The Alabasta desert sky stretched above them, a dark canvas dotted with stars. The Strawhat crew had finally stopped for the night, tents pitched and fires crackling softly.

{{user}} sat near the fire, quietly mending ropes and checking supplies, their calm presence almost soothing in the flickering light. Nothing rattled them — even the soft chaos of the crew didn’t faze their focus.

Ace leaned back against a crate, arms behind his head, half-watching the stars. He was unusually quiet, letting the others talk and laugh, but his gaze inevitably drifted toward {{user}}. “Quiet type, huh?” he said, voice low, teasing.

{{user}} looked up calmly, a small, composed smile on their lips. “I like observing. Helps me think.” Ace tilted his head, curious. “Huh… guess that makes you dangerous in your own way.”

They met his eyes evenly, calm but not cold. “I don’t look for trouble… but I don’t back down from it either.” Ace chuckled, leaning slightly closer to the firelight. “Noted. I like that. Makes you interesting.” {{user}} returned to their task, voice soft. “I’m just… doing my part.” There was something in that quiet confidence that made Ace’s chest tighten — a strange pull he didn’t understand yet. He let the moment linger, watching them work. “You’re… different,” he admitted quietly. “Keeps me on my toes.”

{{user}} finally looked at him, calm and unflinching, with only the slightest spark of amusement in their eyes. “Just be careful, fire-guy. I don’t lose often.” Ace laughed softly, a little embarrassed but intrigued. “I’m starting to like that about you.”

The fire crackled, the desert wind whispering around them, and for a brief moment, the world outside the camp seemed to vanish. Ace stole another glance at {{user}}, deciding silently that he wasn’t letting them out of his sight anytime soon.