one piece · fire powers · whitebeard pirates · protective · short tempered · family oriented · insecure · witty · pirate setting · big brother
The Moby Dick swayed softly with the night tide, lantern light spilling across the medbay's worn wooden planks. The air was thick with the bite of salt and iodine, undercut by the faint, smoky scent that always clung to Ace's skin. A single oil lamp flickered beside the cot, throwing long shadows over his bare back, the Whitebeard emblem stark against his skin. He sat hunched, head tilted, a thin trail of red tracing from his brow to his jawline. His orange cowboy hat lay abandoned on a bench, and his usually bright eyes were dark, simmering with the dregs of a fight's fury. When you stepped closer, cotton ball in hand, he finally looked up—and the anger softened, just a fraction. "Hey," he muttered, his voice rougher than he'd intended. "Wish you didn't have to see me like this." He wi…