A/N: Hello everyone, I'm really sorry for the long delay! It's been months, my God! I feel awful! Things had been quite a chaos... but I enjoy writing a lot, so this story will be finished no matter what! Feel free to throw foul tomatoes at me for the delay though.
Btw, I hope I didn't confuse anyone by changing the summary twice! Thanks for Silver Shadowbreeze for suggesting it and also for beta'ing! =D
Llaelien: Thankies! Aw yeah they really are, ne? :D
crazzyredhead: Thanks :) Really? Huh that's strange... I don't know why that is, though I hope this time it won't happen again... anyways, I'm really glad you liked the twist^^
KTDLover: *Blushes* Aaw I'm so happy you think so, thank you! Seriously, that motivated me a lot! Thanks for that kind review! :'D
azab: Aw, thank you very much for reviewing so many times :3 It makes me happy to see you've enjoyed my story so far! And yes, Luffy was indeed healing slower because he thought he'd lost eight members of the crew and did not only fail as a captain but as a friend too.
roo17: Wow, I don't think I've ever gotten such a long review before! Thank you! I'll answer you in a personal message if you don't mind^-^
Lyneel: Hello there again, thanks for reviewing to this story too! Your review made me smile so much :) Thank you for your kind words! I'm all blushing now x)
You guys made me so happy and all of your reviews are a great motivation to me ;)
-bows-I'm so sorry it took me so long to write this ;(
Disclaimer: I don't know any of One Piece!
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Chapter 11 – A matter of acceptance
Ace reacted similarly and grasped his throat in pain, eyes widening upon realizing something important.
"You-"
The fat man smirked, eyes darkening. "Yes. Devil Fruit."
"Devil fr- what kind of devil fruit is that?" Ace coughed, having trouble inhaling properly. The two odd figures just continued to smirk knowingly, nearing with slow steps.
"You still haven't figured it out? Aaaw, I'm disappointed in you, Fire Fist." the taller one teased.
"Right! Me too! I thought someone famous like him were more clever! But he's just a dumbass!" his brother agreed. Ace narrowed his eyes but chose to ignore the silly teasing. After all, he wanted to know what they were planning. He could still beat them up later.
"Damn... what's with those jerks? Who the heck are they?" Ace heard Luffy curse behind him. The teen struggled to stand up and could hardly keep himself from collapsing again.
"Ooooh... and who might you be, little fellow?" the tall one asked. And that was when Ace felt the sudden urge to burn their faces to ashes. As if they didn't know him! Luffy's name had been in the papers not too long ago.
Since the Sabaody incident and the war at Marineford, the whole world knew him! He and Luffy were on the top list of the most wanted criminals since they were the sons of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Dragon. There was absolutely no way those two weirdos did not recognize Luffy, unless they had been living on a lonely island for years... but that didn't seem logical to Ace. He growled dangerously, ready to strike at them.
"If there's one thing I really hate, it's if I have to repeat myself... so just to make this clear: What. Do. You. Want? And you better think about your answer carefully, 'cause I can't guarantee anything," Ace grumbled. Those two guys who just decided to show up didn't really lift his mood... quite the opposite actually. How dare they disturb him? How dare they be so disrespectful towards his pop's grave?
"Oh, that's true! How utterly unpolite of us! This is my brother Rube, and I'm Den. We're bounty hunters, quite famous, I might add." the blond-haired man said it as if they were the most famous people in the world, smirking all the way.
Ace and Luffy looked dumbstruck, then they suddenly grinned.
"What, you're Den? Ahahaha I would be so ashamed if I had such a stupid name!" Luffy began to laugh. Ace chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
"How is 'Luffy' a better name?" Rube roared, furious.
Den growled. He'd thought they'd at least show some respect, but laughing? This kind of reaction he'd expected the least! He tried to control his anger but failed miserably as a shout of "What the hell is so funny?" erupted from his throat.
Luffy wiped some tears away as he tried to catch his breath. "Ahaha, did your mother recieve a call from a Den Den Mushi during your birth or something? That's just too hilarious!" And he continued to giggle like a little kid.
A vein appeared on Den's forehead. So that's why they were laughing like idiots. How dare they?
Ace tried to hide his smile. How could he be so silly at such a time? Typical for Luffy to make him laugh at the worst situations. Ace cleared his throat and stood straight, casting a glance at his little brother. "Luffy, please, this is quite serious! Try to behave for once!"
But Luffy didn't seem to hear him, for he continued to roll on the ground. Ace wanted to lecture his brother further when he suddenly realized something. Luffy was laughing. And Ace himself could breathe freely again!
The Fire Fist immediately narrowed his eyes at Den, watching him closely.
Whatever kind of attack the blonde guy had performed before, now its effect ceased slowly.
The blond-haired man was standing there, his body completely tensed, fingers tightly clenched to fists. Weren't his fingers crossed awkwardly before? Ace focused his attention on him, who would be his first victim of his anger. He was just about to send a fire fist at Den when the other guy to his left made a sudden move.
"You little shithead!" Rube cursed. "Let's see if you're still laughing when I do THIS!" The fat man put his right fist atop of the other and shouted something Ace didn't catch. An opaque liquid shot out between the gap of his hands and surrounded Luffy. Mentioned boy gasped and tried to jump out of reach, but it was too late. The liquid closed around him one second, hardening to a clear stone-hard substance the next second. Luffy was trapped.
"Ha! Look who's laughing now! I told you! Ha ha ha!" Rube smirked, nodding as if to agree to his own joke.
"Luffy!" Ace gasped. 'Another devil fruit user? Damn, this fatty sure is fast!' Ace thought, cursing. Maybe he did underestimate the two jerks after all... but that didn't matter, now he needed to focus on freeing his brother before Luffy suffocated in that- that box of glass. It didn't look like his brother could free himself and Rube wasn't kind enough to leave small holes for oxygen to breathe. What a sneaky tactic! "Luffy! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Luffy looked a little shaken and continued to kick at the walls. "I'm alright, but I can't move enough to break free and the glass is kinda hard too. Shoulda known he'd make a cube. Damn this rubix-cube-freak!"
Despite the awful situation, Ace had to smile a little. He doubted Rube and Den would get the meaning behind Luffy making fun of Rube's name. But he had to admit, 'Rubix Cube' fitted perfectly and-
Ace shook his head. He needed to focus on rescuing Luffy. While he jumped up and began to dash for his brother, he wondered since when his moods began to change so quickly.
Luffy wasn't too far ahead and Ace had nearly reached him. "Just hold on a sec, I'll-" but before Ace could finish his sentence, Den suddenly appeared before him and tried to hit him. The young man barely dodged, taking a step back out of reflex.
"Did you really think we would make it this easy for you?" Den teased.
"Crap," Ace cursed, glaring at the blonde guy. "Move you asshole!"
"Aaaaaw. That would be no fun. Make me, Fire Fist." he replied in that annoying voice of his and Ace's right eye twitched. This man was so getting on his nerves right now! But he couldn't allow to let the anger lead him, otherwise he would become blind and irrational. Ace needed to stay calm and think about his next moves. That was the only chance he had to help his brother.
Mentioned brother was still trying to escape his prison of glass, but to no avail. Luffy just didn't have enough space to hit the walls hard enough for them to break. It was just big enough for him to stand.
Luffy wasn't one to panic easily (only if they ran low on meat) but even he was becoming slightly claustrophobic. Why couldn't he break free? It was just glass, right? He began to sweat and his breaths came faster and more labored.
"Damn IT! You bastard!" he swore, ignoring the sweat that was rolling down his forehead. He had to get out! Ace needed him now. How was he supposed to kick those guy's asses when he was caught in here? The boy scratched and kicked and hit all his surroundings. He didn't even notice Rube and Den laughing at him as his sight became slightly blurry. "Let me out, you cowards! Fight me fair! Argh!"
Slowly, Luffy was going crazy in that tight glas box. The air was getting thicker and thicker.
Ace threw one quick glance at his imprisoned brother. That glance was enough for Ace to gasp slightly. The panicking look in Luffy's eyes... the eighteen-year-old resembled a helpless rat, caught in a small cage. A pang of anger shot through Ace and he growled dangerously. How dare they do that to his brother!
"Look after him, he's our little brother after all!"Ace clearly recalled what Sabo had asked him in his letter. And now he had let these assholes capture Luffy. He'd promised to look after him. How could Ace let this happen? Was he that useless?
"You fucking jerks!" he roared, letting all his anger out at once. His opponents smirked at this, knowing their tactic was working.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Ace realized what he did was wrong, all his alarm bells were ringing but he ignored them. He had no control over himself in that moment. All he knew was that his brother was trapped and he had to take revenge. He charged blindly at Den and Rube.
Luffy saw and shouted until his throat was sore and scratched until his fingers began to bleed.
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"Wh-who the fuck are you?" Sanji asked as he struggled, trying to get out of the enemy's grasp. The plants around him only tightened further.
It had happened so fast neither Sanji nor Chopper had any time to react. One moment, he and the doctor were wondering about the D brothers, especially with Luffy's lack of sense of danger. The next moment, Sanji was flying through the air, followed by a thick tendril that closed around his body as soon as he hit the earth.
"What the heck is this?" Sanji cursed, cigarette falling out of his mouth.
Then, two weird looking men appeared before them. The first one, Nef, had long, black hair that was tied in a ponytail. His grey eyes shone without any emotions in them. The other one called Glenn rubbed his hands and glanced arrogantly at them. Then, he lifted his hands and made a weird move with them. Sanji cried out as the plants threatened to squeeze the life out of him.
Chopper woke from his frozen stand and gasped. Who were these guys? One of them was a devil fruit user. What kind of power was that?
"Sanji!" He cried but the moment the word left his mouth the wind was knocked out of him. Nef had kicked him in the stomach. The man landed on the ground gracefully, face blank as if nothing had happened.
Sanji's eye widened and he wriggled in the grasp of the tendrils, to no avail. "Shit! Chopper, you alright?"
The reindeer coughed and tried to ignore the sudden feeling of nausea. He cringed at the bile he tasted in his mouth and shakily stood on his legs.
"Y-yeah. Don't worry!" He finally said to the cook, and went into his human form. He was ready to fight.
"Don't worry? Little fellow, I think you have no idea who you are messing with!" Nef said in a monotone voice that gave Chopper the creeps. What was with this guy and his weird attitude? He sounded like a robot!
Glenn snorted. "Stupid, ignorant pirates. We're part of the well-known bounty hunter team, the Ixion-group!" (1)
Both Chopper and Sanji halted in their current movements. The Ixion-group? That rang a bell. That name had been in the papers not too long ago. The pirate Uroge and his crew were only a few of the countless pirates that had been brought to Impel Down by them.
Sanji frowned as he recalled the headline he'd read two weeks ago:
"The new protectors of law! Ixion-group caught notorious criminal Basil Hawkins!"
The cook couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
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Ace panted, head lowered and fists clenched tightly. He was so angry at himself and his so-called 'father' at the moment. He didn't even know where this anger was coming from. Shouldn't he feel angry about the two insane guys who randomly appeared and trapped his brother in a fucking cage of GLASS?
He swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath. His thoughts were racing, his heart was pounding loudly, and it hurt to breathe; it felt like his insides were being torn apart. A horrible scream erupted from his throat as the gas eroded his lungs. Damn this gas guy! At least he'd figured out that the blonde could control some sort of gas and Rube had the ability to create glass, but that knowledge was of little use as long as Ace didn't have his feelings under control.
Ace fell to the ground again, gasping weakly. Each breath he took only caused more pain and he struggled to get oxygen into his screaming lungs. He'd always taken the ability to breathe freely for granted; how wrong he was.
He felt someone kick him into his ribs, Den or Rube he couldn't tell. Ace suppressed another scream and rolled onto his other side. His head spun, and he barely registered where he was lying: in front of Whitebeard's grave. He closed his eyes tightly. 'Pops...'
Why was it that he didn't feel anything but loathing for himself? He was disgusted, disgusted by his sire and himself. Gold Roger was a vile monster, and he was none the better. Why couldn't Ace have died instead of Whitebeard? It would be all right then. At least then both the demons would be dead and the one with the pure blood could live.
"He's really weak all of sudden, isn't he?" Rube laughed. "Now he's behaving nicely. The little brat over there should follow Fire Fist's example."
"You're right, brother. At least one of them is learning fast." Den put his hands on his hip, obviously proud of their victory.
Ace didn't even hear it as he tried to suppress his sobs. Luffy didn't listen as he watched in horror as Ace got worked up because of something that was not his fault.
As the fight went on, Ace was more focused on his wandering mind than actually trying to burn his enemies as he was supposed to do. He even forgot about Luffy, which would have surprised the former Whitebeard pirate if he was aware of it, and he would have hated himself even more.
Ace didn't ask for this life. He didn't ask for his true father, Whitebeard, to give his life for him, yet Ace had received that rescue… yet people did all of that for him at the cost of their own lives. Ace didn't feel like he deserved it. He wanted his mother and Whitebeard to live in exchange for his own worthless life. Why did they die for him? Why did he even exist? Why was it that he felt so dirty and disgusting? How come he couldn't even beat these two bastards that were trying to kill his only brother?
"I-I'm... pathetic..." he said more to himself, but still everyone had caught it... including Luffy.
The strawhat pirate could see Ace kneeling on the dirty ground, bleeding and panting, and it looked as if Ace was too ashamed to lift his head to look at his father's gravestone. This sight nearly broke Luffy's heart and he wanted to get out of his glassy prison and hug his brother. It shocked Luffy to see Ace looking so lonely... so lost... Ace had always walked tall, and strong and he had been so proud... or had his big brother always been like this and Luffy just hadn't noticed?
'Was I this blind all the time not to see Ace's true feelings?' Luffy suddenly began to wonder who should hate himself. He was the monster, not Ace. He had done nothing to prevent this breakdown, even if it was so damn obvious to any outsider. Luffy bit his lip until it drew blood and wished he would choke on it. Not that it would make sense to die now, like this, but he felt he deserved it for his selfishness. 'Ace, I'm sorry.' His whole body shook.
"Wohahaha! We beat 'em, we really beat 'em! Can you believe that, Den? We beat the infamous D Brothers! We'll be rich!"
Den grinned and nodded slowly, not bothering to face Ace who was lying on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water. "Yes. Now we'll be the one being famous and respected! I bet Nef and Glann have already beaten the other two losers. That means more beli for us!"
"Great! Aah, was just too easy to win! Though it'd be more work, apparently I was wrong for thinking so highly of the Strawhats." Rube replied, scratching his round belly.
Luffy went down on his knees as a cough rattled his body. He needed to remain calm, otherwise he'd never get out of this box! He blinked, trying to clear his view but it was still blurry due to the lack of air.
Despite that, he tried to narrow his eyes at the two enemies. He couldn't hear them talking anymore; all he heard was the blood rushing in his head and his heart beating too fast.
But he didn't need to hear them, what he saw was enough to understand. Their facial expressions spoke volumes. For a moment, Luffy forgot about his own panic and suffering and suffocating, all he could do was stare at Ace's weak and shivering form. The man who lay there was not his brother, clearly not. Ace was supposed to be strong, wasn't he? It was all wrong, an utterly twisted world.
Den and Rube kept on smirking and grinning and pointing with their dirty fingers at his brother who was unable to defend himself. It made Luffy sick. Yes, he was sick of such people like them who didn't know a thing and yet acted as if they were aware of all of that what lied behind those dark eyes of Ace.
"Dirty, dirty, ugly, ugly!" one of them sneered and kicked Ace into the side. The other thought it was funny, laughed and soon joined in kicking and boxing the downed fire user.
Luffy had heard every word, for the two began to shout out loud now, and he could taste his own bile in his mouth. "ACE! Fight back! What the fuck are you doing on the ground?" His voice was hoarse and it hurt to scream but that wouldn't stop Luffy.
Ace didn't answer. He didn't even move, but Luffy was sure he'd heard him. Even the two enemies were looking up in surprise but sneered and chose to ignore him to continue to beat Ace. His big brother Ace, who always protected him, no matter what. It was Luffy's turn to protect him now.
"Get up, get up, get up!" Luffy repeated over and over again in his helpless state, being forced to watch without being able to help at all. "Ace, you need to fight! Darn, I know you are strong enough so why don't yo-" but Luffy didn't finish his sentence and went down to his knees again. He coughed and gasped weakly and forcefully grabbed his sore throat. He needed air! His head began to spin.
"Damn it, Ace, you need to open your eyes!" Luffy wanted to shout, but his voice was hoarse from all the screaming. Luffy cringed at the weak whine that escaped his throat instead.
Suddenly he felt like he was thrown back in time, being a weak seven-year-old crybaby again. Luffy felt so miserable and tears began to prick in his eyes. Despite it all, the teen just couldn't find the courage to cry. It would be just utterly childish to cry now.
'I don't understand. I just don't understand it.' Luffy thought, a single tear making its way down his flushed cheek. Ace was strong, so unbelievably strong, and Luffy didn't mean his brothers' devil fruit powers. Ace had a strong heart, a strong will, yet he didn't seem strong enough to beat back that dark side everyone had in their souls. It grew stronger and stronger, and Ace was losing the fight against it. It tore Luffy apart, and without himself really controlling it, he opened his mouth and-
"Ace! Don't be so damn blind! Fight back already! You finally need to ACCEPT YOURSELF!" Luffy's voice was back, and it hit with full force. Even the strawhat boy would have been surprised by his own outburst but his mind was currently focused on Ace.
The noise of glass shattering rang through the air and caused Rube and Den to flinch. Ace blinked and finally managed to look up. Luffy had destroyed his prison of glass. He was free. Rube was about to make a move and capture the boy again when suddenly his limbs grew weak. He could faintly hear his brother Den gasp behind him.
Time seemed to stop, the grass on the ground and all the other plants stopped moving in the wind. Even the two teasing opponents froze in their tracks, a chill running down their spine.
The only thing moving were the tears on Ace's cheeks.
In very slow motions and after what seemed an eternity, the fire user finally managed to turn around. It felt like a flash had struck him. He was speechless. You need to accept yourself.
Was this his little brother? The weak crybaby he and Sabo always, always had to protect? The boy who was nothing more than a broken, crying, self-pitying child when he lost his nakama?
There was nothing left of the weakling. Before Ace stood a proud, strong, self-confident fighter- a leader with heart and soul- a king. Miraculously, the strawhat boy seemed... Ace blinked- taller than before. Ace had a sudden déjà vu. He'd witnessed a moment like this before, the moment when the aura around his brother became truly impressive. This was rare, but whenever it occurred there was an incredibly strong force in the air. Ace also noted that these kinds of outbursts grew stronger.
Ace was searching for a suitable comparison. It was as if Luffy's aura was breaking out of the shell of a young boy, finally showing his true nature and the reason why he'd come so far.
It was overwhelming, and everyone present felt his power clawing at their skin and shooting right through their bodies, leaving them feeling strangely naked.
For a split second, the temperature seemed to drop and then the two opponents fainted and crashed to the ground. But they were not the only ones who were affected by it. Ace's legs shook like leaves in the wind and he was unable to take his eyes off Luffy.
And Luffy stared right back at him with an unreadable expression. Mouth slightly agape, Ace could only hear Luffy's words echoing in his head over and over again. Accept yourself.
Accept yourself. Acceptance. Giving acceptance to himself? He didn't dared. Could he? Should he?
"It's easy if you want to."
Ace blinked, the first movement since his brothers' outburst, and narrowed his eyes. Luffy's mouth hadn't moved at all. He only stood there and looked at his older brother. But Ace could have sworn… he shook his head. That was impossible. But a small doubt remained.
He had heard Luffy say it! The older D brother was convinced... but where had it come from if Luffy's mouth hadn't moved at all? Was he hearing things?
Shaking his head, the fire-user pushed the matter aside. There was time for later. Now it was time to get up and fight!
With that thought in mind, Ace spat onto the ground, trying to get rid of the weird taste in his mouth. He needed to get himself together. And as quick as the sudden force had appeared, it disappeared and Ace found himself breathing again. He blinked again, wiping away his tears. What the heck was he doing on the ground?
"Damn, how could I let my guard down like that!" he exclaimed and jumped back to his feet with a sudden energy. Ace had to make this Den guy pay for being so disrespectful in front of his father's grave after all.
The twenty-one-year old man inhaled deeply, enjoying the taste of sweet, clear air and then turned to face Luffy. The strawhat boy stood behind him and beamed. This trademark smile reminded Ace that this was still his little brother.
'That's right,' Ace thought, 'this is my brother, my silly Luffy.'
But despite that thought and Luffy's childish smile, Ace still had goosebumps on his skin.
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(1) Ixion is some guy from the Greek mythology who killed his father-in-law. Thought that would be a fitting name for their group.
I'd be really happy to receive some reviews! Hope you liked this chapter ;)
Neko11
