Poisoned
Summary: Ace is shot. His fire can't protect him. It's a Sea Stone bullet laced with a deadly poison. Marco is eaten by guilt... Warning: sad, with a lot of angst. No pairing.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters!
Chapter 1
Raspy breaths, hardly taken. A young teen in his early twenties struggling for life, but unable to overcome the immense pain inside his chest. The only thing he could feel was the pain. His body started to shut down. He was trapped inside. The poison was spreading slowly throughout his limbs, his organs. He couldn't contain the tears from trickling down his hot cheeks.
Ace never thought about dying like this. Not on a battlefield, but lying helplessly on a bed waiting for the cold grasp of death as it slowly crept on him.
He's felt colder than ever, especially now that he couldn't feel his powers anymore. Oh, how he missed that warmth.
He faintly heard the voices booming around him, but nothing really made any sense anymore. He couldn't see clearly. Couldn't focus enough.
A… Ace ca… down! – the voice sounded familiar but he couldn't match it up with anyone. It was too faint. His mind was foggy. His eyes screwed shut as another wave hit him. He coughed and coughed. Tried to move his hand in front of his mouth, but he couldn't lift them. They felt too heavy. It was all hopeless.
„JUST KILL ME!" – he roared.
Then he felt something push him back down. It was warm. But the pain was unbearable. He gritted his teeth, but it was no use. He couldn't keep it in for long. Everyone on board the ship could hear the horrifying scream Ace let out as his insides burned.
Marco was still on the deck checking out everyone and everything. It was his duty to do so. Even though he wanted nothing more than to rush down to the sickbay of the ship and help his fallen nakama, Ace. He was giving orders to the crewmembers to prepare to evacuate from the area, as the idiotic bounty hunters who ambushed them in the dead of the night might hunt in a bigger group and they didn't want to deal with any more of their bullshit, while one of their nakama was still in life-threatening danger. They poisoned him. Marco couldn't even stand the thought. He witnessed firsthand as they shot the younger commander. How the grin faded from Ace's face. He looked up at Marco fire extinguished from his body, his eyes so afraid and confused. His hand lifting to his injured stomach, only to feel the red warmth flowing steadily from the small hole. Marco froze in place.
Only when Ace fell to his knees and clutched his stomach with a scrunched up face, did he find the strength to move again. He shouted the younger's name and flew over to him. By the time he reached him, Ace was groaning in a fetal position obviously in a lot of pain. Marco couldn't put the pieces together for a moment. Why was he in so much pain, someone like Ace wouldn't cry and shout nonsense from a simple shot wound. And that was when the poison made the younger's body shiver and cough up blood. Right after that he threw up his stomach's content. God, he must have been poisoned!
Now as they were preparing to retreat from where they stopped for the night Marco with everyone else on board heard the ear-piercing scream from under the deck. He cringed knowing Ace was suffering so much. He couldn't go to him yet. He still had to make sure that there were no more threats. So he commanded the crew to use their booster to get out there right now.
Most of the commanders were sleeping peacefully when the incident happened and only woke up when Ace screamed at the top of his lungs. They went on deck to see what happened and were met with shocked crewmembers running around in panic. They spotted the First Division Commander in the middle and shouted his name. „MARCO" – he turned towards them his eyes angry.
„What happened?" – they asked in unison.
„Ace…Ace was shot! The bullet was…he, he's dying." – he croaked voice hoarse from all the shouting.
Their eyes widened. Some of the commanders ran down as soon as the words registered in their heads. Others stayed behind and asked Marco for details and Jozu went to inform Oyaji!
Everything happened so fast. Ace had been on watch that night but he had a narcoleptic fit and was fast asleep when the enemy came aboard. It was sheer luck that Marco couldn't sleep and went outside to talk with Ace. He found him asleep and nudged his shoulders to wake him up.
He teased the younger that even a scarecrow would be a better watch than him. Ace frowned and snorted still grumpy. It wasn't his fault anyway. By that time the sneaky bastards were already lurking in the shadows waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack them. The first shots were all misses. There were about fifteen bounty hunters surrounding the two of them. With their Devil Fruit abilities each commander took out almost half of them. Only two were left standing. One also had a power. He could turn into glue. Or something like that. It was a grey blob. Really disgusting. But he could extinguish Ace's fire and Marco's wings were rendered useless when the sticky substance splashed on him. Their attention was held by this lunatic and even though Marco finished the guy with a Haki infused attack. The other one was completely forgotten and had the time to sneak up behind Ace and shot him from behind. At that moment other crew members came to their aid, a little too late.
They killed the guy who shot the poison laced Sea Stone bullet and carried Ace quickly downstairs to get him treated.
As Marco finished the story the rest of the commanders who were listening intensely went berserk. They wanted to kill that bastard who shot Ace again. Marco wanted the same.
If Ace wouldn't survive…he…he…he would 'Forever blame yourself' No Ace must survive. He asked the other's to take over and then went to the infirmary, to Ace. Then the whole ship rumbled and shook from the loud cry coming from the Captain's room. „WHAT?! ACE, POISONED!" – Oh, No. Marco totally forgot about Oyaji. He must have heard about what happened. He ran upstairs to calm down his captain before the ship sank from his rage.
„Calm down, Oyaji"
„MARCO!"
„Yes"
„How can you ask me that now?" – he looked angry but as he took in his sons painful expression he did calm down a bit.
„You've seen it, my son! How is he?"
„…"
„Marco?"
„I was on my way to the infirmary to check him…"
„MARCO" – he was interrupted. His father knew him too well. He was trying to avoid telling him what he wanted to know. The chances of survival, recovery.
„It's bad. Very bad. We don't know what we're dealing with yet."
„GO THEN, Come back, and tell me my beloved son is alright." – Marco nodded. He was halfway out the door when he heard the old man say: „I'm counting on you, son" – he was tearing up as he shut the door behind him and resumed his way to his previous destination.
Ace was full of narcotics, but still somehow struggling. They couldn't make him fall asleep. The unknown poisons effect most probably. so they strapped him to the bed, to stop his unconscious struggle. The doctor asked two men to hold his legs and his head in place. It was hard, as Ace was pretty strong. His thrashing was very violent. The doctor was cringing inside as he cut into Ace's body above the wound, knowing already murmuring apologies that without him sleeping through it, this was the worst torture.
Ace screamed. Then he threw up again inside his mouth this time. The doctor noticed the gurgling and ordered the pirate holding the teen's head to turn it to the side so the vomit could dribble out. It wasn't a beautiful sight as Marco stepped inside to see Ace in 'hell'.
After about ten minutes the bullet was out of the boy's body and the bleeding has stopped. It took time but the wound was closed as well. And then came the tricky job for the ship's doctor. He had to find a cure for the poison before Ace died.
Before disappearing behind the door of the adjoining room he asked the nurses to clean him up and deal with him the way they see fit.
Marco asked the nurses if he could do anything and they told him to try and call out to him. So Ace would know that he had reason to come back. The blond went to Ace's side after a nurse wiped his face clean he put his hand on the freckled cheek and caressed it gently. Ace was still squirming and panting under the restraint. There was a horrible smell oozing from the young pirate's worn out body. It was a mixture of blood, vomit and urine? Marco glanced down and saw that Ace's pants were drenched, he shuddered and flinched, his eyes jumping back up on the younger's face.
He didn't need to see the nurses undressing the helpless commander to clean him up. So the doctor didn't mean the vomit on his face and neck.
Marco clenched his free hand into a fist and shouted:
„ACE, ACE… CALM DOWN!" – he had repeated it two more times before he heard the response. His heart broke.
„JUST K-KILL ME!" – and then another scream.
To be continued...
I feel sorry for poor Ace! Let's hope he gets better.
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