The picture sat on the wooden floors, innocently staring up at Ace like the picture wasn't killing him on the inside. Like his world was not crashing down around him. Like his world was not ending. He was not being melodramatic. The world was in fact ending.

For a long moment, his mind went completely blank. For a moment time seemed to freeze around him, nothing else existed but him and the photo in his hand. Not his thousands of siblings and father, not the ocean, or comforting walls of the Moby Dick. He stood frozen, his eyes scanning and re-reading, and looking over the note.

His brother, Ace's mind whispered, his little brother.

The one who would follow him around for hours just happy to be with him. The one who would come to him crying in the middle of the night, even if they had been fighting all day before, at any type of nightmare he faced. The same little boy that would always tell him how much he loved his aniki. Ace small ototo.

For a moment, he could feel his younger brother's hand in his, his voice chattering in his ear always calling out "Ace-nii! Ace-nii! Look what I found!"

His most beloved person, his baby brother, the brother that looked up to him, needed him, the tiny boy that he raised- because let's face it Garp and Dadan kind of left them alone way too much to be any sort of guide or guardian. The little brother that had started to cry when he had brought up that if they were in different crews they would be enemies. The little brother that had sworn up and down he would never, ever, in the history or ever fight him to the death. His little brother who was his only true family. With his stupidly big eyes, and hands that were so much smaller than his own but held on to his own hand so very tightly. His little brother, his son, his best friend, his most precious person ever.

His sunshine! The one person that had looked at him, had known all of him, and was glad- rejoiced- that he was alive. Luffy was his. His to protect and love, his most important treasure.

He loved whitebeard- the crew- Marco. But he couldn't, Luffy had meant to much to him for so long, not even his nakama or his lover could compare. He had his responsibilities from before the crew, to a round eyed little boy that could light up a room.

With these thoughts in mind Ace whipped away his tears and grabbed his curved knife- a gift from Garp for his thirteenth birthday lightly coated in seastone he had later found out. A gift Garp had probably never intended to be used this way, to make him a traitor. Even Garp would be ashamed of him, he knew. Luffy… Luffy would probably scream, call him a monster, a nakama killer? His brother? No Luffy would hate him after this, Ace knew. For nearly an hour he watched his reflection in the shinning metal before straightening his back.

He had found love and acceptance; he had found a father in Whitebeard and a lover in Marco. Marco who had accepted his faults and had kissed every scar and freckle, who would sit tell him that he was wanted and his mother's death was not wasted. Marco who was so wonderful to him, who would give him everything! Thatch who had just wanted to be friends and oved his family, love him. Izo, Haruta, Jozu, Namur… they trusted him, loved him, and called him brother. He loved Marco. He loved the family he had found. He loved the acceptance. But…

His mind flashed to a large smile that was under wide brown eyes that watched on calling out a farewell, because it was not goodbye, it was a see you again.

Luffy needed him more. Marco was one of many of Whitebeard's sons, not the first that would be killed and not the last. Luffy was someone that needed him, had always relied on him, had followed close behind, and hid behind him when scared. Luffy needed him. Marco… Marco would have to die. He had promised Luffy, swore he would always be his brother, always protect him. If protecting Luffy meant killing his love, ripping his heart out in the process, and in the end killing himself (Whitebeard would demand retribution for a Nakama killer) but it would be worth it as long as he was safe.

He WOULD betray the whitebeard pirates; he Would get his brother back. No one touched Luffy.

"Ace?" Thatches voice called through the door. "You okay?"

Swiftly he picked up the picture and stuffed it into his bad along with the letter- for now that would have to do. Securing the knife back onto his belt and relaxed his shoulders and smiled. He had been acting all his life, now to see if he could fool his family.

"Yeah," Ace said, coughing to hide the crack in his voice, opening the door to smile dazzlingly at his friends- the people he would betray. "Sorry about that, word from home and all that." He waved off, making his way down the hall.

"You had us worried there!" Thatch laughed wrapping his arm around the youngers shoulder.

"Zehahaha, worried about our youngest Commander Thatch?" A large man with missing teeth and curly black hair laughed, closing the door to the second divisions rooms and walking closely behind them.

"It's hard not to worry with this knucklehead as a younger brother, Teach!"

Smiling at their antics Ace ducked under the arm and ran ahead. "Come on, dinner should be ready soon and I still have chores."

Unnoticed by Thatch and Ace, Teach smiled rather cruelly at the back of the youngest man his eyes gleaming with madness.