Chapter 5

Consciousness found its way, I am awake.

I blinked before my eyes opened completely. The sun was shining right on my face and it was annoying. I am not really a morning person. I glanced at my clock on the nightstand. It was already 8:49. I used to be up at six when it was school days but I still have a fever so I am not obliged to attend.

After sprinkling water in my face, I remember the reason why I woke up late. Ace and I had a teté-a-teté at one in the morning. I should know better.

I immediately exited my room still wearing my PJs. I passed the guest room and smiled when I see Ace inside the guest room still sleeping. I was happy because he was real and not just a delusion I made yesterday caused by my fever.

"Morning, sweetheart." Dad greeted me too cheerful for my liking. He held a tablet in his hand. Black coffee was in the dining table together with bacon, bread toasts and eggs.

"Morning Dad." I greeted back.

"You're temperature has dropped. You can probably go to school tomorrow but you're still obviously tired." Dad put his hand on my forehead.

"You can blame Ace for that one." I said, yawning.

"And why's that?"

"We had a late night talk and..." I hesitated as I gulped.

"And?" Dad raised both his brows.

"Ace now knows that he died."

His eyes that were staring at the tablet was immediately turned to stare at me. He looked so shock but in the same time uncertain. I gave him a sheepish smile and hoped for the better.

"Tala Crystalline Ramirez. I trusted you to keep your mouth shut yet you decided to reveal something like that? If there's one person I know that would slipped that one, it would be your brother." Dad ranted out.

"Dad..." I groaned. "I didn't slipped. He's the one who asked me if he died."

"And you answered yes?"

"Of course, I did." I said with a sigh. "There's no point in hiding it if he do know it himself. I just confirmed it."

Dad took a sip in his coffee. Probably to calm his nerves. "I don't know, Tala. You shouldn't have messed up with something like that."

"I know."

Dad get his tablet again and continue to do his report or something. I helped myself by eating breakfast. I put some Nutella in a bread and put some eggs in my plate.

And coffee. Seriously, if other parents let their children drink milk, my parents did not. My parents let Justin and I drink coffee every morning. My day was not complete if I have not sipped any coffee.

"Good morning." Ace greeted.

"Hello." I bid. I looked up his features. He looked so tired. Bags were under his eyes a sign that he did not get enough sleep in the past days. His raven hair was messy, stroking everywhere. Seems like he did not had the time to look in front of the mirror.

"You looked so wasted even though you didn't drink anything last night." Dad rasped voicing out my thoughts.

Ace's hand ran through his hair. "You think?"

"You need some time in the tub. Relax yourself up and free to use my shirts and pants." Dad offered with a smile.

"Thanks..."

Dad chuckled. "Are you sure you're a pirate? You're so polite!"

I sipped my coffee. Well, Ace is nice but he was not always that polite. Dad never watched the episodes of Ace's childhood. If he only did, he will never say some thing like that. But hey, people change. Luffy managed to lighten up his older brother turning him into the kindest pirate in the Grand Line.

"So where's your Mom and your brother?" Ace asked casually sitting in the chair in front of me.

"School." I answered and then turned to my father. "Wait Dad— you actually convinced Justin to attend school?" I asked agape.

Ace was confused. "Why would Justin doesn't want to attend?"

"Because of you." I pointed him out. "Knowing him, he would want to stay home if something bizarre thing happened."

"I have my ways, sweetheart." Dad snickered. "I threatened to confiscate his PS4 if he stays home. Work like a charm."

"PS4?" Ace echoed.

"Uh..." How do I explain that one. "I'll show you one later."

Dad shoved a bacon in his mouth before standing up. "I'm off, you two. I might be late for work." He went to get his coat in the corner. "And Ace, take care of Tala will you? Make sure she get enough rest all the time."

"Daaaaaad!" I protested with a blush.

"Will do, sir." Ace said with a lazy salute.

Dad laughed. "Jhun will do. It's patronizing to call me 'sir'."

"Okay, Jhun." Ace said.

Dad nodded at him and smirked. He went to the garage to get his car. I heard the familiar sound of the car being started. And just like that, he was away.

"What's your father's job again?" Ace asked still staring at the window.

"He's a computer engineer." I responded.

"Computer? What's that?" He asked again.

"Uh... It's hard to explain." I said.

He frowned a little bit.

"So what now?" I stated.

"Dunno..." Ace breathed out. His hands reached at the bacon in the middle of the table. He shoved it to his mouth with binge. "What is this delicious food!?"

"Huh?" I blinked my eyes rapidly before realizing what happened. Amusement filled me as I grin. "You've never tasted bacon before?"

He then ate another mouthful of it. "Why can't people have this at every meal?"

"Because it's unhealthy. It's made of meat." I tried reasoning out.

Ace laughed lightly. The first time ever since he arrived here. It was pure laugh with happiness and contentment. "I'm pretty sure Luffy would have love these..."

"Yeah." I smiled. "He would."

Silence befell between us. I munched on my sandwich as I watch Ace eat. After he finished eating all the bacon in the plate. He immediately stared at me. Eyes widen as realization hits him. "Have you eaten this?"

"I haven't..." I said truthfully. "But it's fine. I'll just enjoy my coffee and bread."

"...Sorry." Ace said sheepishly.

"Nah. It's fine. I know you have a big appetite and you sure enjoyed the bacon." I shrugged.

"Best thing I had in ages." He said after he drunk his water. "What now?"

"Well, I promised to tell you about this world, didn't I?" 

Ace nodded. "Please tell me."

"For starters..." I cleared my throat. "You're in a place called Orange County in the state of California."

"Orange? Are there orange farms here?" Ace asked.

"Huh?" I blinked. That was unexpected. "We do have a lot of orange trees back then but only few still remains now."

"Hmm...."

I continued. "Here in this world, we have five oceans. You've seen the ocean in the rooftop last night, right? The one in the west."

He nodded.

"That one is the Pacific Ocean. The biggest ocean out of five." I said. "Pirates weren't that common now unlike three hundred years ago. That was the golden age of pirates. They roam freely in the seas of Carribean."

But we still do have pirates who roams the internet for illegal copy of movies. Me for example. I wanted to say that one but I have to explain what is the internet.

"Also, we don't have Devil Fruits in this world." I sighed. "So please, Ace. Don't use your fire powers in public. Who knows what people will do to you if they ever find out."

Ace stared at me before breathing out. "I see... I figured that one out since your family's reaction about it yesterday."

I was silent.

"Do you think you can tell me uh... About the..." Ace cannot seem to know the wording.

"About One Piece?" I finished.

"Yeah. That's the title of the story I... came from, wasn't it?" Ace said. "Can you tell me the story?"

"I don't think so... Not now anyways. Maybe later when I figured it out." I gushed.

Ace frowned a little.

"But I'm willing to tell you the basic." I compromised. "One Piece is the best selling manga of all time. A manga is like a comic. You know what comic is?"

Ace nodded.

"It also has an anime. Anime is like a movie you can watch or something. It has over 900 episodes now and been running for twenty years. I've already told you that Luffy's the main character right?"

"Yes." Ace leaned back to his seat. "Can I watch it?"

"Maybe later." I stated which made him frown. "For the mean time, I have books in our study room. You can read things about this world if you're interested." I offered.

"Sure."

• • •

After I finished my coffee, Ace and I went to the study room. I opened the door revealing a round mahogany table and red chairs. On the side, two big bookshelves was there.

Ace went to one of the bookshelves. He scanned the books before picking up one. "The Little Prince?"

"It's one of my favorite story because it got the reader's wondering about the conclusion. But I don't recommend that one to you. The books in the top are all but children's stories." I ranted out while I try finding an almanac or history books in the other bookshelf.

"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief... What's this about?" Ace seemed to went to the fiction section.

"Uh... A kid with dyslexia and ADHD whose secretly the son of a sea god." I explained briefly.

"What?" He questioned. "Never mind. This one's titled as The Hunger Games. What's this? People playing a game and the prize would be food for their grumbling stomach?"

I almost dropped the heavy encyclopedia. I started to chuckle out loud. I looked at him eyes filled with mischief. "That has to be the best explanation of a book I have ever heard! But no, the story's about twenty-four teenagers killing each other for the entertainment of the government."

"Close enough." Ace snorted. He then picked a book in the lowest corner were the classic books we're displayed. "The Great Gatsby. "

"I don't think you'd want to read that one. The genre's romance." I said.

"Lolita." He read after getting one book again.

"No not that one..." I said with a heavy tone. Memories of that book came flashing in my mind. I do not know why do we have that book. Curiosity got the best of me and decided to read it when I read it last year. I only found out that it was about pedophilia when it's too late.

I heard Ace gasped out loud so I turned and face him. "Wait— There's a book in this world entitled the Moby Dick!?"

I blinked rapidly and then if my memory served me correct remember, the Whiteboard Pirate's ship was named as Moby Dick. I'm not sure what happened to it. It was probably destroyed during the war. I have to ask my brother later.

"Yes." I said. "Call me Ishmael."

"What?" Ace asked as he opened the book. "Never mind, it's the first line here in the book. What's the story about?"

"Want me to spoil you? Oh well, the story was published almost two hundred years ago so kind of boring for me. It's about a pirate crew's obsession with a sperm whale dubbed as the Moby Dick. The whale managed to bit the captain's leg henceforth their reason for setting out to sea was for revenge. Ishmael is the narrator of the story and he's the only who managed to survived in the en— Just read it up!" I ranted out again. I'm a bibliophile. I just get really excited when someone talks about my interest.

"Not really a fan of reading but I'll endure this one." Ace shrugged. "What's the books you've collected?"

"Oh, it's history books, almanacs, encyclopedias... You can read this one if you like but I guess you're more interested with that one."

"I'll read that later." Ace said.

I sighed as I sat on a chair. "Ace, that novel has over a hundred chapters. It took me a week to finish it because I was slacking off."

"Call me Ishmael..." Ace read out loud. He was leaning on the wall. "I like the introduction."

"Me too. It's consider to be one of the best line in the beginning of a novel." I said while I get my cellphone in my pocket. Realization soon hit me. "Wait Ace— you can actually read it!?"

"What do you mean by I can read it? Of course I know how to read." Ace snorted eyebrows raised as he stare at me in disbelief.

My mouth dropped open as. He was supposed to be speaking in Japanese! But no, he appeared yesterday in my room knowing fully how to speak English. He was speaking in an American accent. He can also read it but how?

"No-Nothing..." I came back to my seat and slumped. I distracted myself by researching some articles in my cellphone but my mind was still thinking about it.

"This book's not ba—" Ace said before I heard a thud.

I stood up in shock. My mouth was ajar as I went over to him and inspect what the hell had just happened.

I sighed in relief when it turns out that he was just sleeping. He was snoring lightly. I rubbed his back while smiling before going back in my seat.

Even in this world, Ace still has his narcolepsy.

• • •- - -• • •

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