stared at Ace. I gave him a pushed in the shoulder so he stumbled and now in the front of Ace. Justin was scowling at Ace but he find him amusing I guess.

"Lend me your hands." Ace ordered.

And Justin did even though he was still looking unhappy.

And then fire appeared in the hands of Justin. I gasped in nervousness. Did he just set my younger brother in fire? But then, Justin was not even flinching which was a sign that he was not hurt. This means that Ace still got his devil fruit's power even here.

"Y-You're... It-It's..." Justin stuttered nervously.

Ace grinned for the first time since he got here. "It's not burning, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah..." Justin stuttered. "This is so cool!"

I sighed. "Fire's hot, Justin... Not cool."

Justin did not seemed to hear me as he was too focused on Ace. "This is- Holy cow! This is amazing!"

"Ace." This is the first time I called him by his name. It was kinda weird for me. "Stop that or you might burn my brother or worse, you might burn my room."

Ace then looked at me. He did stopped the fire. "It's fine. My fire just burn everything I wanted to."

"So you're really him!? You're Fire Fist Ace!" Justin was really shock. His mouth dropped open as he stared at his unburn hand.

"Isn't that what I'm trying to tell you earlier?" I deadpanned.

"Shut up, I'm not talking to you." Justin scowled.

Ace grinned again. "I'm beginning to like you."

"Really!? That's -"

I dragged Justin away from Ace before he could even finished his sentence. This idiotic brother of mine might say something stupid to him again. I cannot allow another slipped up as Justin did earlier.

"Ace, can you excuse us for the moment?" I asked for his permission.

Ace nodded. "Sure."

I dragged Justin away from my room with the means of using force. I managed to get him to the nearest room which unfortunately, his room. I opened the door and we entered. Locked it and let him go.

"Why did you -!"

"Will you shut up for a sec!?" I was annoyed at him by that moment. "Geez, you're too loud."

"What do you want?" Justin asked also annoyed.

"I want to make things clear." I coughed violently. My fever was getting worse. "Don't tell him anything."

Justin, just like me, was an otaku and a huge One Piece fan. We both started watching the anime almost five years ago. I was nine while he was seven. It got our attention so we ended up watching the series. Too bad for me though, I have not had the time to read the manga while Justin is waiting for the next chapters.

Justin started to argue. "We can change something! Surely -!"

"Justin this is important. Do not tell him anything."

"But -"

"No buts, little bro." I said seriously.

He was hesitant at first before nodding. "Where's Ace before he got here...?"

"Marineford."

"Marineford!?" Justin screamed. Pretty sure Ace had heard it from the other room. "What the - Did he already got punched by Akainu!?"

"Shut up, Justin. Geez..." I scolded. "I don't know. But he told me that he protected his little brother."

"Luffy?"

"Yes."

"If that was the case, the only time he protected Luffy in that war was when Akainu..."

"Yeah..." I sighed heavily. "I already explained to him that he's just a fictional character here. That he's just a character from an anime and manga."

"And he believed that?"

"Yeah?"

"How? Why?"

"My room was pretty much a dead giveaway. He saw my drawing and an action figure of him. He also saw the poster of Straw Hats..."

"Good thing you don't have a Sabo poster."

"Don't mention it." I groaned.

I sighed heavily. But how does he have no any injuries or whatsoever? He spend days in Blackbeard's ship before he got in the greatest prison. And then in Impel Down, he was tortured and put in the cell. And then there goes the war.

When Ace arrived on my room earlier, he has no injuries. For someone who endured all of those things, he was pretty fine.

"Let's go back to your room." Justin called.

I nodded. I was too lost to care. Thoughts were running in my mind. So many questions that yet to be answered but I highly doubt I will have answers right now.

I knocked three times before opening. Ace was still in there sitting in the chair. But,

Ace was staring at his chest.

His eyes were empty. Showing no emotions on it. He did not even seemed to notice that we were back and continued to stare. I gasped out loud. This confirmed it. He already took the shot that Akainu threw to Luffy. Did he already die when got here?

"Ace...?" Justin was the first one to talk.

Ace blinked before looking at him. "Yeah?"

"You fine?"

I quickly smacked my younger brother for that. He was already in a solemn mode. Of course he was not fine!

"Owe! What was that for!?" Justin complained but I ignored him.

"You seemed exhausted. Why don't you take a shower first then sleep?" I suggested with a small smile.

Ace stared for a second before nodding. "Shower seems fine..."

I signaled him to stand up and follow me. Ace, Justin and I went outside of my room. Now, we were on the hallway of the second floor. The shower room was downstairs so we went down. Ace was eying our house with sheer interest. Our house was nothing special. It was not too big nor small. It was just my parents, Justin, and I who were living in here.

While we were on the stairs, Justin asked something.

"Hey Ace."

"Yeah?" Ace answered.

"Do you really believed that you're in another world?" Justin asked.

"Well, yes. I guess."

"That sounds stupid. Knowing you, you're not the kind of a person who'll believe that shit."

"Knowing me?" Ace raised his brows as he made an inquiry.

"I've kinda watched you so I've analyzed you...?" Justin shrugged his shoulders. "You're just not the type of a person who'll believe us just like that."

"Your story all sounds surreal but..."

Ace did not finished the sentence. We have arrived at our destination. The shower room. I let him inside first. Well, they do have shower in their world right? But whenever there was a bath scene, they just show a both house. But I do remember an episode when they used one.

I explained how to use the shower to Ace. He seemed to know how to used it which saved me some explanation. I left him and on my way, I saw Justin in the kitchen looking confused. He always have a frown when he is like that.

"What's wrong?" I asked my brother.

"Ace eats a lot isn't he?"

"Yeah? So?"

"What should I cook? I'm hungry and we should offer some food to him." Justin whined which got me annoyed.

"Thinking with your stomach again?" I sighed.

Justin just gave me a wide sheepish grin. He ended up making popcorn because that was the only thing present in our kitchen and it was the only thing he can cook. I just watched in the corner. Still feeling hot as my fever seemed to worsen.

"They have popcorn in their world, right?" I asked as I popped one popcorn in my mouth.

"Dunno but this is Ace we're talking about. He pretty much ate anything." Justin replied.

"Touché." I rolled my eyes.

"Smells good." Ace's voice rang up in the kitchen. Seems like he finished showering.

"Want some?" Justin offered the popcorn with a grin.

"Sure." Ace get a handful and put it in his mouth. "It's great."

"Really?" Justin brimmed with that.

"Yeah." Ace chuckled a little.

"Cooking popcorn was the only talent Justin has." I teased.

"And what yours? Annoying people with your mere presence?" Justin countered.

I got burned once again so I frowned. I just heard Ace chuckling again at that.

"Hey, Ace. No offense but... Can we get something to cover you?" Justin asked.

"Cover me?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"Your top." I pointed out his bare chests. I remembered that he used to wear a shirt but when he got Whitebeard's mark, he had gone completely topless.

"Mom would be not amused if he saw you like that. Come." I said in monotone.

Ace nodded and followed me back upstairs. We went to my parent's bedroom intending to get one of my father shirt for him to wear. Hopefully, it would fit him.

I went to see the wardrobe of my father. There were variety of colors as my father is not the type of a guy who wears black all the time. I let Ace wear what he wants.

"What about this one...?" I get a open front shirt that has a red and black stripes with white lines.

"Hmm..." Ace scanned it with sheer interest. And just like that, he started to wear it. He buttoned it up but left the upper button unbuttoned.

"So, where's your parents?" Ace asked as he finished what he was doing.

"Work. My Mom's a teacher in the local elementary school while my Dad's a computer engineer." I explained.

"Tala! Come downstairs! You need to drink your meds!"

That was when I heard the familiar voice of my mother yelling downstairs.

"Wha -" I exclaimed.

Justin then appeared inside by opening the door. He was panting out loud as he was panicking. I am too because we have a new problem arising in our midst.

"Mom's home!" Justin yelled.

Speak of the devil and she shall appears.

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