AN: Aaaah here's a rather short and late update, but I've been so busy and my muse has sadly been silent xD But I hope this at least makes up for some it! I so happy that you guys are enjoying this story~

-four-

-Tidings-

He pulled at the hand around his throat, tried to call up the minute traces of magic that allowed the shift to take place, but it just – wasn't – working! It was like this guy's mere presence was a blockade to his magic… And as much as Ace tried, he couldn't get past it. He was – too weak!

Where was Luffy? He strained against the hold to see the ground where Luffy had fallen, kicking and clawing at the hand and arm, before the soldier shook him violently, and lifted the dragon up to face him.

Sakazuki's impossibly hot breath wafted over Ace's face, and his blank, dark eyes bore into the dragon's own. "… This is a rare occurrence. You're a dragon. I thought we had annihilated your kind centuries ago."

Ace's blood ran cold. How the hell could Sakazuki have known that? Just by looking at him? In his current form, Ace appeared human, save for the ears, teeth, and eyes. Those traits would give him away as a half-blood at least, but how – how the hell could he tell that Ace was a dragon?!

He pulled his lips back into a snarl, revealing his sharp teeth, and began to struggle even more. The Soldier didn't react at all and then – suddenly – Ace was slammed into the ground and a blinding yellow light took his vision.

It took a good few moments for the yellow spots to leave his sight, and Ace forced himself to focus. He felt sick, like a weight was pushing down on him, but he pushed through it. He saw Luffy unmoving, several feet away, and Ace felt his heart sink and his stomach recoil violently – and it only subsided when he saw the boy's arm twitch, and his head began to move.

Stay put, Ace begged. Please stay put. Don't draw any attention to us.

The boy raised his head and stared right at Ace with dazed eyes, and the dragon moved to get up, to try and get to him –

Another explosion, and the man with the yellow light and orange eye-glasses appeared between them. The elf's eyes met Aces. "I told you to go. So go."

Ace swallowed and pushed himself to his feet just as Borsalino was blown away, and once again a hand enclosed around the back of Ace's neck in a choking hold, hauling him up.

"Our orders were to wipe out Goa. No half-blood or beast was to escape alive. That means you and the other brat."

The hand was burning, so hot that it sank deep into Ace's own fiery core and he could do nothing but scream in agony. He was finally able to push through the blockade sealing his magic, and through the burning pain he felt his body shudder and ripple.

The red soldier didn't have time to brace himself before Ace wrenched from his grasp, and a large, taloned hand hit him with bone breaking force, slamming him into the ground. Shock briefly flashed across his face, as Ace – now in his dragon form – arched his neck, opened his maw, and sent a white tinged blue stream of fire roaring over his hand and the soldier pinned beneath it.

His scales protected him from the heat, but the same couldn't be said for Sakazuki. Ace kept it up for a minute, before he had to stop the stream, his breath running short.

He expected to see charred human beneath him. Unmoving, dead.

Instead Sakazuki glared up at him with those dark eyes, and cracks had appeared in his skin – glowing like molten rock, similar to the markings that decorated Ace's own hide, the markings that glowed and danced along with his inner fire. But that putrid stench – it had grown, wafting up and filling Ace's lungs with every inhale.

As those molten cracks spread across blackening skin, an arrogant smile spread across Sakazuki's face. "I expected more from a beast."

What happened next was a blur in Ace's memory. He remembered the searing heat that pierced through his hand and blasted into his chest. It hurt, more than anything the dragon had ever experienced before, almost like the sheer heat was melting his internal organs.

Ace howled and felt back, his wings beating, trying to keep him balanced, but he was delirious with the pain, his muscles weak and un-cooperative; the dragon fell back, his eyes clouded over and his vision fading rapidly.

He wasn't conscious for what happened next. The very ground trembled and cracked open, and there was a scream that could have been Luffy. Blinding flashes of light and heat, smoke filled the air and turned the sky black, and finally, after an unreadable amount of time, everything quieted.

When Ace opened his eyes, all he could see was pale smoke. There was rubble all around him, the charred skeletons of houses and trees. Only bleached destruction.

Weakly, he raised his head, the pain spiking through his body almost sending him back into oblivion. It was a struggle to breathe, and a harsh cough wracked his frame. Blood splattered across the ashen, cracked ground, the bright crimson against the bone white dirt a daunting sight that Ace chose to ignore.

He grit his teeth and stretched out his wings cautiously, and forced himself to his feet. More blood splattered across the ground, but again the dragon payed no attention to it. He Had no idea what happened, why everything was the way it was – he just knew one thing.

Luffy was no-where in sight. So Ace had to find him. To make sure that he was alive and ok.

The dragon began to stagger forwards, each step causing agony to spike through his nerves. His wings and tail hung low, dragging across the ground, and it was all he would do to keep his head high enough to see where he was going, even though his vision was constantly fading in and out of focus.

He walked aimlessly. He thought he was following Luffy's scent, but there was no guarantee. He may have walked for miles, before his legs finally gave out and he collapsed, landing on his destroyed chest. He didn't even have enough strength in him to whimper.

Before he faded out into what he was sure would be the last, final darkness, he heard the beating of wings… and saw a soft blue glow.

"Luffy. Tell me."

The half-blood blinked at Ace, that same dark look present in his eyes. They had all stopped walking, the demon woman remaining a few feet away, a curious expression on her face.

Ace's tail whipped behind him, the only sign of his agitation. He bit back the demands for Luffy to hurry up and speak, because the boy was clearly piecing together the words in his head.

Finally, after nearly a minute of intense staring at one another, Luffy spoke.

"When Akainu git you, I thought you died." He said, his voice strangely blank. The name Akainu rang a bell in Ace's head, and it took him a moment to realise that Luffy was talking about Sakazuki. The most powerful warlock in service to Mariejois.

'Akainu' was just how he was known as by the rest of the world. The Red Dog – one of what used to be three pf Mariejois' top soldiers, and now the only one remaining. Aokiji, the Blue Pheasant, and Kizaru, the yellow monkey – the other soldier that had attempted to stop Sakazuki - had turned their backs on the World Government and their ideals; back before the civil war first began and Mariejois took it upon themselves to annihilate anyone with the blood of a magical creature in their veins, all three of these 'Admirals' had been feared and revered.

But Aokiji bore the blood of the Fae, and Kizaru was a full-blooded High Elf. They would no longer follow the ideals of a kingdom that wished them to be exterminated.

But Akainu was human. Had been human. Back then, Ace hadn't known what that stench surrounding him meant, but now – having encountered it again and again over the past ten years, knew it marked demonic magic at work.

That was basically what started the civil war, Ace knew. Mariejois' turning on one another, and spreading throughout the land – one side fighting to exterminated, and the other fighting to save.

But that was all Ace cared to know. The war hadn't reached the Mountain King's territory, so he'd seen no need to seek any more information. But now that Luffy was here – and with what the demon woman had said… it had to be about the war.

Ace kept his focus on Luffy.

"Everything was destroyed." The boy swallowed. "I couldn't see what was going on and… Akainu tried to kill me, but Kizaru stopped him… mostly."

He rubbed at the scar on his chest. "I don't really know what happened next. I woke up and saw this wizard guy. Shanks." Finally, Luffy smiled again. "Shanks is amazing! He helped me get better and took me to Dadan, who was this really mean troll lady, but she was so cool! But then…"

Luffy wasn't smiling anymore. He'd moved his hand and was now gripping that ratty straw hat tightly. "We were attacked again. Mariejois. Dadan got hurt protecting me. We barely got away. And… I decided I didn't want to live like that anymore. Always on the run. I wanted to fight. So Shanks said he'd help me again, and gave me his hat for safe keeping! Told me to give it back to him when the world was free once again."

Luffy grinned, but the shadows in his eyes still remained. "Since then, I've been fighting against Mariejois in any way I can. I've made friends – lots and lots of friends, and they're gonna help me."

"If I may interject…" Robin stepped forward, drawing Ace's attention. "That is why we are here. We seek an alliance with the Mountain King."

The dragon's nostrils flared and he pressed his lips together, Luffy's words still echoing in his head. His little brother had survived that, and Ace hadn't been there to help him. Ace did not like that at all.

And seeking an alliance with Whitebeard? Ace couldn't speak for the Old Man, so he didn't know what to say to that. He nodded in understanding and turned to start walking again, all the while resisting the urge to stop and grab Luffy, and examine every part of his body to determine that he truly was alright.

"And I had no idea that I'd find you here!" Luffy bounced on the balls of his feet. "You'll join us, right?"

The dragon didn't answer straight away. His teeth clacked, the answer clear on the tip of his tongue – before he stopped himself, and actually thought.

"I can't answer that."

Ace hated how stricken he sounded, and hated himself even more when Luffy's face fell. The boy opened his mouth, presumably to protest, but Robin hastily cut in.

"Luffy, wait until we talk to the Mountain King." She had a gentle smile on her face, and had moved up to place a calming, comforting hand on the half-blood's shoulder. "He is a part of the King's court, to ask him of that without speaking to their king is a grave discourtesy."

The dragon actually felt rather thankful for the demon stepping in, and he went so far as to send her a grudgingly thankful look, tow which she gave a smile in return. Luffy pouted, clearly upset about that, but he turned back to Ace and muttered, "sorry."

"It's fine." The dragon murmured. Of course there was no doubt that Ace wanted to say yes to Luffy. The more he thought about it… the more he realised - he'd join him, even if Whitebeard had no wish to form an alliance. Because Ace would not let Luffy out of his sight now, no matter what.

The Old Man would understand. Ace was certain of that.

Then Luffy darted forwards, ahead of Ace. "Yosh! Then let's go ask him!"

Before he could disappear into the underbrush, Ace grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and growled, "Damn it Lu, stay behind me! You don't know the way."

The boy let out a strange gurgle and looked very dissatisfied, but as Ace started to walk again, Luffy fell into step behind him.

It was silent for nearly a minute before the half-blood broke it.

"You never said what happened to you." Luffy trotted beside him, voice intense. "How did you get here? What happened?"

"… I was saved." The dragon answered hesitantly. "A member of Whitebeard's Court found me on the outskirts of the eastern border of his territory. Apparently I'd just… collapsed there, barely alive. Since then I've been here."

He didn't say it out loud, but when Marco found him and healed him, Ace hadn't wanted to be healed. He would have preferred to have been left for dead – he had lost everything; his home, his light… what was the point anymore?

Of course, there was the possibility of revenge… but in the end, what was the point?

Slowly, things had changed. He discovered a new family amongst Whitebeard's Court, and he had been happy – even if he days went by where he felt like he wasn't really living; merely existing, taking up space. But now that Luffy was alive – and wanting him to join the rebellion – just… what?

What now?

AN: Marco will be in the next chapter! And hopefully Whitebeard… Tell me whatcha think of this chapter~