The island was dotted with humble cottages amongst the immense amount of green foliage. There was nothing special other than the grand fortification on top of the highest peak of the landmass. Made from what appeared to be white marble, the building was parallel to that of a palace. Black towering gates separated the mansion from the rest of the town and there was an array of canons pointed out toward the sea in case any pirates came close to their home.

A brown haired man scaled over the gate expertly and landed on the other side gracefully. He grinned and bolted down the hill toward the little lodges.

When he went over the town entrance he let out a breath as if letting out all his stress and hardships as he did so. He saw a shopkeeper having trouble with a couple of boxes and ran over to help.

The woman was taken by surprise when the heavy load was lifted off her suddenly and when she saw who was in front of her, she smiled slyly.

"Snuck out again, Jameson?"

The man balanced the boxes on one arm and then tilted his hat at the woman. "Good day, miss."

"Your father won't be pleased," a grandma said from her rocking chair across the road.

"Father's never pleased," Jameson placed the crates in the storage room the woman pointed toward. "I prefer being closer to the ocean anyway."

"Well, we enjoy having you, kid," a man smoking a cigar hit him on the back.

"Thanks, old man."

There was an earthshaking explosion and the civilians, including Jameson, ran to see what happened.

"What in the world?!" Jameson gawked at the gaping hole on the side of the bar down the street.

A crowd was gathering at the destruction and the brunette hurried over.

"What happened?" he asked the villagers.

"Ah, Jameson-san," a middle aged man scratched the side of his face. "We're not entirely sure ourselves."

Jameson peered over the heads to see two people lying on the blackened floor. A young black haired man wearing a yellow button down and black cargo pants, an orange cowboy hat singed from the explosion rested next to him. A chestnut colored, wavy haired woman laid spread eagle a few feet away from the other, clothed in a black bandeau, blue baggy pants that cinched at the ankles, very intricate suspenders, aviator goggles around her neck, a tool belt around her waist, and thick leather gloves pulled onto her hands.

As Jameson stared in disbelief, the girl opened her mouth and a cloud of smoke escaped from out of it.

"Oi..." the young man said slowly. "You have a death wish or something?"

The lady stared up at the hole in the ceiling. "Ah~ what a pretty sky."

The man sat up and shook the soot off of him like how a dog would after taking a bath. He noticed the mass of people and he bowed to them. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Inconvenience!" a very high pitched voice shrieked. "Inconvenience, indeed!"

The raven haired man turned to see that the bartender that had been frozen in a state of shock had finally been brought back to reality. His eyebrows were singed off.

"Ah," the stranger bowed formerly to him as well. "Gomenasai."

The bartender's ears let out steam, his face as red as a tomato. The woman got up then and Jameson saw that she wasn't wearing suspenders at all, but the two straps in the front connected to a piece that covered her whole back with clips on the bottom that connected it to her pants. He also noticed that her eyes were as blue and deep as the ocean itself. She picked up her comrade's hat and dusted it off.

"I demand payment!" the bartender's voice went up an octave.

"We don't really have money..." the stranger rubbed his neck nervously.

"Then why were you eating here in the first place?!"

"Dine and dash," the lady answered.

The man's face invented a new shade of red.

The male inclined his head and the woman placed his hat on his head.

"Then you'll just pay with your bodies!" the bartender shouted.

"Are you bisexual, old man?" the stranger asked seriously.

If he wasn't careful, the bartender might permanently transform his skin color.

The lady held back a snort of laughter but a little noise slipped out and it prompted the people behind them to burst into laughter.

"Shut up!" the clerk said in embarrassment. "I am not! You know what I mean!"

"Rape is a capital offense, geezer," the lady was still smiling in amusement.

"Stop it! That's not what I was implying!"

"Should we report this to the marines?" the raven haired man pondered.

"Yeah, I think we should," the brunette woman agreed.

"What?! No!"

"I guess we could let it go if you don't make us pay for the damage," the lady sneered darkly.

"Huh?!"

The pair began to walk away. "I wonder how long he'll be stuck in prison."

The bartender began sweating profusely. "Alright! Alright! I'll let the money go!"

The two smiled brightly at him. "We appreciate doing business with you!"

They exited the ruin of a building, the crowd losing interest and dispersing. Jameson caught the man's eye for a fraction of a second. The stranger smiled cheekily and turned his back on him.

"Wait!" Jameson ordered.

The pair came to a stop and the woman gazed over her shoulder at him. "Huh?"

"Who are you? I've never seen you around before."

"By 'around', what do you mean?" she asked. "Do you mean on this island? In the duration of your life? On the whole world and its axis? Around the entire galaxy? Are you saying that you're an omnipotent presence that sees all?"

Jameson lifted an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"Then when you say that you've never seen us around isn't such a strange occurrence, as you've never been 'around' in the first place."

Jameson's head was empty and he stood idly for a few seconds before confronting them again. "All I'm asking for is your names!"

They exchanged glances, conversing silently. The woman seemed against the idea but the man was pushing his case. The lady gave up and sighed. The man grinned, victorious, and then faced Jameson.

"I'm Portgas D. Ace," he said. "I'm a pirate."

Jameson's eyes narrowed at the last word and his hand inched to his pocket. "A pirate?"

"Yeah," Ace caught the twitch of his hands. "I'm the Captain of the Spade pirates."

Ace and Btella jumped to either side as a barrage of bullets attacked the spot they were once standing.

"He's a good shot..." blood dripped down Ace's arm.

"Oi, Adam!" Btella yelled at him from an alleyway across from his. Bullets were shooting by relentlessly. When she tried to peek her head out, one of them skimmed her cheek and she had to duck back in. "What're your orders?"

"If I order you to call me by my name, will you?!" he yelled back.

"What're you blabbering on about?! I am calling you by your name, Adolphus!"

"Everything but my name, you mean..." Ace muttered under his breath.

The bullets stopped flying and Ace risked a quick look. The street was empty. His eyes widened. He's not there!

A pebble skittered onto his head from above and Ace swiftly lifted his head up to see the guy from before standing above him on the roof and aiming two guns at him. Shimata!

Ace kicked off the wall to propel him forward, barely missing being riddled with holes. He rolled once, popped onto his feet, and had to jump to the side to dodge a couple more bullets.

Jameson glimpsed something from his peripheral vision and spun around to see a bunch of tiny rocks coming at his face. He quickly aimed and tried to shoot them away. When the ammunition collided with the rocks, a hiss reached his ears and smoke came furling out. A smokescreen?!

He was wrapped with the white clouds and appeared again, running out from the side. He whipped around, trying to locate the pirates but didn't see any sight of them. "Dammit."

_

Ace and Btella had escaped into the woods and sat catching their breath underneath a tall oak.

"You just had to tell him we were pirates," Btella chided, digging around in her tool belt for a first aid kit.

"Well, we are."

"There's a practice called lying I would like to instruct you on."

Btella finally found the box and Ace took off his shirt, the sleeve slightly stained with blood. Btella examined the wound and began to clean it up. "Good. The bullet isn't there. It's just a bad scratch."

"We should really find a doctor for our crew."

"Your crew," Btella corrected. "And you're right. The sooner the better. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing."

Btella finished bandaging the cut and packed up the first aid kit again.

"I've decided," Ace pulled on his shirt again.

"Decided what?"

Ace grinned ominously. "He's going to be our sniper."

"Eh?!" Btella gave him an exasperated look. "The guy who almost killed you?!"

"But he didn't."

"Because I threw smoke bombs at him!"

"Hey, it's my crew, remember?"

Btella clamped her mouth shut. "Fine. Do what you want."

_

Jameson entered the mansion covered in flour. He tried to sneak up the stairs and avoid all interaction with his family.

"Jameson!" thundered a deep voice.

The young man winced and froze on the staircase. He cursed under his breath and turned to see his father at the base of the stairs.

"Yes, sir?"

"You've been out again," it wasn't a question.

Jameson bowed his head. "Yes, sir..."

"I told you mixing with the public isn't allowed. People of our caliber shouldn't be so prone to stoop to their level."

"But, father--"

"No, buts. I worked hard for this position. I don't want to lose it because of your foolish antics."

"I hear you, sir."

His father nodded in satisfaction and strolled away. "Clean yourself up."

Jameson continued up the stairs and after taking a nice shower, went out to the balcony to stare at the sea. "Pirates, huh? Must be nice."