Chapter 2: The Dead Return
This was probably the most disorienting thing he'd ever experienced. It was no longer well past midnight and he was no longer in his office. In fact, it was in the morning shortly after most people had just woken up. That wasn't true of him; he could remember very clearly what he'd been doing this day.
He was just returning from a mission, the ship he commanded sailing back into port. All that he'd done had been successful, as always, but at the time he couldn't fathom why he'd been recalled so early. Usually he'd been allowed to take his time coming back, but this time had been different.
Now, however, he could remember. He had knowledge from the future and he could only frown as the three other ships sailed out to meet his, a welcome he had neither expected the first time around nor bothered to deny. The glare he sent towards these ship now, though, these ships who were here to prevent him from running off to Marineford…
"Turn this ship around!" He commanded, all the large amounts of authority he possessed lacing his tone.
At the sudden random request, all crew on deck turned their attention to the man in charge. They'd been recalled from the mission, so what was he doing? The second in command of the vessel, a well built woman with long blood red hair that was pulled into a ponytail but still swayed around her hips, approached him as quickly as possible. "What are you doing?" she, by the name of Bekhet Sevilla, asked suspiciously.
Turning his eyes on her, he met her gaze with a steady simmering one of his own. "Turning us around. We have somewhere we need to be and it's not this island." The last thing he would tolerate right now was her going against him.
Sevilla eyed the man. Some kind of a change had happened and she wasn't sure what to make of it. Just five minutes ago he'd been cheerful as always but now… now he was serious and determined about something she could only guess at. Good thing she was a good guesser. "How did you find out?"
If anything, her words just made his eyes narrow on her. This woman he was constantly partnered with and was good friends with had known, and still she'd said nothing. "That's not important." He wasn't about to tell her he'd made a deal to taunt the universe in order to save a pirate. "Just get this thing going."
"Okay, I know this sounds terrible, but we really need to get back." Sevilla did not flinch under the hardening glare of her superior. "I have been given command of this vessel should something like this happen," she threatened, standing tall and authoritative. No, she wasn't about to let him go running off to his exposure to the government and probable death.
"Tik tok, you're running out of time."
Both of them whirled around to look at this new voice, one that was now ingrained in the man's head. There sat the Timekeeper on the rail of the ship, not twenty feet from them. He was lounging and his eyes were fixed out on the ships rapidly closing in.
"And just who the hell are you?" Sevilla hissed, her hand reaching for one of the many weapons that were concealed on her.
Her superior held a hand out in front of her, his eyes fixed on the Timekeeper. "What do you mean?" He didn't like the sound of 'running out of time', though he could make several guesses as to what it meant.
Eyes flickering to lock with the man's, Timekeeper motioned out toward the approaching ships. "The second they're within range of you, your opening is gone and Portgas D. Ace's death will be certain. You cannot try this again. You must go now."
Without warning, the man whipped around, both his hands landing on Sevilla's shoulders. "Please don't stop me. I have to go." Pleading wasn't something he was keen on doing, but trying to threaten or bully her would never work. This woman was a rock.
A sigh escaped her. This man… she was far too close to him to ignore that desperate tone that had seized his voice. "All hands! Turn this ship around and sail for Marineford!" She called loudly, making the crew that was by this point openly staring jolt into action. She rubbed her face tiredly as she turned back to her friend. "You better not make me regret this."
Relief flooded through him. "I won't," he assured, looking very much a like a great weight had been taken off his shoulders though it wasn't even half the burden he was carrying. His hands dropped from her and he moved over to the Timekeeper. "Are you sure this will work?"
"It will so long as we make it in time," he replied, still observing the ships. The vessels had quickly realized what was going on and were now aiming to block them. Hopefully since they were in the same fleet they wouldn't have to worry about being sunk.
The man followed his gaze out to the people trying to stop him. At the moment he held little sympathy for their plight should they fail and have to explain it to the guy in charge and, in all honestly, he would probably never have sympathy for them. This was far too important.
"We just need to outrun them," he said, his voice hard as he turned on his heel and made to help with the escape. 'Hold on, Ace,' he thought as he took the wheel and turned it hard. 'I'm coming.'
For a second, all Luffy realized was that he felt dizzy. His eyes barely registered the color change of his surroundings, going from the darkness of the forest shore on Amazon Lily to the dull grey that was Marineford. Chaos rang in his ears and he could hear shouting, the sounds of war slowly drawing him from his surprised stupor.
It was then that he realized he was running, running full out across the plaza of the headquarters. His body was moving of its own accord but when he realized it and finally got centered into his own head, he stumbled and nearly tripped on his own feet.
"Luffy!" A hand shot out to right him and keep him in motion, and his eyes darted to the side to see none other than Ace. He was alive. Emotions of relief so strong they nearly made him cry overwhelmed him as he looked at the fire wielder. "Hold on, we're almost out of here."
Luffy nodded weakly, forcing his legs to keep moving. Tears had sprung to his eyes, but they didn't fall as he grit his teeth and focused. It had worked; he was back in the past and his big brother was safe. Now all he needed to do was make sure that… the horrific image of Ace with a molten fist through his stomach shot through Luffy's mind and he shook his head vigorously. No. There was no way he was letting that happen a second time.
"Ace, Luffy, get in front of me!"
Both brothers glanced over their shoulders. "Jimbei!"
The fishman had come up behind them and his wide body was blocking both of them from whatever lay behind them. "They want to get you two! But what the old man wants is as many survivors as possible!" His gaze turned to look behind him, water welling up at the corner of his eyes.
"We've stolen a marine ship! Get on board quick!" Came the shout from in front of them, a man with scruffy brown hair that looked very much like shag carpet yelling from the deck of a blue striped vessel. In response, a cry of relief mixed with what sounded like a war cry sprung up from the massive surge of pirates running out of the plaza.
Screams erupted from behind them and Ace's eyes squeezed shut in pain, something Luffy saw as he glanced to his brother. He knew what was to happen next and he wanted with all his heart to stop it. But he was at a loss for what to do. Hadn't that man told him he couldn't do anything? Not that being told that had ever stopped him in the past.
That didn't mean he thought he could actually do it. If he knew anything, it was his big brother's nature. And Ace would certainly never back down from this fight, no matter what Luffy said.
"You two, just keep going until you get to the ship!" Jimbei ordered, sensing Ace's weakening resolve.
"As soon as you rescue 'Fire Fist' Ace, you run!" The voice that Luffy would never forget rang out as Admiral Akainu taunted them. "The Whitebeards must be a group of cowards!"
There was resounding reply from every pirate within earshot. "What?!"
"He's trying to stir you up obviously!" One of the more experienced men said, in an attempt to stop his brothers from doing anything stupid. "If you stop, you're playing into his hands!"
"Well, your captain is that guy, so you can't help it, can you?" Akainu mocked smugly, removing his hat, fixing his hair, and placing it back on his head in a carefree manner. "Because after all, Whitebeard is just a…" he paused, a smirk coming to his malicious lips. "…loser from the old times!"
Ace froze in his tracks, his eyes screaming murder, but Luffy was ready for it. His hand wrapped around the man's upper arm and he tried to yank him forward. "Come on, Ace!" he attempted. needing to get him out of there.
Ace didn't budge and for several long moments all he did was catch his breath, sucking in large pants of air. "A loser?" he asked finally, his voice low. A puff of fire engulfed each of his tightly clenched fists before he turned around, wrenching his arm from his brother's grasp. "Take back what you said!"
"Hey, don't, Ace! Don't stop!" One of the pirate yelled nervously.
"Just let him say whatever he wants," a man right behind Ace agreed, moving forward to take his arm and hold him back.
The murder written all across Ace's face, however, said that he clearly wouldn't let this punk ass admiral say whatever he wanted about Whitebeard. Without even hesitating, he flung the man who had grabbed him back, his elbow catching in the guy's stomach and winding him.
"He mocked Pops!" Ace growled, fire lighting his shoulders and arms.
"Ace!" Luffy practically shrieked. "Stop! Don't do it!" He rushed forward and tried to grab hold of the precious man, trying with all his might to keep him from the fight. He was met with much the same fate as the other one who tried to stop Ace and was forced to stumble back.
"Get back, Luffy!" Ace commanded, sending his brother a quick look that demanded no further interruptions. This was something he had to do and he couldn't let anyone, not even precious Luffy, get in the way.
"Did you say 'take it back'?" Akainu questioned, his head tilted to the side as he looked through slanted eyes at the second division commander. A smirk came to his lips as he straightened his neck. "Not in a millions years! I'll tell you why. Your father Gold Roger conquered the Grand Line and opened the door to the new era called the Great Pirate Era by sacrificing himself. As a marine admiral, it's not my place to say so, but he was true to his name ad King of the Pirates! In contrast," the smirk disappeared, "what has Whitebeard done?"
Ace's teeth ground together, fire flaring up in patches across his exposed skin, burning brighter the more Akainu spoke.
"I wonder if he really had the intention to fight. I assume that he established a large family and was satisfied being a big fish in a small pond. There are some fools in the world who'd say that his name is keeping peace on various islands, but if you ask me, he's just keeping lightweights in fear of him, and he think that he's a hero, which makes me laugh! When Roger was alive, Whitebeard had second billing, and even after his death he couldn't become a King. That means he'll never surpass Roger, and he'll be a loser forever! That's who Whitebeard is, and that's the truth."
Flames now firmly burning on his skin, Ace began to walk forward.
"He's a poor man when you think about it," Akainu continued, showing no outward sign that approaching pirate made any difference. "He's gathered some punks who call him 'Pops' and roamed around the sea with his fake family."
"Stop it." There was no pause between Akainu's words and Ace's low command.
Luffy attempted to rush forward but Jimbei caught hold of his shoulder, forcing him to stay put. Desperate, the boy turned his pleading eyes on the fishman. "Please, I gotta save Ace." Jimbei just shook his head, and Luffy could feel the older man's tension through the hand holding him.
"And although he reigned the sea for years, he couldn't become a King and gained nothing, and at the end, he was stabbed by a fool, one of his sons who fell for my line… And he will die to protect that son. Don't you think that his life is so empty?"
"Stop it!" The fire flared around Ace as the control over his temper diminished.
"Don't do it, Ace! Come back!" Izou pleaded, though clearly none of the pirates including him were willing to take even one step closer to the monster that was Akainu. They were only human, after all. What could they do against the raw power of magma?
"Ace!" Another man piped up in agreement.
"Pops gave us a place to live! You can't understand his greatness!" Ace shouted angrily, done with hearing the shit being spouted at him.
"People don't deserve to live if they can't live justly!" Akainu rebutted, red oozing from his arm as the appendage was taken over by the magma. "Punks like you don't deserve a place to live!"
"STOP IT!"
"WHITEBEARD WILL DIE A LOSER! IT'S FITTING FOR A BIG FISH IN A LITTLE BARREL!"
"WHITEBEARD IS A GREAT PIRATE WHO SHAPED THIS ERA! DON'T MAKE FUN OF THE MAN WHO SAVED ME!" The flames burned brighter, completely taking over Ace's body.
An eerie glow was cast upon all who stood near enough, and Luffy could only watch on in horror as Jimbei restrained him with both hands. "ACE, STOP!" Luffy shouted desperately, trying even though he couldn't get closer to stop his brother.
"Don't do it, Ace!" His comrades yelled fearfully.
But no, Ace ignored every last one of them, his flaming fist drawing back as he aimed to punch the admiral. "THE NAME OF THIS ERA SHOULD BE 'WHITEBEARD'!"
The ground cracked red around Akainu as he did the same, lurching forward to connect his fist with the younger man's. An explosion of light and fire surrounded the two as Ace poured all he could into his attack, a savage angry cry ripping from his throat.
"Both Whitebeard and you guys who call him Pops are the same after all- losers!" Magma dripped down Akainu's face and he shoved his all into his own attack, a clashing burst of fire and ominous red smoke obscuring the two from view.
A cry of pain that wrenched at Luffy's heart was heard and Ace was flung from the cloud of their attacks, hurtling through the air before his head slammed on the ground and he flipped from the momentum, landing in an unmoving heap on his stomach.
"Ace has been burned!" Izou cried in disbelief, watching in shock as Ace shifted, trying to use his pained arms to prop himself up.
"Are you careless because you ate a Logia type fruit, which is the most powerful of all?" Akainu scoffed, red still oozing down his features. "You're just fire, but my magma can burn even fire! My power is far stronger than yours."
"ACE!" Finally managing to wrench himself from Jimbei's grasp, the likes of which had loosened from his shock and horror, Luffy made to run forward but fell to his knees, unable to take another step. 'No! I didn't get to do anything! Move, dammit!' he screamed internally, trying his hardest to force his muscles to move.
"Hey, Luffy, you should not fight anymore!" Jimbei called, turning his attention from the older brother to the younger.
Luffy fell forward, his hands planting on the ground in front of him, tears of frustration coming to his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. 'No! Ace is going to die again and I can't do anything! Why can't I move?! I need to go!' His gaze caught on the white paper that had floated to the stone in front of him. "Ace's Vivre Card!" His hand reached shakily for it, only for his eyes to widen as the wind pushed it out of his reaching grasp.
"Gold Roger the King of the Pirates, Dragon the revolutionary," Akainu in distaste. "I was amazed to hear that sons of those two are stepbrothers. You two have bad blood in your veins. I don't care if the others get away so long as I get you two!" He glared down at Ace, daring the man to look away. "Watch what I do."
Ace's eyes widened in horror, Akainu jumping right past him towards Luffy, fist raised for the kill. "LUFFY!" Body moving of its own accord, Ace lurched to his feet and planted himself directly between the attack and his precious little brother.
Something knocked into him hard, throwing him from his feet to land painfully on the ground a good meter away. His eyes, already squeezed shut as he'd prepared for the worst pain of his life, were forced to remain that way as a blinding light took over.
He'd been knocked out of the way.
Shit.
Luffy.
Whatever, or rather whoever, had stopped him from rescuing his brother was still on top of him, lithe body trapping him on the ground. Ace's eyes snapped open just as his fists came to life, aiming to destroy whoever had stopped him, only to freeze dead in his tracks.
There, panting like he'd just ran a marathon and framed in the background by the familiar brilliant blue flames of Marco, was the face that had haunted Ace's dreams for the past ten years. That blond haired, gap toothed, top hat wearing boy who had been killed when they were kids… was hovering over him, gasping for breath.
Sabo.
Sabo.
Sucking in a final gasping breath, the blond tilted his head up to look into the wide dark eyes of his best friend and brother. "Ace," was all he managed to get out, but the relief present in his voice spoke far more than he ever could in that moment.
It was more than Ace managed, his mind nearly shutting down from the shock of it. "S-Sabo..?"
