Chapter Text
[Third Person's POV]
Today is a sunny day, for an ocean that is said to have extreme weather.
Okay. It was extreme, because now the air felt colder and snow was drizzling from the sky.
"Is the weather really this extreme?" asked another passenger, taking a seat next to the one fishing at the edge of the ship. The dark-haired man gave a small snort, moving his hat to the back of his head.
"Yep. It wouldn't be the Grand Line if it wasn't this extreme." Cale nodded, making his red hair move playfully-
"Pffttt-why did you tie it up like that?" laughed Ace as he turned his head to the side, seeing that the front of Cale's hair had been tied up. It looked like a whirlpool coming out of a pipe. His clothes, which were originally a thin white shirt, had now turned into a maroon coat with coiled white fur. Black pants and brown boots.
Meanwhile, Ace's own appearance was as usual. There was only the addition of a short-sleeved brown shirt with a furry hoodie on the back. Knee-length black pants and regular boots. Why not wear thicker clothes, Ace had the automatic warmth of Mera Mera's power.
Ace's laughter was met with Cale's usual flat stare and the red-haired man went back to eating his strange meal. In an instant it killed the Shirohige commander's laughter.
"... what's that?"
"Goguma Ppang*," (*yams bread) the shorter man replied briefly, eating the food with gusto. Definitely one of the stranger foods to come out of that magic bag. Ace had never seen the food look stale or moldy. The food looked like it was freshly cooked and somehow preserved in that strange bag?
Another bite and a gulp- wasn't that sweet aroma very appetizing?
"Want some?" Why the fuck to ask again-
"Want some," grumbled Ace, feeling his cheeks start to heat up and turn red. Earning a mocking chuckle from the man beside him.
"Heh, if you don't intend to share, no need to-"
"Just catch one fish and I'll share it."
Aaaahhhh! How nosy is Cale?! Didn't that guy see that he had been waiting for the fishing pole for almost 2 hours?! Sometimes he wondered how Oyaji and Marco, as Yonko and Yonko's right-hand man, could be at home with this kind of fishing.
Ace pouted his lips, then faced to the left so as not to look at Cale. He got another snicker from the other man, embarrassing the Portgas. Realizing that he was now sulking like a child.
Then, for some reason, the fishing rod was suddenly pulled. Excited, Ace stood up from his seat and pulled the rod aggressively, cheering when he saw the fish in the bucket and looking starry-eyed at Cale.
"I got one! Now where's my Gogumu Pangu?!" hands outstretched as if asking for pocket money and a small 'whoah' sound came out of that mouth as Cale handed Ace another purple bread.
Sitting closer to Cale's left side, the young man then took a bite of the strange food given and whoah-
"It's sweet but also has a bit of a savory image?!" Ace's enthusiasm again in his bite. A child's energy completely oozed out of the dark-haired man, freezing then when he felt a gentle hand patting his head.
"U-um... C-Cale?"
"Yes?" Blushing in embarrassment, Ace even forgot about his food as his face flushed even more at the sight of Cale tilting his face playfully.
"Wh-why are you touching my head-"
"Why, should I pinch it?"
As if not giving Ace time to breathe and react, the hand moved and pinched his right cheek. Completely rendering the man speechless. Cale on the other hand was smiling widely, as if he enjoyed teasing the other man. The hand was retracted and Cale ate his Goguma Ppang casually.
-BRAK!
The chair fell as the dark-haired man suddenly stood up.
"Where are you going-?" Before Cale could even ask, Ace had already left towards the back of the ship and a second later there was a burst of red there.
... was the young man angry because Cale pinched his cheek?
Your pinch doesn't hurt, it even tickles that mf. Why the fuck is he feeling angry? Ridi-damn-culous. The Cheapskate chided, feeling offended on Cale's behalf.
Looks like you're just as stupid muttered The Thief. Vaguely, Cale could hear the fiery man protesting why the woman with wind power was hitting his head.
He wasn't angry, Cale was as usual, Super Rock took over and answered Cale's question seriously.
Is it true? If that's the case, why spout fire?
I guess, the poor guy is just feeling hot, Glutton giggled, making Cale's eyebrows raised skeptically. Hot? In this extreme cold weather?
... could it be that his fire power is overflowing, hence Ace let it out so as not to overheat?
M-maybe it's like that? The Crybaby supported whatever Cale was thinking as usual.
ASK XXXX HIM CALE, I'LL XXXX THE SEA WATER FOR HIM-
"Are you feeling hot?" asked Cale spontaneously as Ace sat next to him again.
Observing with concern as the young man's face was still flushed. Even his eyes were glazed over! Was the fire held inside that body so suffocating?
"... not anymore?" The red-haired man hummed softly.
"Really? I can give you seawater, you know. Extinguish the heat."
Ace was silent for a moment. His originally flushed face suddenly lost color and turned pale. The black-haired man on the other hand was horrified, suddenly remembering the incident of Cale sending a wave of seawater to drown the marines chasing them.
"You want me to die?!"
"Why would I want you to die?"
"You want to fuckin' hit me with SEA DAMN WATER!!!"
"What's wrong with sea water? Look, it's cold."
"You... you want to fuckin' kill me-!!!"
"Why would I want to kill you?"
"Devil fruit users are weak to seawater!!!"
Silence engulfed them as both were frozen by the sentence that came out of Ace. Especially when the red-haired man suddenly smiled so wide that he arched his eyes.
"Whatever you think, I'll throw you into that damn sea, Cale."
"Let's throw ourselves into the sea together-"
"H-hell no!! Don't fuckin' drag me-!"
"We can turn into mermaids together."
"Cale. ARE YOU ORIGINALLY INSANE??? WHERE THE HECK IS UR BRAIN RN-?!"
"No, I'm not. I'm just not in my right mind right now."
"SAME DAMN THING!!!"
Ace was hysterical, trying to avoid the touch of Cale's hand. Making them now lightly run around the small boat. Ace's behavior, which avoided touching hands like a cat made the smaller man laugh out loud. Moreover, the black-haired man made a manual sound effect sound that sounded funny.
-BUK!
Ace stopped when he saw Cale suddenly fall. Apparently the cold weather had created thin ice on the surface of the ship.
"Cale!" worried, the Shirohige commander immediately approached the red-haired man and sat him down. Mencelos saw that the garnett's reddish-brown eyes were now glazed over. However, they were shattered when he saw the small lump in the middle of Cale's enormous forehead.
"Pfftt-!"
Glassy eyes now glanced at him sharply. It was Ace's turn to laugh out loud. The man even toppled over and lay down as his stomach began to cramp from the loud laughter.
"Jon Snow."
The strange name that came out of the red-haired man's mouth suddenly stopped Ace's laughter. Before he had time to react or be incensed by the strange sourness of the foreign name, there was a rumbling sound beneath their ship. Then in the five most terrifying seconds of Ace's life, a Sea King appeared beside them.
Portgas D. Ace gaped and his face paled.
Wasn't this Sea King the Sea King that had almost attacked Cale in Mock Town earlier?! So-so, why the hell is it here-!?
"W-was its the Sea King that had been following us-?!" Cale snorted, but nodded anyway. Then a smile was etched on those lips, widening even more. Uh oh... that's not a good damn sign, guys.
"Jon Snow wants revenge, doesn't she?" asked Cale innocently, to a black Sea King with several bushy manes around its neck and face. The creature looked like a combination of a Lion, a Snake and two Dinosaur legs.
"Why Jon Snow and... she?!" Ace you dumb shit, why even ask anyway-!
"Because she has black scales," Cale replied casually. Then haughtily pointed at Ace who began to hobble away from the threat that would kill him.
"Take him around the sea, Jon Snow."
"GGGRRRR-!!!"
"NOOOOO-!!!!!"
