Kira494: Yeah, sorry it was so short! I rarely post chapters that short. Luffy can't turn into a human, like Ace can't turn into a dragon.

1andonlyjack: Thanks! Sadly, there is only one more chapter after this one.

Jordansdevil: I know, I put him through so much pain in so many of my fanfics.

blue heart gaming girl: He can't patch up his wing, but there will be more on that later. ;)


I'm so sad, everyone. This is the second to last chapter. I've been posting this story since last September I think. And now it's gonna be over! And I'm almost done with a few of my other ones, too! Makes me bummed. :( We meet someone new in this chapter. Well not meet, pass by. And he ends up being very important even if he isn't in the story much. Posting this from school. 4 hour break between classes. FML. Anyways, enjoy~


Ace sobbed horrible, heartbreaking sobs on deck as he curled into a ball, shaking with grief. He couldn't even feel Luffy in his head anymore. He felt colder than he ever had before. Even before his powers awakened. Luffy was gone. He knew that. That's why his mind and heart felt so empty.

Marco was kneeling in front of Ace, feeling panic. What had happened? "Ace, Ace? What's wrong? What's wrong with Luffy?" he questioned frantically, yelling at the pirates to stop staring and leave, only having the commanders remain.

Ace couldn't reply, though. His heart was broken. It felt like half of him was torn away and it hurt physically. He scraped his fingernails down his face, leaving red marks, but no blood came. He just wanted to feel anything other than his grief and pain. The emptiness. He felt empty.

The commanders all tried comforting him, still not knowing what had happened to Luffy to cause this reaction. But it wasn't good. They had an overall feeling that Luffy was dead. And it made all of them hate themselves. That they couldn't save Luffy, couldn't take back one of their own and now he was dead.

-x-

Thatch carried a comatose Ace to his own room, not his and Luffy's. It was in an area of the ship that there would be no other sounds. And the pirates under the commanders wouldn't come to this part of the ship.

He laid Ace down on his bed, taking his boots off, with Haruta, Marco and Izo nearby and looking very unsettled and upset. Was Ace broken? Had some sort of bond the brothers had broken and now Ace couldn't function anymore?

They still hadn't gotten any answers as what had happened to Luffy, and if Ace stayed in this state, they would never know. Ace's eyes looked empty, without that fire of life, or determination, or happiness, joy, sadness, anger. Nothing.

-Four Months Later-

"To Ace!" the crew cheered as they raised their mugs to the new second division commander. This was something that had to happen. Ace was worthy of the role due to his strength, but he needed a purpose in life. After Luffy was gone, he didn't speak for over a week. He refused to eat, so had been forced to eat, and ended up in the infirmary by purposely trying to starve himself.

The crew, his new family, did the best they could to get Ace back. Any part of Ace, but Luffy's assumed death had cripppled him, and he lost a lot of weight and color. The only thing that ended up keeping him going was fighting. Fighting other pirate crews, Marines, anyone they came across who wasn't a civilian. It was the only thing that got Ace to show any emotion, so they let him fight as much as he wanted.

That's what started to coax him back out of his shell. He had been appointed second division commander, finally filling the space, to give him something to live for. And what brought him back the most was protecting someone. Well, multiple someones. His crew, and family.

"Luffy" was a name that no one said anymore. Not yet, Ace wasn't ready. They still had no idea what had happened to the poor dragon. Something bad, clearly. There had been no update or sightings that raised the bounty, so it was clear that Luffy had somehow died. Somehow painfully, based on the way Ace had reacted that day.

Ace raised his mug, which still wasn't alcohol, and thanked everyone with a half-there smile. It was a smile, but it wasn't a true one. They were glad Ace hadn't coped by turning to alcohol, not that they were even sure he could get drunk in the first place.

The young man still hadn't told them what his secret was. He had said he would tell when they got Luffy back. They didn't, so he might never tell them, and that was fine. It was his business. Only his, now that Luffy was gone.

Ace looked down at his water, his thoughts drifting back to what island they'd go to next. They were just journeying from island to island like they would have before Ace and… the dragon came. The second division commander didn't even think of the name anymore. Not yet, and he didn't know when he'd be able to face what he'd truly lost in the long term.

"Berri for your thoughts?" Haruta asked as he sat down next to his close friend, guzzling his mug of rum.

"Just wondering which island we'll go to next," Ace replied truthfully. "Izo keeps wanting me to get off the ship, but I don't want to."

Harta sighed and looked up at the stars. "Getting off the ship would be good for you. You can go get some books or go shopping for clothes. You've been on the ship for months, not even coming off to any of the islands we've docked at."

He wanted to say that it was a drastic change from Ace's life of being outdoors and around, but maybe that was the point. Ace didn't want to go explore, because that's what he'd done with his brothers, who were both now gone. But, he didn't say that.

"I don't know. Maybe," Ace replied. "I just… don't feel like trying anything new yet."

"Well, as commander, you'll have to help out more with the ship's functioning, and the crew getting along. We'll have to train you pretty good," Haruta said and wrapped an arm around Ace's shoulders, making sure not to touch the sensitive tattoo still healing on Ace's back.

"I know," Ace replied simply, taking a sip of his water.

Haruta looked at him in almost disappointment. "You really need to try some alcohol, Ace. You don't know what you're missing out on." He would then regret those words, for not twenty minutes later, Ace's drunk personality was determined.

Ace giggled helplessly after every sip of rum. This would be just fine, as it was good the alcohol didn't depress Ace, except for the fact that he was now spewing out information like a fountain.

"Hehe, h-hey, you wan-nna know mah ssssecret?" he whispered loudly in Haruta's ear, only everyone else could hear, too. The commanders' eyes went wide as they turned to see Ace hiccup and giggle, before starting, "I'm not even hu-" but soon Haruta's hand was clamped over Ace's mouth.

"Eh, Ace, how about we talk about something else?" Haruta said awkwardly, yanking his hand away from Ace's mouth after the young man licked it and then fell on his back, laughing uncontrollably, ignoring the itchy feeling of his tattoo hitting the deck. It was disgusting, and Haruta would forever use it to tease Ace.

"B-But, don't you wannnna know?" he chuckled.

"No, Ace, we don't wanna know," Marco said sternly. Whitebeard watched with concern and also amusement. But, the commander had gained attention from those close enough to hear him. They could have sworn he was going to say he wasn't even human, but got cut off.

"Aaanndd you all want- hic-ted me to drink."

"Yeah, but not if you were gonna spill important secrets and information," Thatch countered. It really looked like Ace was a light drinker, as he'd barely had two mugs before he was completely smashed.

"Hah! You know, Luuuffy said I'd talk lots, too!" and he erupted into giggles again. The whole deck grew quiet as the pirates watched the young man. He didnt start to cry, or even acknowledge the name he'd mentioned. But, not long after that, Ace blacked out and fell asleep, spilling the rum on his bare chest as he slumped into Haruta's lap.

"Well… looks like we won't be getting Ace drunk again anytime soon," Haruta said with an awkward laugh as he lowered Ace to the ground so his back wouldn't be irritated.

"Luffy would be so disappointed in us," Marco said quietly before he tipped back his drink and downed the whole mug, sighing once it was empty. "But, he finally acknowledged that Luffy did exist."

"Yeah, too bad he's DRUNK," Izo said. "But... it might be a start." The party resumed, Ace sleeping deeply on deck.

-x-

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Shanks asked the transponder snail in a panic. "Dogtooth came and left a monster?"

He was speaking with Yukiryu island, who were all in a panic. Apparently, Charlotte Katakuri had arrived and released a black monster onto the island, and then left. The monster had attacked some pirates that went after him, and then fled up the mountain and disappeared into the snow.

"Yes! It looks like a dragon would in drawings, but it doesn't have any wings. We didn't get too good a look at it before it fled into the woods of the mountain, but we could see it has frills on the neck. We need help," the civilian pleaded.

Shanks was sharing startled and shocked looks with his crew in the communications room. It would make sense that Dogtooth would stop at that island as it was one of the ones on the way to Totto Land, but why on earth would he release some sort of monster onto the island and then leave?

But, when the word "dragon" was said, it caught everyone's attention and they were glued to the transponder snail, wanting more information. Luffy was the only black beast that looked like a dragon, but again, why would he be with Katakuri? Luffy had died months ago, according to the Whitebeards.

He had stopped responding to Ace, which everyone knew he wouldn't stop unless he had died. It would have helped if they knew how Luffy had died, but Ace never specified. They barely got out of him that "Luffy was gone". It had been very upsetting to the Red-Haired pirates, as they had liked the dragon.

"Don't try and kill it. Leave it alone, let it steal your food if it tries. We'll be there as soon as possible."

It was lucky they were nearby, only maybe a week away. Hopefully, the wingless dragon wouldn't kill anyone. It was best not to antagonize a wild animal and leave it be until someone can take care of it. Shanks hung up the call and turned to the crew, "We're going to Yukiryu island, now."

-x-

Ace woke up feeling worse than he ever had before. He was in his new room, which was bigger than his and Luffy's converted storage room. He turned to the side and vomited into an empty trash can that had been placed there for him. Ugh, he felt like shit.

He was never gonna get drunk again. Last night, though he remembered he felt happy, didn't feel good enough to wake up to a hangover. It felt like when he'd been drugged, only that now he was extremely nauseous. He shook off the thoughts of that dark time. He shut down that train of thought and went to his mini, private bathroom to brush his teeth.

He was sweaty and had circles under his eyes. God, he felt sick. But then he thought back to the comparison of being drugged. He had been able to burn out the traces of the drugs. He closed his eyes and heated his body up as high as he could while still staying in human form and not turning into a flaming man.

"...Ugh!" he shouted and went back to his normal temperature, blinking clearly. He grinned. A mere hangover wouldn't defeat Ace! He laughed as he showered and brushed his teeth. He honestly couldn't remember anything that happened after he became intoxicated.

Then he looked at his smiling face in the mirror, and lost it. He turned away from the mirror, feeling guilty. He shouldn't be happy. He swallowed heavily and then went to his room to get dressed in his shorts and boots.

He wasn't expecting people to be looking at him weird on his way to the galley for breakfast. He passed it off as them confused of why he wasn't hung over. He was the only one to make it to the room without throwing up or needing to take a break.

Even Thatch was sick, while the chefs who weren't allowed to drink that night made the food. Ace greedily scarfed down everything he could reach at the table, sure that no one would be able to eat it anyways, as almost the whole ship was hung over. Ace couldn't help but gloat about his ability to just burn out unwanted substances from his body.

After eating, with the commanders still not having left their bedrooms, Ace wandered through the ship, going out of his way to make a roundabout route so he didn't have to walk past his and Luffy's old room.

He was surprised to find Whitebeard out on deck, sure that he must've drunk himself under the table with last night's party. The man turned to his newest son with a smile. "I guess your powers help get rid of hangovers as well as drugs?" he asked jovially. Ace nodded. "You sure are a… happy drunk," the captain commented with a laugh.

"Oh no… What did I do?" Ace asked in worry. Had he done something extremely embarrassing? Whitebeard looked out at the sea.

"Well, first you almost spilled out your secrets in front of the whole crew." Ace looked mortified. "Don't worry, son, Haruta stopped you before you could finish your sentence, but I think it's clear what you were going to say." He looked to Ace was a kind expression.

"Wh… What did I say?" Ace asked, his mouth dry.

"You 'aren't even human'. You also licked Haruta's hand and soon passed out, giggling helplessly," Whitebeard replied truthfully. Ace was horrified. "A very talkative drunk, you were."

Ace sat down on deck suddenly, putting his head into his hands. "Is that why everyone is looking at me strangely? Even if I hadn't said that, I licked Haruta's hand? What else did I do?" the new commander asked.

"If they are looking at you, it is most likely because of what you said. Though, Haruta will never let you live down licking his hand. You also mentioned someone who we haven't talked about in a long time," Whitebeard said gently. Ace flinched, and slowly asked what he'd said, clenching his jaw. He wasn't going to cry in front of anyone again. He was supposed to be an important figure now.

"Apparently, Luffy told you that you would most likely talk a lot if you got drunk. He knew you well," the captain said. Tears steamed off of Ace's face, as he bit his lip harshly.

"Heh, yeah, he did," Ace agreed, looking out at the sea.

"It's okay to talk about him. It's been a couple months, and all we do is avoid his name. Don't you think he'd want you to think about him in happiness?" Whitebeard asked kindly. Ace looked ashamed.

"I know… It's just… a lot different than when we lost Sabo. Sabo died with us, we knew what happened and we grieved together. Luffy… he… Sabo died immediately. Luffy didn't," Ace admitted. Whitebeard didn't respond, wanting Ace to talk more about it. But then, he finally asked the question everyone wanted the answer to.

"How did he die, Ace?"

"S-Sea king got him. Ripped his wing off. I heard him screaming the whole time. He apologized, and then he was just gone. I don't even have a picture of him, except that awful wanted poster," the young man said with a sniffle. "I had Luffy to help me. Now, I have no brother left. I mean different than the rest of the crew. Being a brother with Luffy and Sabo was completely different than what the relationship of the crew is."

Whitebeard sighed, and stood up and walked to Ace, hugging him as Ace teared up. "I know what you mean. You and Luffy shared a very, very special bond." Ace nodded his head against Whitebeard's chest.

"He's the only reason I have my fire powers," Ace admitted. "They only awakened when Luffy hatched. I almost set the house on fire. Then, me and Sabo, with out six year old brains, made a campfire inside our first bedroom because we didn't want to have to take Luffy outside to eat. Caught the bedroom on fire, and I was only able to save my baby brother by using my fire powers. Saved him and Sabo from burning alive from a damn indoor campfire!" he chuckled brokenly at the end.

"Well, you were six," Whitebeard reasoned with his own gruff chuckle.

"Even six year olds should know better."

"I'll give you that one," the man chuckled. Ace looked at him strangely. The captain noticed this. "What is it?"

Ace looked at his hands, which were resting on the railing. "You don't care? Ab-bout me not being… y'know…?"

"I don't care. It doesn't change who you are, though it makes me very curious," Whitebeard admitted. "I always expected that you didn't have a devil fruit, and weren't fully human. After all, a dragon was your biological brother. Can I ask more about it? I don't want you feeling pressured to answer, though. If you don't want to answer, then don't."

Ace looked up at him, only seeing his reassuring face with a soft smile. "You know the pirate king? Gold Roger?" Whitebeard looked surprised with the mention of the man. How was he related to this story? But he nodded.

"Of course, we were rivals and friends," Whitebeard added. Ace smiled a small smile.

"He fell in love with a woman who could turn into a dragon. That woman gave birth to a baby boy in her human form, and a tiny black egg in dragon form. The dragon egg matured and was taken care of the human boy. That's my family history. Monkey D. Garp took me and Luffy's egg from Portgas D. Rouge, who was on her deathbed. I don't know what she would have named Luffy, but she named me Ace."

Whitebeard looked shocked. He would have never guessed that Gol D. Roger would be blood related to Ace and Luffy. It was a complete surprise. Then he chuckled. "Of course that man fell in love with a dragon."

"I will also stop aging once I'm in my mid twenties. I'll outlive everyone on this ship. That's why losing Luffy is so devastating. I'll outlive everyone, all alone. I thought I was invincible before the whole drugging ordeal. I can also hold my breath underwater for eleven minutes," Ace finished. "That's all. Now you know everything." He snuck a look at his captain's face. He still hadn't called him "pops". He wasn't ready to accept calling anyone father or brother. Not yet, and the crew understood why. Ace had completely lost his first family. Accepting another right afterwards would be insensitive and hard.

Whitebeard looked completely happy. "I'm glad you told me. It was a very interesting story. No one will look at you differently. Besides, you're at least half human, right?" Ace smiled a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah. I remember, when Gramps first came to see me after Luffy hatched, Luffy refused to be near him. He remembered even through the shell of his egg the damn asshole beating me," Ace grumbled. "He was a bad caretaker. Left me with a bunch of bandits and told them to raise me. They didn't like me. Luffy and Sabo saved me from being too damaged from a neglectful home life."

Whitebeard scowled, disappointed in Garp. But that old nut probably thought he was training Ace. Yet, still, beating a child is wrong. And it made the fact that Luffy had been eaten even worse. Ace's savior had died in a painful manner. It was too cruel, for someone as young as Luffy to be eaten by a sea king. For anyone to be eaten by a sea king would be terrible, but the life that lead up to Luffy's death was just absolutely miserable. What a way to end a life. In misery, fear and then excruciating pain. The world was cruel.

Whitebeard then stood up straight and watched as a large ship passed theirs a little ways off. The captain looked very serious as he watched the ship. Ace looked from the man to the obscured ship, unable to see the jolly roger.

"What, who is it?" Ace asked.

"That's Charlotte Katakuri. Wonder what he's doing out this far from Big Mom's territory. There are no claimed islands in that direction. Only one of Red Hair's protected islands." Ace's eyes widened in surprise.

"The guy with a billion berri bounty?" Ace asked. He still couldn't believe his technical wanted poster was over five times that. He was glad there had been no update on who had done it. Meaning, they were likely not to look into it deeper if no one had connected Luffy's powers to that of what happened in the Mary Geious Massacre. They had pulled it off spectacularly.

"That's him. Makes me curious… I'll go and get some breakfast. Hopefully not everyone is painfully hung over," the captain said as he lead Ace back into the ship.


I love Katakuri. He's my favorite One Piece antagonist, so of course I had to include him! But, why was he here? Hmm, find out in the next chapter!