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“Ace says that fish tastes the best when it’s stuffed with crocodile meat,” Luffy said cheerfully, rolling on the balls of his feet with his chin hooked over Sanji’s shoulder.
Sanji was in the middle of preparing dinner for the crew. He had only been aboard for a week but this had already become a routine. Luffy tended to keep him company at this hour, hoping to sneak some food before dinner and Sanji would pretend not to notice for a while before kicking him out so he could finish cooking. The company was appreciated, though the clingy captain did make stirring and chopping more difficult. Especially when he cried all over Sanji’s suit when the cook started cutting up onions. That had gotten the captain kicked out of the kitchen early, which made him pout endlessly…or at least until dinner was ready and Sanji snuck a few extra pieces of meat onto his plate.
The talking was nice though, if not a little confusing at times. Luffy tended to tell stories in a disjointed way that only Zoro seemed to understand. Must be some sort of mental connection between idiots or something. The two seemed close at any rate.
Then again, Luffy seemed to love all of the crew with gusto, even Sanji who he had just met. He certainly did not hold back when showing his affection.
Despite his endless babbling, however, the captain’s open demeanor made him easy to read even if his words were confusing as shit.
Zoning back into the conversation, Sanji paused. He took a moment to think about what Luffy had just said.
“What the hell are you talking about, moron?” Sanji huffed, eyes still directed towards the freshly caught salmon he was scaling, but attention directed towards the clingy captain.
A hand snaked around him and grappled for one of the prepared fish in the pile to Sanji's right. The sharp slap of a knife centimeters away from Luffy’s grabby fingers stopped him before he could snag one.
“Stop that! Wait till it’s ready!” Sanji snapped. Luffy grumbled and pulled his hand back.
“And what the hell do you mean? That’s a terrible combination. The mildness of the crocodile meat would be drowned out by the saltiness of the fish and…why am I even explaining this to you? You wouldn’t know taste if it hit you in your rubbery face.”
Luffy huffed and released his shoulders. Sanji turned back briefly and then did a double-take. Luffy looked upset—genuinely upset. His cheeks were blown out in a fierce pout and his eyes were narrowed.
“What is it now?” Sanji asked almost hesitantly.
Luffy’s pout didn’t leave his face as he turned and left the kitchen. The fish was left untouched on the counter.
Sanji’s eyes remained on the closed door for several moments. It was unlike Luffy to doubt his opinion on cooking. Was Ace the last chef on the Going Merry? It was unlikely. Usopp, the most recent member of the crew after Sanji himself, had described to him in great detail how he met the rest of the crew. He never uttered a word about a previous cook. Only Luffy, Nami, and Zoro. Maybe Ace was a member of the crew but left before Usopp joined?
Sanji walked towards the freezer and pulled out a hunk of crocodile meat. Maybe there was a special technique that this Ace used to make croc stuffed fish taste good? Perhaps he used freshwater meat? He never considered the combination himself, but then again, he was never one to back down from a challenge.
The wide smile on Luffy’s face made it worth it. Almost. Sanji would have to tweak the recipe a bit more.
“This is so good Sanji! Almost as good as Ace’s! When he made it, it was a lot chewier.”
Sanji frowned and took a puff of his cigarette. So maybe not a chef then. Croc meat is supposed to taste tender when cooked correctly. Nami and Usopp also looked confused by the conversation. The Mosshead just kept eating, seemingly ignoring the conversation entirely. Sanji hummed to himself and inhaled another puff of smoke. He would have to ask the swordsman. If anyone would know who Ace was, the shitty swordsman might.
———
After being shooed out of his own kitchen by Usopp who had promised to do the dishes, Sanji shuffled his feet and looked around. He was rethinking asking the cold swordsman about Luffy’s mysterious acquaintance. Not that the guy was the worst to talk to. He was just incredibly annoying. Just when he was about to turn around and shove his way past Usopp back into the kitchen, he spotted a shimmery green. The setting Sun streamed across the deck in orange beams that coincidentally made the top of Zoro’s green head glow like a bright green lantern. It was impossible to ignore the idiot now.
Sanji took a puff of his cigarette and braced himself before walking down the stairs.
“Oi, Mosshead, your hair looks ridiculous” he started. Zoro turned with a light glare.
“What do you want, perv cook?”
“Hey, shut up! I’m a gentleman.”
Sanji took a deep breath, inhaling smoke.
“I’ve got a question for you.”
Zoro turned his full attention to Sanji. The glare was still in place but it lost all ferocity.
“What is it?” He asked, crossing his arms.
“Was there another chef on the crew before I joined?”
Zoro’s eyes narrowed, though he didn’t look annoyed. He squinted, thinking hard.
“You mean Nami?”
“No, not Nami. Though I’m sure Nami is a wonderful cook.”
“Usopp is better.”
Sanji stopped himself from starting an argument. That wasn’t the point of this conversation. Zoro was just an idiot.
“I don’t want to hear you badmouthing Nami. But no, I don’t mean Usopp, either. I was just asking because Luffy mentioned someone named Ace while I was cooking dinner tonight…”
Zoro snorted out a laugh.
“I was the first to join the crew after Luffy. He and I just had this tiny boat that we drifted in for a while until we landed on a random island where we met Nami. We just sat around waiting for fish to swim up to the surface so one of us could catch it. We only started eating real food once Nami joined.”
Sanji hummed, curious about the crew before Usopp joined. After all, Sanji had no shortage of stories from Usopp. The rest, however, was a mystery to him.
“Nami could throw stuff together. It kind of tasted like shit but it was better than raw fish,” Zoro continued, “and Usopp was a little better than her. He actually put spices and shit in the food. If the trend keeps up, maybe the next person to join will be a better cook than you.”
Sanji went to kick him in the shin but Zoro continued, unperturbed.
“You mentioned Ace…”
Sanji stopped mid-kick and Zoro rolled his eyes.
“Luffy mentioned a guy named Ace a few times. Though I’m pretty sure he’s not a chef. Seems more like an idiot to me.”
“What makes you say that?” Sanji asked, eyebrow raising. “I mean, not too surprising that Luffy surrounds himself with idiots. He got you onboard first after all.”
“Shut the hell up you damn cook.”
“Just answer the question.”
“Well…I guess we had a lot of time at first. Not much going on and nobody was after us yet. We just kind of floated around. Napped and sat around. Luffy played with the water and fell in a lot so I’d have to scoop him out.”
“What’s this have to do with whoever Ace is?”
“You know Luffy—he talks a lot. Never really about himself but he talks a lot about nothing. He’d mention Ace once in a while. One time when I pulled him out of the water he said some shit about how Ace told him that people who loved each other saved each other from drowning and took naps together and ate meals together. Said we’d be best friends or something. Bunch of garbage if you ask me.”
A faint blush appeared on Zoro’s cheeks, though his face betrayed no emotion. Luffy really was too sweet—even if he was clumsy and annoying and clingy and a pain in the ass and…
“This Ace, whoever he is, must spout some shit,” Zoro continued. “Apparently he also told Luffy that blonde people were born with black hair but sat around inside too much so it turned yellow.”
“Stop fucking around.”
“Wish I was. And that’s the least of it. He said that “Ace” told him that holding your breath for long enough can make you float. And that blue beetles are good luck. And that wearing red means that you like adventures.”
Sanji hummed. Yeah, whoever Ace was, he was definitely a moron.
“You could always ask the others. Maybe they know.”
Sanji doubted it. Zoro had been his best bet. Luffy seemed to like sitting next to him the most, yapping away while the swordsman napped. Luffy spent a lot of time fishing and playing with Usopp, but Usopp was the only person Sanji knew that could make Luffy sit and be quiet for more than a few minutes. He was a listener when it came to Usopp, only interrupting to ask questions. Nami was the worst bet. The beautifully strong and intelligent Nami shooed the loudmouth away whenever he ran up to her. But if Usopp didn’t know, he supposed he could ask her. After all, he would never turn down a chance to be around Nami-chwan.
He didn’t know why he cared, but giving up now didn't feel right. He was curious and it was bugging him. He rolled his eyes to himself and reluctantly thanked the swordsman who grunted and wandered off to who-knows-where. Sanji trudged back to the kitchen where Usopp was washing up.
“Hey, Usopp,” he started.
Usopp’s curly hair bounced as he straightened up from the sink, dish in hand, and turned towards Sanji. Opening his mouth, likely to initiate a greeting, Usopp’s eyes crossed, spotting some bubbles on his nose. He frowned and blew, trying to get them off.
“What’s up?” He asked, wiping the last bit of suds off with his forearm. “Did I miss any dishes?”
Sanji stopped for a second and then smiled gratefully. The crew was annoying as hell—except for Nami of course—but he didn’t regret joining. Times like this reminded him of that.
“Nothing like that. Thanks for doing the dishes, though.”
“No problem! What’s up? I thought you were going to take a bath after dinner.”
“I was…I just had a question...”
Usopp put the last dish on the counter to dry and turned to fully face Sanji.
“A question for me?” Usopp asked skeptically.
“Yeah. I mean I was talking to Mosshead earlier about it. But I was just wondering if you knew who Ace was. Luffy mentioned someone named Ace earlier and I was wondering if Luffy ever mentioned him to you.
Usopp snorted out a surprised laugh.
“Ace? Yeah, Luffy mentioned him once. Apparently this mysterious Ace told Luffy that going up the stairs is faster if you do it on all fours.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Oh my god your face,” Usopp wiped a tear from his eye and winced. His hands were still soapy. “Just you wait. You haven’t seen Luffy do it yet. He looks so dumb, it’s hilarious!”
Nami was not much more help. Apparently, “Ace says that horizontal maps are more accurate than vertical maps.” And “Ace says that high heels were manufactured by the devil.”
The only conclusions that Sanji could really draw were that this Ace was never a member of the crew, he most definitely was not a chef (or a navigator), and he was possibly even dumber than their captain. At least that limited the search. Not many people were as dumb as Luffy, after all.
Bringing Ace up to the crew was maybe a mistake. Not because he definitely did have to watch Luffy going up the stairs on all fours the next day— which was weird but not unexpected—but because Usopp wouldn’t stop bringing it up.
The sunset brought Sanji to the railing looking out at the blue waves, where he stood loosely, finishing up a cigarette. The waves were gentle and the crew was relaxing in the last few rays of sunshine. Usopp sidled up to him and took the spot next to him.
“You know,” he whispered conspiratorially in Sanji’s ear, looking out at Luffy who was decorating a sleeping Zoro’s head with bits of rolled-up paper, “Ace says that putting paper balls on moss can make a tree grow.”
Choking out a startled laugh, Sanji turned to see a pleased Usopp. Thus started the crew’s original game: “Ace Says.”
———
When the crew arrived in Alabasta, Sanji learned that Ace was…very much not a chef.
In a whirlwind of flames, the man himself appeared—freckles and smiles and a fierce determination to protect his little brother and his friends. After a very abrupt introduction to Luffy’s BROTHER, Sanji’s impression of the ever-elusive “Ace” changed but also kind of stayed the same.
Sanji could see why Luffy listened to him.
Ace was polite, unlike his brother. He was a little bit stronger and more mature and a more tactful. But he was no less of a ditz or a sweetheart. He was confident and fierce and spoke with warm eyes and a sweet smile to even Zoro.
Shockingly, Vivi was the first to slip up. They were all sitting around for a meal—Sanji, as always put in even more effort when cooking for a guest, so the table was piled with a meal of salmon stuffed with crocodile (Luffy’s favorite)—when she let it slip.
“You know, Luffy, Ace says you’ll get a stomach ache if you eat that fast.”
The blush appeared immediately and her head, along with everyone else’s, snapped over to Ace, whose face was just as stuffed as his brother’s. He looked up and around.
“I did?” Came the muffled response.
Nami was the one to save the day, in her own Nami-way.
Ignoring Ace completely, she continued from where Vivi left off.
“Ace also says that if you take that big of bites, your teeth will go on vacation and you’ll have to eat soft foods until their PTO is used up.”
Ace stared open-mouthed.
“Hah?” He asked intelligently.
Holding back a laugh, Usopp joined in.
“Ace says that pineapple juice tastes best while listening to smooth jazz.
“Ace says that Alabasta is way too hot and only reptiles should be able to live here,” Chopper added enthusiastically.
“Ace says that showering every day can turn you into a fish.” Classic Zorro. Idiot.
“Actually,” Sanji breathed out some smoke. He failed to hold back a smile while making eye contact with Ace who was frozen in place. “Ace says that blonde people were born with black hair but sat around inside too much so it turned yellow.”
Realization dawned on Ace’s face and he broke out into a smile that lit up the whole room.
“Luffy, you idiot! You’re the one that said that!”
“Nuh-uh!” Luffy’s hands crossed against his chest. “You said it!”
Ace hummed in thought and looked up squinting as if the sky held the truth.
“Oh…maybe I did.”
Nobody could hold back after that statement. Choked laughs filled the room. Usopp had fallen to the ground and Luffy sat slapping his brother in time to his wheezes.
Ace smiled happily.
“Looks like you’ve been talking about me, Lu!” He said proudly. “Even if you’re only telling them the dumb stuff I’ve said, that still makes me happy.”
So until Ace’s departure, the game continued effortlessly. Ace, himself, had a few “Ace says..” of his own, though it was difficult to tell if he actually believed in what he was saying or not. Either way, it made Luffy happy and Sanji could tell that it made Ace happy too. His face betrayed the joy he felt when the crew talked about him and made Luffy laugh so regularly.
When Ace finally left, it was with a smile that made his face light up. With a hug and a wave, he asked them to keep it up. He wanted to hear the bullshit “Ace” had to say across the Grand Line and into the New World.
———
Ace had died over two years ago and, while everyone slowly fell back into a rhythm after their reunion, the jokes about Ace were nonexistent.
Sanji couldn’t help but smile when he saw Luffy’s aggressive affection toward everyone. But despite the joking and laughter, their long-standing joke was absent from all conversation.
Sanji couldn’t believe that Robin was the one to bring it up.
Though she didn’t always speak reservedly—which made her personality both dynamic and interesting, he might add—she was often deliberate with words and rarely if ever stirred the pot. But apparently she had decided that now was the time to start.
After the original thrill of being side-by-side again and saying their goodbyes to Fishman Island, the days had begun to slow. They had been sailing for just over a week and everyone had started to settle down, which meant that their captain was getting antsy. Luffy had gotten over the excitement of playing chase with Usopp and Chopper two days ago and Zoro, who was his usual target after those two, had locked himself away to get some training done. The others were off doing their own thing—Franky and Usopp were working on a new top-secret project and had banned Luffy from peeking, Nami was updating her map with the newly explored Fishman Island, Robin was reading a new book, Brook was entertaining chopper, and Sanji himself was in the kitchen preparing lunch.
Sanji looked over to the door, not surprised to see a straw hat and two wide eyes greeting him through the small window instead of the usual blue sky. Sanji thanked the higher powers (Franky) that the kitchen had a lock for when he was cooking. Otherwise, nobody would get any food before their black hole of a captain ate it all. Hiding a smile behind his cigarette, Sanji stalked over to the door and tapped on the glass.
“If I let you in, do you promise to help me to pass out food without eating everything first?”
Eyes narrowed through the glass and a huff of air fogged the window. This time Sanji did laugh. His captain was an idiot.
“How’s this,” he suggested with a knowing smirk. “You help me pass out lunch and I’ll let you have extra meat for dinner. And I’ll give you dessert first.”
The rapid nodding made Sanji snort. As promised, Luffy ran in and grabbed 4 plates of food, running out to the deck. Sanji ignored the missing hunk of leftover sea king he had placed aside for later. Oh well, he thought. Not enough to make an entire meal for everyone anyway.
The crew sat around the deck finishing their meal and the idle chatter fell into a comfortable silence. Well, relative silence. Zoro was snoring, Nami and Usopp were whispering to each other, likely gossiping about one thing or another, and Luffy was whining that he was bored again.
“Captain,” Robin spoke up, looking easily over at Luffy.
Luffy looked at her upside down. It was almost unnatural with his neck stretched a little too far back and his eyes a little too wide, but, like Sanji, the crew had gotten used to their captain’s impossible feats and nobody batted an eye.
“What’s up, Robin?”
“I was reading a very interesting book this afternoon. It’s about an ancient ship that seems to appear every 100 years. Would you like me to read it aloud?”
And then she dropped the bomb.
“Ace says that reading can cure your boredom.”
Her pleasant smile and soft gaze seemed unnatural in the suddenly tense atmosphere. Every pair of eyes was glued on Luffy, who hadn’t moved. In fact nobody moved except Robin, who had grazed the book at her side gently before holding it up for Luffy to see.
His wide eyes remained on the book for several seconds before he rolled over onto his belly and snatched the book out of her hand with a snap of his rubber arm. Robin's smile never dropped and her soft eyes followed Luffy’s movements.
The crew remained frozen, looking at Luffy in anticipation. The soft sunlight that was previously warming Luffy’s face and belly was blotted out by the straw hat now pulled down over his eyes. His face was hidden for several seconds before he looked up at Robin.
Sanji tensed, ready to step in if there was an issue. Luffy rarely if ever got upset at any of the crew, but this topic…Ace…Sanji trusted Robin, but losing his big brother must have crushed Luffy’s soul.
Luffy’s eyes narrowed.
“Ace says that reading is for nerds,” He huffed.
A pause. Everyone’s eyes remained fixed on the captain’s face.
“But…” he continued, eyes going thoughtful once more and head tilting to the side, “Sabo says that reading can cure your boredom.”
Robin’s smile widened and Usopp choked.
“Who the hell is Sabo?!” He yelled.
“Sabo is my other big brother!” Luffy said with a wide smile.
Usopp’s hand slapped against his face and he groaned.
“Your other big brother?!”
“Yeah! I had two older brothers!”
“Did Sabo tell you that running up the stairs on all fours is the fastest way up, too?” Zoro asked dully.
Sanji facepalmed.
“Nope! Sabo says that jumping off of other people is the fastest way up the stairs!”
Zoro rolled his eye.
“Somehow I’m glad that you listen to Ace more than Sabo, then. That would be annoying as shit.”
Luffy giggled and rolled around, kicking his legs up in the air.
“Sabo says that Ace is a moron!”
Usopp choked out a laugh.
And, thanks to Robin’s incredible insight, “Ace Says” continued, and “Sabo Says” started in earnest.
And as Luffy—their strong, sweet, idiotic captain—tended to do, he influenced the world in more ways than one. Sure, he became a major player in the modern era. But somehow, he also introduced this stupid game to the world.
Civilians, pirates, and marines alike joined in, unknowing of the game’s origins. And Luffy couldn’t be happier. Ace’s legacy no longer had to be “son of the pirate king” or “martyr of freedom” or even “Fire Fist Ace.” His legacy was one that made people laugh. And Sanji could tell that hearing people say Ace’s name with a smile brought joy to Luffy’s too-big heart. He loved his brother and now everyone could share in that happiness. Sanji couldn’t help but smile and laugh along with the rest of them.
———
In the revolutionary headquarters, Sabo got the opportunity he had been waiting months for. One of his subordinates stood in front of him, mouth open after letting the dreaded phrase slip. Smiling so brightly his eyes were nearly squinting shut, Sabo thought of his dear brother. Choking out a giggled response he replied, “Actually, SABO says…”