Six months had passed since Lale and Ace officially joined the Whitebeard Pirates. The crew had become their family, and the Moby Dick their home. Ace, after a particularly reckless (but successful) battle, had been promoted to 2nd Division Commander, much to Lale's amusement.
One sunny afternoon, Thatch burst onto the deck, waving two fresh posters. "Guess who's got new bounties?!"
Ace snatched one and grinned. "500,000,000 berries?! Hell yeah!" He flipped it to show Lale—his grinning face under the title "Fire Fist Ace."
Lale rolled her eyes. "Overpriced."
Thatch handed her the other poster. "And for our very own Fire Witch… 300,000,000 berries!"
The crew cheered. Lale blinked at the epithet. "…Fire Witch?"
Ace smirked. "Fits you. Y'know, 'cause you're scary when mad. Also, I'm still worth more." He dodged as Lale tried to kick him.
Whitebeard's laughter boomed. "GURARARARA! Let the Marines fear my children's flames!"
Their celebration was cut short when three Marine ships appeared on the horizon.
Vice Admiral Iron Pike, infamous for torching pirate crews before breakfast, called out sharply:
"Portgas Ace... Fire Witch Lale... You thought your flames scare the sea? Let me show you how the ocean devours fire."
Marco narrowed his eyes. "That's Iron Pike... Whitebeard fought him once. He's not here to play."
Ace cracked his knuckles, flames dancing up his arms. "Tch. They really think numbers matter?"
Lale drew her sword, the blade shimmering with heat. "Last one to sink a ship cooks dinner."
Ace: "You're on—WAIT, NO, THAT'S BACKWARDS—"
Too late. Lale had already leapt, her slash splitting the sea toward the lead ship.
The battle ended with two Marine ships in flames and the third fleeing. Ace sulked on the deck, covered in soot.
Ace: "I still took down more Marines than you."
Lale (grinning): "But I sank my ship first. Kitchen duty's yours."
Their bickering was interrupted when Marco landed beside them, frowning. "Teach's been asking weird questions again. About Devil Fruits… and where to find rare ones."
Ace's smile vanished. Lale's grip tightened on her sword. "…We keep an eye on him."
That night, Lale found Ace staring at the stars.
Lale: "Worried about Teach?"
Ace: "Nah. Just thinking… 500 million's a lot for a guy who still loses to you in dumb bets."
Lale (smirking): "Damn right."
A silence. Then—
Ace: "…Your epithet's cool, though. Fire Witch."
Lale (teasing): "Jealous yours isn't as poetic?"
Ace (grumbling): "Shut up."
Above them, the stars burned bright—just like the unspoken thing between them.
To be continued…