Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! It's been a rough year so it's good to get to the festive time. I hope you all get to enjoy it and get lots of nice gifts :)


(Celestial Dragon AU)

Shanks sat down heavily at the table, he couldn't help but glance at Ace every so often, he recognised the kid, it was the colouring of him, it reminded Shanks of someone.

Unfortunately he just couldn't pinpoint who it was.

"Alright yoi, what do you know?" the immortal chicken scowled.

"About Ace?" Shanks grinned, earning an almost nervous look from the kid. "Luffy told me a lot. I know you're a Celestial Dragon, a good one, which is a rare thing. You were brave standing up against the tide."

Ace frowned. "I was lavished in riches and comfort. Why do you think I'm brave?"

"Because you kept your own head. You didn't just follow the crowd. If you had done so Luffy wouldn't be here. He'd either be a slave or dead," Shanks said, restraining the urge to growl.

Because a world without Luffy in it would break off apart of him, a happy, loving part of him, he was already going after those who had hurt his Anchor, because Luffy was family. Just like Roger and Buggy both were. If Luffy had been dead, Shanks would have burned Mariejois to the ground.

Luffy had latched on to Ace's hand, staring quietly at the table and it made Shank's heart ache. His little Anchor should never had gone through any of that. Garp shouldn't have let it happen, he was the fucking Hero of the Marines for the love of the seas! But no, Luffy had been taken, had been tortured and enslaved, the kid who valued freedom so highly.

He was free now, but not without scars.

At least he had found a brother, he had found Ace through it all. Ace who would have one day been brainwashed by his family, taught the 'proper' way, if the kid didn't get a chance to escape.

But when Shanks had saw Luffy at Sabaody, being chased by dogs, Shanks had snapped. Everyone and everything had passed out around him in the area, only his crew and Luffy had been spared, his haki carefully wrapping round his people, his family.

Just as it would do for Buggy, his stubborn brother, who kept to East Blue, happy and safe.

Not that it stopped Shanks from pestering him often, either by visits or calls.

"It's true, Ace," the birdy said. "Even if Shanks is an idiot he's actually right about this one."

"Oi-" Shanks pouted.

"Don't call Shanks an idiot!" Luffy protested, much to Shanks delight.

The little guy wasn't fazed by a Commander of a Yonko's ships. Although it could be possible that Luffy didn't even know what a Yonko was so...

Meh, didn't really matter right now anyway.

"Guararara, such cheeky brats," Whitebeard chuckled, but his eyes softened when they landed on the kid. "But yes, Ace. You were brave for going against your parents, your whole entire family and linage. Many would not have even thought to do so, many would not have even figured out something was wrong and made up their own mind about what was right, and what was wrong."

"My brother thought I was weird-" Ace admitted.

"He's not your brother, I am!" Luffy huffed, clinging to Ace tighter.

Ace grinned. "I know, Lu'."

Ace seemed to enjoy the warmth for a while, but then Luffy grew serious, his grasp on Ace's hand tightened, even as his skin began to pale. Ace placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Luffy, I can tell them-"

"No. I need to," Luffy insisted. "I was used for the fighting pits."

That earned a few dark looks, Shanks barely contained his own fury, because he could picture it, adults fighting against Luffy, trying to kill him, all of them collared and terrified and unable to do anything apart from obey-

It made his blood boil.

"There was a man in the cage next to me, he was nice. He told me stories about pirates..." Luffy's fists shook and Shanks grimaced.

Because Luffy had burst into tears when he told him about Whitebeard's former Second Division Commander, the only one he had taken on after Oden. Darian, who had been sweet, and way too kind to be a pirate, but was smart nevertheless, who had became a Commander after sailing with the Whitebeard pirates for eight years.

He had been so passionate about navigation.

"About you," Luffy said, staring straight up at Whitebeard, his face firm. "About all of you, he said he had so many siblings and that he missed them. That he wished things would end differently. That... That was he sorry..."

Luffy's fists shook. "We... One day we had to fight... And he refused to kill me... He told me to do it. I said no, I wouldn't... So he did it himself... He said you'd be upset with him because you hated the idea of your family killings themselves, but he wouldn't fight me. He kept refusing and everyone kept screaming, they were so angry, and then he grabbed the knife and-"

Whitebeard's eyes softened. "Who was it? Tell me whom you speak of."

Luffy however had that glazed look in his eyes, where he was drifting off into his own memories, and Ace was holding him, wrapping his arms tight around his brother. Shanks nearly seethed, at the thought that someone did this to Luffy.

"Luffy, let me handle this," Shanks said softly. "Please, normally I'd agree, this would be your duty, but you're still a kid. You're not a Captain yet."

Luffy remained still for a time, curling into Ace's arms, but then, he slowly met Shank's gaze, and nodded.

Shanks closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath, before facing Whitebeard. "It was the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Darian the Speeder."

.::.

Marco froze. Darian? Darian had died during an expedition though, Teach had cried when he reported it, clutching Darian's hat and shaking all over. None of the second division members who had went with Darian on that mission had been able to find his body. Teach had said he had fallen, that some of the cliff gave way and Teach hadn't been given no time to catch him.

The second division had searched that island for hours, but in the end, they hadn't found him.

Pops looked like somebody had just stabbed him, and Marco flinched, seeing the expression on his face. No one ever wanted to see their parent look so distraught, but no, Pops was in agony.

"But... Teach said he fell yoi..." Marco whispered.

Shanks glowered. "You really need to stop underestimating Marshall D. Teach. He's the one who gave me these scars."

Shanks trailed the scars across his eye, his gaze growing dark.

"Who is that?" the kid, Luffy blinked, staring at Ace. "Is he a teacher?"

"No, he's a guy who likes pies," Ace answered.

Sam's hand landed on his elbow, her hand grasping tight around it. Marco glanced back, meeting her eyes, and they were watering. Marco almost cursed, because Sam and Darian had been almost pirate married, he had been ready to propose and everything, and she had found his ring the day they began going through his room. She wore it on a chain round her neck, hidden under her shirt.

He grabbed his sister's hand and squeezed it. Pops' hand was immediately ruffling her hair, though his eyes remained on Shanks.

"My son was a slave?" Pops frowned deeply.

"To my family..." Ace spoke up, he was shifting in his seat, biting his lip. "I'm... I'm so sorry-"

Marco winced, because Ace was still blaming himself for being born a Celestial Dragon, which was in no way his fault. It wasn't his fault what his family chose to do. He had ran away from it all when he realised he didn't want to be apart of that life.

But here he was, his little brother, trying to take responsibility for something that wasn't his fault.

"Don't apologise, Ace. You have no need to," Pops cut in firmly, his eyes softening when they met Ace's. "You had no control over what happened back in Mariejois, and it's amazing that you understood what was going on around you, and decided for yourself that it was wrong at such a young age."

"But I didn't stop the fights-"

"You couldn't yoi," Marco said, sighing softly, even as Sam's hand clutched his tighter. "None of the adults would have listened to you. They would have simply tried to 'teach you better'."

"The real question is," Sam cut in, her voice rough. "Why was Darian in the fighting pits? And who handed him off to the slavers?"

Shanks scowled. "None of you ever investigated Teach?"

Pops growled. "Stop trying to put all the blame on Teach. He was devastated when Darian fell. Darian must have been captured after his fall by slavers and traded away."

"Don't be naive-"

Marco grimaced. They were going to start fighting again. Sam butted in though, her eyes burning.

"Don't you two dare start fighting in here!" Sam ordered sharply. "Not indoors and especially not in front of two kids," she turned to Pops. "I want to know what happened to Darian just as much as you do, and I hate the thought that one of our family could do that to him, but that doesn't mean you hiss at someone for suggesting an idea."

"Ha!" Shanks stuck out his tongue.

"And you stop instigating things and give us proof!" Sam snapped, earning a wince. "You're both just as bad as each other. I swear to the seas!"

"Now, I've got to go clear my head. I suggest the rest of you do the same," Sam breathed out. "And perhaps celebrate the fact that Ace has reunited with his brother? Because we could do with focusing on the good news after all we learned today."

And with that Sam marched out the door, and Marco could feel her go straight to her room, and knew she would rather break down in privacy. He really wanted to console her, but she would chase him off, and the thought made Marco grimace.

"She's really sad," the Straw Hat kid whispered. "Darian said he really liked a red haired woman, said she made him very happy, was that her?"

Pops closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, that was her."

Marco forced himself to take a deep breath before taking charge, because Pops was now too upset and needed time to think and cool down, and the kids didn't need to remain here, right in the middle of all this. The Straw Hat kid had been brave enough already, coming here personally to tell them what had happened to Darian.

"Alright, I think we should do as Sam said and take a breather yoi," Marco said.

"Or at least let the kids run off and play," Shanks said, glancing at Luffy who was clutching the straw hat tight to his chest, looking lost in his thoughts again.

Marco grimaced, because he knew that was going to happen a lot, the poor kid would have suffered through a lot in the fighting pits. Despite the fact that it sounded like Darian had tried to help him somewhat, Darian who had always been kind to people.

He wished he could see Darian again, even if it was one more time.

"Ace, how about you give your brother a tour?" Pops suggested.

Ace tilted his head. "You don't want us here? Despite everything?"

"Neither of you did anything wrong, my boy, and you both told me what happened, and I thank you for that-"

"But I didn't tell you... Luffy did-"

"You've had a lot on your mind, Ace yoi," Marco said, reaching over to ruffle Ace's hair. "You ran away from home only a few months ago, you've been missing your parents, and you've been terrified that something might have happened to Luffy. I doubt it would have been easy to recall anything else while you're already so deep in thought."

Luffy nodded and jumped out his seat, tugging on Ace's hand. Ace threw them an unsure look, but he followed Luffy out. Marco closed the door behind them, almost smiling when the pair lingered before Ace tugged Luffy away, whispering something about 'bird hearing'.

He kept his haki trained on them until the pair finally drifted off towards Thatch's domain. Thatch could keep them occupied, so that was a relief. Now all Marco had to do was help his father.