😁

After a long chase Mihawk managed to catch Shanks and force him to release you. He sulked for a while until you bought him a bottle of water to help him feel better. You'd spent most of the festival talking to Mihawk about his life as a warlord with Shanks growling behind you both. Ace would occasionally ask questions but seemed quite content in just holding your hand with Shanks still growling behind you both.

"Princess? I've been meaning to ask you for a while now but what's that on your wrist?" Shanks pointed to the silver chain with Laws insignia.

"Oh this!" You raised your hand so that he could get a better look. "It was a gift from a pirate I saved. He said that I would would be protected under his name" you smiled at the memory.

"How could you princess?!" Shanks wailed.

'Uh... How could I What?' You gave him the most bizarre look

"How could you accept this pirates protection over mine!? Did he do something to you?! What's his name? I'll make sure he never bothers you again!" Shanks started muttering to himself but everyone could clearly hear him.

"Um... Shanks? The only reason I'm ok with it is because it's very subtle, it's not a 30 ft flag" you defended. "Besides he's also my friend!"

"So what you're saying is that if it's subtle you'll use it?" Shanks raised a brow.

He had that dangerous grin and Mihawk knew it spelt more work for him. Shanks straightened up with a new found determination engraved into his features.

"Shanks..." Mihawk warned though his voice was so smooth it almost sent you off on a whole other feeling. "We are aiming for subtlety" he reminded.

"OF COURSE!" Shanks beamed clearly not getting it at all.

Both you and Ace laughed whilst Mihawk just sighed. In that moment you saw Liv making her way towards you.

"(Y/n)! Is this the guy you were telling me about... Jack right?" she walked right up to Ace and looked him in the eye.

"Ace actually" Ace corrected

"hmm... (y/n) speaks so highly of you... so I'll tell you this once" she smiled sweetly. "Make (y/n) cry and I promise I'll rip your balls clean off" She made a pulling gesture just to make herself crystal clear

She was still smiling, but her eyes were so cold it felt like they were freezing the water molecules in the air. You were pretty sure all the guys in the vicinity paled whilst Shanks just laughed and Ace smirked.

"ALIVIA! Stop that!" You scolded tugging on her kimono.

"Duly noted miss Alivia! And thank you for looking after her for this long" he said staring her right in eyes.

Liv paused. Her smile became more genuine as she nodded in approval.

"Of course King. I see her as my little sister. We've both been through a lot together" she smiled knowingly at you.

You nodded for confirmation. Ace tried once again to correct his name but Liv had already turned her attention to Shanks.

"Shanks it's good to see you again! It's been a while since we've gone drinking together, make sure you don't get too drunk before the actual competition Briggs is hosting" Her competitive nature coming out.

"Course Liv! It's been a while since I drank you under the table" he smirked mischievously

"If I recall correctly it was me who drunk you under the table! I distinctly remember the crowds screaming my name. Looks like the dementia's kicking in early old man" She teased.

'If I remember correctly by the time you two were both tipsy, they ran out of alcohol. You almost ran Briggs out of business. How is it possible for two humans to consume that much alcohol and not be drunk' you sighed.

"Anyway I'm here to steal (y/n) away from you. We need to prep her thirty minutes early for her performances. They lead directly into the main event!" She boasted as if you were her little sister getting her first award.

"You never told me you were going to preform princess!" Shanks eyes sparkled with child-like excitement.

"Uh... yeah... I guess it never came up" You laughed nervously.

"Hawky we have to go and watch my princess preform! She'll be so beautiful!" Shanks gushed. "I left my visual den den mushi! We have to record this, come on Hawky we're finding a mushi stall! I'll see you soon princess!" Shanks dashed off into the distance.

"We'll most likely see you after your performance (y/n). I look forward to it." Mihawk stated as he walked after Shanks.

You giggled at poor Mihawk's circumstance.

"I didn't know you danced in front of people..." Ace muttered.

It hadn't really clicked that he was still holding your hand and now rubbing circles on the back of your palm. He did it almost absentmindedly.

'I wonder if he's thinking of the time he caught me dancing' you watched him as he lost himself in his own thoughts.

"I don't normally dance for people, I've just been asked to do it for this festival. Besides I won't be dancing alone. I may even sing a song or two as well" You squeezed his hand in a comforting manner. "Will you watch me?"

"Of course I will!" He said with slight offence in the fact that you thought he wouldn't.

Seriously what else would he do knowing that you're here and preforming no less. You laughed at his offence to the question. He missed your laughter so much, he could only stare at you and smile.

You both stopped what you were doing and stared at Liv who looked like she was about to be sick.

"I hate to interrupt the moment... I really do, but I don't wanna die from cuteness overload and (y/n) you have a stage to be on! We have to go now!" Liv snatched your hand from Ace. "Don't worry you'll see her later Spades!" She called over her shoulder.

You waved and he waved back. You could see he was making his way to the front part of the stage to get a good seat for your show.

"Hey (y/n)?"

"Yeah?"

"I like him! He's perfect for you!"

"Alivia! You say that about everyone!" You flushed as she laughed at your embarrassment.

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"Ladies and gentlemen we will now be favoured with the ideal warmth and refreshing performance of our favourite ideal housewife.... Please give it up for (y/n)!" The announcer threw his hands in the air and the crowd went wild.

Coincidentally the crowd was mostly male. You slowly walked to take your place on stage. Each step becoming much harder than the next. You couldn't even look up to face the crowd as the cheers died down. The world was starting to spin and you were beginning to panic.

'Oh come on! If I can deal with a bullet operation on minimal sleep then surely I can do this... can I?... Yes I can... just sing (y/n)' you inhaled and exhaled as your shake hands grabbed the mic in front of you.

'I can do this!' You reassured yourself.

You nodded your head to signal the music and just like that you started singing. You're confidence grew with every word you sang to the point where you could finally sing to the crowd and not just to the mic.

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The crowd was dead quiet by the time you'd finished. There was a moment of hesitation and then you heard someone scream "THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS!" As if snapping the crowd from their catatonic state they all went berserk. You squeaked from the sudden liveliness of the crowd and a few of the people chuckled at your adorable outburst. You hadn't noticed how much the crowd had grown since you started singing. You could feel some heat rising to your cheeks as you started fiddling around with your (h/c) hair.

"Uh... Thank you everyone!" You smiled and they cheered even more.

"This next song I'll sing will be backed up by the children who've worked really hard. Please make them feel welcomed" you smiled as a group of kids ranging from all different sizes came on stage.

Among them were Isaac, Ian and Liam, beaming in pure excitement as they stood next to their drums. Knowing them they'd probably raided the sweets stalls before coming to the stage. You counted them in and they started to play.

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When the song had finished your heart swelled with pride as all the kids beamed in delight. They'd practiced the song together for ages, so they definitely deserved this moment of fame. The crowd was absolutely loving it. Everyone was having a great time.

"Thank you so much everyone! It's now that special time again when we lead into the fireworks with a special dance coordinated by our very own Alivia Tealeaf!" You gestured to Alivia as more dancers came on stage.

The kids had shifted around so they could still play, without becoming an obstacle. The crowd had started chanting Alivia's name and she became mush. She waved to the crowd and then turned to the girls. You could already see she was high off the attention.

"Ready ladies! And five. Six. Seven. Eight." Liv whispered slowly

The music came in and the dance began and everyone in the crowd was at peace.

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The music died out and the crowd all rose to their feet and cheered. Everyone bowed and backed their way of stage. Of course Liv took the longest to come off stage.

"Well done everybody!" You congratulated the children. "You were awesome up there!" You praised as they all came in for a group hug.

"Agh!" You and the children yelped in surprise, then laughed together.

"Looks like the fireworks have begun... Alright everyone go and find your parents or guardians and go and spend some time with them watching the fireworks!" You commanded clasping your hands together.

"Yes (y/n)!" They answered in unison and dispersed into the crowd.

"I'm going too Liv! So stay out of trouble and don't drink Briggs out of business!" You waved as you put up your parasol and walked into the crowd.

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The fireworks were still going but you couldn't find Ace, Shanks or Mihawk. The crowd was so excited that they were unknowingly pushing you around and forcing you into uncomfortable positions. Even if you tried to call out their names they'd be lost in the cacophony of noise that surrounded you.

'What should I do? I don't think I can take this much longer?' You winced at being pushed again in your side.

"Oh (y/n) I'm so sorry!" Said the man

"I-It's alright..." you said, barely audible.

You were making your way to leave but the man attempted to grab your hand. You'd pulled away but the action caused you to raise a brow and look him in the eyes. He was surprised at your reflexes but it only bothered him for a second as a twisted grin made its way onto his face. He was clearly visualising something that you clearly weren't interested in.

"You know (y/n)... you have been single for a while... I bet you're lonely... maybe you should

settle down with someone? Someone like me!" The man licked his lips.

'Dude I am wearing full length robes! This is probably the holiest outfit I've worn and you're still having these thoughts! I can't even win!' You internally screamed.

"Thank you for the offer but I'll pass" you walked away.

The man growled and tried to lunge for you again only to receive a flying foot to his face. You gasped in mixed shock and horror as Ace somehow jumped into the air from the crowd and used the man's face as his personal landing pad.

"She said no man! Deal with it!" He growled.

Ace then turned to you. He didn't say anything but you could see that he was frowning at the crowd. He then made his way towards you and without warning; he swooped you off your feet, bridal style. His feet caught fire and you yelped which made him smirk.

"Hold on tight to me!" Ace whispered in your ear, making your face flush.

You did as you were told and wrapped your arms around his neck. Suddenly you were airborne. The wind was rushing through into your face making you laugh. You should've been freezing but Ace was a living radiator keeping you warm. The view was spectacular from where you were. The stars were shining above you as the festival lights glistened below you like diamonds scattered across the land. And right in front of you the fireworks were still going. Ace gently landed on secluded hill and placed you on the ground.

"Finally somewhere peaceful" Ace muttered under his breath but you heard and giggled.

"Thank you Ace, though I think a kick to the face was a bit excessive, don't you?" You shook your head.

"No! I should've set my foot on fire!" Ace seethed rage at the thought of the man. "Maybe I should pay him a visit later"

"How about no Ace! You can't draw too much attention to yourself! I think you sparing across the sky should be your final performance" you sighed as you sighed as you made yourself comfortable and sat down.

You patted the empty space beside you encouraging Ace to calm down. Eventually he sat down with you and you both watched the fireworks together. His arm was wrapped around your shoulder and you leaned your head towards him. The fireworks were dying down and the flocks of people were now heading off to different stalls to do their own thing. You both sat on the hill watching the buzz of the festival under the stars.

"You were really beautiful you know..." Ace suddenly spoke out. "You're gorgeous normally but when you were up there you..." Ace couldn't seem to find the right word.

Your heart for some reason fluttered at the idea that Ace has enjoyed your performance. You smiled sweetly as you kissed the back of his hand that was wrapped around you. As soon as you'd done it, Ace flushed and turned his head back to the festival.

"Hey (y/n)" Ace whispered.

"Yeah Ace?"

He removed his arm from around you and pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket. It was the one you saw at the very beginning of the festival when he was asleep at the meat kebab stall.

"This is for you..." he smiled "I'll never let anyone else take you away from me or Luffy again"

You raised a brow at him then slowly opened the box. The anticipation was literally killing Ace as you stared at the small object in the box. Inside was a silver charm in the shape of the Ace's tattoo. It had a small flame at the bottom as well. It was just the right size to fit onto the bracelet that Law gave to you.

"Obviously if you don't like it or don't want it I can take it ba-!" Ace tried to suggest but you tackled him in a hug before he could even finish.

"I love it! Thank you! Thank you so much Ace!" You were almost crying you were so happy.

Ace held you up and looked you directly in the eyes "I promise this time... I'll protect you..." Ace said firmly, almost as if he was trying to tell himself that.

He took the charm from your hand and gently attached it to your bracelet. When he was done he kissed the back of your hand and it was your turn to blush.

In that moment everything was perfect.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to My PRINCESS!"

And then Shanks came...

You laughed to yourself as Shanks described the many ways he should try and kill Ace. Of course, Mihawk arrived just in time to grab hold of Shanks before he had a chance to act on any of his threats.

'Honestly, never a dull moment with these guys!' You smiled.

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