Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

Chapter 25: The Curse of Three Blades

Ace had woken earlier than normal. The air was crisp with the morning mist still clinging to everything. He inhaled the salty air deeply and peered at the budding red sun to the east. He shrugged at the indicator that the storm from last night had not fully passed. He pulled a face as he cricked his neck from side to side. For some reason he had not been able to sleep last night and his muscles complained from the lingering tension.

He reached a hand back to his neck and shoulder trying to force some relaxation into their iron bands, which didn't work.

"Oi! Commander Ace!" Ace turned to the voice to see that Fisher was running up to him with a stupid grin on his face.

"Fish" Ace grinned back forcing himself to appear at ease as opposed to a ball of tension. "It's a little early for you isn't it?" he chuckled as he continued. "Don't you usually roll out of your bunk sometime after the breakfast dishes are washed?"

"I just got off the night watch. I'm heading to bed now." Fisher's blue eyes sparkled at him speaking volumes of mischief. The man towered over Ace, but acted more like a big child than a fearsome giant. Fisher's excitement was contagious and Ace felt his unyielding muscles ease slightly.

"I heard something last night that I want to confirm." Fisher was practically rubbing his hands in excitement.

Ace's interest was piqued. What could his vice-commander have heard that had him so – so – giddy? Ace let loose his cackling laugh as he slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Well don't keep me in suspense Fish. What is this incredible tid-bit of information?"

Fisher jumped a little, a look of hesitation crossing his features briefly before he hunched down so that he could talk lowly by Ace's ear. "I hear you're tapping that stealth chick from the 14th division."

Ace's stomach clenched uncomfortably. "No," He answered slowly. "Why do you care?"

Fisher backed away quickly and laughed a little awkwardly. Ace didn't miss the predatory glint in his eyes as he answered. "Ah, well you know." The man shrugged. "She's hot."

Ace swallowed his spite as he listened to Fisher.

"So, if you aren't hitting that, then I'm going to. She has that whole uptight front and keeps herself distant from us. But damn," He gave Ace a significant glance as he smiled. "I mean the other night at the party was the first time I ever saw her in a dress, and WOW! I can't wait to get that into bed!"

Ace's fist rushed forward to swipe upward into Fisher's ribcage. His vice-commander hunched forward from having the wind knocked out of him. "Don't even think of touching Sadie-chan." He growled into Fisher's ear.

Fisher grinned over Ace's shoulder and straightened out rubbing his ribs gingerly. "Damn commander. All you had to say was you had dibs. Make sure to let me know how it goes."

Ace continued to stare icily at his second in command. Fisher's casual acceptance was out of character. "I have no intention of sharing." He added menacingly wanting to leave no doubt as to his intentions.

"Awww, come on commander!" whined Fisher.

Ace started to walk away. If he didn't get away from Fisher soon he would pummel him into the deck. "Hands off!" He threw over his shoulder.

"Stingy!" yelled Fisher at Ace's back.

"Damn straight." Ace yelled back.

The furnace within him heated at the guts of his crewmate. One didn't drool over a nakama, and they didn't view them as a piece of ass. He blew out a huff of air and ground his teeth as he entered the central part of the ship's interior. Marco was probably still in bed. Thatch on the other hand would be up and in the kitchen. He arrived long before his men to prep the kitchen for breakfast. A visit with Thatch was what he needed.

NO. He stopped to lean up against the solid wood that lined the hallway and covered his eyes with a hand. A new problem sent his alarms blaring.

"Shit!" he whispered harshly. The others were more likely to notice Sadie now and it wouldn't stop with Fisher. Then there was the girl herself. Sadie wouldn't want to draw unneeded attention, but that wouldn't keep the wolves at bay. Was he going to have to strike them all down from the shadows? He smirked. Sadie could take of herself. However, there was a primal part of him that wanted to protect her, to not let anyone get close enough for her to need to get her hands dirty.

A flood of cries crashed over the ship. Ace's mind stopped thinking and operated on automatic. His feet carried him to the sound of distress. His heart running faster than his legs as his eyes swept around him keeping an eye out for trouble. A sinkhole falling in his gut told him that this was more than a simple attack. The screaming didn't come from up on the deck where an assault should take place. The sounds came from within the heart of the ship, a place that was deep within the belly of the whale and therefore more protected.

He rushed through the doorway that lead to the mess deck his eyes immediately falling on the gathered crowd by the galley doors. More footfalls followed behind him as he propelled himself to his friend's domain. The cries were all over the spectrum from angry outbursts of denial to heart ripping anguish. Each cry cut a swath across Ace's soul leaving him shuttering as he ran.

The crew that had gathered didn't move easily when Ace reached them. He had to shove through their shoulders and push aside their chests in order to get through. Where was Thatch? His eyes wildly scanned for the high hair of his friend. Thatch would have been here when whatever happened. He could tell him what was going on. They could fix the problem together.

Ace finally burst out on the other side of the galley. His ears clouded over blocking everyone out. Before him on the ground lay his best friend with a knife in his back. He saw the sight before him, but couldn't process it. His brain rejected the information his eyes gleaned. It couldn't be real. There was no way this was happening. He just needed to go back, and this wouldn't be happening. He just needed to wake up or wait for Thatch to turn around with a goofy grin to declare that his pranking had reached kingly levels.

His throat tightened making him hyperaware of each breath that rushed in and out of him. Pain shot up his knees and the change forced his head down. He observed, detached from himself, that he was kneeling on the hard floor. When had he stopped standing? He looked up at Thatch – at Thatch's body and tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. His friend was dead.

He couldn't look at the horror before him any longer. Ace lowered his eyes to the tiled floor trying to control his breathing. His hands smacked their palms to the cool ceramic as his eyes burned with spilling tears. Ace's breathing became gurgling gasps that shook his shoulders. Drops of grief splashed to the tile and across his fingers. How could this have happened? It should be impossible. Thatch wouldn't – He wouldn't – He would never let himself be killed.

Ace's trembling worsened as he pulled one hand up to cover his mouth to contain the gasping sobs that were leaking out. But he had - Thatch had let himself be killed. The words slithered through his mind leaving putrid slime in its wake. Killed – Killed – Killed – who? – Who? - "WHO KILLED THATCHIE!" Ace's demand shook the walls of the galley rattling the hanging pots and pans.

He whipped his head around to sear anyone and everything in sight with his burning question. The gathered division four members behind him were quickly dispersing and he could see Jozu and the iconic hair of Izo cutting through the crowd toward the galley. Ace stood and watched as the other two commanders hurried to…Ace pressed his lips together. His eyes had dried in the heat of his outrage. The wetness on his cheeks was the only evidence remaining of his tears.

The commanders' faces were already grim by time they reached Ace. They each glanced momentarily at Ace. Noting the sheer fury on his features before looking to the grisly sight on the floor.

Ace didn't turn around. He couldn't look at him anymore. There was more that he needed to do. Jozu's face paled as his hands opened and closed futilely at a loss. Izo's eyes trembled and he bit his lower lip. Ace's volcanic gaze took in their shock before turning to the few crewmates that remained.

"Get up on deck and ring the warning bell. Tell everyone to report to their division commanders." Ace barked.

The crew shrank back from his temper before one twig of a man spoke up. "The warning bell is already ringing sir."

Ace's eyes narrowed as he noted that the slender cook was right. He could faintly hear the calling of the bell up above him. "Then get up there and tell them to report to their division commanders." Ace growled. He didn't have the patience to deal with incompetence. This had happened within the ship. They needed to account for everyone, and quickly find whoever it was that had snuck on board to… He fisted his hands tightly making his nails sting the meat of his palms.

The cooking crew scurried off with one more murderous stare from the second commander. He watched as the last of them disappeared through the far door that lead to the rest of the ship. A hand on his shoulder had him dashing around at the unwelcomed contact. Izo's serious face met his own.

"Calm down." ordered Izo quietly. The veneer of calm sat on his voice like the paint on his skin.

Ace's lips curled back. He couldn't let this go enough to calm down. His anger was the only thing he had and he wrapped it around himself like a lifejacket.

"We need to join everyone on deck." Jozu had his own calm façade up, but the dark undercurrent to his aura was hard to miss.

The three started to walk away from the galley, but with every step Ace felt the magnetic pull to stay. As he reached the door that lead to the dining hall, he paused with his hand on the door frame.

Jozu noticed his hesitation, "What is it?"

Ace clenched his jaw, his lifejacket was loosening leaving him vulnerable. He re-secured the ties with a deep breath before answering. "We can't leave him here alone."

Izo dropped his head shadowing his face and Jozu just stared down at Ace with fathomless eyes. Ace found an empty counter top to stare at. He didn't really want to look at anything and he didn't. Although his eyes were open they didn't see anything before him because they kept replaying the crimson pool that he couldn't bear to look at again.

"I-I'll guard the b – I'll guard Thatch." Izo's voice wavered and broke as he tried to get the words out.

Ace looked to the 16th division commander. Izo's white face was dark and turned away from them. They watched as Izo drew himself up to his full height and resolutely leaned himself up against the wall of the galley crossed his arms and closed his eyes contemplatively.

"Tell Akara-chan to account for our division." Izo's voice flowed over the room with a serenity that clashed uncomfortablely with the atmosphere.

"Right." graveled Jozu who firmly gripped Ace's forearm and guided the younger commander out of the room.

Ace allowed himself to be lead away from the epicenter of the catastrophe and soon found himself blinking in the early morning light. The sun had burned away the mist and shined goldenly making the waves shine with its light.

"Ace!" Fire-fist turned toward Marco who rushed toward him. Ace felt as Marco's vice-like hands curled around his arms and shook him tightly. "Tell me it isn't true." Marco demanded.

Ace felt his head fall forward as his body shook. "Tha-atch-ie's" His voice cut out and simply shook his head no. He couldn't look Marco in the eye afraid of what he might see there. The only reaction he was aware of was the tightening of Marco's hands over his arms. The pain his grip brought barely registered over the stabbing blade running through his chest.

It was an eternal second before he was aware of the voices around him.

"We've looked everywhere. Teach isn't on the ship."

Fisher's voice cut through his grief with renewed fear. Teach was one of his men. One of his men was missing, what if the enemy had hurt him or taken him. Rage flamed up anew within his heart.

"Look again." roared Oyaji. Ace was moving with purpose. They needed to find Teach or to at least find a clue as to who their enemy was. They would not escape with their lives!

….

Sadie remained in a lonely corner of the 14th division's common deck of the Camelo. The room was crowded with the entire division. Despite the congestion of the room, things were deathly quiet. She flinched at her own observation. She was having a hard time believing that Thatch was dead. She just couldn't imagine the vibrant, energetic commander ever being anything except a sun of cheer.

The water user closed her eyes effectively blocking out the room around her. She attempted to expand her senses as her Uncle had once explained, but the world around her remained small and contained to her normal five senses. Sadie opened her eyes again with a frustrated sigh.

It had been one of the longest mornings of her life. There had been entirely too much waiting and too little action. The bad news just kept rolling in, rocking their ships with wave after wave of anguish. As it stood now, Thatch was confirmed to have been murdered and Teach was missing. Sadie's lips tightened against her teeth. She couldn't imagine how much worse things were for the second and fourth divisions.

Her eyes scanned the somber room. If even one of them had been hurt, it didn't take much to imagine the reaction. Especially well-established members like Thatch and Teach. Both men had been with Whitebeard since almost the beginning. In fact, it was a little surprising that Teach never took up a commander's position. Sadie admitted to herself that the man lacked any kind of ambition unless it involved cherry pies. She smiled a little at the thought before frowning. The idea that she may never see the carefree man happily munching on a pie again needled through her.

The door creaked open, whining at the intrusion. All eyes lifted to Commander Jiru. Sadie's heart squeezed as she took in the utterly defeated atmosphere around him. How much worse could it get. There had at least been a spark of determination within him that last time he had come. However, she looked him over again, now he was a shadow of himself.

The room erupted in desperate cries.

"Commander!"

"How is Teach?"

"What have you learned?"

"Who has done this?"

Sadie's eyes narrowed at his lack of response, noting the way he gripped his lance tighter. It was obvious that whatever news he brought was a crushing weight that he was hesitant to share. She steeled herself in preparation.

"It…it seems that Marshall D. Teach has betrayed us."

The hush on the room crushed Sadie's lungs. What was he saying? He couldn't mean that Teach was the one who murdered Thatch! It was impossible.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Sadie had pushed off the wall and evacuated her corner in favor for charging her commander. She was going to demand answers from him. There was no way this was right.

However, the closer she got to Speed Jiru the more his broken expression chipped at her resolve. By time she stood before him, she could feel her own anguish growing.

"Tell me he isn't the one." Sadie whispered trying to keep the tremble from her voice.

Jiru kept his face down and away from her. "We should have known. The signs were all there."

Sadie didn't say anything in response. She didn't know what signs he meant and therefore couldn't come up with a reply. So instead she restated her question more directly. A deep breath and she made herself utter one of the worst sentences of her life. "Did Teach murder Thatch?"

"He did." Jiru answered quietly, but in the lingering silence everyone heard him.

The roar of her division propelled her forward and out the door. She wasn't worried about her division. The entire crew was grieving, but there were two members she was more worried about. Two who were closer to Thatch than anyone else on their collective ships.

Sadie broke out onto the deserted deck. Her eyes whirling around to take in the quiet seascape. The ocean itself was still as if it too grieved the death of Thatch. The decks of the other ships were all equally empty with the exception of the Moby Dick. There she saw a smattering of commanders and vice-commanders.

Suddenly, one broke off from the others. Sadie's eyes follow the second division commander as he sprinted around the deck to the door that lead down to the dormitories. She leapt into a sprint of her own to follow. His desperation trailed behind him through the corridor. The crackle of flame and smashing furniture that broke over her ears warred with her pounding pulse for dominance. Sadie's breath raced in and out of her lungs, but not from the brief run. Ace had left his door ajar so that the dying light of his fire flickered weakly across the floor.

Hesitantly, the water user opened the door to stand before Ace's fiery tempest. Everything was chaos and Sadie couldn't immediately process the commander's actions. Fire tore across his shoulders setting objects aflame as he wrecked his room. His pain bleed into the air and seeped into her soul. An oil lamp crashed to the floor throwing more fire across the floor.

She stepped back from the barely controlled flames, fear sitting alongside her grief. Sadie's own torment sat up to listen to the riptide of Ace's agony. For under the anger, the flames and the crash of splintering wood was the soft sound of tears.

The flames mocked her. Flicking their fearsome fingers at her in warning. Ace stood alone at the center of it all. The fire wasn't important. Her fear wasn't important. Clenching her teeth together she pushed her own grief and anxiety aside and walked closer to the wounded animal before her.

Ace was tearing his red pillow, the stitches screaming with every rip. She rested a hand gently to his elbow bringing him and his fire to an immediate stop. His loud panting breaths filled the stilling air. Ace's face was hidden from her, but she didn't need to see it to read his emotions. Moving slowly, Sadie reached to take the ruined pillow from him. Several stray threads remained tangled around Ace's fingers even after Sadie had taken the scarlet fabric into her own hands.

"Ace." Sadie hushed next to him.

He turned away, tearing the dangling strings that connected him to the corpse of his pillow. With heavy footfalls, he stomped to his closet. Sadie quietly watched him sort through his things. She didn't know what he was looking for, but figured that searching was better than destroying. Ace's body shifted as he dug a little deeper into the shadows of his closet. Her hands fisted on the shredded pillow. He was packing a bag!

"Ace, what are you doing?" her voice shook a little. Their whole family was hurting. It wasn't the time for anyone to leave.

He stopped gathering what little would fit in the bag and straightened his spine. Sadie gasped softly when he turned his hard, ashen eyes to her. The life that normally glowed in his eyes, the fire that raged with passion, and the glee that shimmered with youth had now all burned out. Not even an ember remained to offer its warmth.

Ace started to walk towards her. As soon as his feet moved, his ebony hair fell forward shadowing his eyes. He stalked past the statue of Sadie and whispered, "Good-bye."

Sadie's knees gave out. "No." she breathed. How could he leave? She clutched the red tatters to her chest as if it could patch the growing, gaping wound.

...

Marco stood numbly on the deck. The crew had been released some time ago and people were milling about talking quietly. Taka and Tsubaki were with, he trembled a little at the thought, Thatch. They were looking for more clues, but a preliminary examination suggested there wasn't anything else to find.

Looking out at the sea, he noticed that a cluster of grey clouds were lingering on the horizon. They may be in for another stormy night if the wind blew them this way. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered at this point.

Marco slumped against the mast of the Moby Dick and let himself slide down to the deck. His hand absently fumbled with the anklet he wore around his calf. It was easier to focus on something simple than the enormity of everything else. The straw crinkled between his fingers, it was probably time to make a new one. It was the only reminder he kept from his hometown. Although, they would have sneered at him for using straw for such a petty thing. Straw was for making useful things not little trinkets that no one would buy.

He sighed and decided that perhaps the anklet wasn't the distraction he needed. The Phoenix leaned his head back and closed his eyes attempting to empty his head. He wasn't ready to process the day's events yet. He kept a lid on his emotions, sealed it up with wax and then chained it tight. The potent agony that longed to leak out had to wait until he could remove himself from the crew. He needed to pull it together and check in with Keon to make sure that division four was holding it together. He might need to recruit some extra help for the kitchens from the other divisions.

There was also Ace. The young commander was taking the whole thing worse than everyone else. He was visibly agitated when it was determined that the rat Teach had betrayed them. It was to be expected, Ace was known for a temper that equaled the fire of his devil fruit and Teach had been one of his men. He really needed to get up and get things done. Sitting here wasn't helping anything. Tonight, when there was no more work to be done. Then, he would grieve.

He stood, cursing the creak in his knees. He was starting to feel his age, and he'd had enough days like today to last the rest of his life. He ran a hand down his long face and started the short walk to the main galley in search of Keon. The octopus-man was competent, but everything was harder now. They had to lean on one another, because that was what families did.

A door slammed off to the side. Marco paused at the sound and leaned back wondering who was making such a ruckus when everyone else was so subdued. He turned as Ace stalked around the corner with a granite face. His eyes were so distant, Marco feared he might sail off the edge of the world.

He immediately started heading in the fire user's direction. He caught up to Ace as he started to work the knots that held Striker in place.

"Ace!" dread filled Marco as Ace jerked out of his grasp. Ace really was planning on sailing away.

Marco's outburst drew the attention of everyone else on deck including Oyaji. Two members of Ace's division grabbed Ace and dragged him back from where his ship was moored.

"Let me go! I have to kill him!" Ace screamed as he struggled against the two much larger men on either side of him.

Marco approached the wildfire, "Stop it Ace! Calm down!" Ace was too riled up to listen to reason. They would have to keep him restrained until he gave up on the idea of leaving.

"The old man said he'd make an exception, just this once!" reminded Jacob to Ace's left. "You don't have to chase after Teach!"

Ace threw Jocob off and screamed at everyone gathered. "Let me go! He was a member of my division! If I just ignore this, Thatch won't be able to rest in peace!"

Marco warred with himself, he would never go against Oyaji, but he understood Ace's desperate need to seek out Teach. It galled him to not avenge his best friend. Marco swallowed down his anger and his grief trying to focus on the problem at hand.

"Ace." Oyaji's gravel voice cut through Ace's screams making the young man stop. Jacob returned his grip on Ace's arm along with Flint and Conner.

"It's fine." Oyaji continued, "Just this once. I have a weird feeling about this." Ace stilled not able to accept their Captain's words.

Marco hated himself a little for not being more like Ace, but there was a time and a place. It wasn't time yet for vengeance. He had sensed it to. There was something more than what was obvious.

Ace's anger erupted with new fury. His eyes burned with livid fire as he shouted at Pops, "He killed a crewmate and escaped! After living under your protection for so many years He just spat right in your face!"

Marco clenched his jaw. There wasn't a word wrong with what Ace said. It was the most heinous crime one could commit. To ignore it was just one step below. The crew hushed under the bitter truth of Ace's words. Even Oyaji fell silent.

"Above all else, he tarnished his father's name." Ace turned away, slipping out of the restraints of his crewmates, and placed his orange hat on his head. No one stopped him this time. They all stood shocked into silence. "You think I can just ignore that?" Ace's footsteps took him closer to Striker.

"I'll settle this!" he declared pulling out the last knot keeping Striker connected to the Moby Dick. He moved with haste grabbing his bag and leaping over the side of the ship.

The sight of Ace's departure combined with the fear of losing his other best friend had Marco rushing to the side of the ship to follow Ace. "Hey, wait! Come back, Ace!" He yelled over the roar of Ace firing up to propel Stricker.

Marco's voice was a single drop of water in the sea of voices that called out. "ACE!" The Phoenix's arm slowly wilted from where it had been outstretched. In one day he had lost both his best friends. What kind of man was he that he had let them both leave. His heart broke anew as he watched Striker become nothing more than a dot on the horizon.

….

Tsubaki's head felt hollow. It was the first time she had ever performed an autopsy on a friend. She'd willingly looked at the blood on her scalpel to activate the purely analytical part of her brain and shut down her emotions. The blood haze had its uses, but now without a surgery to perform or an enemy to kill she wondered the deck listlessly.

A shuttering breath stuttered through her as her mind reactivated. The deck of the Moby Dick was more active then when she left. Several members were in heated discussion. The atmosphere's hard tone was a sharp contrast with the pliable grief that had gripped the crew before she went to work with Doc Taka.

She spied Willow next to Shun and approached the chocolate skinned woman. Normally, Willow's skin shinned golden in the sun, but today it was muted despite the sun's rays.

The two turned sluggishly as she approached. "Tsubaki-chan" Willow's voice hitched slightly at the end of her name.

"Did you find anything?" Shun asked grimly. He placed an arm around Willow's shoulders and pulled her closer into his chest.

Tsubaki shook her head silently. There had been nothing. No clue, obvious or otherwise to find. The silence lingered between them growing and swallowing their voices. Angry words floated over them from neighboring groups. "What happened while I was gone?" Tsubaki finally asked indicating the agitated crew around them.

Shun and Willow shared a significant look before Willow turned her sad coffee eyes to her. "Commander Ace left."

"Wh-What?" Tsubaki leaned back as the disbelief whispered out her lips. He couldn't leave. He wouldn't abandon his family like that! There had to be some mistake or misunderstanding.

"He insisted on chasing Teach." Shun explained quietly.

Tusbaki's lips pressed together into a thin line as she took in his words. That was exactly the sort of thing the hot-headed brat would do. Her eyes swept the unrest across the deck and noted the distinct lack of Marco. "Where is…"

"He retreated into the ship after Ace left." Willow answered before Tsubaki finished asking.

Tsubaki nodded and threw a hasty, "Thanks." over her shoulder as she quickly made her way towards the dorms. She was worried about Sadie too, but she had her Uncle. Thatch and Ace were Marco's brothers and she couldn't imagine how alone he must feel now. She needed to be there with him. She needed to let him know that she was still here.

Tsubaki hovered outside Marco's door. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead to the wood. 'Maybe I should leave him alone.' Now that she was here uncertainty filled her. Did she have the right to intrude on his solitude? 'What's the right thing to do?' There were no easy answers for her to grasp as she put off entering the room. The wound left from Thatch's murder, Teach's betrayal and now Ace's absence bleed freely from every Whitebeard Pirate. 'If only it was a physical wound that I could stitch up and bandage.' She leaned her hand to the oak door and shook in grief. There was no medical treatment that could cure a broken heart.

Steeling herself, the red-head stood up straight. Her pain was nothing compared to Marco's. Thatch was her friend and a commander, but to Marco…. She could only imagine what it was like. Her mind flitted painfully over an image of Sadie bloodied and still. Her fist knocked on his door. The raps seemed to end prematurely as the heavy atmosphere killed the sound. There was no answer, but she boldly entered his room anyway.

Her heart shuttered when she saw the state Marco was in. He sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and head hung as he slouched forward. She scanned him over and over, noticing the shaking in his fingers and the small wet spots on the floor between his feet. Tsubaki hesitated just inside the doorway. There was something in the air that begged not to be disturbed. As if even the shifting of dust would cause everything to shatter.

The silence broke as a small keening bubbled through Marco's resolve. Tsubaki was kneeling before him in an instant. Her hands guiding his head to her shoulder as his tears flowed faster. She still didn't know what the right thing to do was, but she couldn't do nothing. "I'm here." She whispered.

A strangled cry scratched out of Marco's lungs. Tsubaki felt her skin dampen as his tears soaked through the darkening green sleeve over her shoulder. Her chest hurt in echoes of his pain. She couldn't break down now. He needed her support, so her tears would have to wait. Tsubaki blinked her burning eyes, denying them the right to spill over. The doctor rubbed wide circles across his back as he continued to cry.

Her brows knitted tighter as she felt a tugging at her waist. Marco clutched the front of her dress in his strained fists. The ship moaned around them as it rocked slowly on the sea. 'I wish I could go back. If only I could stop the whole thing from happening.' She wished fervently, and a few tears budded onto her lashes. Even having seen the horror of Thatch's murder, it would have taken only a tiny lie to make her believe it hadn't happened. Something so nightmarish couldn't be reality. Her hands started to shake as she fisted the back of Marco's shirt.

"Tsuba-ki." He choked out. "Ace is-"

"I kno-ow," Her own voice cracking. Having her name spoken in such a broken way fractured the last of her own resolve. She took a deep breath and forced her voice not to shake, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Marco's arms engulfed her waist and he pulled her body flush with his own. The two clung onto each other in their grief. She felt as he slid off the bed, taking her with him to the floor. She went from cradling to being held. Tsubaki hugged his neck and Marco buried his nose in her red locks. Their embrace was the closest thing to a bandage for the shards in her chest.

….

After the adrenaline had waned, Ace realized with dread what he had done. He had abandoned his family. He grit his teeth and raised a palm to his face. His turbulent emotions swayed him back and forth. He could go back now, they would forgive him. He almost retched as the grisly memory of Thatch's body flashed behind his eyes. Teach was his responsibility, and he owed this much to Thatch. A calm settled within his chest as he accepted the course he had chosen. Lowering his hand, he saw that a single red string had remained twisted around his pinkie.

He had to let go of his family.

He had to let her go.

He had to let them all go.

Their faces flashed through his mind with painful clarity. He opened his eyes and removed the crimson thread. Ace held it briefly in his fist. It was only a string, but it felt weightier than that. To him, it represented the last connection to his family, to his home. His fist shook as another wave of conflict raged through his chest. For his friend and brother, he needed to be more than he had been. He needed to be an unstoppable force of nature. Ace relaxed his fingers and allowed the breeze to carry the remnants of his pillow away to sink into the water.

The man Ace had been, received a proper burial at sea.

He turned his gaze to the dying light of the sun over the ocean and checked the log pose on his wrist. Adjusting his sail and putting a new burst of speed into his heals, Ace sailed toward the darkening horizon.

AN: Grief, like any emotion, is extremely personal and complicated. I'm trying my best to do it justice. That being said, it is something that I thankfully have limited experience with. Therefore, I would like to apologize to anyone who felt my representation was flawed or stereotypical.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time – Laugh Like Luffy.