Hello there.
Thanks for taking your time to read this little fanfic.
Since I´m not a native english speaker, there will be some spelling/grammar mistakes here and there.
I´m having someone proofread this whole thing, who is also a foreign speaker, so feel free to point out remaining mistakes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

How could they have ended in a situation like this?
Everything went just fine until these damn marines showed up out of nowhere.
And now Ace stood here, imprisoned in a Kairoseki cell and soaked in Marcos blood, said person lying right in front of him, screaming his lungs out.

~Flashback~

It was a nice and sunny day when the Moby Dick landed on a small inhabited island to restock their supplies.
The turn was on Marco and Ace and so the two pirates set off, each one of them carrying a huge but empty backpack for food, bandages, ammunition and all the other stuff a pirate needed in his daily life.
They also got some special order from several Crewmembers, including their head chef, Haruta and Whitebeard.
A light chatter had unfolded between the Nakama as they made their way into the island.
"Say, Marco."
The blonde man looked to his younger companion, waiting for the question with lazily opened eyes.
"It´s been some time since you ate that devil fruit, but you never demonstrated any of your new skills to us. Are you sure it wasn´t a fake one and you can still swim?"
Ace tilted his head with a curious look, his freckles giving him kind of a childish expression.
They´ve all been quite excited when Marco returned from a raid with a strange looking fruit and it was pretty clear what had fallen into his hands.
As the Commander of the 1st division had stated to eat that thing, they´ve all waited for the results, which so far hadn´t been shown.
A smile tugged at Marcos lips.
"Well, who knows?"
"Did you try swimming since then?"
"Don´t you dare toss me into the sea, yoi!"
Both pirates laughed as they entered the town.

The city really was small, although it had many little shops in some side streets – some of them looking kinda suspicious - where the two could buy everything they needed.
It was unlikely for the people to recognize their faces in this area, but the life as wanted men had taught them that you could never be cautious enough.
So they had agreed that one would buy the supplies while the other stood guard outside, watching the surroundings.
Ace could hear Marco arguing inside of the shop with the owner about the prize of some spices, another thing on the special list from their head chef; as a young girl rounded the corner, only a few feet away from him.
The way she looked back hounded had Ace dropping his backpack before she reached him.
"Help me, please!"
This was all it took for the freckled boy to shield the girl from whatever evil might come after her.
He could hear the quick breathing as the young woman was seeking protection behind him, felt the shivering hands which hold on his back and saw four figures turn the corner.
It didn´t took him long to recognize the white uniforms.
'Shit, the Marines! Why are they...?'
Ace revolved to take a closer look at the girl who was still gasping for breath.
So she was either a pirate herself or got into rather big trouble to have the marines chase her.
"There she is!"
The shout made Ace turn around to face his unexpected enemies and he readied himself to fight, just when he heard a clicking noise behind his back.

It took the raven haired boy some seconds to wonder what that sudden weight on his wrists could be and some more to realize that his hands were restricted behind his body, altogether made him blink in confusion.
'Handcuffs?'
Ace turned pale at that thought, a quick glance behind confirming his speculation.
He could feel how his power slowly drained from his body, leaving him behind weak and vulnerable.
So the damn thing was made out of Kairoseki of all things.
Still putting together all the information, Ace faced the girl he was about to protect, but the smirk on the young face indicated something horrible.
"You´re one of them!"
It was more of a statement than a question and with these words the girl pulled out a base cap, which she placed on her head, proudly showing the letters 'MARINE'.
No, no, no!
This couldn´t be true!
Aces thoughts raced through his head, making it impossible to grab a useful reaction.
Marco was still inside the shop, most likely knowing nothing about the situation his Nakama was in.
But maybe he had watched everything.
Maybe he would be able to break Ace free.
Maybe he was able to get help.
Maybe the Marines didn´t know about him.
Maybe they just waited for him to come out and ambush him.
Should he scream for Marcos help?
Should he try to distract the attention from him?
Should he try to run?
In this moment he was harshly thrown to the ground and a large hand cupped his mouth, making it impossible for Ace to scream.
Perfect...

Marco handed the owner some Berries, putting the new bought spices in his now full backpack and shouldered the heavy fabric.
This was the last item on their list, so it should be about time for them to head home to the others.
The pirate turned around and walked outside of the shop, eyeing the piece of paper with all the needed stuff written on it, to make sure nothing had slipped their minds.
"Hey, Ace, do you-"
As Marco lifted his gaze, he froze on the spot.
Instead of being greeted with a stupid grin of the freckled boy, he was looking at some marine soldiers, which already aimed their guns at him.
On the ground, face in the dirt, he could make out his Nakama, struggling for his freedom but securely held down by two rather strong looking men.
Marco also recognized the handcuffs around Aces wrists.
'Well, shit.'
It didn´t took him any longer to dash towards their enemies, not fearing the bullets they might shoot at him.
"Fire!"
It was this second that the leader gave the commando and Marco was ready to test his devil fruit ability in real combat, when instead of a bullet he was hit with a net.
Startled by this unexpected move, all Marco could do was to shield himself with his arms to prevent further damage, but the net was already tangling around his ankles.
Falling to his knees, Marco tried desperately to untwine himself, noticing his power was already leaving his body.
So that´s how Kairoseki felt to a devil fruit user.
He was watching the marines come closer with gritted teeth, fully aware that it was impossible for them to know about his ability.
This could turn out handy later.
But for now, all Marco could do was watching them pull out a rope and start tying him up, just as they did it with Ace.

The younger pirate was lifted to his feet after his upper body was firmly wrapped in the rough cord, making it impossible to attempt any advances.
His hands remained restrained by the handcuffs and as Ace turned to see after Marco he felt pity for the other Crewmember.
At least they were letting him walk on his own in contrast to the blonde.
The Marines had simply tied the rope above the net, making it impossible for the older pirate to walk with his feet still tangled.
Now, Marco was carried roughly about his waist by the tallest guy of the small group, still struggling with his feet a little bit.
A shove to his back made Ace look to the smaller girl beside him, eyeing her calculating.
"What?", he asked in an impolite tone, which was very rare for him.
"I said walk, pirate!"
Her answer made Ace blow air out of his nose.
But instead of arguing, he knew it was better to just give in with both of them being held back by the Kairoseki.
So he started to follow the lead of the younger girl he was willing to rescue just minutes ago.
That´s what he got for being polite and shit...

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