The Harbinger of Death
Summary: They say when your death is near, you'll see him. Him, being Death's messenger, a man with wings of gossamer and eyes of ruby. He, who brings nightmares, and pain. Ace saw him, a creature that's been tailing him since the day he'd been born. Only he saw it, and it meant his pain when someone else did.
AN: just following the census of bigots who think Roger is the bringer of death, Ace being his 'heir'. Those who do think this, you clearly don't know One Piece… In this story, Sabo did die.
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Ace remembered when he saw it first; it was one of his first memories. In the room with him and mama; a newborn and exhausted woman, who was slowly dying. Ace didn't remember much, other than feeling ill, and crying uncontrollably. When Garp had come to check on them in haste, Rogue had been dead, holding her son in her slowly chilling arms.
When Ace saw him, and really took in the creature's appearance, he didn't feel fear, like one should, only calm curiosity. The creature was tall and bipedal, like him, with black talons for feet. It was covered in gray and black fur, making it invisible when in the night sky. It had large, gossamer wings on it's back and was surrounded by wispy shadows.
One time, Ace looked into the creature's eyes; such bloody, glowing, ruby eyes. Those eyes were filled with death and darkness; evil that Ace's young body had never seen before. Ace had nightmares for weeks after seeing those eyes.
The creature scared Ace; Ace knew it was dangerous, yet it never came near him. It wasn't always nearby, it left for weeks on end, but sometimes it came back. When it returned, it would stay there; watching Ace. Glaring at Ace.
"Hm?" Sabo has asked one day. "Do you see that?"
Ace had turned to see where his brother was looking and stiffened; Sabo saw what he'd always seen. "What?" he lied.
Sabo frowned but didn't express it further. "Nothing," he conceded, looking away.
Sabo was kidnapped back to Goa Kingdom, and days later, he died. On the cliff, many days later with Luffy, Ace had looked out onto the water. Ace had accepted that Sabo was happy; Sabo had died, but he had died at sea, freer than they'd ever be. He felt that way, that is, until he saw it. The creature had been circling the island… A familiar blue hat in his talons…
Ace had never regretted anything more than that day. It was his fault…
This experience taught Ace though, because that year, Old Man Yamato had passed away, and the creature had been there, in the Old Man's house. The creature, whatever it was, brought death. All who saw it died within a week. This only cemented Ace's own feelings about himself and his heritage. Ace was the messenger, of the bringer of death… And it wasn't willing.
Ace set sail, creating no connections, not even with his crew. He saw what happened to those he loved; they all saw what he saw in the end. The crew didn't trust him as much, but Ace didn't mind, so long as they didn't suffer the things Sabo did. Then Whitebeard happened.
Ace loved Pops, and Marco, and Thatch, and all of his other siblings on the Moby Dick. The happier he got, the less the creature was around. For a time, Ace thought he was safe. Then it happened.
"What the hell is that?" Thatch mumbled to himself, his eyes narrowing at the sky.
Marco looked up from his morning coffee and paper. "What?" he asked.
Thatch looked at him, surprise the phoenix had heard them before he looked back. He paused in surprise; it wasn't there anymore. "Thought I saw something," he replied, "Must still be asleep…"
Marco smirked. "Maybe next time you won't try to prank me while I'm asleep," he taunted.
"I said I was sorry!"
Ace couldn't erase the image of Thatch from his head. Covered in blood. The face of betrayal. Dead…
If only he been there. Ace didn't take this sitting. He left Moby, telling his crew the mission was to defeat Teach, when in truth, it was to find a way to kill it. A way to defeat death.
Of course he'd fail.
Whitebeard glanced at the sky with a frown. Death was in the air, literally, picking up souls one by one as it swooped over the war before him. Whitebeard knew his fate was sealed when he saw it and Marco didn't.
Ace sighed as time froze, a terrible pain in his chest, and a regretful relief. The creature was standing behind Luffy, looking down on Ace, Ace gave a grim smile.
"So this is it huh?" he whispered, blood collecting in the back of his throat. "I'd always thought I'd been cursed to bring death."
Ace coughed, his body falling forward as his strength gave out and Luffy dropped him from the shock. The creature was ever silent, watching with no face, only those glowing red eyes. Ace smiled, a little more accepting.
"You weren't bringing death to my friends," Ace muttered, "You were waiting for me…"
Ace looked at it. "Do with me what you will," he bargained, "and in return, Luffy will be king."
It was silent, and for the first time, it responded. With a nod.
End.
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So yea, there it is. The creature I described would pretty much what is called an OwlMan, google it if you like, and look passed OwlMan DC… But the legend behind that is if you see it, it supposedly warns you of a horrible calamity. What it is? No one knows. There are a lot of reports of this thing being seen before something happening; 9/11 included...
Eh, whatevs, it was fun to write anyways, if you believe that stuff…
Til next time,
Ja ne~!