Dedicated to Portgas D. Ace! Happy birthday! Oh, and happy birthday to Oda too! Thank you for creating the best manga in the whole wide world.
A rather burly, grey-haired man stood in front of the grave, a steely glint present in his eyes. There was also a hint of regret, if one looked closely enough.
"You brat." He said, sitting down rather forcefully as he surveyed his surroundings. The words etched on the stone 'Portgas D. Ace' seemed to be smirking at him, just like in the past. That troublesome kid...
"Seeing you now, my efforts of hoping you'd become a Navy Soldier has been totally wasted." A single tear rolled down his mustache as he stuck a finger up his nose. The snot was flicked away, as Monkey D. Garp faced his attention to the gravestone once again.
He admitted gruffly, "But that's what you wanted huh? I won't go against it."
Sighing heavily, Garp placed the bottle of sake in front. "I've resigned. You might want to know that. And Dadan tried to kill me that time…"
"Why did you let him die?"
"Is duty more important than family?!"
"Rest in peace, little brat… Don't worry too much about Luffy – he's still going on his mad adventure to be king." Clearing his throat he called out loudly,
"REST IN PEACE, YOU IDIOT!"
Garp could have sworn he heard uncontrolled laughter coming from the wind. It could all be his imagination but for now, he'd assume – Ace was doing well.
The blonde man had come alone, for he knew if he'd come with the rest he wouldn't be able to say everything on his mind.
Marco said, "Happy Birthday Ace! How's the afterlife?" A gust of wind blew leaves smacking him in the face at his attempt at dry humour.
"Ain't the same without you and Oyaji." He muttered quietly. Marco wasn't natural with sappy words, especially when you're in the middle of a field and talking to a gravestone. Ace must be chortling at his awkwardness now.
"When I met you, ya were just a stubborn, temperamental kid with issues." He reminisced, recalling the first time he met the curious flame boy. It seemed like such an awfully long time ago when a certain fiery youngster had set his eyes on Whitebeard's head.
"I'll see you soon." With a light finish, Marco gave a slight nod and took off in the form of a phoenix.
Dadan knew – she always felt like Ace was her son, even if she absolutely refused (even got repulsed) that idea. She always told herself, Ace was a baggage of trouble, a whole load of extra work Garp had dumped on her. Still, she was the one who watched him grow, fed him, gave him a roof to live under. It was odd, Dadan wasn't one to be sentimental and have attachments, and she was mountain bandit for goodness sake.
Yet, she was here. Wishing her son happy birthday. Why was she here? Oh right, Garp told her confidently he's swing by his grave nonchalantly – everyone could see she had a soft spot for that kid. The bandits knew, the villagers knew, hell even a stranger could sense it.
"I'm just checking on him." Dadan had protested (albeit weakly), as Makino gave her directions.
"Help me say hi to him." The pale lady had waved her off with a knowing smile.
Granted, Dadan was finally in front of the reality she had decided to accept. "You better be doing well, Ace!" She choked out, sniffling at the packet of tissue she brought with her – just in case.
Today was a very special day.
It was also… a rather sad day.
The connotation of the word 'happy' meant laughter, joy and a pleasant feeling does it not? Then why… why did he feel a mixture of bitter regret and overwhelming merry memories filling inside him – too many emotions, he was going to have a fever from all the thoughts running through his mind. As to the simple-minded captain, actions spoke much louder than words.
Luffy knelt down in front of the tombstone, watching the faded, trademark orange hat flap proudly in the breeze, as though he was there – saying hello to his little brother. The little brother who used to be a crybaby Ace had to watch over, chased after him for over three months in insistence to becoming his friend (while he responded by rolling a boulder to flatten him), shared a drink with for eternal brotherhood, yes, his little brother.
"Thank you for loving me!"
"The only regret is that I couldn't see you achieve your dream. But I'm sure you will, because you're my brother!"
"I promise, I'll never die!"
That last sentence rang inside his head. Adjusting the orange hat carefully, Luffy said brightly. "Hi Ace!"
Silence met his words, but he remained unperturbed.
"You do remember it's your birthday today, right? Well… I'm still on my way to achieve my dream!"
Sitting cross-legged in front of the tombstone, Luffy rambled on and on about his adventures, how much food he ate, the sights he'd taken in, all came spilling out like a constant stream. It felt as if almost half an hour before he stopped, pausing to take a deep breath.
"ACE!" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth.
"I'M GOING TO BE PIRATE KING! I'LL DO IT FOR YOU AND SABO! YOU JUST WAIT!"
His voice echoed around the plain grassland, as Luffy laughed to himself, almost as if imagining Ace guffawing along with him, snorting at his idiocy. His freckles, his life-long motto of 'living without regrets', his sacrifice…
The straw-hat boy patted the gravestone, before walking away in a distance.
Happy Birthday, Ace.
Hope you all liked it! xx I've always had this idea stuck in my head on how the characters would visit Ace's grave (even though myself I'm still thoroughly convinced that Ace is not dead.)