"Ace, it's heavy."
"…what?"
The smaller boy clutched his knees tightly.
"I've been thinking about it a lot. What it must be like to be a Captain." He shifted in the grass and eyed the horizon in a sort of hazy way that caught his brother's attention.
"What's that got to do with anything?" The older boy said with some disdain, but his brow was low and his face held concern.
"It seems like it will all be so heavy- the weight of your crew's lives, their belief in you, everything. The things you have to do, even if you don't want to."
Ace lay back on the grass without a word, his mouth pulled into a tight line.
"It scares me."
The older brother started a little, and looked at his brother with slight shock. Luffy had been a crybaby and a scaredy-cat when they were young, sure. But now, as Ace could see his time to leave their island inch closer, he had noticed Luffy trying hard to fill the responsibility for himself that Ace- and for a while, Sabo- had shouldered for him.
He relaxed however and maintained his demeanor, leaning back onto his back.
"Hm." He pushed him to continue.
"What if I let them die? Or if they get taken away?"
"Luffy, it's not like you to be this insecure. You're a lot stronger now, you should be able to protect someone with a few years' practice."
The younger boy slammed his palms on to the ground, ignoring the rare compliment from his brother as he stretched out his legs.
"I know that! It's just- I just- I don't want to lose anyone! Not aga-" Luffy cut himself off, looking away suddenly.
Ace's eyes widened and he sat up and turned his upper half towards his brother, coming to a realization.
"This is about him, isn't it?" He said softly.
Luffy opened his mouth to argue, but shut it quickly, deciding for once to think about what he was going to say.
"Ah…in some ways, I guess." He went to excessive effort to keep his gaze away from his brother's concerned eyes. He continued after a long pause, his voice thick.
"That guilt, that helplessness… knowing you could have done something if you were stronger…I hate it." He clenched his fist.
"That's the path you have to take as a pirate…the path to pirate king will no doubt be much harder than standard."
"What kind of Pirate King would I be if I couldn't even protect my friends?"
Ace didn't know how to respond to that, so he hesitated. Finally deciding what to say, he spoke cautiously.
"The same kind that wouldn't worry about things like what you've told me. The kind of captain and king that looks for nothing but blind loyalty from men with no conviction- if you're worried about this and it's burdening you, then you've got the right idea." Ace paused to finally make eye contact with his little brother, who was watching him intently.
"If that is your main concern, then you'll no doubt become stronger to protect them. It keeps you from becoming arrogant. " He placed his hand on the boy's hair in the most caring gesture he could muster, and continued. "If anything, you…"
Ace took a deep, shaky breath, his eyes heavy with thoughts of his past.
"I know you will become someone worthy of the title Pirate King. Maybe even more than him….You're my little brother, after all."
The young man smiled kindly, and ruffled Luffy's hair once more for good measure.
"So yeah, it's heavy and I'm sure it'll be complete hell," Luffy smirked and snickered at his brother's comment.
"But I know you'd be willing to die to prevent them from having the same fate, and that's what makes it alright in the end. Because as long as they know that, they'll join you with the same conviction to you, and to risk their lives for freedom as well. The type who would jump after you if you leapt off a cliff, or charged head-first into a massive battle, not out of blind loyalty to someone's strength..." Ace smiled widely. "But out of love an trust for the person who is their Captain. That's the type of crew that deserves a captain like you, Luffy."
Luffy smiled and spoke for the first time since Ace gave him his ramble.
"Shishishi, you've become a real softie, Aceeeee." The boy had a teasing tone, finally returning to normal. It was enough to earn him a decent thwak over the head from his brother.
"Shut up, dumb bastard." He pouted and looked away.
"Ehhh? I thought you were saying I was cool just a second ago?!"
"Well I take it back! Crybaby!"
"I'm not a crybaby anymore, you asshole!"
"What'd you call me?"
A match (and plenty of bruises or scratches) later, the brothers were the same as always.
They toppled back onto the grass on the breezy cliff, and Luffy smiled in his usual, large, toothy way.
"What's so funny?!"
The boy's smile narrowed in a stern determination.
"I have one hell of an adventure waiting for me!"
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