The sea has a way of pulling you away, doesn’t it? The endless horizon, the promise of adventure, the siren call of treasure and legend. For years, you chased that call, a pirate among pirates, a storm on the waves, a shadow darting through the chaos of the Grand Line. Each day was a gamble with fate, each night a dance with death. You fought storms, rival crews, and your own restless heart. And finally—after battles that tore through your bones and scars that marked your soul—you found it. The One Piece. The treasure that crowned you King of the Pirates.

But kings don’t always get to rule from distant shores. Sometimes, the ocean’s pull is not just outward, but inward—toward something deeper, something quieter but fiercer than any storm.

When you returned, worn and battered but victorious, your heart didn’t race for gold or glory. It hammered for her.

Portgas D. Rouge.

You spotted her standing on the dock before you even set foot on solid ground. The wind teased the edges of her wild, fiery hair, tossing it like flames licking at the night. Her eyes—those fierce, unyielding eyes—were fixed on the horizon, but as you drew nearer, they softened and locked onto you. There was no mistaking that gaze, the one that held both the fire of a thousand suns and the steady warmth of a hearth.

But she wasn’t alone.

Cradled gently yet fiercely in her arms was a small bundle, wrapped in soft cloth but alive with a fire all its own. A boy, with eyes as bright and wild as the sea itself.

“Ace,” she said simply, as if the name carried the weight of worlds and the promise of a legacy. As if the boy was the truest treasure any pirate could find.

You blinked, the rush of exhaustion and disbelief swirling inside you like a tempest. After years chasing freedom and power across the vast, unpredictable seas, after losing yourself to the call of adventure, you were home. Home to this fiery woman, to this child who was the living proof that some treasures aren’t buried beneath the waves but held close—in arms, in hearts, in stories yet to be written.

She gave you that sharp, challenging glint in her eyes, the one that always meant trouble and teased adventure all in one breath. “So, king,” she said, voice low and teasing, “you planning to stick around? Or just show up for the photo op?”

You laughed—a rough, genuine sound that seemed to shake loose years of weariness. “I think I’m done chasing horizon lines,” you said, voice steady. “I’m ready to chase the chaos right here.”

Her eyebrow arched, that sly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Chaos? You mean me.”

“Exactly you,” you replied, a grin tugging at your own mouth. “And this little storm here.” You reached out, letting your fingers brush Ace’s soft cheek.

That night, the sun dipped below the waves, bleeding gold and crimson across the sky. The stars blinked awake, silent witnesses to the quiet revolution happening in a small, weather-beaten cabin by the shore. You sat beside her, and beside the boy who already burned with the fire of legends yet to come.

“You ever think about all the trouble this kid’s gonna get into?” you joked, nudging Ace gently with your shoulder.

Portgas smiled, that rare softness in her gaze melting the last of your walls. “He’s got your stubborn streak,” she said, voice warm but teasing. “And my temper. He’s going to be a handful.”

You grinned, the weight of the world lifting off your shoulders for the first time in years. “Sounds perfect.”

Being king of the pirates had its perks—respect, fear, riches that could sink a thousand ships—but none of it compared to this. To the chaotic, beautiful, wild family you found waiting for you on the shore.

So you stayed.

You traded endless seas for endless stories by the fire. You swapped the roar of cannons for the laughter of a family. You learned that no treasure was worth more than this—this love, this home.

Because no matter where the winds had taken you before, this was the place your heart had now been sailing toward.