Hello! Before we go on with this chapter, I'd like to announce/promote something. So, because I can't help myself, I have made an Ace-centric event for February 15th (my exam's on the 9th, so no worries there). I'd like it if you could check it out and share the post, and I encourage you to join in :D Here's the link:

in-memoriam-one-piece dot tumblr dot com/post/190325430642/in-memoriam-an-one-piece-event

That said, and rather fittingly, here is the first chapter we have from Ace's POV in this story.

The Eternal Hell, Part IV

Ace wasn't sure he was awake. In fact, he kind of desperately hoped he wasn't.

Pops was here, crouching outside the cell to have a good line of sight of Ace and Jinbe. He looked pleased, and damn it all if that wasn't utter relief on his face. Ace felt like a complete scumbag for wishing Pops wouldn't show up. Hell, he felt like a complete scumbag for ignoring Pops' orders and going after that traitor Teach.

Luffy was all but bouncing on his heels, held in place by a vaguely-familiar guy who'd placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. Luffy's grin was so wide it was hard to look at, and the feeling of guilt in Ace's gut intensified. What would have happened? Would Luffy have learned of Ace's execution through an impersonal, propaganda-riddled article on the newspaper? What would that have done to Luffy?

And Silvers Rayleigh was unchaining him. Ace wasn't daft; he'd studied the Roger Pirates as a kid, trying to understand why his existence was such a sin, and he'd heard Pops. That was a mess he couldn't allow himself to think about. Not now, not when these people —even Jinbe, noble idiot that he was— were risking their lives to save his worthless ass.

He just hoped Luffy hadn't been the one to plan this thing. Hell, he hoped Pops had his entire fleet outside ready to whisk them away before the marines showed up.

Once the chains were off, Ace flexed his arms experimentally. Damn, but they hurt.

Rayleigh threw the chains to the other end of the cell and moved to release Jinbe without a word. Ace wondered how Pops had convinced a guy who'd been thought dead for twenty years to join him.

He didn't like the explanation that came to mind.

"You okay, Ace?" Luffy, now crouching next to him, asked. His grin was mixed with some worry, and Ace belatedly realized he had grimaced.

"Yeah. Just a bit sore."

"Like hell you are," an unknown voice replied, and Ace turned to see the other guy kneeling before him with a small bag by his side. With a closer look, Ace realized why he looked familiar: he was one of Luffy's crewmembers —he had been there at Alabasta, and Ace recalled a pretty high bounty right after the Enies Lobby fiasco— but Ace didn't remember the guy's name.

Ace opened his mouth to argue that he was fine, but Pops gave him a warning look from outside the cell. Damn, it was hard to oppose the father figure you had just disappointed so thoroughly.

"Guess I've been better," Ace conceded begrudgingly.

Luffy's crewmember opened the bag and started to pull out some basic medical stuff.

"I'm no doctor, but I can do first aid," he explained, reaching for a small bottle.

It may have been the poor lighting, but Ace could swear Pops gave the guy an odd look.

"What's your name? Afraid I didn't catch it," Ace asked, finally remembering the manners Makino had drilled into him.

"Marco."

Oh, right. Marco the Phoenix. He remembered reading it now. It had caught Ace's attention, for some reason, before Banaro.

"He could kick your ass," Luffy said out of nowhere with a wide grin, and Ace realized with a jolt he was addressing him.

Ace glared at Luffy.

"Like you could beat me at Alabasta?"

Luffy laughed.

"Nah. He really could kick your ass."

Before Ace could do anything, like catching Luffy in a headlock, Marco poked Luffy with the pointy end of a pair of small scissors.

"Don't go pitching me up against monster Yonko crewmembers," he admonished Luffy, an amused quality to his voice.

Behind them, Pops chuckled. There was also another chuckle from the side that might have been Rayleigh, but Ace refused to look.

"Why not?" Luffy asked, a disconcerting earnestness to his voice. "I'm pretty sure he couldn't beat you."

Ace was about to be offended, very offended, when he noticed the pensive look on Pops' face.

"Now that'd be interesting," Pops mused out loud, throwing Ace off completely.

Pops thought Ace might lose against Marco? What the hell was he missing here?

Ace met Marco's eyes, his face serious and feeling determined for the first time since Banaro.

"You up for it? I'm gonna make them eat those words."

Instead of being intimidated or worried, Marco smirked at him.

"Perhaps you'll eat yours."