Chapter 7
“Dadan will kill him before the fire does,” Sasuke interrupted calmly. “She has her own way of handling Ace’s… creativity.”
Sabo snickered. “She might actually strangle him this time. She’s still mad about the chicken incident last week.”
Shanks raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Chicken incident?”
Sabo waved it off dismissively, though he had a horrified face. “Don’t ask. Just know it involved feathers, dye, and a highly flammable solvent.”
That was the final straw for Shanks’ crew. Several of them burst into incredulous laughter, while others shook their heads in disbelief.
“Makino, remind me to never give Ace any of our gunpowder,” Yasopp said, shuddering at the thought.
“You think he’d need your gunpowder?” Benn Beckman countered, smirking. “Sounds like the kid could make his own.”
Shanks chuckled, raising his mug. “I like this kid’s spirit, but man, he’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Already happening,” Sasuke corrected, with a resigned sigh.
Sabo, who had just lifted his glass of juice to his lips, froze mid-motion. A sudden shiver ran down his spine, and he set the glass down with trembling hands. His face turned pale as his wide eyes darted nervously around the room.
“Sensei,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of the bar. “He’s coming. I can feel it!”
Sasuke, still nursing his coffee, didn’t even flinch. His expression remained calm, but there was a subtle flicker of resignation in his eyes.
“Mm,” he murmured, setting his cup down. “I know.”
Before Sabo could respond, the door burst open with a deafening bang, slamming against the wall so hard that the glasses behind the counter rattled precariously. The lively atmosphere of the bar died instantly, every head snapping toward the entrance.
There, framed by the doorway, stood a boy with messy black hair and a wide, almost feral grin. His clothes were singed, his face smudged with soot, and he held a suspiciously smoking vial in one hand.
“Hi, Sensei!” Ace chirped, completely unbothered by the stunned silence that greeted him. His bright eyes scanned the room before landing on Sabo. “Oh, hey, Sabo! I figured you’d be here!”
Sabo visibly recoiled, scooting back on his stool like he wanted to melt into the floor. “Why does it smell like something’s burning?”
Ace’s grin widened, as if proud of the chaos he’d left in his wake. “Oh, that’s probably the rest of the tree. Don’t worry, it was just a test!”
Makino gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Shanks’ crew erupted into pandemonium.t
“Is that kid holding an active bomb?!” Yasopp shouted, leaping to his feet.
“What did I just say about gunpowder?!” Lucky Roux exclaimed, half-laughing, half-panicked.
Benn Beckman exhaled sharply, his sharp eyes narrowing. “Kid, what’s in the vial?”
“Relax, it’s safe! I think.” Ace waved the smoking vial dismissively, as though that were a perfectly acceptable reassurance. “And my name is Ace, not kid.”
Shanks was the only one who seemed thoroughly amused, leaning back in his chair with a hearty laugh.
“Ace,” Sasuke’s calm voice cut through the chaos like a knife, instantly silencing the boy. “Hand me the vial. Now.”
Ace blinked, his grin faltering. “Uh, okay, but—”
“Now.” Sasuke’s tone brooked no argument, and Ace reluctantly handed over the vial.
Sasuke examined the smoking liquid for a moment before tucking it carefully into his satchel. Without another word, he turned back to his coffee, picking up the cup as if nothing had happened.
“Problem solved,” he muttered, taking a long sip.
“Ace, did you put out the fire?” Sabo asked, his voice laced with the same exasperation he always seemed to have when it came to his brother’s experiments.
Ace, who had been standing a little too still for his usual energetic self, shifted uncomfortably. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his grin slowly fading. “Uh... define ‘put out,’” he mumbled, eyes darting away from Sabo’s piercing gaze.
Sabo’s face twitched as he ran his hand over his forehead in frustration. “Ace!! Did you overflow the forest with water again?”
Ace looked at him blankly for a moment, then raised a finger as if about to explain himself. “Well, kind of? I mean, I didn’t really overflow it. I just made a big puddle. Okay, more like a small lake. But it’s fine! It’s... controlled chaos, I promise!”
Sabo’s face fell. "Controlled chaos?! Do you even know what that means? You flooded the entire forest, Ace!”
“Well...” Ace shrugged nonchalantly. “It stopped the fire, didn’t it?” He scratched the back of his head again, clearly hoping that would be enough of an explanation.
Sabo buried his face in his hands, his voice muffled through his fingers. “I can’t believe this... not again, Ace.”
Sasuke, who had been quietly observing the exchange, didn’t look surprised at all. He sighed, a mixture of amusement and exhaustion in his gaze. “At least the forest won’t burn down, I guess,” he muttered, barely raising an eyebrow.
“Barely?” Sabo snapped, pulling his hands from his face. “You’re seriously okay with this?! The trees could have drowned!”
“Well, they’re still standing,” Sasuke replied dryly. “And you’re still alive to complain, so I’d call that a win.”
Ace, now grinning widely, bounced on his feet. “See? Everything’s fine! No harm done!”
Sabo looked like he wanted to scream, but instead, he just sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging.
Benn Beckman, who had been quietly observing the scene, suddenly choked on his drink, his eyes bulging in disbelief. He coughed a few times, then his voice dripping with incredulity as he stared at the younger boy. “And your focus is tree drowning?”
Sabo blinked at him, momentarily stunned by the question. “What else am I supposed to focus on?! The forest flooded! Everything’s a mess, Ace is running around like an experiment gone wrong, and you’re questioning the drowning trees?!”
Sabo, who was still rubbing his temples in frustration, paused for a second. He looked up at Benn, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and exasperation. “I didn’t want to focus on tree drowning!” he snapped. “But when Ace starts flooding the forest again, I kind of have no choice!”
Ace, standing innocently by, beamed at the crew like he’d just explained the most logical course of action. “Yeah, I mean, it worked, right? The fire’s out. And the trees are... um... taking a bath!”
Shanks whizzed with laughter, nearly choking on his drink as he slapped the counter in amusement. “Taking a bath?!” he repeated, his voice booming over the bar. “Kid, you’re something else! A fire’s out, but now the forest’s a swamp? That’s gotta be the craziest logic I’ve ever heard!”
Makino stifled a laugh behind her hand, though her shoulders trembled with silent mirth. “Ace, you can’t just... flood a forest and call it problem-solving,” she said gently, though she was clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
“But the fire’s out, right?” Ace insisted, his grin widening. “What’s the problem?”
Yasopp was doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down his face. “This kid... oh man, he’s killing me! I’ve heard of fire and water not mixing, but this is a whole new level!”
Benn Beckman shook his head, though the corners of his lips twitched with amusement. “Ace, you might’ve solved the immediate problem, but flooding the forest could cause just as much damage as the fire.”
Ace blinked, tilting his head in confusion. “Huh? But I thought trees liked water?”
Sabo groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “They do, Ace! But not when it’s enough water to drown the roots!”
“Then they need stronger roots,” Ace muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.
That sent Shanks into another fit of laughter, his head thrown back as he slapped his thigh. “This kid’s got the solutions to everything! Stronger roots! Ha!”
Sasuke finally stepped in, his voice calm but firm. “Ace, you’re cleaning up that mess as soon as we get back.”
Ace looked at him, startled. “What? Why? It’s already fixed!”
“No arguments,” Sasuke said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. “Or you’ll spend the next week without your experiments.”
Ace gasped, horrified. “You wouldn’t!”
“Try me,” Sasuke replied, his expression unyielding.
Shanks watched the exchange with a grin, taking another swig of ale. “Sasuke, you’ve got your hands full, but I gotta say—this kid’s gonna make waves someday. Big ones.”
“Or floods,” Yasopp quipped, earning another round of laughter from the crew.
Sabo slumped forward, resting his head on the counter. “Why am I the only sane one in this family?”
Sasuke side eyed Sabo when he heard his words, he snorted. “For someone who had thrown a celestial dragon into the sea, i don’t think you are one to say that.”
Sabo, still slumped over the counter, froze mid-sigh. He slowly lifted his head to look at Sasuke, his pale cheeks now tinted with a slight blush of embarrassment.
“That was different,” Sabo mumbled, crossing his arms defensively. “He deserved it!”
Sasuke snorted again, leaning back in his seat with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, I’m not arguing that he didn’t. I’m just saying... calling yourself the sane one might be a bit of a stretch, considering your track record.”
Shanks’ crew, already entertained by the chaos, perked up at this new revelation. Yasopp leaned forward, grinning like a kid about to hear a juicy story. “Hold on a minute—what did he do?”
Makino looked torn between concern and curiosity, her hands pausing mid-wipe of the counter. “Sabo… is that true?”
Sabo groaned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “It wasn’t that big of a deal...”
“Not that big of a deal?” Sasuke echoed, his voice tinged with mock incredulity. “You threw a Celestial Dragon—one of the most arrogant, untouchable people on the planet—into the sea! That’s not exactly a minor incident.”
Shanks burst out laughing, slamming his hand on the counter. “Oh, this kid’s got guts! I like him even more now!”
Lucky Roux whistled, shaking his head. “And here I thought Ace was the wild one.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Benn Beckman warned, though even he was smirking slightly.
Sabo threw his hands up in exasperation. “Ace is out here burning forests and flooding them, and I’m the one getting called out?!”
Ace, who had been picking at a leftover piece of bread on the counter, looked up with an innocent grin. “Hey, at least I didn’t throw anyone into the sea! That’s pretty extreme, Sabo.”
Sabo glared at his brother, his jaw tightening. “You’re literally carrying around liquid bombs, Ace!”
“Yeah, but no one drowned,” Ace shot back, shrugging.
Yasopp leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with an amused grin. “Kid, you didn’t just throw a Celestial Dragon into the sea. You probably tossed the entire marine hierarchy into a panic! How are you even still standing here right now?”
Sabo groaned, muttering, “I’m very good at running.”
Lucky Roux nearly spat out the piece of meat he was chewing on, holding his stomach as he chuckled. “Running? More like swimming lessons for a Celestial Dragon! What’d he do? Demand a floaty after he hit the water?”
Shanks was wiping tears from his eyes, his laughter echoing through the bar. “I can just imagine it! ‘Do you know who I am?!’ Splash! Oh, kid, you’ve got guts—and maybe a death wish.”
Benn Beckman, ever the voice of reason, raised an eyebrow at Sabo, though even he couldn’t hide the amused smirk on his face. “You’ve got guts, sure. But do you even realize what you’ve done? Throwing a Celestial Dragon into the sea is practically a declaration of war. Or insanity.”
Sabo threw his hands up in exasperation. “It’s not like I walked up and planned to throw him into the sea! He was being a jerk, and... I reacted.”
“Reacted?” Yasopp repeated, snickering. “That’s the understatement of the century. Most people react by walking away, not by yeeting the World Government’s golden boy overboard!”
Rockstar, who had been quietly observing from the corner, finally chimed in, his jaw still hanging open in disbelief. “I’ve heard some crazy stories, but this? This takes the cake. Do you have any idea how much of a bounty you’d have if they found out it was you?”
Sabo flinched, his face going pale. “I’d rather not think about that.”
Shanks grinned, resting his chin on his palm. “Don’t worry, kid. If they ever figure it out, we’ll make sure they know how impressive it was before they chase you down.”
Hongo, the ship’s medic, chuckled softly. “Just remind me not to stand too close to you when you get angry. I don’t want to find myself in the ocean, too.”
Ace, ever the instigator, laughed loudly and patted Sabo on the back. “See, Sabo? You’re famous already! You’re just as cool as me now!”
“That’s not the kind of fame I want!” Sabo snapped, glaring at his brother.
Limejuice chimed in, his voice light and teasing. “You know, Ace, maybe you should start taking notes. Next time you flood a forest, toss a Celestial Dragon in for good measure. Double the chaos.”
Ace grinned widely. “Hey, not a bad idea! Maybe I’ll—”
Sasuke cut him off with a sharp look. “Don’t even think about it. It’s enough that you had set fire to a noble family's house last month while we were on another island!”
Sabo glared at Ace, his expression a mixture of frustration and betrayal. “Hold on a second. You set fire to a noble’s house, and you didn’t even invite me?!”
Ace whined, his lips forming a pout as he waved his hands dramatically. “But Sabo~~ you were busy with being a doctor! How was I supposed to drag you away when you were in the middle of your ‘I’m saving lives!’ thing?”
Sabo’s glare deepened, his frustration practically radiating off him. “That’s not the point, Ace! You know I would’ve made time for that! Setting fire to a noble’s house is a bonding activity!”
The room erupted into laughter, Shanks nearly falling off his chair as he clutched his stomach. “Oh, this is gold! Sibling rivalry over arson! What’s next, fighting over who gets to sink a Marine ship?”
Yasopp chimed in, wiping a tear from his eye. “They’re not siblings—they’re a natural disaster! Fire, floods, and now noble houses? What’s next, Ace? Are you gonna set a castle on fire and blame the wind?”
Ace looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment. “A castle? Hmm... I haven’t tried that yet.”
Sasuke’s face immediately darkened, and he pointed a warning finger at Ace. “Don’t. You. Dare.”
Makino, who had been quietly listening, finally stepped in, her voice tinged with motherly exasperation. “Ace, why did you set fire to that house in the first place?”
Ace grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Well, they were being really mean to this kid we met in the market, so I figured... you know... they deserved it.”
“Deserved it?” Benn Beckman asked, his voice dry. “And your solution was arson?”
Ace nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! It worked, didn’t it? They left the kid alone!”
Sabo groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “Ace, there are ways to solve problems without burning things down!”
Shanks snorted into his drink, raising a brow at Sabo. “You mean like throwing a Celestial Dragon into the sea?”
Sabo shot him a glare but didn’t respond, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Lucky Roux grinned, leaning forward. “Y’know, I think they’re a perfect team. Ace sets things on fire, Sabo floods it out—it’s like their own little version of the Grand Line weather!”
“I hate how much sense that makes,” Sasuke muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Rockstar whistled low, shaking his head in disbelief. “You two are like walking disasters. It’s a miracle Sasuke hasn’t lost his mind yet.”
Sasuke side-eyed Rockstar and muttered, “Oh, I’ve lost it. I just don’t have the luxury of showing it.”
The room burst into laughter again.
Shanks raised his mug again, grinning. “To Ace and Sabo—the chaos brothers! May they always keep us entertained!”
The crew cheered as Ace and Sabo exchanged mischievous grins, already plotting their next adventure. Sasuke, meanwhile, stared into his coffee, silently wondering if retirement was an option.