act one

▬╔═══════════════╗subtle signs.╚═══════════════╝▬

DOMINATEDACE X READERONE PIECE FANFICTION - AU

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"I've been wanting to kick your ass all week."

"Really, huh? Hit me with your best shot then. "

As you circled around the ring, you and Ace were staring at each other, trying your best to read the attack of the other. It had been a week since your last spar, and you've been itching to wipe the floor with his face after he made you tap out of his choke-hold last Saturday.

Seeing Ace skipping as he moved forward, you immediately knew he'd start the spar with a left hook. Dodging the punch, you went for a kick on his side, with Ace blocking it with his arm.

"Holy fuck, that was strong!" He laughed, backing away from you as he waited for a blind spot.

"I told you I'd kick your ass." You replied through your mouthpiece, trying your best to stop the smirk crawling on your lips.

You and Ace have been sparring partners for nine years now. At the ages of fifteen and sixteen, the two of you were thrown into the ring by both your adoptive fathers, Shanks and Whitebeard. The old geezers told you to beat the shit out of each other, which you gladly did, leaving Ace with a busted lip and you with a bruised cheek.

It all started when you got suspended for stabbing your bully of a seatmate with a pencil in his hand. You got sent home because of it, and Shanks was not pleased at all, reasoning to your homeroom teacher on the phone that you wouldn't have hit the little shit if only he were nice.

Due to the one-week suspension the school gave you, you followed Shanks everywhere. And by everywhere, it meant in the gym and the underground fight club under it that was owned by Whitebeard's group.

Shanks wasn't the best dad in town.

That's the main reason why, at the age of thirteen, you were introduced to MMA. At first, the redhead thought you found all the blood and busted faces of men cringey, but to his surprise, he saw that glint in your eyes that screamed interest and power.

Taking a mental note of your facial expression, he asked you if you wanted to train, and you immediately said yes. Soon after, you were punching and kicking gym bags for two years until Shanks introduced you to two teenage boys, asking if you wanted to try sparring with one of them.

You greeted each other by nodding, introducing yourselves to one another. You soon learnt that their names were Sabo and Ace. The former was blonde, while the other was black-haired, both sporting long curly locks that parted in the middle.

Shanks told you they were just a year older than you and were Edward Newgate's—or Whitebeard's, as people down at the fight club would call him—adoptive sons. He asked who looked more punchable in the face, and you, without a doubt, pointed at Sabo's face, earning a cackle from the teenage ravenette beside him.

Offended, Sabo told you he could take you on, which made you feel all fired up. The only day the ring was available for sparring was Saturday, so you agreed on scheduling your fight.

When the scheduled date came, you were surprised to see Ace enter the ring as he bandaged his knuckles. You wanted to ask him what he was doing there, but chose to shut up, thinking to yourself that it doesn't matter who you're gonna fight with as long as you win.

Whitebeard was standing outside behind him, calling out to his lad to respect you. And by respecting you, he meant that the raven shouldn't hold back just because you are a girl.

The fight was a draw, earning you a satisfied hum from your dad and a curious gaze from Newgate. He was surprised that you were strong enough to keep Ace on his toes during the whole spar, especially when the boy had always knocked his opponents out with just one punch.

After beating the shit out of each other, that was the only time you learnt about his brother's whereabouts, Sabo, the blonde teen whom you were supposed to fight.

To your surprise, he was actually at the hospital getting treated for burns. The day before your fight, the two were training in their living room area when Sabo swung too hard, with Ace dodging it. He was unbalanced and fell on the flaming furnace because his punch was too powerful.

You asked Ace what the hell he was doing there fighting with you when his brother was being held at the hospital. He told you that it was actually Sabo's request. He didn't want to leave you hanging and wanted his freckled brother to fight you in his stead.

While patching your bruises, both you and Ace started making small talk about his injured brother until the topic slowly changed, shifting into something more comical. Ever since then, a new friendship has blossomed between you two.

And after almost a decade, there you two were still, trying your best to bust each other's faces.

"Oi, you're going to attend the party later. Right?" Ace asked before punching a straight, with you ducking before bringing him down to the floor with you.

"Thought you'd never ask," you grinned as you hovered over him, trying your hardest to break through his defenses, punching him nonstop.

This evening was the annual New Year's Eve celebration the Newgates held. It was always big because it was also a party for Ace's birthday.

Last year on his twenty-fifth, you weren't able to attend and had to inform him at the last minute. You celebrated Christmas week with Shanks at Boracay, Philippines, and when you were about to go home, your father decided it was a great time to get wasted hours before your flight.

Because of this, you missed your plane and had to extend it for seven days. Hearing his best friend's news, Ace threw a tantrum and didn't spar with you for three weeks when you got home.

With your head in the clouds, Ace was finally able to break your hold, flipping you on your back.

"Heh, don't think of anything else when you're with me, sweet cheeks. Got it? "

Maybe it was the way he phrased his words, or maybe it was the wrinkles under his eyes when he grinned, or maybe it was just your position on the ground, but something about the situation made your ears and neck grow red. You were worried that Ace might notice the sudden change in your expression, so you punched him hard in the flank, making him groan.

Grabbing the opportunity of him indulging the pain, you took Ace's left hand while raising both your legs, wrapping one under his arm while the other around his neck. The moment you had a good grasp of his skin, you immediately locked your feet, your right hand putting pressure on his neck while the other was keeping his left strained for a triangle choke.

As soon as his cheek made contact with your thigh, his face immediately burned into flames, tapping out as quickly as possible on the floor.

You immediately let go when you saw panic in his face, making you nervous. Pushing yourself off the floor, you quickly held him up by the shoulder, checking his neck and arm. You noticed that his face was still red and he was actually breathing pretty heavily, worrying you even more.

"Holy shit, Ace. Are you okay? Did I put too much pressure on?" You asked, searching for his eyes, but he didn't say a word.

"Oi, Marco!" You called out the octagon ring, trying your best to shout in between breaths.

Ace's other sibling, besides Sabo, was Marco. He was the second eldest of five brothers and was a proud physician, working for one of the largest hospitals in your city.

On Saturdays, when your special sparring with Ace takes place, he was always there ready to help you two. The reason behind this was because there was one fight during your teenage years that got a bit out of hand, resulting in Ace having his nose broken, blood everywhere on the floor, and you panicking with a swollen eye.

Ever since then, no one has allowed you two to fight without a doctor.

"Did you break his nose again?"

As soon as he heard you, Marco went out of the infirmary and into the ring, checking on his brother. He tried examining Ace’s pulse and even placed pressure on the areas you told him might've been injured. When Marco didn't see Ace flinch, he turned towards you, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you do to him?" Marco asked, pertaining to the attack you did earlier, since the blonde couldn't help but be confused with his brother. Sure, Ace was breathing heavily and his face was still red, but he was still in his top condition. He wasn't even that sweaty or tired at all.

"Triangle." It was all you said, and somehow, hearing your answer made the man snort, a chuckle passing through his calm demeanour.

"I see." He replied, eyes directly on Ace, whose face got red ten times more.

"Don't worry much about him. He's fine-yoi," he laughed, patting Ace on the back in a playful manner. Seeing how calm Marco was, the raven's condition didn't worry you any more.

Standing on your feet, you offered a hand, which Ace gladly took, allowing you to pull him up. The fight only lasted a few minutes, but it was alright for you since you didn't want to get too tired due to the party later.

Plus, Ace was still red and even though Marco said he was fine, you didn't want to have another round with his hue.

After taking your mouth piece off, you stretched a bit before sitting down on one of the benches. You pulled your duffel bag beside you, took out your flask and drank. After you were finally able to quench your thirst, you offered the bottle to Ace, who took it without hesitation.

“It’s been nine years now. Buy your own damn water bottle.” You grunted, taking off the bandages off your knuckles.

“What? You already have one. " He reasoned, as if it made sense.

Hearing his answer, you just rolled your eyes, thinking of whether to give Ace’s gift or not. For his birthday tomorrow, you decided to give him his own flask, a complete replica of yours in size, brand, and design. The only difference was that yours was white and his was black.

It wasn’t the best gift in town, no, but you couldn’t think of anything else that he'd be able to use and appreciate. The damn brat was raised with a silver spoon, having the latest phones and fanciest clothes. He already has everything he wants — except for the water bottle, you suppose.

“Wait here, I’ll change first.” You tapped Ace on the shoulder, pushing yourself off the bench as you made your way to the locker area.

Pulling out your favorite muscle tee and gray sweatpants from your duffel, you went straight to the shower room. Taking off your sports bra and grappling shorts, you turned the water on, cleaning yourself from the sweat you accumulated earlier. While washing yourself, you heard your phone beep, alerting you to a message.

Finally refreshed, you wore your new set of clothes before walking out of the bath. Rubbing your hair with your fluffy towel, you opened your mobile, reading past messages that were sent in your group chat. It seems like Nami and the rest were having coffee at Corazon’s cafe, telling you to go meet them after your scheduled spar.

Sending the okay emoji, you arranged your stuff before closing your locker with a click, meeting Ace, who was snoring on the benches. Tapping his cheek, he immediately woke up, asking where he was. When he finally sobered up from his sleep, he noticed you packing your bottle back in your duffel, making him frown.

“Where ya’ going?” He asked with a yawn, rubbing his face with his still bandaged hands.

"Corazon's,” you nonchalantly answered, placing your phone inside the pockets of your sweats.

“Why?” Standing up, Ace stretched as he stared at you, waiting for your reply.

“Nami said she’s there with the girls. Why are you asking?” You raised an eyebrow, placing your bag on your shoulder.

“Want me to take you there?” As soon as the question left his lips, Ace immediately diverted his eyes somewhere else, trying to act as casual as possible.

Your confused face immediately turns into a surprised one as you watch Ace bite on his bottom lip, waiting for your answer. Usually, when he learns about your girl's day, he’ll tease you and tell you that every time you’re with Nami and the rest, you look like the cabbage out of the roses. This eventually starts a bicker and ends with a lump on his head.

“Hey, don’t keep me hanging.” He pressured you, a red hue slowly creeping up on his neck as he fidgeted.

“Sure, the old geezer has my car anyway.” You finally answered, earning a sigh of what you assumed was relief from Ace’s lips.

Smiling, the raven finally excused himself for a shower, taking his gym bag in the process. While walking, he told you to wait for him, earning an annoyed "yeah" from you. As soon as Ace entered the locker area, you immediately whipped your phone out of your pockets, opening the messaging app before typing away on your GC.

‘Holy shit, Ace offered me a ride.’ You sent it for the girl to see, and immediately your phone started buzzing like crazy, one message after another as everyone joined the conversation.

'Whaattt? That’s suspicious. ' Perona was the first to reply, earning a thumbs-up reaction from the rest.

‘A ride?’ Hiyori replied, a confused emoji inserted with her question.

'Ace never lets anyone else in his car except his brothers and his old man.' Robin answered her, and the statement immediately made your ears turn into a tint of red.

It was true. After receiving his Porsche for his twenty-first birthday courtesy of his father, Newgate, Ace never let anyone even go near his so-called "baby" without his consent. Even his youngest brother, Luffy, got a beating of a lifetime when he tried slamming the doors too hard for the man’s liking.

'Ohoho, is this his way of hitting on you?’ Nami joined in, sending tons of smirking emoji after her statement.

Reading the message, you immediately shut your phone off, an embarrassed squeak escaping your lips as you smack your head with the device.

Stop reading in between the lines too much. You thought to yourself, trying your best to push your creeping blush away after hearing the doors of the locker room open.

Placing your phone back in your pockets as it continues to buzz, your eyes widen for a split second after noticing Ace’s clothes.

He was wearing the same set as yours; a black muscle tee that revealed his toned sides, gray sweatpants, and white rubber shoes just like yours, but with a different brand.  He dangled his car keys in front of your face when he got closer. You smacked his hand away with a grunt, making him chuckle.

“Let’s go.” You sneered, pushing Ace to walk first.

“Yeah, I’ll just tell Marco we’re going.” Running off as he threw his gym bag at you, you watched Ace talk with Marco, a shy smirk escaping his lips before being smacked hard in the back by the blonde. You immediately winced at the noise, feeling the sting yourself.

“Now we’re ready to go.” Ace laughed, finally beside you. He took his gym bag off your shoulder together with your duffel, making you frown.

“What?” Ace stuttered as you took a firm grip on his wrist while his hands were on the strings of your bag.

“Are you using steroids?” You asked with a straight face, shocking Ace so much that he took a step away from you.

“What the fuck?”