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“Okay Ace, we are learning the alphabet today,” Izo says when Ace was ready to start his class, they even prepared a room to teach him. “I’m going to say a letter and you say a word that starts with that letter, okay?”
When Ace nodded he started.
“A”
“Arson!”
That wasn’t what he expected. “Very well, Ace. B”
“Blaze!”
He didn’t hesitate with the words. At least he got confidence.
“C”
“Combustion!”
Now Izo was starting to worry, “Ace dear, can you say words not related to fire?”
“I can try.”
“...Okay. D?”
“Do...?”
“Very good!”
“...arson!”
“Wait here Ace,” he said walking to the door, he needed someone else with him. Thatch was probably resting so Marco would help.
He walked looking for Marco trying to fund him quickly, he couldn’t let Ace alone too much, “hey,” he called one of the pirates, “if you see Marco, can you tell him to fo the classroom?” After receiving a yes he ran back to Ace who surprisingly hadn’t move from the chair.
“Okay let’s continue, letter E?”
“Embers!”
Dear god, what they do to make Ace like the fire so much?
“F?”
“FIRE!”
Of course he would say fire! Marco where are you? “Ace, remember that I told you to use more words?”
“Oh... okay!”
“Good, letter G?”
“Glow.”
“That’s a good word, Ace!”
“Glow like the fire at night!”
Izo pretended he didn’t hear the last part.
“H?”
“Hearth.”
Oh finally something not related to fire... wait. “Why hearth?”
“Because you put fire there!”
“...Or course you do.”
Marco opened the door in that moment making Ace jump and run to him. Marco took him on his arms and walked to Izo “did something happen?”
“Just take a sit,” he said.
“Okay?” He replied putting Ace on his chair and sitting next to him on the floor.
“We are learning the alphabet. Ace tell me a word with the letter I.”
“Incandescence!”
Both adults on the room looked at each other, how does a four years old know that word?
“J?”
“Bonfire!”
“...Ace, yoi,” Marco said, “where’s the J there?”
“In the joy you feel seeing the fire!”
Oh... okay.
“Oh, okay.”
At least it makes sense.
“K?”
“KILL DOING AR...”
“No!” Marco exclaimed making Ace look at him.
“B... But...” great job Marco, Ace is crying. Just let him kill with fire.
“Ace please don’t cry, I said no because you have to say a word, yoi, see I’m not angry.” He tried to make Ace stop crying but it didn’t work, “I know, what if we ask Thatch for extras cookies for dinner?”
Ace stopped crying in the moment. He had them in the palm of his hands even if they didn’t want to admit it.
“Ok, let’s continue but Ace, please no more fire.”
“I don’t promise anything.”
“...okay, L?”
“Love...”
“Aw”
“To see fire burning ships!”
“Oh!... M?”
“Magic fire!”
“N?”
“Ummmm... No water”
“Why no water?”
“Because it turn off the fire!”
Izo looked at Marco who was confused with the answer Ace was giving. They needed to do something with Ace.
“O?”
“Oh my gosh! Arson!”
“Ace? Why is everything related to fire, yoi?”
“Is funny!”
They were worried about Ace in the future.
“... Let’s continue with this, P?”
“PYRE!”
“I’m going for Pops, yoi.”
“Don’t leave you coward bird!”
“Just for a minute, yoi!”
“...Q?”
“Arson?”
“Where’s the Q there?”
“In the question tone!”
Izo hoped Ace would ask before try and burn something on the ship.
“Ok, R?”
“Red fire!”
“S?”
“Sea of flames!!” He jumped from sit seat and put his arms on the air making Izo jump back, not like was scared or anything. Lucky for him, Marco and Pops walked inside making Ace laugh when Whitebeard had to bend down to pass.
“What are you doing son?”
“Izo is teaching me the alphabet!”
“Oh, that’s sounds great!”
“Just wait and see Pops,” Izo said, “Ace take a sit again and let’s continue, letter T?”
“Tinder for fire,” he was giggling.
“U?”
“You die in arson.”
“...You starts with Y, Ace.”
“Then Urbina die in arson!” Urbina was a guy from the 10th division. Better not to tell him about this.
Izo looked at Pops who at least looked surprised.
“V?”
“Very hot fire!”
“W?”
“White fire!”
Whitebeard looked really surprised to heard Ace’s answers. “Where all the others answers like these?”
“Yep!”
“Yes, yoi!”
“...Don’t let him go close to fire.”
“X?”
“The X mark the place of the fire!”
They let that pass since they couldn’t think about a word with X
“You already say one for Y so Z?”
“Zoo on fire!”
They were not letting Ace go close to any zoo, not that they know one.
Years later when Ace ate the flame flame fruit everyone was scared and make him firm a contract saying he wouldn’t start a fire just because.