One Piece:
What Might Have Been

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, and Lucky © Me

(A/N: This is based off an official picture that Oda himself had drawn: a depiction of what might've happened had Sabo appeared to rescue Luffy and Ace from Akainu in Marineford.

Enjoy!)

Gunfire, the roaring of flames, swords clanging and the sounds of shouts and cries filling the air. On one side, the Marines, the self-proclaimed warriors of justice. On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies, who fought fiercely in order to rescue one of their own...a rescue that had proven successful.

"Come on, Luffy! This way!"

"I'm coming! Haa...haa...haa!"

Two brothers raced across the battlefield, determined to escape this hell on earth with their lives. Not too far behind them, a canine with white fur, stained with blood and his back pierced with several arrows, panted as he followed after the pair, running as fast as his legs could carry him, and behind them, the Whitebeards remained, determined to keep the enemy at bay.

Thanks to their efforts, Portgas D. Ace had been freed of his execution...by his younger adopted brother, Monkey D. Luffy. It was a grueling, bitter battle that Luffy and his faithful wolf-dog, White Wolf Blizzard, had fought, both enduring pain and injuries that they had never experienced before. It was only because of Emporio Ivankov's hormones that they were able to push themselves further. Had it not been for him, as well as the help of Jimbei, and even the unlikely, yet timely appearance of Mr. 3 of the former Baroque Works syndicate, Luffy would not have been able to unlock the seastone cuffs that nullified Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit powers. Now that he was free...Edward Newgate, AKA, Whitebeard, and his dog, Stefen, remained behind to ensure that his crew...or rather, his family, got away safely.

Ace, owing the man he called his father so much, only stopped to give him his gratitude before he continued to run. However...it was not to last.

"What a coward Whitebeard has become..." said Marine Admiral Sakazuki...AKA, Akainu, who glowered at the fleeing pirates. "Now that Fire Fist is free, the first thing he does is turn and run like a dog with his tail between his legs. How pathetic is that?"

Ace braked to a halt before he turned and glared at the Admiral.

"...What the fuck did you say?" he asked. "You take that back, right now!"

"Ace, no!" Luffy cried.

'Idiot!' Blizzard thought. 'Can't you see he's goading you?!'

"And why should I take it back?" Akainu queried. "It's the truth and you know it. Whitebeard is nothing but a loser from a bygone era. Always has been, and always will be."

Ace growled, igniting his fist into flames.

"Shut up!" he barked.

"Ace, don't listen to him!" Luffy begged, but once again, his pleas fell on deaf ears as his older brother charged at the magma man.

"No, Ace!" shouted Izou. "Don't you see?! That's just what he wants! Come back!"

"You have no idea of Pops' greatness!" Ace shouted. "He gave me and my crew a means to live again!"

"Hmph!" Akainu scoffed. "As if I care...human trash like you pirates don't deserve happiness of any kind! Whitebeard and his dog will both die as losers! Isn't that what you call a failed life, Fire Fist?!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ace roared. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! WHITEBEARD IS THE GREATEST PIRATE THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! WE HAVE CREATED THIS GREAT PIRATE AGE, TOGETHER!"

'I'm not gonna stand here and let you drag the name of the man who saved my life through the mud!' he thought.

"THE NAME OF THIS ERA," Ace started, "IS WHITEBEAAAAAAAAARD!"

Soon, he and Akainu both clashed fists, the result creating a massive explosion. However, to everyone's shock, Ace was sent flying back, screaming in pain as he held his arm, which seemed to give off a red, inflamed color.

"No way...!" whispered one of the Whitebeard Pirates in disbelief.

"Ace...he was burned!" cried another.

"You cocky idiot," said Akainu. "You may be fire, but the power of Mag-Mag Fruit burns everything, even your flames!"

"Ace!" Luffy cried as he tried to run to his older brother's aid, but alas, he fell to his knees, as did Blizzard, both feeling incredibly weak, for some reason. "H-hey...what's going on...?"

'Crap!' thought Blizzard, his paws shaking and his breath coming out in labored pants. 'Ivankov's hormones have worn off!'

"Luffy! Blizzard!" Jimbei cried as he ran to their aid. "You both have reached your limits! Pull back, now!"

Before they could, however, Luffy gasped when he saw something that he had accidentally dropped on the ground: Ace's Vivre Card.

"Oh, no...!" Luffy whispered as he tried to get it, but it kept inching away from him, heading towards its original owner. "Come on...hold still!"

'Luffy, forget the damn paper!' Blizzard thought as he grabbed the back of his master's yellow vest and tugged. 'We gotta get outta here, now!'

However, Luffy only responded by pushing him away before he attempted to grab the card again...unknowingly crawling closer and closer toward Ace and Akainu, the latter glowering down on the former with his arms bubbling magma.

"Gold Roger, the Pirate King, and Dragon, the Revolutionary," the Admiral spoke. "Their sons met and became sworn brothers! How horrid! By carrying the blood of those devils within your veins, just being born is a big enough crime by itself! I won't let either of you two escape from this place, alive! You 'brothers' will never make it passed me..." He then turned his gaze upon much smaller prey. "Just watch this..."

On that, he lunged forward, causing Ace to gasp.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted. "What are you-" Before he could finish, he gasped upon realizing just who the Admiral was lunging for, before he immediately jumped to his feet. "NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

'Oh, my god, I can't look!' Blizzard thought as he covered his eyes.

"LUFFY!" Ace called out, causing his younger brother to look up, only to gasp in horror as he saw a huge fist of magma coming right towards him. All time stopped, and Luffy's face went pale. He then screwed his eyes shut and flinched, awaiting the burning hands of death, while Ace reached his hand out to grab his little brother...but then...

"NOT TODAY!"

In the blink of an eye, Ace gagged as he felt an arm around his stomach, while Luffy gasped as another hand reached out and yanked him up to his feet by the back of his vest, whilst Akainu ended up hitting the ground behind them. The brothers gaped in shock before they glanced at their savior: a young, blonde-haired man with a scarred and possible blinded left eye, wearing a blue suit with light-colored pants, a pair of black boots, a black jacket, and he had a lead pipe strapped to his back, like some sort of bo staff. However...what caught their eye most of all...was the top hat upon his head that were adorned with a pair of goggles.

"I made it, just in time...!" the man whispered, while Ace and Luffy both gaped.

"...It can't be...!" Ace whispered.

"...But...you're dead...aren't you?!" Luffy questioned.

The man only smirked at Luffy as he kept running.

"I thought that myself, many years ago," he quipped.

'Wait, who the hell is that guy?!' Blizzard thought as he ran after them. 'What's going on here?!'

"Confused, are you?"

The wolf-dog gasped as he saw another dog beside him. He had the long, golden fur of a Golden Retriever, save for his white underbelly, but he had one blue and one brown eye, and his body seemed almost...Husky-like.

"Who the hell are you?!" Blizzard questioned.

"The name's Lucky, but don't worry about it, for now!" Lucky answered. "Let's focus on getting you guys outta here!"

The Marines gasped in utter horror upon the entrance of the mysterious stranger, and even the Whitebeard Pirates seemed stunned.

"I don't freakin' believe it," Marco muttered. "What the hell are THEY doing here?!"

"We're saving your lives, of course."

The pirates turned to see a young a woman with light orange hair, wearing a red newsboy cap with a pair of goggles, a pink shirt with a frilly collar, a maroon short skirt, and a pair of black stockings with brown high-heel boots.

"Now come on!" she ordered. "Your captain is risking his life to make sure you guys get outta here alive! Don't let it be in vain!"

A pause...but then the pirates nodded before they began to follow her away.

"Hey, Ivankov!" she called out. "Think you can help us out, here?!"

"Of course, Koala, my dear~!" exclaimed Ivankov with his enlarged head, which he began move at a rather high speed. "Ganmen Spectrum!" He then opened his eye really wide. "Now...GALAXY WINK!"

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAAAAAAAAAAAAM! The resulting winks ended up destroying the gigantic walls that the Marine had set up around the plaza.

"Quickly now!" Koala called. "There's your escape route! Hurry up!"

As the pirates ran...Whitebeard and Stefan remained behind, the former giving a broad grin as he fought off any Marines that got in his way.

"Never thought that I'd ever get aid from somebody like Dragon," the old pirate quipped. "The times really are changing, aren't they? Gurararara!"

Akainu, meanwhile, growled in irritation as he watched the D. Brothers flee with their strange rescuer.

"Damn you!" he shouted. "Didn't you hear what I just said?! I won't let you escape from here, alive!" He then pointed his arms toward the sky. "I'll show you...what true hell looks like! Meteor-"

"Not so fast, Akainu!"

Before the Admiral could even react, he gasped as he was suddenly drenched by a gigantic splash of water. He groaned weakly, feeling the effects of the sea water beginning to sap his strength before he glanced over to Jimbei...and standing next to him was another Fishman: a Japanese Soldierfish Fishman, to be exact, with light yellow skin, light blue hair, and a mustache, and wearing a white gi with a black belt, showing his current status as a master of Fishman Karate. Jimbei grinned at his fellow Fishman, who smirked back at him.

"It's quite good to fight alongside you again...Hack," Jimbei mused.

"I should say the same to you," Hack nodded.

"Hack!" the blonde man. "Come on! We gotta go!"

"Come Jimbei! Hurry and follow me!" called Hack. "We must escape from here, alive!"

On that, the pirates continued to flee...some being more eager than others.

"HEY!" shouted Captain Buggy, using his Chop-Chop Fruit powers to fly. "WAIT FOR ME! I'M NOT STAYING IN THIS DEATH TRAP!"

"WAIT!" cried Galdino, otherwise known as Mr. 3, who carried Buggy's feet. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE, EITHER!"

"WAIT FOR US, CAPTAIN BUGGY!" cried Buggy's rather narrow-minded followers from Impel Down.

Soon, the fleeing pirates gathered up onto their respective ships...although the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates main flagship, remained destroyed. Thus, they were forced to get onto their paddle ships and quickly sailed away from the island. Some of the pirates even stole some Marine battleships in the bay. As for Ace, Luffy, and Blizzard, they had been taken aboard their still unknown savior's ship: a large battleship with a fierce dragon for a figurehead.

As they sailed away, Ace could only stand at the aft...and watch as Marineford trembled with many explosions, followed by a loud "GURARARARARARA!". He could only sigh before he looked away, feeling his heart sink.

"...Goodbye, Pops...and thank you," he whispered. "You, too, Stefan."

Luffy approached his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder, while Blizzard went up and gently nudged the older D. Carrier on the knee with his nose, causing him to smile solemnly before he ruffled both their heads.

"Thanks, you guys," Ace said, causing Luffy to grin.

"So...now that we have a moment..."

The two brothers looked up...to see the very man who pulled them away from Death's door, staring at the both of them with a smile on his face...yet sadness in his eyes, while Koala, Hack, and Lucky stood behind him.

"...I guess...proper introductions are in order?" the man inquired.

"...Is it...really you?" Luffy asked.

"...Yeah, it's me," he answered before he grinned. "It's been a while...Ace...Luffy."

A pause...but then Ace quietly approached the blonde...and slugged him right across the face, to everyone's shock.

"Ace!" Luffy cried. "Are you crazy?!"

"Shut up!" Ace barked.

"But...but Ace, that's-" Luffy started.

"It's okay, Luffy!" the stranger reassured, getting to his feet and wiping off the blood from his lip. "It's okay...you know how Ace can be...I think he needed this." He then looked at Ace before he grinned. "I see you haven't changed, at all."

A beat passes...before Ace grinned back at him.

"...Neither have you...Sabo."

Luffy smiled, as did Blizzard, who also wagged his tail happily, while Koala heaved an exasperated sigh, but smiled as well, nonetheless, while Hack chuckled. Then, without warning...Ace pulled Sabo into a hug, to the latter's surprise.

"Ace...?" Sabo repeated...only for his ears to be met with sniffling.

"...Dammit, man...!" Ace cursed...tears falling from his closed eyes and snot dripping from his nose. "Don't you know how badly you messed up?! What the hell were you thinking?!" He then choked back a sob. "...10 years...a whole damn decade...we thought you were dead, you idiot!"

Sabo gasped silently...before he sighed and returned his brother's embrace.

"...Yeah..." he whispered...tears of his own beginning to form. "I guess I did mess up, huh...?" He then began to chew his lip and sniffled. "God, I'm sorry, Ace!" He then looked up at Luffy...who, by now, was pretty much in tears, as well. "I'm sorry, Lu!"

"It's okay...!" Luffy whimpered.

"Why are you crying, you little moron?!" asked Ace, though his tears will still falling at full force. "G-get in here! Just get over here, you little...jeez!"

Not taking a moment's hesitation, Luffy soon joined in the group hug, all three brothers bawling, while Koala, Hack, Lucky, Blizzard, and Jimbei all smiled...some of them even getting teary-eyed, themselves.

"Here you are," Jimbei said, handing Koala a handkerchief, which she gratefully took and wiped her eyes with.

"Thanks, Uncle Jimbei," Koala whispered.

"...I can't believe you're alive," Ace said as he looked Sabo right in the eye. "What happened to you?"

"...It's a bit of a long story," Sabo answered.

"We got time," Luffy said, wiping his tears away.

"Well...I guess it all started after that incident," Sabo explained. "You see, I woke up and I remember feeling almost nothing...I...I actually did believe I was dead, for a while..."

As Sabo regaled his brothers with the events that happened after his supposed death, Blizzard, Jimbei, Koala, Hack, and Lucky glanced at each other before they all turned to leave, giving them their privacy.

XXX

"Sabo...?"

Sabo gasped silently before he turned and saw Koala approach him...the wind blowing gently in the night and the moon and the stars shining brightly in the sky as the two stood on the aft.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Koala.

"Hey, Koala," Sabo greeted as he looked up at the sky. "Sorry, I guess I was just...thinking to myself." He then glanced down at the water.

"...Were you thinking about...that?" Koala inquired, causing the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff to sigh before he nodded his head.

"...I know I can't change the past," he whispered, "but I can't help but wonder what it would have been like...if I had been there...if I had been able to save Ace and Luffy."

"Well," Koala began, "maybe...but I know this much." She gently placed her hand on Sabo's shoulder. "You still have one brother...and even a little sister...and both of them are happy you're still alive."

"...I know that," Sabo replied before he smiled up at the sky, "and...though there are some things I regret...I'm grateful that I still have them."

Koala smiled as she leaned against his shoulder, causing him to chuckle before he kissed her on the lips. Then, they returned to gazing at the stars.

XXX

On the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates were beginning to head to bed for the night...but there was still someone who was wide awake. Luffy sat upon the figurehead, staring up at the stars while little Aika snoozed in his lap.

"Luffy?"

Luffy turned to see Nami, who was already in her bed clothes.

"It's time for bed, you know," the navigator said.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Luffy replied before he took Aika into his arms and stood up, preparing to take her to her room to sleep...but he paused before he glanced back up at the sky, blinking up at them for a moment before he smiled.

"Maybe...it's better this way," he whispered as he took his younger half-sister to her room. As he did, though...the stars glinted gently in the sky...almost as if somebody was smiling at Luffy.

THE END

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