Title: Restart

By: Metamorcy

Pairing: None

Summary: Ace knew he had died, he could still vividly remember his last moments before collapsing into Luffy's arms just as everything went black and yet, when he opened his eyes, he found himself on an island in East Blue. Not wanting to throw away his second chance, he searches out for his beloved younger brother for their delayed reunion.

Disclaimer: Don't own, just the idea

Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13

Chapter 1

Water - that was all he could see. A beautiful crystal blue that reflected light off its glamorous surface. The reflected rays were cast over the surrounding area, the shafts creating shades he had never imagined. He never liked the water, well Ace couldn't really blame himself. He was a Devil fruit user and seawater was his enemy - an enemy he could never defeat, only avoid. It couldn't be helped but he wouldn't have it any other way. Being a user made him stronger, more independent and he liked it that way. Still, this water didn't feel like the ocean, he didn't feel himself being drained of his energy. It was just… there. It was like the water he would take a bath in or drink, just average water that wouldn't affect him. Not even his open eyes were burning from extended exposure.

He could see a light above the water and yet despite his mind telling him to swim up towards the surface he couldn't. His eyes could only watch as the light danced with the motions of the surface, its density ever-changing. The bright light was able to penetrate deep into the water, creating those beautifully different shades of blue. The deep color was perfect in every way; it was a beauty of its own. The sight had a calming effect on him and though he didn't understand it, he knew it was true. However, it didn't take long before he tore his mind away from those thoughts and glanced around from the corners of his eyes. Nothing - there was no visible life, no swimming fish to break the natural motions of the water. It was just… there.

Ace didn't think much on the fact that there were no fish in this water, no noticeable forms of life at all, not even algae. It was completely empty except for him, yet that fact didn't even bother him. He paid no attention to it, his eyes only watching the light above as if he were drawn to it. However he was falling deeper and deeper into the blue abyss, inch by inch, in his slow descent. He couldn't comprehend what was going on nor did he bother to try. All he knew was that his body was frozen, completely unresponsive. His eyes remained locked in place, continuing to stare up at the surface, but couldn't see anything beyond that. He couldn't see the sky on the other side, nor the clouds, nor any passing boats, nothing. It was just like the water itself, lifeless. Not even a bird flew by, no glimmer of hope that there was something out there besides him.

'What… happened?' Ace thought as his body continued its downward descent, his black hair fluttering from the water around his vision. He couldn't even rotate his body to see where he was heading. He could do nothing but watch as everything progressed. 'What happened to me?'

Pain, he remembered pain, lots of it. He remembered the last fight he was in, his last battle, before his demise. Memories flashed before his eyes, were they before his eyes or were they being reflected through the water? He didn't care. He could see them and that was all that mattered at that point of time. He recalled being stabbed through the chest, the searing pain he felt as he was burned by the magma. His nostrils could still smell the sizzling of his flesh as it was blackened from the heat, his organs screaming in agony. The scent of his blood as it pooled around him mixed with the already contaminated air and his lips could taste the bitter copper that remained behind as he coughed it up. Ace remembered all of it, all the details of his death.

His chest where the hit had landed still ached, but it wasn't as bad as before. It had dulled to a bearable level, a level he could handle with pride. He had taken that hit to save Luffy, his little brother, one of the very few people he had come to care for and love. He would be willing to do it all over again if it meant protecting Luffy and letting him live for another day without any hesitation. The images in the water wavered as if he was watching himself die, whispering words to Luffy as he faded away within his brother's arms. Ace could feel himself tearing up at the thought, desperately wishing he could see his brother one more time in person, to tell him all the things he wasn't able to since they were young. His arms could still remember the warm sensation of human flesh surrounding him, when Luffy had clamped onto his broken body tightly while crying out in misery. He could feel everything falling apart within his own body, a cold numbness taking over everything like ice. Ace could even feel the tears falling down his face, Luffy's tears, and wished he could still move his arms to wipe it away. He was the older brother. He had a duty to see to that his younger sibling made it out alright.

Still, regardless of his wishes, he had died and he knew that. It didn't take long to know that Whitebeard, his father figure, had passed away with him. He could tell deep within his gut that it had occurred and he knew from the very beginning that it would happen in the process of saving him. Was he buried beside Whitebeard? He wasn't sure about that, he was long gone before that could happen.

However, if he was dead, then was this the afterlife? Ace almost wanted laughed at that, but knew better, he didn't deserve anything for what he'd done. He had done many horrible things during his life, things that didn't deserve forgiveness. Not to mention that his very life was also cursed, having been born courtesy of that man, and there was nothing he could do to change that. If anything, he deserved to be in Hell where he would suffer for the rest of his goddamn existence. Still, he avoided thinking about that. It wasn't something he liked to ponder on and he'd rather be at peace with himself before he reached that stage.

The water surrounding him was cold, not freezing but just cool enough to make him want to shiver. Except he couldn't, he couldn't do anything, not even twitch a finger. Slowly, using only his eyes, he peered down towards his chest and found the hole that he expected to be there gone. There was no puncture wound but his body could still feel the aching it had caused. It seemed that despite being dead his mind could still remember the pain.

'Luffy… I hope you're doing well…' Ace went back to staring at the surface, watching that light from above continuing to flutter across the surface. It was quite mesmerizing in its own little way. He was falling further and further into the abyss and he wondered for a moment exactly how long this descent would take. Hopefully, not too long, he had never been a patient person, far too eager for his own good. That was probably where Luffy had gotten it from. If he could, Ace would have smiled at the passing thought.

It wasn't until then that he finally noticed the light beginning to fade, the distance between himself and the surface increasing. It wouldn't be long before he couldn't see that light anymore and only have the darkness for company. Somehow managing to close his eyes, he thought about his beloved brother once more. He wished he could see Luffy become the Pirate King, see him fulfill the dream he'd had since childhood. It would have been a great accomplishment that may very well flip the entire world upside down, something that would have been amusing to see. 'Luffy… you deserve that spot… More so than anyone else, even more than me.'

'You… You'll do great things, things I can't and couldn't do.' Ace once again opened his eyes, unbothered by the water surrounding him, already knowing his fate. He couldn't even be bothered to try breathing - it wasn't like he needed to. He was dead after all. There was no point breathing air underwater and it wasn't as if he actually had full use of his lungs. Well, maybe. If the hole in his chest had vanished, then the organs that had been damaged were probably healed as well. Either way, that punch from Akainu, when it went through him, had taken out part of his lungs as well. The chance of survival from that attack would have been impossible. He was dead even before a doctor would have been able reach him to repair the damage. It was just… impossible and he had already accepted his fate. He was destined to either die at the Battle of Marineford or face a life of being hunted by the marines. He would have died sooner or later.

There was simply nothing he could do but at least he had died protecting Luffy; that in itself filled him with accomplishment. Either way, there was nothing he could do about his situation, not now anyway. His descent continued and he could barely see the reflections on the water anymore, they vanished into the distance as darkness began to take over. The blue was blacker now, slowly morphing into a midnight blue. It was like the shades of the sky as it changed from day to night and despite knowing that he was getting closer to the bottom, it was still beautiful. All it was missing were those stars, those twinkling lights that shone bright in the darkness.

He closed his eyes once more, feeling like he was at the end of his ride. Ace didn't know why but he could just feel it, he was already done reminiscing about his life anyway. Deep within this drop downwards through the water made him feel at peace and he was ready for whatever happened next. As his eyes opened to watch the change, he felt a shift in the water's texture. It was like sliding though a condensed barrier, but not hard enough that it prevented him from passing through. His body plunged into the other side of the strange water, finding himself being flipped over at the force of the shift. This time, there was no blue, no color, just white. That was all he could see. It was a never-ending expanse of white all around him.

This time, however, he was able to move his head upwards and saw something that was out of place. Here he could see people, or what he considered to be people, all lined up in a straight row. It was a line he was also in. They were all up against that wall and floated a foot or so from the surface as if they were dolls. The clothes they wore were the same - all white. It was like a robe that covered their entire bodies with the exception of their feet, which were coated with long white socks and black sandals. There were no hands visible, no signs of having arms and at the top was a mask that went around the entire head. He couldn't see any hair or skin underneath, nothing that would help identify the person within. Turning his body to look behind slightly, his eyes went over the front of the mask and he was tempted to raise an eyebrow at the sight. Its appearance was like one of those masks he would see in a ritual with oddly drawn faces that looked nothing like a human. It was so strange to see such a thing, especially there.

Then he felt it, the peculiar line moving forward a step. Ace blinked, were they really in a line? Where to, what for? Well, it honestly didn't matter much to him. The line was probably just a queue for entry into the afterlife. 'Ah, how boring.' He pivoted around to face the wall; the color of it was blue like the water he had previously been floating in. It was more interesting to look at than the white expanse and the so-called people. His mouth wouldn't even move to speak, no voice meant no sound. He was just like everyone else, a doll that didn't do anything but wait for the end. Perhaps everyone was in the same position as him, just that the white expanse was creating an illusion that deluded him into thinking that these figures were really there. Whatever it was, they were too creepy to look at.

'Ah, how long is this going to take?' From what he could see, it would be forever. Well, he definitely had the time. It wasn't as if he was going anywhere else. Still, there was no doubt that it sucked terribly due to his personality.

"Ace!"

The pirate blinked, had he heard his name being called out? No, he was imagining things. It simply wasn't possible. He was dead after all. Still, he listened to see if it happened again and after what felt like five minutes he'd heard nothing. Perhaps this whiteness was beginning to make him go crazy. It was always possible, he couldn't stand this place at all, and all this white would make the sanest person crazy. Since the voice didn't come back, he shrugged it off, thinking little of it. Before long, he had shifted in line about twenty-four times in the last… Actually, he wasn't sure about the time, he had no watch, nothing to keep track of it. It could have been hours or just minutes or maybe a whole day had gone by and he wasn't even aware of it. Regardless, it was such a boring time and the only thing that kept him from going nuts were his own memories.

"Ace!"

He narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, this time he was certain of it. He had heard someone call out to him. It was muffled like it was being transmitted through something, water perhaps? But… how? Was someone else dead as well? Did someone else die with him in the battle besides Whitebeard?

"Ace!"

'I'm here!' He didn't understand why he was responding but he felt he had to. It was like something important was out there, looking for him. Either way, it was better than simply waiting there in all that white space. 'I'm right here!'

"There you are."

There was voice was closer, so close, and for a moment it was as clear as if it had been spoken right beside him. Ace peered at the water wall, wondering what was going to happen next. Just as he thought that, something did.

An adult hand that was peach in color shot out of the wall, blasting through the water as if it was nothing. However, it didn't go all the way through, stopping a little after the elbow and instead grasped onto his own fingers. The grip was tight but cold, almost like ice. It was like there was no blood running through those veins to keep the limb warm. Still, Ace didn't think much on it, he didn't care. His thoughts and concerns were solely on the hand touching him. His eyes were wide in surprise and as they traveled upward, he saw a long sleeve over most of the arm. The sleeve was blue, rolled back slightly at the end, and from there, he couldn't see anything else.

"You need to go back. I need you to watch over him." The voice continued and Ace swore it sounded familiar, but from where? His mind just wouldn't register it.

Within seconds he was yanked upwards, heading back through the wall and into the water he had previously been in. The change was so obvious from one side to the other, and instead of just floating in place or heading down, he was rapidly pulled upward towards the surface. Whoever had his hand was swimming him away from the abyss, away from all the masked people. His eyes tried to focus on the figure before him, the figure that was holding him, and yet his vision would just blur immediately afterwards. He couldn't make out the figure – his savior - at all, only knowing that he was getting closer towards the surface, towards the light. What lay beyond it, he wasn't sure.

'Who… Just who are you?' His thoughts were ignored and the figure continued to move, pushing them both towards the surface of the water as if it was nothing. The person was doing something the black-haired male hadn't been able to. Ace could make out a long open coat and a hat that appeared too familiar for his eyes. However, before he could think any further, the surface was only a foot away and he found himself crashing straight into it.

"Good luck, Ace! Don't fail me now!"

Ace snapped his eyes open, shooting up from where he had been lying down. He took a deep breath of air, feeling his lungs expand as it pooled inside. He could smell the strong scent of the sea, the scent of the sand, everything. It was so powerful. He gasped for another breath and felt the whole world around him momentarily spinning. Regardless of everything around him, he could make out the bright sky above, the clouds, and some seagulls fluttering around. The sun was shining luminously among everything, its warm rays heating up everything it touched. He could feel the wind brushing against his skin, it's warm texture making his hair dance atop his head. His ears picked up the sounds of the leaves rustling, the birds squeaking, his necklace jiggling, everything.

It was amazing; Ace felt as if he was alive. The sun bearing down on his body was scorching hot and it took him a few minutes to finally realize that his fingers were touching sand, that he was able to feel the specks digging into the palm of his hand. He took a handful of it, watching as it slipped through his fingers and some of it was blown away with a gust of wind.

'What… happened? Where am I?' Slowly, Ace stood up, taking in everything around him in wonder. His fingers reached down to his chest, finding no hole, just like when he had been floating in that body of water. All of his injuries were gone and this time, the dull pain he had been feeling had vanished as well. However, as he searched, he found that his arm was missing his tattoo. There was no evidence it had been removed or had even been there in the first place, it was like his entire body had been reset. His hands touched the upper left of his chest, feeling a heartbeat pulsing underneath his finger tips, and gasped out in surprise. It wasn't… possible.

Ace immediately raced towards the water – the ocean – and felt the warmth of it rushing over his bare skin and sandals. There was nothing in the distance, just more water and the never-ending sky – a sight he was used to on both land and boats. He could see his reflection on the surface of the water and sighed in relief that his face was the same as before, it even had those childish freckles of his. Before he could look any further, he collapsed downwards, feeling the seawater draining away his energy. 'S-Shit…'

Crawling his way out of range, he spotted the last thing he needed to know. The tattoo of being in Whitebeard's crew was gone as well, leaving him bare. His clothes were still on except for his hat, but he was happy to have at least something. Well, it was only his pants, he never really wore an actual shirt anyway, and his necklace was still around his neck. However, he was a little depressed that he didn't have his signature hat with him; it was something that he'd had since childhood. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away. He could get his hat at another time and there was one more thing he needed to make sure about. Ace tested his Devil fruit powers, watching as the flames blazed around his frame, and then concentrated it around his fingers. He smirked, he still had his powers. Good, he would feel completely vulnerable if he didn't have them. The bright orange flames got brighter as they formed around his hand and he was tempted to hit something to test them out.

He peered around towards the palm trees behind him and stepped closer. The sand began to vanish the nearer he got, grass growing instead, and he touched the bark. Immediately his powers set off, burning the tree to ash within seconds. Ace smirked wider, he still had it. Bringing his flames under control, Ace peered into the palm tree-like forest and immediately decided to go further in, wondering where he was exactly. He didn't recognize the area he had woken up in at all.

Still, one question remained: was he alive or was this all just his afterlife?

Ace rubbed the back of his head, thinking deeply as he stepped around the multiple palm trees in his sandals, crunching through the grass freely without care. The only sounds that kept him company were the animals and the wind. He glanced around, spotting a white rabbit hopping away and then a colorful bird flapping its wings as it took flight. 'Could this really be the afterlife, or am I truly alive?'

As he thought those words, his stomach suddenly let out a massive growl and he clenched his fingers down onto his abdomen. Hungry, he was hungry… Ace grumbled under his breath. How could he be hungry if he was supposedly dead? That didn't make much sense to him. Regardless, he needed something to eat. It was like he hadn't eaten for years and his growling stomach was getting stronger by the moment. Without sparing it a second thought, he went hunting, hoping to catch something good that would satisfy him for a while. After an hour, he had managed to capture and kill a few wild rabbits, some snakes, a large boar, and a mountain cat. His devil fruit powers made quick work of the fur and skin, roasting everything immediately on the spot. He continued to stuff his face, trying to fulfill his cravings and by the time he finished, he just pat his bloated stomach in content.

Water was next on the list and he found a stream not too far away and quickly boiled the fluid in a broken rock that was almost shaped like a bowl. He wouldn't take any chances of getting sick, not in an area he wasn't certain about. Gulping down everything once the water had cooled off, he let out a loud 'ah' as his shoulders relaxed, completely content. He had finally managed to get his body in working order, its demands satisfied for the time being. Stretching his shoulders backwards, he began his treck through the small forest, wanting to get to the other side as well as stay out of the sun. As much as he liked his fire element and was immune to fire itself, it didn't mean he couldn't get burned by the harmful rays of the sun. He followed along the shore, hoping to find a village or town along the way. It was the best chance he had and he wanted to find some ray of hope there was human life somewhere. He needed it to know the truth of what was happening.

'There!' Ace grinned brightly to himself as he spotted a small town in the distance, a port town with a couple of boats already docked. Picking up speed, he ran the rest of the way, not caring about anything else but getting the truth. His footsteps left imprints behind in the sand, either to be blown away or washed aside by the incoming tide. Ace had nothing else on his mind, he just needed to know. Was he all on his own or were there others on this island as well? Well, if it was an island that is. The village that began to appear as he got closer was much larger than he though, it was more of a town. The buildings were styled in the same way as the ones back home, made out of the usual construction materials: stones and bricks. And the best part? There were people, people walking around the town like everything was alright. Ace grinned and ran further, taking the first step into the town before sighing happily. He had finally found what he needed.

As he peered around, he took notice of a few eyes glancing towards him, probably because of how he was dressed, but ignored it for more important things. He needed to know how many days had passed since his death. That and if everything around him was really alive and breathing. Automatically, he bumped into the first person he met, trying to feel for the skin underneath. Of course, he didn't pay any attention to who exactly he'd bumped into. Ace grumbled under his breath when he realized that the person he had hit was none other than a pirate, one he didn't recognize, and sighed as he prepared himself for the complaints.

"Hey, you!" The pirate yelled out, his face twisting in rage as he peered down at the black-haired male. "Aren't you going to say sorry for what you've done?"

Ace wiggled his nose. "Yeah, sorry. Just needed to check something out."

Of course, the foolish other didn't listen and reached forward, grabbing onto Ace's right shoulder roughly, stepping closer with a sneer. "A sorry ain't going to cut it. Do you know who you're messing with?"

Fire fist Ace remained quiet, taking in the warmth of the human flesh against his shoulder, and grinned lightly to himself. So he was alive and so was the person before him. This left him with plenty of questions, like why? Why was he alive? He knew he should be dead considering his memories of his death. Regardless, Ace didn't care much. He was alive and that was all that really mattered. Now all he needed to find out was how many days had passed since his death. He really wanted to see Luffy, his old friends, everyone who cared about him and tell them he was back. He missed them all dearly.

"Hey, are you listening to me?!"

"Afraid not." Ace lighted up his flames, letting them burn around his frame before blasting the fire out towards the enemy pirate. Instantly, he set his opponent on fire and knowing that he had won, walked away. He automatically moved into one of the back alleys to hide from the crowd. He was still a wanted man after all and he didn't want to gain any attention so soon. Though, everyone thought he was six feet underground. Slipping into another street, he searched the crowd for a newspaper seller and managed to spot one at the very corner. The man was holding rolled up papers in one hand while calling out to everyone for attention. The pirate snuck up on the seller and snatched one of the newspapers from behind unnoticed, tucking it away under his arm. Immediately, he vanished once more into the darkness, wanting to gain some distance before reading.

His eyes went to the front cover curiously and froze abruptly upon spotting the date. 'Wait… that's not… possible.' Ace's hands shook as his fingers tightened around the paper, threatening to split it in multiple sections.

Two years, a little more than two years had passed since his death. "Shit…"

Well, its a start, not sure if I'll continue it. I'll leave up to you readers.

But I hoped you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!