Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Here's the first of the 'Episode's that correspond with One Piece: ASL Pirates. Each crew member with get like two, maybe three, chapters per introduction. To those who gave me their OCs, I had to expand and even change how Ace and Sabo meet each of their crew members. I'll try to keep the core of how they meet though.

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda-sama, Shonen Jump, and FUNimation. Please support the official release. OCs were generously given to me by their respective owners.

Now, enjoy!

One Piece: ASL Pirates Special

Episode of Ace

To Prove Ones Existence!

Ace Sets Out, And an Argument over a Boat?

"Luffy!" shouted Ace as he and Sabo reached out to try and stop Luffy from being executed by his enemy, Buggy. The pirate clown laughed with glee as he swung the sword downward towards Luffy's next.

This is Portgas D. Ace. He is the adopted brother of Monkey D. Luffy and Sabo. He is the son of the Pirate King, Gold Roger. His crew before coming to Loguetown include Taro, Jamie, Lotus, and Jacques. They are all unique, strong, and are great nakama. They have all journeyed far to get where they are now, but how did they come together. That is where our story begins.

Three years earlier…

It is a sunny day for Dawn Island. At the coast of Midway Forest, located between Terminal Grey and Mt. Colubo, a large group of people had gathered. A younger Ace – age 17 – is leaving to start his journey. The Dadan family, Woop Slap and Makino, and finally Sabo – age 16 soon turning 17 – and Luffy – age 14 – were seeing the young man off.

"Good luck out there Ace!" shouted Luffy waving his arm.

"Don't get caught by the marines, ya here!" Sabo said with a light-hearted warning.

"You just wait!" shouted Ace back to the coast. "I'll make a name for myself in no time!"

"Dear me…" grumbled Woop Slap. "What will old Garp say…?"

Standing beside the old man, Makino heard his grumblings and giggled. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Good-bye everyone! I'll see you all soon!" shouted Ace as his small boat sailed further away from Dawn Island and his friends and family. Ace then turned and looked out towards the wide ocean before him. The young man then smiled. 'Watch out, everyone. I am Portgas D. Ace and I'll prove that I was born!'

And thus, Ace adventures in the East Blue begin!

Some days later, that same boat continues to sail through the ocean; however, the boat doesn't appear to be in good shape. It appeared to have taken extensive damage. Young Ace sits against the side of the boat looking exhausted. "Damn… It's just one thing after another. First that whirlpool, then a storm, and then that island of cannibals. Why do I have the worst luck?"

The young man then looked up into the sky. There were a few clouds, but it clear for miles. Images of Sabo and Luffy appeared in front of him. They both were smiling and laughing. Seeing those two soon gave Ace renewed energy. "But I won't give up!"

Ace stood up as he shouted. "You hear me? I won't give up no matter what!" As Ace shouted he soon caught sight of something. He quickly dug into his bag and brought out a spyglass. Through the spyglass he saw an island and what looked to be a town.

"Yes! My luck is changing." Ace grinned in excitement. As he was about to row his boat towards the island, he felt something from his shoes. He looked down to see that his boat had sprung a leak.

"Shit!" Ace shouted as he begun frantic pattern of rowing and dumping water out.

Those working on the docks had never seen such a sight. A newcomer was sailing into port, but the young man was on the top of the mast holding his stuff and the mast. The rest of his boat was already submerged. It amazed them that a boat could still sail while mostly underwater. Astounding them even more, the boat soon stopped right at the dock. The young man then quickly jumped onto the dock. At this point, an old man was walking over to him.

"Just barely made it." Ace said sounding relieved.

When he was ready to stand, he found an old man in front of him. The old man had a grouchy serious expression on him. "To dock will cost you five belis, sir."

"What?" Ace said surprised. The old man then pointed to his mostly submerged boat. Ace snorted. "You can have it! You try sailing that piece of crap!"

The old man was flabbergasted by Ace's attitude. "Excuse me, sir, but you must pay the fee!"

Ace growled. "Fine." Ace tossed the jerk a few beli coins to the old man.

After checking the money, the old man's sour disposition soon turned into a warm smile. "Thank you, sir. And welcome to Port Town."

As the man left, Ace grunted under his breath. "Stingy, old fart." Ace then grabbed his stuff and walked into Port Town.

We find Ace now sitting on a bench somewhere in town. The young man was sprawled out relaxing with his stuff nearby. No one paid him much mind as they walked past him. Eventually, Ace had finished his moment and sat up. "Well, with my boat out of commission, I'll probably need a new one."

Ace dug into his is bag to reveal a few paper belis. He counted them, but he didn't seem too happy. "Maybe I can get a boat with this much?"

Ace then heard his stomach grumble. "Or enough to get a meal." Ace then began an internal debate; whether to eat or not to, to spend it on a boat or not to.

Ironically, an Imaginary Sabo and Luffy appeared as his voices for his conscience. Sabo shouted, "You need a boat to get to your next destination, Ace."

"No! Get some meat! I'm hungry!" shouted Imaginary Luffy in conjecture.

"Luffy…Ace is the one hungry." Imaginary Sabo said to Imaginary Luffy. He then turned to Ace. "You can always hunt or fish for your food."

"Food now!" shouted Imaginary Luffy.

"Luffy…" Imaginary Sabo said warningly.

"Food!"

"Shut up!" Ace shouted out loud. The people walking by were stunned by the young man's outburst. Ace soon realized his foully and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." The man said giving his apology to the people. The people accepted his apology and continued on their way.

"Um, excuse me." Ace soon stopped one of the people, a man with his girlfriend or wife. "Could you tell me where I can find a place to buy a boat?"

"Yes, just go down that road and when you reach the docks go right there's where the shops are." The man said pointing to a road nearby.

"Thank you." Ace grabbed his stuff and rushed towards the shop. Following the directions he was given Ace soon found the shops.

There were many shops and all of them lined the docks for what seemed like forever. "Well, better start with the first shop." Ace went into the firs shop, named Express Boats.

"Hello!" shouted enthusiastically a thin man with black hair styles like a ship steering wheel. "How may I help you, valued customer?"

"Eh, yeah. I'm looking for a boat." Ace said with a friendly smile.

"Very good!"

"What boat will this get me?" Ace said as he held up all the money he had.

"Well, let me see…" The man looked at the money. His happy expression then soured.

"Hey! Hey!" Ace found himself pushed out of the store by the same man. With on final push, the man fell onto the ground. Ace shouted, "Hey! What was that for?"

"Come back when you have more money." The man said in a snooty voice. He then turned and walked back into his shop.

"Oh yeah! I'll just find another shop!" shouted Ace as he stood back up. He was quite confident in himself.

Unfortunately, his confidence was quite misplaced. With each store he went, Ace was kicked out of each one for his lack of money. Oddly enough, they all asked for his money first before his eventual booting. He went down the dock repeating this process until eventually he came to the very end. He was completely exhausted by the quick disapprovals.

"This is the last one…"He was down to the last shop, and the furthest one away. The last shop was named Drifting Boats. It was the first not to have 'Express' in its name. Unfortunately, this building was not like the previous ones. This building was small, old, and looked to be falling apart.

Ace then went inside. It was just as bad if not worse than outside. There was even a smell to it. "What a dump!"

"Hey!" A female voice came from the back. Ace was surprised to see a young girl roughly his age. She had long yellow hair with two black hair clips holding a part of her hair away from her pretty face. Her outfit was a simple one of a white tank-top with tan-brown shorts. Her brown eyes showed her anger at Ace for whatever reason. She stomped on over to Ace and stared at him straight in the face.

"Drifting Boats is not a dump!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry." Ace said with the utmost politeness. Those lessons with Makino has really stuck to him.

"You bet you are!" The young woman said as she backed off from Ace. "Drifting Boats focuses on craftsmanship, not quality of the store."

"Um, yeah…" Ace said agreeing with the girl so she would hopefully calm down. "I would like to buy a boat."

"Oh, you're a customer!" The girl soon changed moods becoming completely excited. "Here let me show you our boats. By the way, my name is Dory."

"Thanks, Dory." Ace said with relief.

He followed the girl into the back of the shop, which lead outside. Ace was shocked to find only one ship on the docks. "Um…"

"I know, I know, we're currently understocked." Dory said optimistically. "But this boat is one of our best."

Ace and Dory walked up to the only boat. Ace took notice of another person looking at the same boat. He was a tall, bronzed man with green eyes. He was very well built and had black hair that hanged down over his eyes. He wore a green vest without an undershirt, baggy brown pants, and green sandals. His hands were wrapped in bandages. On his right shoulder was a large, deep X-shaped scar. He seemed to be looking over the boat with a critical eye. Ace just paid attention to Dory.

"This is a Cuddy boat complete with a small kitchen and fridge. Up to four people can sleep in the cabin at any time. The steering is simple enough for one person to handle." Dory said explaining the unique features of the ship. It was pretty small, though bigger than a row boat.

Ace liked the boat. It seemed a bit old, but it showed a lot of character. It even had a cool fire-type design on the side. It looked just right to start a crew with. "I'll take it!" said Ace, but he was not the only one.

Ace looked behind. The man that had also been looking at the boat was turned towards Dory as well. Now, both men stated at each other. They both wanted the same boat. Doree soon stepped in between the two. "Um, let's not get hostile…"

"Look, buddy. I just came in today and my boat is sunk. I'll be taking this boat." Ace said politely though seeping with contempt.

"I was here first, friend." The man said not backing down.

"I can pay cash…" said Ace cockily.

"I can pay cash as well." The man said assuring it was true.

"I bet you don't even know how to sail."

"If you sunk your boat, then it's clear that you can't sail."

The man and Ace were practically butting heads by this point. They then turned to look at Dory. The young woman was nervous and couldn't say a thing. Then a door swung open as a short – very short – man with a large wooden mallet. He wore simple clothes and a white headband that drew little attention from his balding grey hair. The expression on his face showed anger as he shouted while swinging the mallet. "Get away from that boat! It's not for sale!"

"What?' Both men said confused.

The girl was appalled. "Master!"

"That boat is not for the likes of you!" shouted the old man in rage. He soon paused, in mid-step and mid-swing, and he fell to the ground flatly.

They gasped in shock. "Master/Old man!"

Sometime later, the three youths were around the old man as he sat in a chair. Dory spoke to the old man familiarly. "Master, you shouldn't get so riled up. It's not good for your health."

The old man sneered. "And you shouldn't be selling that boat! I've said this hundreds of times, it's not for sale."

"But it's our last one, and you haven't been able to make a new boat since…" Dory went silent before finishing her sentence. Ace could probably figure out that it had something to do with his health.

The old man however did not seemed troubled. "I'm fine, I'm just waiting for my son to come back is all."

"Um, excuse me…" Ace said speaking up. Dory and the old man turned to Ace. "Why can't you sell me the ship?"

"Or to me." The other man added still determined to get the boat.

"Because! Your nothing but brats!" shouted the old man rudely.

"Master!"

"These two have no respect for boats." The old man added stubbornly. He then looked at Ace. "I saw you come in today, that poor gave it her all to bring you to port and you would abandon her without a second's thought."

"Oi!" said Ace feeling insulted.

"And you…" The old man looked over the other man with the scar. "How did you come in?"

"I bartered a passage on a merchant vessel…"

"You didn't get here on your own skills, did you?!"

The man crossed his arms looking stubborn. "I've read how to do it…"

"That's not the same!" shouted the old man as he then bopped the man and then Ace on the head with his mallet. Both men fell to the ground rubbing their sore heads. "You two have no respect for a boat and the ones who craft them."

The old man then jumped off his seat and walked away carrying his mallet. Ace noticed and shouted out. "O-Oi! What about if I paid you to build one?!"

The man stopped and turned towards the young man. "How much you got?"

"A few beli." Ace said as he pulled out his cash.

The old man looked over it critically before scoffing. "That's not even close to my payment services." Ace's jaw dropped. "Why not go to one of those 'Express' shops. They'd take your money."

"They kicked me out of every store." Ace said rather sourly.

"The same has happened to me." The man said sounding quite angry.

The old man seemed somewhat surprised by their answers. As he was about to say something, someone spoke louder. "Drifter!" The voice belonged to no one in the group. They all turned to see two, big men in suits with a smaller man with the same steering wheel hairstyle that the other Express workers had. The only difference was his sharp facial features and nice purple suit. He had quite a grin across his face while his two men were straight-faced. "You ready to sell this dump yet?"

"I'm not selling, Yacht!" shouted Drifter defiantly. "You'll never get your slimy hands on my shop."

"You can't hold out forever, Drifter!" Yacht sneered in anger. "You haven't made a boat since your little 'incident'. If you sell to me, I'll pay you top dollar and you can retire."

"Who is that?" asked Ace softly whispering to Dory.

"That's the owner of the Express boats. They produce all the boats for Port Town and in some neighboring islands." Dory explained to Ace and the other man who was just listening in.

"Blah! A shipwright only retires when he has someone to pass his work down to. You'll never get this shop!" shouted Drifter stubbornly as he held his ground.

"Grr. Stubborn, old man." Yacht growled. He and his men turned around, but just before leaving he turned his head. "This shop will be mine, by any means necessary…" The man and his men then left.

"Stupid brat…even stupider than you two." Drifter said looking over at Ace and the other man. He then walked into the back remaining silent.

Ace and the other man were surprised by the man's stubborn attitude. As a show of respect, they decided to leave and not pester the man any further. Dory on the other hand did not seem all too well. "I'm sorry I couldn't sell you a boat." Dory said to the men as she saw them out.

"It's no problem." Ace said with smile. The other man nodded in agreement. "That old man though, he's quite stubborn."

"You don't know the half of it." Dory said with a giggle. But then she frowned. "I wish I could've sold you that boat…"

"Why is he so stuck on not selling that boat?' asked the man.

"Because his son made that boat." Ace and the man's eyes widen in surprise. Dory then continued. "When his son, Ketch, made that boat, he was so proud of him. He wanted to hand this business over to him, but Ketch wanted to improve his skills. A five years ago, he left to study from some of the best shipwrights in the world. Master let him go with great hope that he would return in a year or two, but he never did."

"How come?" asked Ace.

"I don't know, but everyone thinks he died trying to get into the Grand Line."

Ace and the man gasped. "He went to the Grand Line!" said both men in surprise.

"I don't know…" Dory said though looked quiet sad. "He hasn't sent Master any letters in years. Right after his third year gone, Master's health began failing. He couldn't make ships as fast as he used to. That's when Yacht came and began monopolizing boats in the area. And they stay in business by making their boats easy to break."

"That's horrible." The man said with a frown.

"I know, but everyone has no choice but to buy them. I've tried my best to make boats, but Yacht has his men break them before I can even get them in the water." Dory said frustrated and mad.

The two men looked at the young lady with frowns. They felt sorry for the nice girl and the old man. They soon said their goodbyes and the two left. As they walked down the dock, they both sighed defeated. "Looks like we're in the same boat, metaphorically speaking."

"Yeah…"

"Look, I know we didn't get along too well earlier, but no hard feelings right?" Ace said with a smile.

"Right, we were simply two men wanting a boat so we could travel." The man said with smile of his own.

"So, let's grab something to eat then." Ace offered as he swung around to be in front of him still smiling.

The man was surprised by the sudden offer, but with a rumble from his own stomach he couldn't help but relent. "Why not…"

"Awesome!" Ace threw his arm around the man and lead him into town. "Also, I never got your name?"

"My name is Taro…" said the man as he let Ace walk him down the street.

TO BE CONTINUED…