This was probably the nicest dream you had ever had. You were flying through the clouds, admiring the sea beneath you. All went well until-

"WAAAAAAAAAAKE UP (Y/N)! TODAY IS A DAY FULL OF FUN AND ADVENTURE!" Ace suddenly shouted loudly as he jumped on your bed. All the air in your lungs was pushed out and your eyes could almost jump out of your head. After the harsh landing, Ace stared at you with a cat-like grin. "... Good morning Ace." You greeted him grumpily, pushing him off by his face, turning around. The young pirate laughed and grabbed you by your waist, rolling you back. "Gooood morning (y/n)~! I have planned fun activities for today!" He smiled. You couldn't stay mad at the young boy for long, as you smiled back and patted his head. "If you are so excited, I suppose I can get out the bed..." you sighed and practically rolled out from under the warm sheets. Ace grinned and jumped of the bed, walking towards the door. "Come on, (y/n)! We need all the time we have!" He encouraged you, tipping his foot up and down against the ground impatiently. You finally found the power to part with your bed and joined him, walking towards the deck together - well, you were almost pulled to it to be honest.

"W-what is this?" You asked confused.

It was some sort of...

Training ground.

"When I'm gone, you'll be all on your own and I don't want you to be unsafe when people attack you! That's why I will teach you some basic fighting techniques to protect yourself!" He presented his surprise proudly. You examined the tools. Surprisingly, he thought about a lot of fighting styles. Swords, axes, and many more weapons were put in a barrel - let's not ask how he got those weapons in the first place. But, you had to disappoint him. "Ace, I appreciate the thought, but I don't fight. I usually avoid those kind of... encounters." You explained. The young pirate stared for a moment and eventually sighed. "My dear naïve (y/n), that's not how the world works! You must be able to do something when you can't avoid it!" He explained as a 'know-it-all'. "Let me demonstrate!" Ace added as he took a few steps forward and turned to you.

"Dodge."

...

...

...

"...Oh." was the only reaction you could have when you found yourself on the ground with Ace on top of you, his flaming fist close to your face. His other hand had your wrists pinned above your head. One of  his legs held you completely still while he rested on the other.

I see that he has a point.

"If I was just a bit quicker and if you weren't my friend, you would be burning right now." Ace said in a low voice that ran chills up your spine, combined with a dangerous glare in his eyes. "I see." You replied again, a bit frightened by his sudden 'attack'. His usual friendly attitude came back and he smiled. "Shall we start?" He asked. You nodded.

---

"Okay, now again, but with more force!" Ace coached you as you try to punch him again. You have been training for hours, but there still wasn't any process. The young pirate once again grabbed your punch and threw you on the ground. "(y/n), what's wrong? Is that all the physical strength you have?" Ace asked concerned. You confirmed with an annoyed groan - annoyed by your physical weakness. He sat down next to you and sunk into thought. "There must be something you can defend yourself with..." He mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows. You closed your eyes, too tired to bother, and almost fell asleep until-

"OH! I GOT IT!" Ace said happily - correction: yelled. And wide awake you were. So you looked at the young man with an expression that said 'Carry on then'. The freckled boy stood up and pulled you up with him, pointing at a certain tool in the barrel.

"You are gonna train in your marksman skills!"