Your long awaited chapter is here! Not sure if the chapter's good – it's a little rough in some parts but what do you guys think? Let me know any mistakes or Q's you have, I don't mind.

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Sitting at the bar, you were talking with Makino, discovering that she and Ace actually went a while back through Luffy. Apparently, Makino was Luffy's caretaker when his grandfather wasn't available. She was also unofficially one of Luffy's foster mothers along with this other woman named Dadan who equally raised Sabo and Ace too.

Speaking of Ace, he was somewhere around the place after being called away by Thatch. What is that kid doing to me...

"[name]? You okay?" The kind woman asked, clicking her fingers in front of your gaze.

"Yeah... sorry, I'm a little tired." She nodded in understanding before attending another member of the club.

Alone now, you sipped at your glass of sparkling apple cider in your hands, the liquid soothing your throat. For some reason, you felt colder and not because of the drink. Looking around at the drunk people dancing and interacting, you tried to see if anyone was looking at you. Not really finding anyone, you turned swirled on your seat to face the crowd with your arms on the counter. Casually glancing here and there. Still not seeing anyone, you put it off just as feeling paranoid.

Glancing at your phone for the first time that night, you realised it was nearing eight twenty. Cursing under your breath, you hopped off the seat, stumbling a bit before searching for Shanks. A crash nearby alerted you where he probably was.

Heading to that area, you appeared upon a very drunk red-haired man leaning onto another person with a broken chair behind them, laughing to his heart contents. "Sorry, Ma-kino! I'll pay-for that!" He called out.

You sighed and got closer to the man as the people started dispersing, their own laughs echoing to others. "Oh, Shanks-san. You 'kay? Wanna' sit down?" You inquired, somewhat worried for his health while shortening your sentences.

"[n-ame]-san! Where ya... be-en?" He was hiccupping constantly through his speech, even trailing off at some points. He was completely drunk.

Recognising the man holding him up to be Benn, you thanked him as he half-carried him to where Whitebeard was sitting on the couch.

"Can't hold your liquor, Brat?! Gurarara!" Whitebeard remarked. Shanks waved the man off and patted the seat for you to sit down.

Complying, you obviously stated, "you can't drive."

"Aw, don't be me-an [name]-san! I can still-do a lot of things to you if you know what I mean~?" He suggested, winking with his signature goofy smile remaining on his face. Sighing, you rubbed the side of your face, feeling the full blast of tiredness from that day.

"I'm sure Ace can drive you home, [name]-san. If you need a lift?" Whitebeard commented, realising your situations.

"Ah, that's 'kay. I'm gonna' catch a taxi or bus. I don't want ta' cause trouble." You responded, calmly brushing off the offer.

"Ace?" Whitebeard spoke, completely dismissing your own offer.

"I don't mind and I've checked my alcohol intake by the bars personal breathalyser. It's within the suitable range." He promised, his face blank.

"Good, good. Well, there you go, perfectly capable of driving you home. Ja mata, [name]-san. Ace, take care." Whitebeard settled, cutting off any of your obligations.

"Aw, but I'm [name]-san's date tonight. However, if she wants to... okay then~, have fun!" Shanks wavered, a devilish grin on his face. You felt you couldn't just leave him, which lead to you finishing the conversation.

"Thanks, Shanks-san. I really enjoyed it. Maybe we can get coffee another day." You gave the man a small peek on his cheek before bowing to the group and accompanying Ace.

Leaving the club, you walked around the VIP carpark for a while, looking for Ace's car. The moon and stars were out now as the sun had set around two hours previous. A chilly breeze was gathering as well, slowly moving through the car park and suburban areas.

Rubbing your hands together, your mind wandered back to the prediction that Nami person had made of how it wouldn't rain but there will be a chill wind coming in. Soon enough, near the entrance of the carpark, you found Ace's car. It was a smooth sunset orange and had a leather interior. Fancy.

With the party behind you — you entered the backroads of the neighbourhoods, completely ignoring the highway. Nervous, you complied to remain silent while looking out the window at the passing houses. Likewise, Ace didn't speak and continued to focus on driving, already have asked for your address.

Heart clenching, you decided to at least thank him for driving you home. "Ace..."

"Hm?" He responded.

"Thanks... for driving me home."

"Don't mention it."

The silence continued. Fiddling with your hands now, you had to ask, trying to keep your language normal and not slang.

"Ace. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Um, why have you been so... nice with me tonight?" You chewed on your lip, unsure if you overstood your boundary. He didn't answer, instead, he drove further out on the roads, leading to the outermost skirts of the city. "Ace? Where are we going?" You mumbled, disappointed that he didn't answer your previous question.

"We're being followed." You gave him a blank stare. He sighed and speed up, making a quick dash to the right before going onto another pathway. "That means, someone is stalking us for some reason." Not really getting what the big deal was with this annoying fuzz that was all over your mind, you simply ignored everything, feeling utterly horrible.

Continuing to go all over the block, you started feeling restless from all the swerves making you tumble all over the place. "Damn it, Ace! Stop driving like a maniac and take me home!" A headache was building in your mind and was starting to intercept your thought process leading to a loose tongue. "I don't get you. One second you hate me, another you're making my heart do flips and then you want me to go on a car ride with you and now...!" Slowing back down again on a commonly used road, you stopped speaking.

"We lost them." Ace sighed in relief.

Conversation once again deserted you and silence settles in. You were tired, feeling fed up with the roller-coaster of emotions in the last hour. Holding your head, you brought your knees up – having kicked off your flats – and covered your face. "My head hurts..."

Ace glanced over and sighed, checking the street before leaning over to the glove box, popping it open. "This should numb it a bit but it'll also numb your mind and senses a little, but don't worry. It'll wear off after you sleep tonight." You peeked through your fingers at the box he held out for you.

"Thanks..." Cautiously, you took it out of his hands and tried to open the container but with this headache pounding against your forehead, you were slowly getting more agitated the longer it took. "Bloody hell, how do you open this thing?"

He, once again, looked over at you and lightly chuckled. "Here." He took it off you and undid the side, pulling a slip of medication out while focusing where he was driving. "Just take one. There should be a water bottle in the side pocket. You can borrow that."

Doing as instructed, you swallowed the capsule and fountained the water. After a moment, the headache started dispersing. "Wow, this is really effective." He nodded, knowing in a second the aftereffects were going to hit you.

Leaning against the chair again, you turned your body to the direction of the driver, feeling a little sleepy.

The thumping against your forehead was almost gone but instead, this watered-down sensation had shrouded your mind. In result, you subconsciously began to speak your thoughts to the driver, your eyes losing focus. "You know, I'm a teacher and... there's this kid in my class. He... He was such a good kid at the beginning of the year. Always doing as asked and even helping out after class. I wonder why that stopped. It's funny in a sense. One day he was offering to help carry my folders and the next... he said... he hated me..." You opened your eyes and stared at the man next to you, weakly smiling at him.

"Do you hate me? My... ex-friend hated me. It was because I was smart. I got A's all the time and was always in the top five in my classes. She... was always in the middle of the class, sometimes below. Her family thought of her as the perfect angel, even with her grades. Mainly because they wanted her to be an athlete of some sort. Strange, huh? But she didn't want to be a gymnast or something, she wanted to be a scientist or a doctor. However, with her grades... she never got into advanced classes. Which led to her becoming agitated and aggressive. I offered to tutor her, but she shot me down. She had too much pride." Pausing to think, your mind drifted into your memories.

"In the end, her grade continued to plummet and her social standing in the school soon became unpleasant. I guess you could say she was like this girl at my school. They look the same too. She had beautiful pink hair and this dazzling smile that made boys trip over and walk into walls. It was hilarious back then. Huh, maybe that's why Bonney-chan always gets into trouble? Maybe she's struggling..." You sighed and closed your eyes feeling a wave of drowsiness hit you. "Thanks for listening, man, and driving me home..."

The driver had remained silent, watching the road as thoughts clouded his mind.

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[to everyone] Q: What's your favourite scent?

[personal] A: I like the smell of fresh rain or when someone's cooking and the aroma just goes everywhere.