We're finally with the Whitebeard pirates in this AU! So um... Maybe prepare the tissues? Marco needs them, and so might everybody else o.o
(Dark Carrier AU)
"Pops!" Haruta barrelled into the room, his eyes wide as he held a snail. "Dragon's called us. He has news."
"What's gotten you so worked up yoi?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow at Haruta's haggard look.
"They found Ace! Their Chief of Staff found Ace and they freed him!" Haruta cried out, thankfully in the privacy of Marco's home.
Marco heard glass shatter and glanced down, seeing his glass of water scattered everywhere. He ignored it for now and glanced up at Pops who looked so relieved. It was the healthiest he had looked in a long time, but Marco didn't let himself relax yet.
He needed to hear what Dragon had to say. How Ace was, if... If there was a child or if... Oh god if he was pregnant... If he was okay, if he was...
Ace had to be okay. Please let him be okay.
Pops took the snail and greeted Dragon, as Marco waited eagerly at his bedside, praying it was good new. He didn't believe in any God, but if there was one he begged them to let Ace be okay. Marco needed to hear some good news. They had lost so much of their family, either to wounds or abandonment after Teach defeated them. Most of the Whitebeard pirates were scattered across the world now, down to about two hundred men now.
All in hiding. Only the Commanders had been allowed to know about Sphinx. It had been a call made by the Commanders themselves, no matter how unfair it might have been to their other siblings. Pops hadn't protested either, but Marco knew why. He wanted to protect Sphinx.
If anyone got word of it they could try and attack and the island had been through enough. It was lovely now, lovely and peaceful and a place that could be called home.
"Dragon, do you really have my son?" Pops asked, his tone carefully blank for now.
"We do. I'm sorry-" Marco whimpered. Pops' hand landed on his back, rubbing slow circles, but Marco didn't feel any comfort from it. "Ace was married off to a Celestial Dragon, Saint Cedric, one of the grandsons of the Five Elders. My Chief of Staff managed to rescue him and bring him back to our base."
Haruta tried to catch his eye, but Marco refused to look at him. He wasn't composed enough for this. He was barely keeping his breathing even. His Phoenix was screaming and so was Marco and it was taking everything he had not to explode. Marco couldn't even feel Pops' hand, he couldn't feel his or Haruta's presence.
All he could hear was the screams from within himself. A Celestial Dragon. A Celestial Dragon had Ace. Sabo had checked their records though. He hadn't found anything. They could have done anything to his mate, his lover, his Ace.
Sabo must not have been able to find anything. The worst part of his mind cooed though, told him that Sabo could be just like Teach. That he could be another traitorous brother, this time one of Ace's brothers.
No. He couldn't go down that road. If he started thinking horribly of all his own siblings, his brothers and sisters, Marco would never trust anyone again. He couldn't do that to himself.
"How is he?" He finally registered his father's voice, stricken with grief, but fuelled with anger nevertheless.
"Not well. There's no easy way to say this, in fact I'd advise you have anyone you don't wish to listen to this leave immediately," Dragon said firmly.
Pops frowned. "Haruta, go call Vista and Curiel, tell them to come home. Tell your brothers that Ace is somewhere safe."
"But-" Haruta hesitated.
"Go, son," Pops ordered.
Marco heard Haruta leave, slowly, much more hesitant. Finally the door to Pops' room closed and then the front door did as well. Haruta's presence, now that Marco forced himself to register it, grew further and further away, albeit it reluctantly.
"Don't spare me any harsh details. Marco and I need to know," Pops said through gritted teeth.
He did meet his eyes though and Marco nodded. Yes, he needed to know. He needed to know how to comfort Ace, if he was allowed to. If Ace rejected him... Marco wouldn't know what to do, all he could do was be understanding and try help his mate.
"Ace was drugged and married off to a Celestial Dragon. He's been mentally abused and raped who knows how many times in these past few years. Ace has also been pregnant twice, the first time his son died though during the birth and Ace nearly did so too."
Marco was shaking. He was actually so angry and sick that he was shaking. He barely held back the bile rising up his throat. Pops looked furious.
"Is he pregnant now or do we have a child to save?" Pops growled.
"He's pregnant. Seven months along, nearly at eight. We're lucky the stress Ace has been going through hasn't triggered anything," Dragon admitted.
"And?" Pops pressed.
Because there would be more. So much more.
"He wants to go back up there. To his 'husband' again. We've been trying to convince him that he's safe, but he's overwhelmed. Ace forced himself to completely blank out his entire life outside of Mariejois to settle down and now it's came back all of a sudden and shocked him. He's had a seastone bracelet locked around his wrist the entire time too. I'm not entirely sure about removing it yet. He might not have control over his powers anymore or if they might hurt the baby even if he does," Dragon continued.
"He should be feeling free..." Marco mumbled out clumsily. He felt so disconnected. Disjointed.
None of this should be happening. Not to Ace. Not to Ace of all people.
"They would have swiftly cut off Ace's urge to escape and made him want to stay to avoid punishment," Pops said softly. Marco could finally feel his hand again though, pressed firmly against his back. "I'll ask my daughters what they think of the bracelet. I would like to have it off Ace, but I don't want him or the baby getting hurt."
Marco wanted to scream. He wanted to tear out his hair and bash his fists into the walls and fly out of here. Go find Ace. Go find Cedric. Embrace his lover and tear Cedric apart.
Thatch would have done it. Thatch would have torn Cedric apart piece by piece.
But Thatch was dead and Ace was hurt. Ace was so badly hurt.
"Where is my son?" Pops asked.
"Before I say you have to agree to some conditions."
"You want to keep me from my youngest son who I have not seen for years? Who is currently in pain and distressed?" Pops growled.
Marco trembled, tears burning in his eyes. They couldn't keep them away. They couldn't keep Ace away from his family. Please no. Ace shouldn't have been kept locked away. It's Ace. His Phoenix let out a mournful cry, just as terrified they would be kept separated from their mate.
"For his safety and for my people's. I can only allow a select few of you near the island, those who will never reveal it's location. I normally would have had Ace moved to another location but he's too heavily pregnant to keep carting around on small boats," Dragon explained. "I don't wish to keep straining him."
"That's understandable," Pops grunted.
"Do not bring your entire crew, Newgate. Do not sail above water either. Stay below it and emerge when you're close by the island. When you reach it only you and Marco the Phoenix may enter our grounds."
"You brat, ordering me around-" Pops scowled.
"You and I both know you can no longer stand a proper fight. You're only alive out of sheer stubbornness to see your youngest again. So don't bother posturing towards me," Dragon snapped. "Ace is overwhelmed enough as it is. Just the mention of you lot puts too much stress on him and the baby. He's focused on forgetting everyone from his 'previous life'. That is one of the reasons I'm 'ordering you around' like this."
"I don't want to risk either of them yoi," Marco breathed out, meeting Pops' gaze. "Pops, please-"
"We agree," Pops said firmly.
"Good. An agent will deliver a log to you when you're out at sea."
Pops nodded. "We'll be there soon. Is Ace alright for now though? Is he resting at least?"
The snail nodded. "Yes. He's been eating and sleeping thankfully. My Chief of Staff has been keeping a close eye on him."
"Good," Pops breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Try not to worry too much. It will only do more damage to your family," Dragon insisted. "I will see you soon."
"Agreed," Pops replied and hung up the snail.
Immediately Marco collapsed into his chair and cried into his hands. "Fuck... Holy shit yoi..."
"Shhh, breathe son," Pops hushed, rubbing his back. "Deep breaths."
Marco shook his head, panic hitting him like a brick. "I-I can't... I-I really can't-"
He didn't fight it when his father pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly. Marco buried his head against his father's chest and wept, both in relief and despair. His whole body shook and Marco was struggling to breathe, he couldn't think clearly, not with his Phoenix still screeching and his mind whirling all over the place. All he could think about was how much that Celestial Dragon could have hurt Ace and that Ace was pregnant.
They had raped him. They had raped his mate.
"I know... I know, son... I'm so sorry." Pops rocked him, trying to help console him. "But we'll get Ace back. We'll bring him home."
"What if he doesn't love me anymore?" Marco choked out.
He couldn't stand the thought. Ace might even hate him. Hate them all for leaving him with a Celestial Dragon for all these years. They had tried to find him, they were still looking for him even now but it didn't matter. What mattered was that they hadn't managed it.
They had failed Thatch and Ace. They had failed their family.
"Ace would never fall out of love with you," Pops said firmly and Marco looked up when a finger slipped under his chin, coaxing him to look into his father's pure, honest eyes. "Not willingly. We don't know what this Cedric has done to him, we'll only know when we see Ace with our own eyes."
"I'm scared yoi."
"I know. I am too." Pops rubbed his back and kept him close for the rest of the day, until they were ready to leave.
They would bring Ace home and if they could they would help him heal.
