Remember this fic? No?
Well, i actually almost forgot about this fic as a whole as well after deleting it, but then:
1. Just watched Greatest Showman with my siblings, who are nuts about this movie apparently, and a "*pling!* oh yeah, i remember" moment kinda shine down on me, and;
2. I recently got a very nice PM from someone over at whose only request was that i kept this thing online until i do decided to update it.
And i will now, i'm sorry for deleting it out of nowhere without any word and i actually do started to find new inspiration for this after re-reading.
So! Thank you all for understanding, for everyone who was asking about this fic's whereabouts i'm so sorry, but here it is again, i will update this and all of my other fics as soon as i'm back from my long vacation.
Enjoy!
Port Aldeena may be unimposing and wholly inconspicuous, but if such a small area of no importance was suddenly visited for no reason by the Pirate King and his crew, then not only will it attract attention from the resident, it would strike a sudden fear towards the crews and crews of pirates that was there before them, unwilling to be pulled in to whatever catastrophe that will follow Oro Jackson's arrival to the rickety docks.
In a matter of seconds, before the anchor behind the ship has even been fully lowered, at least half of the dock was empty, and by the time the bridge was lowered, the other half was equally empty. The sea's horizon was filled with the sight of ships of all sizes and speed leaving, fleeing away from the possibility of being dragged into the mess that will inevitably happen by the red and gold tinted ship's arrival.
From the shores of the port, Ace watched the ships disembarking in a rush, fleeing the quiet little port town without even looking back.
"You think they realize that sometimes, we just want to stock up and rest instead of looking for trouble? " he heard being said next to him, and without turning already recognizing Sabo's voice.
The young man snorted, and stacked a 3rd large crate on top of the ones he had in front of him before lifting all of them up with little difficulty. The resulting stack was at least twice as tall as him, but he carried them effortlessly from the piers and to the ship's bridge, his sworn brother trailing next to him, "Who cares? It's better than people picking up fights all the time," he said after placing his cargo down once he reached Oro Jackson's deck.
Sabo did the same - though he only carried 1 crate instead of 3 - as a crew member responsible for the shipments approached and after a round of checking, gave them both a thumbs up.
"I thought you liked the fights," the blonde of the pair commented again once the crew member walked away and they walked back down the ship's bridge, "I think i'd prefer one right now instead of doing boring shipment duty like this,"
Ace too, but then, this was a punishment instead of a daily occurrence. After 2 days, Rayleigh finally realized that it had been them who had traded his normal ink bottle with the invisible ink Sabo found in a joke shop down in West Blue, all because Luffy accidentally blurted it out in front of the man himself. For being the whistleblower, albeit on accident, Luffy's punishment had been lighter than theirs and he was to spend the day helping to clean up the storage room.
The lucky little shit.
"Yeah, but it's never fun when you're up against some cocky newcomers. They're so… predictable,"
Sabo snorted, ruffling his hatless hair and tangling his gloved fingers along some knots that has formed under the intense heat, "That's really saying something when it comes from you of all people,"
The blonde didn't even bother to muffle his snickers when Ace hip-checked him in retaliation from the comment.
He ran away after dodging another one, snickering at his dark haired brother's calls and joking growls, and it was in the middle of this exchange did they almost bumped into another figure descending the ship's bridge, black cloak floating behind the man as he sidestepped them with finesse, "Whoa there, boys," Shanks exclaimed, chuckling, "Careful there, you might run to someone,"
Sabo apologized with a sheepish grin, and instead of following his example, Ace watched Benn trailing right behind Shanks. Just right behind the greying tall marksman, he can see Lucky Roo and Yasopp walking by as well, all who were Shanks' trusty subordinate. They were all either cloaked or had their weapons strapped on plain sight to their side, clearly not on their way for a leisure walk, "Are you guys going somewhere?"
Benn let out a puff of smoke at Ace's question before setting his pipe aside, glancing down at him in a way that almost resembled Rayleigh's gaze, if with a bit more intensity and sterness, "Got something to do from the captain,"
"And that is?"
"Got people to look for," he answered curtly, "You know how it goes. Same old, same old,"
'People to look for' would sometimes means informants, or there is an enemy hiding nearby that they need to capture to interrogate or just outright eliminate. The fact that Shanks, one of Roger's trusty generals, was sent out on person means that it was probably the latter, and that it would end up being something a lot more exciting than Benn's tone would suggest. A whole lot more exciting than stacking crates and shipments from the dock to the ship.
Ace opened his mouth, the corner of his lips already tilting out when Benn aimed his next puff of smoke right on his face, making the freckled youth cough at the sudden assault, "Whatever you're about to say, no. You're still grounded, and your dad wants to see you after dinner so he knows you haven't been slacking off,"
"Oh come on—"
"No,"
"Sorry kiddo," the raven haired male was suddenly pulled to the side by an arm latching itself around his shoulder, jostling him slightly before he was up against Shanks' side, "You know i'd help you break the rules any time, but not this time. This is a bit more serious than usual," his grin says otherwise, but then, Shanks hardly ever looked anything but cheerful until the situation calls for it.
It doesn't mean that Ace couldn't hear the finality in his tone, allowing no objection.
As the men climbed down the bridge and be on their way afterwards, next to him, Sabo whistled, scratching his head, "Guess i was wrong, maybe we are here to look for trouble,"
Ace scoffed, still watching the quiet little port town even after Shanks and his entourage made their way deeper into Port Aldeena and disappeared from view, "You mean 'them'. 'We' never get to do anything around here,"
It wasn't until the age of 6 years old did Ace ever learned that he has a father, and he learned this fact from a suspicious man in red coat who appears out of nowhere to their forest. He defeated Dadan's bandits without even touching them, merely sending a powerful glare that knock them and the three boys off their feet, but before Ace can finish feeling both awe and fear upon the power this man held, he suddenly fell kneeling in front of the boy, stuttering and after a while, crying and sobbing uncontrollably.
Ace had known of the name Gol D. Roger from birth, because Gramps never hid his parentage from him. He knows that the man is the Pirate King, the most dangerous pirate and criminal in all of the seas, and he had been taught from the very second he could understand words that he should never become like him. Nothing good can ever come from being a pirate, the Vice Admiral would always say, and he can be better than that, a lot better.
It was from him and from the patrons in Makino's bar - most of them rookie pirates from a boastful crew - that he began to piece out that his sire is of unimaginable evil and that makes any of his progeny no better. That he should not be proud of the blood running through his veins, and even as he beat them up for disrespecting the man he had never met and probably never would, Ace began to take it to heart, and began to hate the man a little.
But he found it hard to hate Gol D. Roger for long, when in the middle of his incessant tears and gross sobbing, the man approached him, carefully and seemingly almost fearful - why would such a terrifying man felt fear? - and pulled him into a hug.
"My son," he blubbered out, snot and tears running down from his face and to Ace's small shoulder, and while it should've felt disgusting, Ace could hardly care about it. The Pirate King's embrace is warm and inviting, unlike the cold man he was told he would be, and the tears that kept running down shows that he is far from the unfeeling devil he had been described as by most, "It's really you, isn't it? My boy. My dear son, you're really alive,"
Ace had been referred to by a lot of names in the short time he had been alive; The brat, by Garp, Dadan and the bandits, little fucker, by the likes of Bluejam Pirates and other pirates who he defeated and cause trouble for, and many other things that held less than savoury implications. The only positive one he ever earned was 'my brother' from both Sabo and Luffy, a term he would use to described them for years to come and years beyond.
But even being called brother by them felt different from this. They made him feel happy, yes, and they make him feel proud, but Roger made his chest felt constricted and he found it difficult to breathe. Ace never felt this way before, this overwhelming, unexplained feeling that seems to erupt beyond what his little chest can contain, and the only way he could express himself was by letting as much tears comes out of his eyes, let himself sob loudly, even louder than Roger himself.
"I hate you," he told the man, feeling the arms around him tightening their hold, this comforting hold that he never knew could exist in this world and not something he could ever truly hate, "You're a bad guy, everyone said so. And they hate me too because of you,"
Roger held him close, even closer, almost making Ace drown in his much more massive body. He held the back of his head, stroking his hair lovingly, the hair of the same colour as the red-clad Pirate King, "I'm sorry," he whispered, so deeply and meaningful, "I'm so sorry for not finding you earlier and letting you be exposed to such horrible things,"
Ace would repeatedly told him that he hated him, again and again, because that was the only thing he knows how to say to his father.
"Let me make it up to you, Ace, let me make it up for as long as i live," he said later, after Ace was out of breathe and out of tears, "You may have the world against you, so i will give you my world, a world where you will never be casted out, where you will always belong," he offered his hand then, so big and strong, so calloused no doubt from the many infamy he had spread, from all of the battles that brought him to the top and make the world hates him.
Yet despite the weight of those hands, they held Ace's smaller ones gently, cradling in a loving way a father would their child, "What do you say?"
Ace took his hand, and he never once looked back.
Well, most of the time.
"Absolutely not!" The tips of Roger's handlebar moustache seems to bounce along with the appearance of the frown on his face and the downturn of his lips, "My dear boy, i know you crave excitement after your grounding - totally your fault, by the way, for messing with Ray - but i'm afraid not this time. We're hunting down a real son of a bitch and there is absolutely no way i'm getting you involved in that,"
"You never let me get involved with anything!"
"And that is because we're up against a lot of sons of bitches out there, my sweet child, and i don't want you getting hurt!"
Ace groaned, a long and guttural sound that was ripped out of his throat and imbued with years of unresolved teenage rebellion, adulthood exasperation, and the fact that they're back to this old argument again, "Dad, i'm a pirate! Getting hurt is in the job description!"
Roger looked horrified, slapping a hand on his chest in outrage, "Ack, no, it is not! Who told you that?! Why i oughta—"
"And i'm 18, i'm old enough to take care of myself both in battles and in life,"
"My little cherub, 18 is nowhere near old enough for anything, much less to handle life,"
"Yes, it is! I know it is, if you'd just let me prove myself!"
To Gol D. Roger, apparently having his 'sons' going to their own explorations was the worst thing that can ever happen. Ace lost count the amount of fights and raids he missed out on because he was still 'too young' to join in, and would be confined to ship guarding duty or something equally boring. If a battle was indeed inevitable, then it didn't matter that he'd win most of the time, he'd spend days afterwards either being lectured to 'leave it all to Daddy' and coddled like a child.
And that was incredibly ridiculous, especially the older he got. His bounty of 500 million belli may be nothing compared to his father but it was a hell lot more than even some of the oldest crews, and that should've shown that he had grown and could handle his own in a fight. He had his own fame and built his own reputation for infamy during those rare moments he managed to slip out under Roger's gaze - or when Rayleigh decided to be generous and looked the other way around - and not a year ago, he even gained his logia power, a power that made him a lot stronger than he already was.
It even earned him the moniker 'Fire Fist Ace', and the pride that swells in his chest the first time someone referred to him as that instead of 'Roger's kid' was immense.
Roger had said he was proud of him, but that happened in a single sentence in the middle of scolding him for carelessly eating unknown fruits and while blubbering and sobbing about what would he do if he lost his child to food poisoning. The fact that a reporter caught that moment in the middle of doing a report about Ace's first exploit as a logia user made him wonder not for the first time how anyone, friends and foes alike, can still hold so much fear and respect for the Pirate King when he often acted so embarrassingly.
Just like now, as he rounded the table and approached a fuming Ace with no sense of self-preservation - but then, he's sure that if he's to take his dad on a fight, Ace would begrudgingly admit Roger will win - framing his face with both hands to draw out a small pout on the young man's face. Ace hated it when he does that, but by now, he knows that resistance is futile, "Oh, my sweet little fire, you don't need to prove anything to me or anyone! We know you're smart and strong, you're my boy, you'll always be exceptional,"
"Then let me go with Shanks! I'm sick of not being allowed to do anything," Ace hissed, trying to squirm away from his father's hold but to no avail, "I'm also a part of the Roger Pirates, i want to pull my own weight around here,"
"But you have, my will-o-wisp, you have! You, Sabo and Luffy are indispensable to all of us! I saw the reports this morning, the storage has never been cleaner and we were done with shipment duties faster than usual,"
"You know i don't mean just that!"
In the end, of course Roger will still say no, and their argument would've gone tediously long if Shanks and Rayleigh hadn't knocked on the door to remind Roger of their business. He was shooed away - like a child, he bitterly noted - but Ace lingered long enough by the door to overhear that Shanks and his team had failed in locating the man they had been searching for.
"This is a very bad idea,"
Ace sent a glower to Sabo, both telling him to keep it down and because of what he just said. The blonde got the message easily, sighing as he fiddled with the ever trusty steel pipe strapped to his back, walking just a step behind Luffy, who hadn't stopped looking around the small alleyway they had gone into.
It wasn't until 5 more minutes later that Sabo spoke again however, shaking his head, "No, sorry, this really is a bad idea," this time he ignored Ace's glare, though he does lowered his volume, "Ace, we don't even know who we're looking for!"
"Stop being pessimistic," the dark haired logia scolded, pulling Luffy by the back of his shirt when he began to walk too fast ahead of them, "It's gotta be a dangerous pirate or something, Dad doesn't send Shanks out just for about anything,"
"But whoever it is managed to escape Shanks and his people, what are the chance we're going to be able to catch them? And what even are the chances we can defeat them?"
"Of course we can, Sabo!" Luffy snickered from between them, voice so loud the other two spontaneously shushed him up, "Come on, it's the three of us, we never lose when there's the three of us!"
Ace grinned, pulling Luffy into a backward hug and making the 15 years old giggle out his name, "That's my optimistic brother," still grinning, he shifted his gaze to Sabo, who merely rolled his eyes, "While you, pessimistic brother, need to stop being so pessimistic,"
"I'm the realistic brother, thank you very much," the blonde sniffed, "And that makes you the reckless and kinda stupid brother,"
"Hey!"
Their little ribbing continues on as they kept walking, calling out which adjective they think would suit which brother in jest. People hardly associated such young children with the fearsome pirates that arrived earlier that day, but they gave them an even wider berth the moment some caught sight of the giant tattoo on Ace's back, Roger Pirates' jolly roger stark on naked and unblemished skin.
As the time passes slowly but surely, the streets had gone emptier and emptier, and before long, the trio found that they were the only ones left even on the main road, with most of the stalls and shops being closed and not a single soul to be seen as far as their eyes can see.
"If we stay here any longer," Luffy murmured with slight concern, "They might figure out we're not on the ship and ground us again,"
Sabo hummed next to him, glancing back to the road that they took to get this far. They hardly explored the entirety of the town, but they had gone quite far away, and going back might take a while. Oro Jackson was no longer in sight as well, signalling that they've reached far, far away from the docks, "Think we should go back then? Continue this tomorrow? It's probably going to be easier to with more lights,"
Which made sense, but at the same time, there is no telling that tomorrow they'd be able to sneak out as easily again. And there is also no telling that the man they're hunting for is not still on the island by tomorrow, which not only would mean they'd lose him, but also that Ace would lose this rare chance to be able to show his father what he can do, "I got a better idea," he told the other two, noting the branching path ahead of them, some leading through a series of residence and the others going down to other alleys, "We can split up and cover more grounds,"
He barely finished saying it when Sabo, the killjoy shook his head rapidly, "Oh no, no splitting up. The three of us together, yeah, i still can accept, but splitting up? No, not an option, Ace,"
"Why not?"
"Because splitting up especially in a place where we have absolutely no idea about the layout means if one of us do find the guy we're looking for, we then have to find the others and there's no telling the man won't run away then, it's very inefficient," he raised a finger when Ace opened his mouth, "And no, we are not taking him alone. Remember, Roger sent out Shanks with backup to deal with this guy, there is no way we can beat him on our own,"
Ace knows he's right, but at the same time, he can't go back right now. They've gone this far already.
So he turned on his heels, and ran.
"Ace!"
"You guys can go back first!" he shouted, foot draping fast on the gravelling ground, "I'm just going to find where this guy is and i promise i'll go back!"
"Ace, wait, no!"
But whatever else Sabo shouted died down as he sprinted even faster. He needs to go back with something, something to show that he's not only good as some deck hand to his father. If he can find the man they're looking for when even one of his father's trusted generals can't, then that's a big start.
It was odd just how quiet the entire town had gone from the hustle and bustle that was around just hours ago. Almost eerily so, because by the time Ace started feeling winded by running and slowed down to catch his breath, he still hadn't seen a single soul roaming about. No patrols, no late night shop or tavern, nothing. It's like the entire place died down along with the sun's descend.
"Don't tell me the target fell asleep too?" he murmured to himself, glancing between two narrow street and trying to shake off the nervousness that are starting to climb up to his spine. It was suddenly so quiet here without his brothers around, and while he had nothing against the dark - he can light himself on fire, he really had no problem with the dark - it just added to the creepy factor on this entire town.
As he walked, briefly contemplating the way back and finding himself struggling with remembering the correct way, he suddenly felt a chill on his back. Someone is around and following him.
"Who's there?" he called out, spinning on his heels. No one was around, not even a single suspiciously casted shadow, but he still can't shake off the feeling in the pit of his stomach, "Sabo? Luffy? Did you guys follow me here?"
Still no answer.
Ignoring the increasingly audible beating on his chest, Ace lit up one hand on fire, both to illuminated his surrounding and to show whoever it is that he's not as harmless as they might thought he is. He turned around again, swiftly and in a calculated move, making sure that he won't be caught off guard. Could it be that the one following him was the person he's been looking for? Maybe they know that they're being chased by Roger Pirates and saw the tattoo on his back; a lot of people certainly were staring at him earlier.
The raven haired male was about to make another step, preparing to walk away and see if he can draw the person out when out from the corner of his eyes, he saw one of the shadow moved, and then suddenly, before he could even react, there's a glint of blade making its way to him in the speed of light. Ace lit up his hand, not even worried about the sword aiming for him as a logia.
But suddenly, before he can lit whoever it is on fire, his surrounding suddenly became a lot brighter, like a burst of flame that wasn't his own had exploded out of nowhere. He yelped, startled and dazed, hearing a harsh crunch somewhere in front of him followed by a grunt from around the same area.
From behind his close eyelids, Ace could catch the moment when the sudden flare died down, meaning that it is safe for him to open his eyes again, and when he did, he found that he was no longer alone.
On the ground, choking wetly and bleeding profusely was a man in dark cloak, a sword lying limply on one hand, while the other was holding onto the honest to god talons that pierced his chest in three separates places. The talon was connected to a very human like thighs from someone who is very much a human, with hair spun golden, eyes drooped in a bored expression, and from his arms rose flames not unlike his, in the colour of morning sky instead of the sunset.
Ace felt awed for a moment, watching how blue flames breeze through golden tresses and speechless under the cool blue orbs that locked into his own. The man lifted his head then, giving him a lopsided smile, "I was wondering why the town was so quiet all of the sudden," he said, his voice light and playful, the soft timbre making Ace's chest stutter briefly, "Pretty bold of you to be here at this time of the night on your own, and with that mark on your back,"
He straightened his posture then, allowing the open and unzipped purple shirt to reveal chiseled stomach muscles and a tattoo nearly as big as his etched across broad chest, one that the moment he recognize it, made Ace's stomach fell into a cold pit. The young logia took in the sight of blue flames once more, to the talon, to the mark and finally to the man's still smiling face, now a lot more familiar and bear resemblance to a wanted poster he saw from months ago on Rayleigh's office, one of the very few who held a frightening amount of price on their head.
Ace felt his chest stutter again, and this time, he knows it comes from wariness, "You're one of the Whitebeard Pirates," he hissed out the name of his father's rival crew, "Marco the Phoenix,"
Marco gave him a lazy grin that looked far too innocent. He ground his talon down, pushing against the dying man's wounds and finally killing him with a sad little gasp. Without even looking at the body, he then bowed a little, almost in a mockery of the formal gesture, "At your service," Even in the shadows casted by the buildings around them, Ace could see his eyes twinkling in an amused way, as if Ace's obvious dislike was entertaining to him, "Fire Fist Ace of the Roger Pirates,"
Things i know will be the hardest part about this fic: Coming up with more and more ridiculous nickname from Roger to Ace.
I'm a sucker for Roger being alive and still running Roger Pirates, for Ace and Roger having a good relationship (kinda), or Rayleigh being in these kids life, and many more.
I was a bit unsure about posting this story tbh, because this will be really full of headcanons, but thank you so much for the comments so far that encourage me to show those headcanons so i'm sharing it with you now! I really hope you don't mind them!
Thank you so much for reading and i hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think so far!
