"Do I need to point out how stupid that is? Do you want to get injured? Maybe the fire replaced your brain! Are you..."

"Alright, I get the picture; you don't need to continue," Ace gave me a look. It read annoyance mixed with acceptance. "You're the commander here, so I'll follow your lead."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but putting yourself into these situations doesn't make it okay. Also, I'm acting Commander, not the official Commander!" I let out a sigh.

"Are you worried about me, Commander?" He had that stupid smirk on his face as he continued to push the commander thing. Like the rest of the division, Ace liked me being in command.

"First of all, wipe that grin off your face. Secondly, I care about everyone. Thirdly, you're not doing this alone; I'm coming with you. You're right that we don't need the whole division with us. You and I have got this. Besides, it's not the first time we've come across Doma. I owe him an ass-kicking!" It was my turn to grin as I turned to the rest of the 2nd division. "You guys can just sit back and watch the show!" They all laughed.

"This will be fun to watch!"

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be unstoppable!" A lot of mumbling started, but Teach's voice stood out.

"We'll get to see the Commander use her magic. I wonder if you can control Ace's fire?" I looked to Ace in thought as Teach brought up a good point.

"I'm not sure; I've not tried to yet. But like all fire, I can sense it, so I assume so. Well, if that's alright with you, freckles?" Calling him that nickname had become second nature to me now. No one questioned it either, as Ace has been with us for a few weeks. We had not been in any combat situations together yet, so this would be our first time working with one another.

"I'm down to try!" Ace seemed very excited at this idea.

"Then I guess we will. Let's get onto the ship first. You guys know what to do if we yell; back us up!" The 2nd division cheered as I motioned for Ace to lead the charge. He gladly leapt into the air and onto the ship. I let out a chuckle as I landed next to him. Since getting his tattoo, he pretty much never wears his shirt anymore. I'm not going to lie; it wasn't a bad thing. So maybe I didn't think of him as a brother, but he doesn't think of me as a sister, so it's all good. We were just excellent friends who had a conversation the day after he got his mark, and people started to call him brother. We both realised we didn't feel that way about each other, so we never used those labels. We are both fine being friends! Just friends and nothing more!

"So you must be Doma!" Ace lit his hand on fire.

"And you're a new member of the 2nd division with devil fruit abilities unless those flames come from the same odd magic the witch uses!"

"That's just rude, Doma," I huffed. "Let's see what we can do together, freckles!" He grinned as both sides fought. This was the first fight we found out how dangerous we were together. It didn't take long to get them to surrender, and it turns out I could control his flames just like I could others. They turned purple to show that it was me in control. Everyone was impressed when we got back on the boat, and even more so when we got back to The Moby Dick. It was all anyone was talking about all day. Another thing came out of this as well. Everyone was talking about Ace becoming the 2nd division commander; no one wanted to replace me, though, as they also liked me leading them. Some people did say why, don't we both be the Commanders, but I shot them down. If Ace wanted to become the Commander, I was perfectly fine with that.

I was munching on some cinnamon rolls (that Thatch had made for me) in the crow's nest. Gunpowder was lying beside me, on his back, purring softly as he bathed in the moonlight. The sound of someone claiming the rigging reached my ears before my eyes could spot the person. It was Ace, of course. He quickly realised my favourite spot on the ship and knew I would be up here if he couldn't find me elsewhere.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He seemed nervous as he poked his head out of the trapdoor. I had a mouthful, so I motioned for him to join me. He smiled as he sat down. I could tell he didn't know how to say what was on his mind. I finished off the last cinnamon roll so I could speak.

"It's okay. I assume this is about what people have been talking about all day. The Commander's position?" He let out a sigh and nodded.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to take anything from you, and I don't want to be the one who people rely on. But so many people have said how much they think I would suit the job. I'm trying to say I don't want the job unless you co-command with me. I know it's not usually something that happens, but I think with both of us, the division could thrive." I could tell he was sweating a little. I smiled, trying to ease his nervousness.

"Would you really Co-Command with me? I don't think I did a good job," I looked down at my legs.

"Yes, it's the only way I'll do it. Together or not at all! We can help each other cover our weaknesses and work well as a team. Our powers are great together; we proved that today!" I looked into his eyes. I saw so much truth behind them and trust. I let out a sigh.

"Alright, but I need to show you something first." I was not about to keep my Fae form hidden anymore if this was happening. I let my human form shift into my leafy Fae form. I couldn't look at his reaction, so I watched the water below us instead. I don't think I had ever been this nervous about showing anyone before in my life. I cared so much about how this boy thought of me; it was wild. He gasped before finding words again.

"I knew you were special, but I never thought it would be like this. What are you?" His voice sounded curious and in awe, but he had no hate or disgust. I looked up again and said quietly.

"I'm a Faerie!"

"Like from a Fairy Tale, that's so cool! Why do you hide this form?" He was getting excited now.

"Because people don't take too kindly to those that are different from them. Just look at the Fishmen and Mermaids and what they go through. Pops doesn't want the world to know because he's trying to protect me. That's why I don't show new people this form until we know that we can trust them." He nodded along as I talked.

"That makes sense, and I'm glad you trust me with this knowledge now. I promise not to tell anyone, and I've got your back!" His grin came back, and I couldn't help but join him with my own. "I can't wait for us to work closely together. It's going to be fun!"

"It certainly will be interesting, that's for sure!" I chuckled. We sat in silence for a bit, looking at the stars and the ocean before we headed to bed. This wouldn't be the only late-night conversation we'd end up having; in fact, it was the start of many!
**********************************************************************************************************************************************

The crew were all gathered around Pops' chair as I sat next to Ace on the deck. We were gathering to celebrate becoming co-commanders!

"From this day forward, Ace and Morgan will become our 2nd division co-commanders!" Marco started the cheers, and everyone joined in. Ace looked stunned at everything going on around us. I chuckled as Marco wrapped his arms around our shoulders and said to Ace, "Don't look so dazed, buddy. You're both stars now, eat!" He let go of Ace's shoulder and gave him some meat to eat. We laughed as we watched him eat a bunch of food all at once and then start choking a little bit. One of the crew gave him a drink to help him swallow it.

"Slow down; the foods not going anywhere, buddy, I promise ya. Besides, the banquet today is in your honour, as Morgan isn't going to eat any of it!" Thatch grinned, but before I could make a snarky comment back, Ace fell asleep.

"HE FEEL ASLEEP!" The crew all said at once. I laughed as I shared a look with Pops. It didn't take long before he woke up again with another dazed look on his face. I put my arm around his shoulder.

"You keep being you no matter what, Freckles!"
***********************************************************************************************************************************************

I was on watch duty even though everyone said I didn't have to be because of the celebrations. I was not too fond of that, as it was my turn, so I put my foot down, and here we are. Gunpowder was lying on the floor of the crow's nest as I watched the calm abyss-like ocean below and the starry night above. It was a full moon which reflected nicely off the water's surface. It was peaceful after the loud day that it had been. I loved every minute of it, of course, but there was nothing like seeing the ship so quiet, just rocking slightly in the breeze. The wind tossed my hair as the sound of someone climbing up the rigging caught my attention. I turned around but wasn't surprised to see the sleepy-looking Ace pulling himself up. I didn't say anything; I just held out my hand to help pull him up with a raised eyebrow. He gave me a grateful smile as I helped him up. He then ran his hand through his hair and said.

"I can't sleep," he let out a sigh afterwards. He looked so tired, so there must be something keeping him up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, concerned, as he joined me in looking over the edge at the ocean. He let out a sigh, his dark eyes reflecting the moon above. That caught my attention momentarily before I returned to looking at the sky, trying to calm my heart down.

"That's why I'm here. I've been thinking about how you told me your secret, and I want to tell you mine in return. I just don't know how to say it." He kept his eyes on the ocean, not daring to look at me.

"I'm not here to judge you; if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Don't feel like you must just because I revealed myself to you." I gently touched his shoulder; he flinched slightly but didn't move away. He let out another sigh as Gunpowder licked his hand. He patted the large cat's head in return.

"I think I should just come out with it. Pops already knows, as I told him the night I spoke to you about becoming co-commanders." He let out another sigh as he continued to pet Gunpowder. "I grew up on an island in East Blue, Dawn Island, to be exact. The lady who raised me was a mountain bandit who was forced into it; she did care for me in her own way. Monkey D. Garp adopted me as his Grandson, but I needed to be kept a secret, so he gave me to Dadan to raise for him. He stopped by to train me occasionally because he wanted me to become a marine. But that didn't work out." He ran his fingers through his hair as he continued. "I was born with a different name; Portgas is my mother's name. I wanted to honour her and not be attached to my biological father. He was Gol D. Roger, which is why I can't tell everyone because people still hate him, and the government wanted me dead when I was born, but they'd doubly want me dead now!" The last part just tumbled out, and it took my brain a second to catch up to what he said. It all made sense now; Pops had given him a look that I couldn't decipher before. Not hate, but more interested in the boy. I bet he figured it out before Ace told him. I then realised that the feckled boy was waiting for me to say something. He looked a little scared.

"Just to double check, your adopted grandfather is the Marine Vice Admiral hero who took down your biological father. Wow, that's an odd fate twist. I guess Garp has a heart, after all." He blinked a few times, looking shocked.

"That's all you've got to say? Don't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you for being the son of a man neither of us ever met? You don't hate me for not being human, so why should I hate you for being born?"

"I...I don't know. Everyone else does," he looked relieved even as he said this.

"I see why you keep it hidden, as a lot of pirates and marines alike would not be thrilled to hear that his blood continues because people are pricks and will judge you for anything. You've got my back Freckles, so I've got yours. We're co-commanders now, and that's not changing just because I found out where you came from!" I put both my hands on his shoulders with a smile on my face. "Pops told you something along the same lines, didn't he?" 

"Yeah, he told me that the past doesn't matter because everyone is a 'child of the sea'." Yeah, that sounded like Pops.

"Then don't worry about it, okay? I hope telling me has helped you a little bit." I watched his smile come back.

"Yeah, it has; thanks for listening to me, Morgan. You're something else, that's for sure!"

"Dam right I am; I'm a Faerie, after all," I chuckled as I let go of his shoulders. Gunpowder curled back around my body as I sat down for the rest of my watch. He chuckled as well.

"Well then, Goodnight, Morgan, you too, Gunpowder!"

"Goodnight, Freckles," I called after him as he claimed down the rigging. As I returned to my job, I again settled against the warm, furry body.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************