This takes place right after the "War of Marineford" when Luffy gets taken to Amazon Lily.
Luffy is a bit out of character in this one.


"THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME."

Don't say that Ace. Don't make it sound like I'm never going to see you again. You promised! You promised you wouldn't die. You promised you'd stay alive. Ace… Don't make that face. Don't smile when you're about to die. Ace... live...

"Lu! Wake up! Lu!" A familiar voice called out to me.

Ace?

"Wake up! Lu! Wake up dammit! LUFFY!" The voice called out to me again, but louder this time.

I woke up to a loud booming voice in my ear and the shaking of two powerful hands on my shoulders. Still dazed, I noticed a familiar face; dark, curly, black hair that's split in the middle, an awful large amount of freckles across the cheeks and a nostalgic orange colored cowboy hat sitting upon the figure's head. When I looked around my surroundings, I noticed I was on the deck of the Sunny-gou. I grazed my fingers on the grass.

The Sunny-gou? Why am I here? I thought I was at the navy headquarters with Jinbei and the others...

Confused, I looked at the figure that shook me awake.

"LUFFY!"

My vision soon cleared up and now in shock of the familiar figure, my lips started to quiver. There is only one person who can have that many freckles. And that person is... "Ace..."

"God, Lu! I shook you, I slapped you, I poured water on you, and I even brought meat! And you still wouldn't wake up! Seriously! Tch!"

You're alive, Ace? Ace is alive? Is this a dream? This has to be a dream... Right?

"A-Ace?" I let out a stuttering whisper.

Ace looked at me with his brows furrowed. "What?"

"Is it really you?" I reached out to see if I was imagining things. "Are you really here right now?" This is a dream. Ace can't be alive. "Ace... I thought you died in war...?" I was there on his death. I felt his soft sleek hair in my fingers as I creased his face. The feeling; it feels so real. How can something that doesn't exist, feel so real in my fingertips? While creasing my brother's face, a slight blush of embarrassment crept on Ace's face. Ace blushing? This had to be a dream.

Knowing this was a dream made me feel uneasy. If this is a dream, then what's real?

"I'm sorry, Ace. We were so close, but I wasn't strong enough." I looked into my brother's jet black eyes. It seemed as if the whole world just stopped revolving and it was only just me and my brother.

But, if Ace isn't real, then is this whole dream a lie to hide the truth? I couldn't help but keep doubting this situation.

"I wasn't strong enough to save you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for being so weak. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to die from my lack of strength. Next time… I promise next time-" A tear escaped from my eyes as I started to cry under my breath.

This isn't real. Why am I crying? This is all a dream.

"What are you crying for?" Ace shouted at me.

Everything is so real though. This can't be a dream. It doesn't matter anyways. I don't care. Ace is alive and that's all that matters to me right now. I want to remember his scent, his touch, his smile, and his eyes. I want to remember everything before he slips through my fingers once again.

"Don't act like people are dead when they're not, dummy!" Ace then hits me on the top of my head.

Whimpering... I rubbed the fresh bump on my head. This touch, it's real. Ace grabbed his hat and placed it roughly on my head.

"I'm not going to die no matter what! That's a promise!"

Ace reached out and hugged me tightly in his arms. His body felt so warm against mine. But I think it was just his devil fruit ability that made him feel so warm. He smelled like sweet apples that Makino used to give us back at home. Why haven't I noticed this scent before? This scent; it brought back so much painful and blissful memories. Snuggling my head in his neck, he lowered his voice and spoke to me in his calmest voice.

"Like hell I could die and leave my weak little brother all on his own." He patted my head gently. His fingers brushed my hair made me feel so… calm. Was Ace always like this?

Ace leaned toward my ear and whispered gently, "It was just a bad dream, Luffy. It's over. It's over, okay? You're safe in my arms now. "

"A-ace..." I whispered.

Suddenly, not being able to hold back my emotions, I broke down in tears. Crying until the tears just wouldn't stream down anymore. "Ace! I thought you were dead!"

I returned his hug and cried even louder in his arms. His over-sized hat sat on my head, covering half my face as I cried louder than ever before on his chest.

I'm so glad Ace is alive. This is a dream, right? But, I'm so happy right now. I really hope this isn't a dream. Was the war just a bad dream? Ace dying in my arms, was just a nightmare... Right?

"He's asleep right now."

"After the war at navy hq, he must be hurt badly." Two voices spoke from a distant. I didn't recognize these voices. Who did these voices belong to?

"Is he okay?" One of the voices spoke again. This voice... It sounds really familiar... Jinbei?

"He's fine, physically that is. However, we can't be sure about his mentality."

Whose voice does the second one belong to?

"I see. It's such a shame, Trafalgar-san. Ace-san sacrificed his life for his brother. Who knows what he was thinking at that moment. All I know is that he did it for his brother, Luffy-kun." The voice that sounding like Jinbei's commented.

Law? What about Ace? Wait... What's going on? Is my brother okay?

"What can we do? It was his choice."

"Do you think he's going to remember?"

Remember what?

"Most likely. It's best if we leave Mugiwara alone when he wakes up."

There was silence.

What's going on here? What's with this conversation?

The silence was broken when Jinbei spoke again. "No. If we leave him alone, he might get out of control, Trafalgar-san." Another pause. "I'll tell him. I'll tell him his brother is dead."

Dead… Dead… Dead… That one single word echoed in my head several times before I could process it's meaning.

My brother...is dead? That's a lie! I saw him! That's can't be true! You're wrong! I just saw him with my own eyes! He was hugging me! He held me! You're wrong! These thoughts rushed through my head. I wanted to scream it out, but nothing. Nothing would seep through these lips, not a single sound. I couldn't move or even speak.

"Whatever, it's your choice, former Shichibukai. Tch. Whatever happens to his body is not my problem because once he wakes up, one false move and his wounds will reopen." Law stated.

"I understand the consequences, Trafalgar-san. I'll take responsibility." Jinbei replied in a concerning tone.

Another long silence took over.

This time, the silence was broken by Law. "It's a shame, Fire Fist Ace died and in such a horrid place too."

You're lying. He's not… Dead. He's alive! Ne, Jinbei! Ne, Law! Ace is alive, right? Tell me! He's alive, right? My brother is there with you right now right? Ne! Jinbei! Law! NE! JINBEI! LAW! MY BROTHER IS ALIVE, RIGHT? RIGHT?

I tried to move my legs toward the two voices. But, my legs wouldn't budge. I tried to release my arms from a grip, but it was unmanageable.
Why can't I move my legs and arm?

JINBEI! LAW! MY BROTHER IS ALIVE! I SAW HIM! I tried to scream my loudest, but my voice was inaudible. Ace had to be alive! He has to! He's going to welcome me with his big grin when I wake up. He's going to hit me on the head and call me an idiot, like always! I tried screaming one last time -

ACE IS ALIVE. STOP LYING. YOU'RE LYING.

However, my voice goes unheard.

"Huh? It looks like Luffy-kun is having a bad dream." Law took noticed of the strange movements from Luffy's body on the medical bed.

"Luffy!" Jinbei yelled out worriedly.

"Bepo, carry him outside to get some fresh air. The air outside will calm him down a bit possibly. I guess the impact of the war was worse than I thought. " Law ordered.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Bepo replied.

Some time had passed but all I could ever think about was my brother.

"Ace is alive...Ace is alive...Ace is alive...Ace is alive...Ace is alive..." I kept repeating this statement to myself countless of times in my head. However, no matter how many times I tried to reassure myself, I knew the truth.

"Ace...he died, didn't he?" I whispered to myself.

And just like that, my mind wandered someplace else and soon afterwards, it went completely blank.


That's the end of chapter 1!

Just to reassure you, the part when Luffy sees Ace when he wakes up is all just a dream.

The part when he hears voices is real.

Hope you enjoyed my newest fanfiction! I'm sorry that it's another acelu pairing and that this also involves a dream orz I have no inspiration.
Chapter 2 will be out soon! All depends on my editor = u = so wait for that! Matane~