Chapter 84 — Market, Might & Mischief
(POV: Sunny)
Locals in desert robes, merchants clutching baskets of fruit, and—because my life is a cosmic joke—rows upon rows of female Marines wearing t-shirts that definitely weren't regulation issue. I squinted. Did that shirt say "Property of the Cute One"? Yes. Yes, it did.
I cleared my throat. The sound amplified over the den-den mushi microphone, and the entire plaza went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop in the sand.
"Morning," I rasped. My voice was rough, lacking its usual smooth baritone, but judging by the collective shiver that went through the front row, it was working.
I stood up, gripping the mic stand for support because my knees felt like jelly. I needed to sell this. I needed to turn this chaotic fan club into something useful for Vivi. I flashed the Smile—not the arrogant smirk, but the soft, tired, 'I'm just a boy trying his best' smile.
"I know things have been… heavy," I said, letting my gaze sweep over them. I made eye contact with an old woman holding a tray of tarts, then a young marine girl who looked like she might faint. "The drought. The fear. The Warlord."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"But today isn't about that," I continued, leaning closer to the mic, keeping it intimate. "We're not here to conquer. We're here to sing. We're here to remind this kingdom that even when the sand is hot, the music is loud. So… let's have a little fun, yeah?"
I let go of the mic stand and spread my arms.
Pandemonium.
"SUNNY-SAMA!"
"HE LOOKS SO FRAGILE! I WANT TO FEED HIM SOUP!"
"MARRY ME! I HAVE A DOWRY OF CAMELS!"
The crowd surged. It wasn't an attack; it was a tidal wave of aggressive affection. A wall of bodies pressed forward, desperate to touch the hem of my cloak, to pinch my cheek, to verify that the "Cutest Pirate" was real.
I took a step back, my boot catching on a cable. I was too weak to dodge. If they swarmed me, I'd be hugged to death. A suffocating, perfumed demise.
Then, the barrier slammed down.
"BACK, PEASANTS!"
Aqua materialized in front of me, striking a pose that belonged on a renaissance ceiling. She swept her arms wide, and the moisture in the air—sparse as it was—coalesced instantly. A shimmering, translucent wall of water erupted from the ground, swirling like a protective moat between me and the screaming masses.
" The Holy Boy is resting!" Aqua bellowed, her voice projecting without a mic because she's just naturally loud. "Do not taint his aura with your mortal desperation! Only I, the Goddess of Water, am qualified to handle his fragility!"
She turned to me, winking dramatically, while maintaining a hydro-kinetic barrier that gently (but firmly) pushed a Marine captain back by her face.
"You're welcome," she whispered, preening.
Before I could thank her, the air to my left snapped.
"Mine."
Lucy didn't bother with magic. She bothered with physics. My rubber-brained captain launched herself from the rigging of the Merry, stretched her arms out like a slingshot, and wrapped around me three times.
I was suddenly encased in a cocoon of protective rubber. She practically swaddled me, her chin resting on top of my head, her limbs acting as a physical cage that deflected grabby hands with terrifying strength.
"No touching!" Lucy growled at a merchant who tried to slip a bracelet onto my wrist. She cracked her knuckles—while they were still wrapped around my chest. "He's tired! If you want to touch Sunny, you have to beat me at arm wrestling! Spoiler alert: I'll break your table!"
I stood there, sandwiched between a water-goddess ego trip and a rubber-yandere fortress, staring out at the chaos I'd created.
The fracture on my face throbbed, a cold pulse against my skin. I felt weak, yeah. But looking at Aqua yelling at a grandma, and feeling Lucy's heartbeat against my back…
I smiled. A real one.
"Alright, bodyguards," I murmured. "Let's get breakfast before I pass out."
(POV: Vivi)
I stepped off the gangplank of the Going Merry and waited for the sound of war.
I expected the clash of steel. I expected the screams of the Rebel Army clashing with the Royal Guard. I expected the dry, choking dust of a kingdom tearing itself apart.
Instead, I smelled… tangerines?
I blinked, clutching Karoo's reins so hard my knuckles turned white. The port city of Nanohana wasn't a battlefield. It was a festival.
The streets were spotless. Literally spotless. I watched a burly man with a scar across his eye—who I recognized as a local ruffian—on his hands and knees, scrubbing the cobblestones with a toothbrush.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Why is everyone cleaning?"
"Because He is walking here," a passing woman sighed, clutching a plush doll that looked suspiciously like… Sunny?
I walked further into the city, my mind struggling to process the reality before me. Banners hung from every balcony. They didn't bear the crest of Alabasta, nor the symbol of the Rebels. They bore crudely drawn, adorable renditions of a boy in a blue cloak.
WELCOME SUNNY-SAMA!
THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN (AND THE VIBES)!
I stopped at a newsstand. The headline screamed at me: "CROCODILE CAPTURED? WARLORD FOUND BOUND IN DUNGEON, MUTTERING ABOUT 'VIBE CHECKS'."
My knees gave out. I would have hit the ground if Karoo hadn't caught me with his wing.
Crocodile. The nightmare of my life. The monster who had orchestrated the drought, the rebellion, the suffering of millions. He was… gone? Just like that?
I looked toward the plaza, where a massive crowd was cheering. I could just barely see him—Sunny—encased in Lucy's arms, surrounded by Aqua's water. He looked tired. Pale. There was a crack on his face it glows faintly.
The realization hit me with the force of a sandstorm.
He did this.
He didn't just sail here. He didn't just bring me home. He must have… orchestrated everything. The Marines cleaning the streets? His influence. Crocodile's defeat? It had to be him. He must have moved pieces in the shadows, used that terrifying "Abyss Assassin" persona I saw on the poster to surgically remove the threat before I even stepped off the boat.
He cleared the path so I wouldn't have to walk through blood.
Tears welled in my eyes, hot and fast. I had thought I loved him before—a crush, a fascination with the cute and handsome pirate who held my hand in the jungle.
But this? This was awe. This was the kind of devotion that builds temples.
"He looks so weak," I whispered to Karoo, watching him stumble slightly as Lucy marched him toward a restaurant. "He used all his strength… for my kingdom."
I placed a hand over my heart. It was hammering against my ribs, a frantic rhythm of gratitude and something much, much deeper.
I won't just be a princess he saved, I vowed silently. I will be worthy of that sacrifice.
"Come on, Karoo," I said, wiping my eyes and standing tall. "We have a lunch to host. And it needs to be perfect."
[A/N: I was thinking I did not done good enough for Ace pov so I am writing again in here]
(POV: Portgas D. Ace — Flashback: Two Days Ago)
The wind on the Grand Line usually smells like salt and adventure. Today, it smelled like bullshit.
I was sitting on the railing of my Striker, skimming through the newspaper, looking for any trace of Blackbeard. Teach. That traitorous scum. I was going to burn him until there was nothing left but ash and regret.
Then I turned the page. And I choked on my own spit.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
"STRAW HAT" LUCY — 50,000,000 BERRIES
(Caption: Captain of the Cutest Pirate Alive)
"LUCY?!"
My little sister. My tiny, rubbery, idiot sister who used to cry when she scraped her knee. She was a pirate captain? With a fifty million berry bounty?
Pride surged in my chest—hot and fierce. That's my girl! Show them the D. clan fire!
But then my eyes drifted to the right. To the poster next to hers. The one that was apparently the reason for her title.
WANTED
SUNNY — 200,000,000 BERRIES
(The Cutest Man on the Sea)
I stared at the picture. Some pretty-boy with messy hair and big eyes, looking at the camera like he was posing for a romance novel cover.
"Who…" I crushed the paper in my fist, flames licking at the edges. "Who the hell is this gigolo?"
I read the articles. The rumors.
"The two are inseparable!"
"Captain Lucy protects her adorable vice-captain with her life!" ( Sunny is not vice captain)
"Are wedding bells ringing on the Grand Line?"
"WEDDING BELLS?!"
I exploded. Literally. A pillar of fire shot fifty feet into the air, incinerating a passing seagull (sorry, bird).
This… this Sunny. He was manipulating her! He was using his "cuteness" to trick my innocent, meat-obsessed sister! He was probably making her do his laundry! Or worse… holding hands!
"Teach can wait," I growled, steering my boat sharply toward Alabasta. "I have a big brother duty to perform. I'm going to find this 'Sunny.' I'm going to look him in the eye. And I'm going to terrify him so bad he'll need a diaper change."
Nobody touches my sister. Especially not some high-bounty heartthrob.
(Ace POV — Present Day: Alabasta Port)
I stood at the edge of the crowd in Nanohana, arms crossed, tapping my foot impatiently.
I had arrived ready to brawl. I was ready to storm in, flare my DF, and demand to see the captain.
But I couldn't move.
Why? Because I was currently blocked by a wall of fifty female Marines holding "We Love Sunny" signs.
"Excuse me," I grunted, trying to push past a woman with pink hair and a cage-fruit ability. "I need to get through."
"Get in line, shirtless boy!" she snapped, not even looking at me. "Nobody gets to Sunny-sama unless they have a VIP pass or a fruit basket!"
I was a Whitebeard Commander. I was Logia fire incarnate. And I was being body-blocked by a fan club.
I watched from a distance as the blue-haired girl (a princess?) and the rubber girl (LUCY!) escorted the guy toward a restaurant.
There he was. Sunny.
He didn't look like a manipulator. He looked… wrecked. He was walking with a slight limp, his face pale, that weird crack on his cheek glowing faintly. He looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over.
And Lucy? She was clinging to him like he was the last piece of meat on Earth.
My anger wavered. Just a fraction. But then I saw him smile at her—a soft, gentle thing—and my sister turned into a puddle of goo.
Oh, hell no.
I waited until the crowd dispersed to chase the merch stalls, then I slipped into the side alley, trailing them toward the restaurant.
"Time for a little family reunion," I muttered, adjusting my hat. "And a little interrogation."
(POV: Vivi — The Lunch of Tension)
The restaurant, 'The Spice Dune,' was the best in Nanohana. We had rented the entire second floor.
The table was groaning under the weight of the food. Sanji was in his element, spinning around the kitchen like a tornado of love, sending out platters of roasted desert lizard, spicy camel stew, and mountains of saffron rice.
"For the Princess!" he swooned, sliding a plate in front of me. "And for Nami-swan! And Robin-chwan!"
"And for the Goddess!" Aqua shouted, banging her fork on the table. "I require sustenance! Being a shield is calorie-intensive!"
It was warm. It was loud. It was exactly the kind of chaos that made me love this crew.
But there was a new element in the mix. A volatile element.
Ace.
He sat at the end of the table, devouring food at a speed that rivaled Lucy. He hadn't said much since crashing the reunion with a tearful hug for his sister. But his eyes…
His eyes were glued to Sunny.
Sunny was sitting between Nami and Nojiko, eating slowly. He looked exhausted. Every time he lifted his spoon, his hand trembled slightly. Nojiko noticed, casually pushing his water glass closer, or nudging a choice piece of meat onto his plate.
"Eat up, hero," she murmured, her voice dripping with that big-sister affection.
Ace stopped chewing. He swallowed a whole chicken leg, bone and all.
"So," Ace said, his voice cutting through the laughter like a knife. "You're the famous Sunny."
The table went quiet. Usopp hid under the tablecloth.
Sunny looked up, blinking slowly. "That's me. And you're Ace. Lucy's brother. Nice to meet you."
"Is it?" Ace wiped his mouth with his arm. He leaned forward, shadows hiding his eyes. "I've heard a lot about you. 'Cutest Pirate.' Quite a resume."
"I have hobbies," Sunny shrugged, taking a sip of water.
"Hobbies," Ace repeated. He stood up slowly. The air temperature in the room rose about ten degrees. "My sister seems to like you. A lot."
Lucy beamed, oblivious to the tension. "Yeah! Sunny is the best! He's mine!"
Ace's eye twitched.
"Yours," Ace echoed. He walked around the table, boots clinking on the wood. He stopped right behind Sunny's chair.
Sunny didn't flinch. He didn't even turn around. He just kept eating his rice.
"You know," Ace whispered, leaning down, his voice a low growl. "I'm very protective of Lucy. She's naive. She trusts people too easily. If someone were to… take advantage of that…"
Small flames licked at Ace's shoulders.
Nami slammed her fork down. "Hey! Back off! Can't you see he's tired?"
"Tired?" Ace scoffed. "He's a pirate with a 200 million bounty. If he's tired, he's weak. And if he's weak…"
Ace grinned, a wild, dangerous expression.
"I challenge you."
Silence.
"A duel," Ace clarified. "Right now. Desert. Just you and me. I want to see if you're strong enough to stand next to my sister. Or if you're just a pretty face hiding behind her."
Vivi stood up. "Ace-san! That is unreasonable! Sunny is recovering from—"
"I accept," a voice said.
But it wasn't Sunny.
Aqua stood up.
She wiped barbeque sauce from her lip with a napkin, her expression unusually serious. Her blue raiment fluttered as she floated up from her chair, hovering a few inches off the floor.
"Sunny is resting," Aqua stated, her voice echoing with a strange, divine resonance. "He has saved us three times this week. He has broken his body for us. He is not fighting you."
She pointed a spoon at Ace.
"I will fight you."
Ace blinked. He looked at the blue-haired woman floating above her pasta.
"You?" He snorted. "No offense, miss, but I'm a Logia. I'm fire. You look like you'd evaporate."
Aqua smirked. It was the smirk Sunny usually wore.
"Fire?" she laughed. "Darling, I am a Goddess. And gods don't burn."
(Third Person — The Desert Outskirts)
The heat of the Alabasta desert was merciless. The sand stretched out in endless, golden dunes, shimmering under the midday sun.
The crew stood on a ridge, watching the two combatants face off in the valley below.
Sunny sat on a rock, wrapped in his cloak, watching with tired but sharp eyes. Lucy was vibrating with excitement. "Aqua vs. Ace! The battle of the elements!"
Down in the sand, Ace stretched his arms, cracking his neck. He looked confident. Cocky.
"Alright, water girl," Ace called out. "I'll go easy on you. Just a little spar. Don't cry when you get singed."
Aqua stood opposite him. She wasn't floating now. She stood with her feet planted firmly in the sand, her posture shifting.
It wasn't her usual goofy stance. Her legs were bent, her center of gravity low. Her hands were raised in loose, flowing fists.
"Prepare yourself, mortal," she said calmly.
Ace grinned. "Here comes the heat! Fire Fist!"
He threw a punch. He expected a massive column of flame to erupt, turning the sand to glass.
Pfft.
A tiny puff of grey smoke coughed out of his knuckles.
Ace froze. He stared at his hand. He tried again.
"FIRE FIST!"
Pfft. Nothing.
"What the…" Ace panicked. He tried to turn his body into flame. Nothing. He was solid. Flesh and bone.
"My… my fruit!" Ace yelled, looking up at the ridge. "What did you do?!"
Sunny chuckled from the rock. "You're fighting a Goddess of Water, Ace. Her mere presence dampens Devil Fruits. It's like fighting inside a Seastone prism. You're just a human right now."
Ace paled. "Just… a human?"
Aqua smiled. It was terrifying.
"Oh, look at that," she cooed. "No fire? Just you? And me?"
She stepped forward.
"Let me show you what Sunny taught me."
Ace gritted his teeth. "Fine! I don't need fire to beat a girl! I was trained by Garp! I have hands!"
He charged. He was fast, strong, a brawler trained in the brutal school of the jungle. He threw a heavy right hook aimed at her shoulder.
Aqua didn't block. She flowed.
Her hand came up, tracing a circle in the air. The back of her wrist caught Ace's punch, not stopping it, but guiding it.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
She spun, her body moving like liquid. Ace's punch slid harmlessly past her ear.
"Wha—?"
Before Ace could recover his balance, Aqua's other hand struck. It wasn't a heavy blow. It was a palm strike to his solar plexus, followed instantly by a sweeping kick to his ankles.
Ace lost his footing. He tumbled into the sand, spitting grit.
He scrambled up, face red with embarrassment. "Lucky shot!"
He came at her again, a flurry of punches. Aqua wove through them. She was dancing. Left, right, deflect, redirect.
"You rely too much on your power," Aqua lectured, slapping his hand away. "You overextend. Your footing is sloppy."
She caught his wrist, twisted her hips, and used his own momentum to hurl him over her shoulder.
Ace flew ten feet and landed face-first in a dune.
The crew on the ridge was losing it.
"SHE KNOWS MARTIAL ARTS?!" Usopp screamed. "SINCE WHEN?!"
"Sunny taught her," Zoro noted, looking impressed. "The redirection style. It fits her perfectly."
Ace stood up, sand in his hair, bruising on his ego. He wasn't laughing anymore. He was panting.
"Okay," he growled. "You're good. But I'm stronger."
He rushed her, abandoning technique for sheer force. He tackled her.
Aqua didn't dodge. She met him.
As he closed in, she summoned a sphere of water around her fist—not magic, just condensed moisture from the air, hardened by Haki.
"God Blow!"
She punched him square in the chest.
It wasn't lethal. But the force, combined with the water impact, knocked the wind out of him completely.
Ace skidded backward, digging trenches in the sand with his heels, until he finally collapsed on his back, staring up at the blue sky.
Defeated. By a girl in a raiment. Without fire.
Aqua stood over him, dusting off her hands. She extended a hand down to him.
"You fight with heart," she said, smiling kindly. "But you underestimate the ocean. And you underestimate Sunny's crew."
Ace stared at her hand. Then he let out a short, bark of laughter.
"Yeah," he wheezed, taking her hand. "I guess I did."
(POV: Sunny — The Aftermath)
The walk back to the city was quiet, but lighter.
Ace was limping slightly, sand still falling out of his shorts, but the hostility was gone. He walked beside me now, not behind me.
"She kicked my ass," Ace muttered, shaking his head.
"She does that," I said. "She's useless 90% of the time, but when she fights for us… she's a terror."
Ace looked at me. Really looked at me.
"I thought you were soft," he admitted. "Pretty boy. Celebrity pirate. But your crew… they're monsters. And they adore you."
"I'm just the babysitter," I said.
"No," Ace said quietly. "You're the anchor."
We reached the market street.
Suddenly, Nami and Nojiko appeared in front of us, blocking the path. They had That Look.
"Okay, boys," Nami announced, crossing her arms. "Fun's over. The duel is done. Now, the real work begins."
"Work?" Ace asked, wary.
"Shopping," Nojiko declared. She pointed at me. "Sunny, look at you. Your cloak is torn from the jungle. You look like a hobo prince. You have a concert tomorrow. We are going to dress you up."
"I don't need—" I started.
"Silence!" Lucy yelled, jumping on my back. "Date time! Group date! Shopping spree!"
Vivi stepped forward, shy but determined. "I… I would like to help pick out clothes. Alabasta fashion is very elegant."
"It's decided!" Aqua shouted. "Sanji! You carry the bags!"
"WITH PLEASURE!" Sanji pirouetted.
"Zoro, you… try not to get lost in the dressing room," Nami sighed.
Ace looked at me. He looked at the terrifying wall of determined women.
"Good luck, brother," Ace said, patting my shoulder. "I'm gonna go find a doctor for my bruised ribs. You're on your own."
"Traitor," I whispered.
But as the girls grabbed my arms—Nami on the left, Nojiko on the right, Lucy on my back, Vivi leading the way—I felt that warmth again.
My Haki pulsed. The fracture on my face thrummed, but it didn't hurt.
"Fine," I sighed, letting them drag me toward the clothing district. "But no feathers."
"We make no promises!" Aqua yelled.
Tomorrow, we sing. Tomorrow, we save a kingdom.
But tonight? Tonight, I'm just a dress-up doll for the scariest, most beautiful women on the sea.
And honestly? I wouldn't trade it for the world.
"Yeah," I thought, smiling as the sun set over the desert. "I know."