A/N: My One Piece Fanfiction debut!


It's the end of the world

The end of the world. Ace had often imagined what that would look like. Screams, cries, dead bodies, and flames, consuming everything, reducing everything to ashes.

He'd never been particularly afraid to die. He was even less afraid of the world ending. In his fantasies, the world had always ended after he'd accomplished his dreams, after he'd done all he wanted to do.

It'd never been anything like this.

Never had his friends, his nakama, the people he loved and cared about died in front of him like this.

Never because they were trying to save him.

Never because everything was all his fault in the first place.

He'd let his temper get the better of him, ignored all their protests, and went after Teach. Then he'd been foolish enough to challenge him, fight with him, without even the slightest hint of knowledge about Black beard's new and terrifying power. And, to top it all off, he'd lost. Lost, gotten himself sent to Impel down, and now was going to be executed.

I probably deserve it. He thought bitterly. I deserve to die…but not them.

Not his nakama. Not the people who'd befriended him in the past. Not them.

Him. And only him.

The end of the world.

Literally.

Whitebeard and all his crew had come to rescue him. And boy was the mighty Edward Newgate pissed.

Ace could tell, simply judging by his stance, his words, and the expression on his face. Not to mention the dangerous rumbling echoing around the Marine HQ.

It wasn't only the famed Whitebeard and his crew that were here. There were many others; friends and allies.

And Oars. Lying silently in front of him, so close, and yet so far. The giant, mangled body with a conical hat who'd given up his life, his dreams, in a desperate attempt to spare Ace from his fate.

Ace honestly didn't know why he bothered. After all, all he'd done for Oars was make him a hat. No big feat to him. But he knew how much it'd meant to Oars.

So many pirates were gathered here. So many allies, so many friends.

And Garp. The crazy old man that Ace could never figure out.

I have no pity for villains, but family is different. What am I supposed to do!!? Ace, why didn't you live like I told you to!?

He'd seen the tears in the old man's eyes. Heard the emotion choking up his voice. And for once in his life, Ace didn't have a snappy reply to throw back at him. Because he saw how much it hurt, and he finally understood the motives behind the old man's ceaseless training and speeches about "fine Marines!" He'd only been trying to help, in the only way he saw how.

The end of the world.

The moment when everything came crashing down on you.

Little did Ace know how literal that last thought was going to become.

Because the only person he prayed he'd never see in this hellhole was coming. The only person who could be so stupid, eat so much, talk so much, annoy him so much…mean so much to him.

His adorable baby brother.

Coming to save him.

Falling with a whole shipload of people from the sky.

Going to land on top of him.

"AAAAAAAA! Oh, I'm made of rubber so I'll be fine."

The voices echoed round and round in the stunned silence below.

There was only one explanation.

And somewhere deep in the subconscious of Ace's stunned mind a little ray of hope shone a bit brighter. The little ray of sunlight which seemed to follow Luffy everywhere.

Maybe it wasn't quite the end of the world just yet.


A/N: Did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think!