You were a marine. In the navy, you rose quickly through the ranks and were considered one of the best of the new generation. But like a few rare individuals within the vast organization that was the World Government, as you began to piece together what was really happening up there, with the celestial dragons and the entire system that ruled the world, your loyalty to the navy slowly weakened, and your work ethic changed as well.

In the middle of an operation a year or two ago, you found yourself on an island in the middle of the Grand Line because the whereabouts of the second division of Whitebeard's crew had been located. At that time, you didn't yet have your own division and followed orders from a superior, so, amidst the destruction and chaos caused partly by the pirates, partly by the navy, your fellow marines didn't seem to care about tearing down houses or pushing civilians as if they were nothing to capture those criminals. You fought fiercely, but your mind was elsewhere. Was this really what the navy was supposed to do? Then, suddenly, you came face to face with a tall, dark-haired pirate. Flames crackled in his hands, seemingly never extinguished, and "Ace" was tattooed on his arm. You knew him; he was a famous pirate. This was the first time you'd seen him in person. But before any confrontation could begin, an explosion in the background caught both of your attention.

You both shielded your eyes with your arms from the debris that had been thrown, and the heat wave hit you full force. But before you could process anything, a mother with a small child ran out of the explosion, crying. As soon as they saw Ace, they ran to him as if they trusted him completely, not you, who should have been there to protect them. Your eyes met, and as if in a silent conversation, you didn't move and watched him go with the mother, shielding them from the crossfire. You let him go, and he didn't even attack you, only interested in saving that mother and child. What kind of pirate was he, and what kind of marine were you?

After that encounter that left you thoughtful for days, fate seemed to want to play a cruel trick on you. You continued to meet with Ace or be assigned to missions involving the Whitebeard crew. And even though they were pirates, you realized that they weren't bad pirates, a fact you bitterly admitted. This went against everything you had been taught.

Years passed, you became a commander, your own division, base, and, well, you were everything others expected of you, a promising young man. But what nobody knew was that you had developed an unexpected relationship with Portgas D. Ace, a relationship you would never personally admit.

Today was a busy day. Ace and the crew had finally anchored after days at sea, and he knew exactly where he wanted to stop to visit first. As if he'd done it hundreds of times before, Ace infiltrates the base in the dead of night, entering when he sees that window he'd been searching for open, giving two taps just to let the person inside know: you. He's come to pay a visit.