It was a certifiable miracle, how it managed to find it's way into Luffy's grateful hands. The hat, battered and burned but somehow still in one piece, was a treasure equaled only by the promise he'd made with Shanks a decade ago.
Ace's hat conjured up memories that should have been painful. And there was a small ball of hurt rooted fast to his heart that at times clogged his throat and misted his eyes, but now Luffy was no longer drowning in the grief. Instead he embrace it, and allowed it, along with Ace's parting words, to become the strength he would need to fulfill the dream he and Ace shared.
Luffy traced a fingertip around the orange brim. It was too big for him, much like Shanks' hat had been, and he was struck by a vivid image of Ace's hat slipping over his ears to shadow his brother's bruised, scowling face. Luffy chuckled and settled the hat on his head. He and Ace had been so young back then, full of misplaced pride and confidence. But lately the straw hat nestled snugly on black hair, blown off only by particularly fierce winds or grueling battles; he was gradually maturing into a man Shanks and Ace could be proud of, a man worthy of the title Pirate King. Luffy frowned at the straw hat perched on his knee and wondered how he could wear both at once.
"Yo, Captain," called a familiar gruff voice. Luffy craned his neck backward, one hand holding Ace's hat firmly in place. Zoro squinted down at the rubberman over the jutting wood of Sunny's mane and rubbed sleep tears from his eyes. Luffy patted the space beside himself and Zoro accepted the invitation, vaulting over to join his captain on Luffy's (new) special seat. A comfortable silence fell, with Luffy pressed full length against Zoro's side and listening to the swordsman's steady breathing with simple pleasure. Now they were together again Luffy intended to selfishly enjoy his crew for a very, very long time.
He'd assumed Zoro had drifted off, so he scrunched up his face in surprise when a warm, rough hand lifted Ace's hat away. Zoro didn't move it far, just let it drop against Luffy's back before dragging the bull skull medallion up the dangling length of cord like a zipper.
"Eeh, I didn't know it could do that!" Luffy poked curiously at the medallion, then gifted Zoro with a pleased, lopsided grin. Zoro was glad to see it; more of his captain's smiles were reappearing every day.
"Idiot," he said, and slumped against the figurehead, fingers draped casually across Wado's hilt.
Luffy gazed at the horizon, where Raftel and One Piece were waiting for them. He'd take Ace all the way.
A/N - Luffy is all growed up, omg! I'm hoping for slightly calmer, more mature, more dangerous Luffy to come out of this. 'Course I still want him to be as stupid and adventure crazy as ever, or he won't be the Straw Hat everyone loves.
And I know the hat was destroyed, or at the very least lost during Ace's battle with Blackbeard. But I can dream, right? Zoro carries Kuina's katana as a vow to realize their promise and I could see Luffy doing the same.