Author's Note: I have returned! Though it took me a while, I finally finished this chapter :) We're going to take a look at Ace's past and the fall-out that happens after he remembers. I hope ya'll enjoy!
To BlueHeartNina: Haha we'll just have to see ;)
To hana-ya: Yes, one was sealed and the other was not. This happened because of his heritage and the fact that he has more of an affinity with 'Haki' than 'wind. We'll go more into why this happened a little later on. Anyway, thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the update!
To 94Insane: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yeah...Marco did some bad stuff that's going to come back and bite him in the you know what. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)
To Magic Morgana: Yeah...Ace is gonna be pissed for sure. Poor Lu :( The vampires have kind of been indoctrinated to think the way they do after so many years and the whole 'humans almost dying out' thing. Though we'll explore this more later, Whitebeard also lost a lot of his love for the humans after the Fall killed many of his children. You're totally right that it's ducked up what they do, especially since they believe they're being kind, but things won't stay like that forever ;) Things will change eventually! I have plans hehe...
To Yuzuki476: Wow so many reviews! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me and I hope you enjoy the update :)
WARNINGS:
- Past death/violence
- Forcing someone to become a vampire
- Kidnapping
- Ace was an angry boi
Ace was born during a sandstorm in a rundown old house that he would call home for the earliest years of his life. His parents, Portgas D. Rouge and Gol. D. Roger, were members of the Denali tribe and took great pride in their heritage. His father, generally a carefree and jolly man, would only ever become truly serious when speaking of their history and their long fight with the vampires.
When he was five, in keeping with tradition, Ace received his pendant. It was pure white and symbolized his induction into the clan even though there weren't many of them left. Roger reminded him often of the devastating power the pendant could release and that he shouldn't use it until he was ready.
All things considered, Ace had a fairly standard childhood. The wastes were a hard place to live, but when it was all you ever knew…you adapted. He recalled a few gutsy vampires stumbling across their humble home, but they were always swiftly dealt with by his Father.
Roger was Ace's hero…the epitome of strength and what it meant to be a Denali. He trained everyday to be as strong as him.
To kill vampires like him.
There was only one time Ace remembered truly being scared, and that was when Roger told him about his illness. It couldn't be cured and would take his life in only a few years. He became angry and banged his fists against his father's chest, sobbing out barely recognizable words.
NO, you can't-
Please…don't leave us alone!
Despite the revelation, they lived another two years in peace without any issues, but when Ace turned ten…Roger died. He remembered that day vividly; walking into their tiny, one-room home to Rouge's tears and his Father lying on the bed, pale as a ghost.
"He's gone, darling…he's gone." Rogue managed, her voice barely a whisper in her grief as she pulled Ace's much smaller body to her chest. Strangely enough, he didn't shed any tears at the news of Roger's passing…not even when they buried him on a hill behind their house.
Ace did, however, cry when they discovered a vampire had raided the newly dug grave, defiling the resting place of such a great man. Rogue re-buried what she could find before ordering Ace pack what meager possessions he owned.
They were leaving.
He understood why they left. Without Roger to protect them, they were at risk of being attacked, but he still hated the fact that they had to leave at all. Ace was in a bit of a daze throughout that whole journey and honestly didn't remember much of it. He recalled stopping at sanctuaries and eating some questionable meat…but nothing more. All Ace could think about was how they left Roger and their home behind, all to meet up some other man.
"He's an old friend, darling…he'll help us." Rogue continuously said as she tried to stay optimistic. Ace, however, grew more and more bitter the farther they traveled.
Eventually, they found the man they were looking for: Monkey D. Dragon. He was a weird looking guy with tattoos all over his body, but since he was also a Denali (albeit of a lesser tribe), Ace tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Dragon invited them to live with him in his home that was structured almost the same as their old one, just slightly bigger.
Rogue agreed and they moved in with him the following week.
Ace quickly discovered that things were very different living under Dragon's roof, and he wasn't sure he liked it. First of all, the vampire attacks were much more frequent. Dragon said it was because of their proximity to some high profile citadels, which made Ace wonder why they didn't move farther away. Second, unlike Roger, Dragon believed that they should hide their abilities and try to live as normal humans.
"Ace, you must understand-"
"No, I won't hide who I am!"
This particular issue caused quite a lot of conflict between the two that only increased when Rogue and Dragon decided to get married. Ace, now fifteen, spent most of his time training out in the wastes, determined to get strong with or without Dragon's blessing. It was also around this time that he started hunting vampires.
The first one he killed was jut a feral, practically an animal. He'd be lying if he said it hadn't scared the crap out of him to face one alone, but it also gave him an outlet. Finally, Ace had a purpose (a reason) to use his powers and offer his Mother the protection she deserved. Sure, Dragon would fight if the vampires got close, but he wouldn't chase them back to their nests.
By the time Ace was seventeen, he could kill even high ranked vampires without much difficulty. Dragon said he was 'lucky' since his abilities manifested early, likely due to his bloodline. To Ace, he took it as a sign that he was meant to kill the creatures that wanted nothing more than to kill them. His flames grew in strength every day and he put them to good use. Rogue often discouraged him from hunting, but Ace refused to stop. He was doing it to protect her, after all.
On his twentieth birthday, Ace decided to leave home. He just felt so stifled and needed more challenging prey. Dragon, naturally, opposed this decision heavily, as did Rogue.
"Your Mother is pregnant, Ace! She needs your protection now more than ever." Dragon argued, making Ace bristle.
"And who's fault is that, huh!? Look, I'm sorry, but I need to do this."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ace felt terrible. There was another life in his Mother's belly…a sibling. It was wrong of him to say the pregnancy was inconvenient or an annoyance just to validate the plans he had for the future.
"I'm sorry, Mom…I-I just-"
"It's all right, dear…" She soothed, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek, "You are restless…just like your father always was." Dragon looked down as Rogue gently placed Ace's hand on her swollen belly.
"Just promise me this…promise you'll come back and be a proper older brother."
"I promise."
Little did he know that he would never see his Mother or Dragon again.
A few months after he left home, Ace started to make a name for himself in the wastes. He became infamous for how many vampires he'd killed and reveled in the fame. None could contend with him no matter how many were sent. One day, while he was resting in a sanctuary, an old man gave him a warning before serving him his drink.
"You should be careful boy…we're close to Whitebeard's territory, and they don't take kindly to their own being attacked."
He knew about the ancient citadel, of course, but had yet to fight a vampire with their mark. Ace smirked and slammed his empty cup on the dirty bar.
"Oh yeah? Maybe I should go introduce myself."
And so began his one-man war on the Whitebeards, which admittedly, wasn't very successful at first. The vampires he marked would run before he even got within range, which told him they were aware of his abilities. Eventually, he became so frustrated with his lack of success that he attacked a camp of vampires from another clan, one much less known, and completely wiped them out.
If anything would gain the attention of Whitebeard's officers…it was showing off his strength and how serious he was. Vampires were a blight on the Earth and needed to be killed so that humans could live peacefully and not fear for their lives every time they went outside.
Just days later, the 'Lord' of the citadel appeared before him, introducing himself as Marco the Phoenix.
"Phoenix, huh?" Ace replied in a mocking voice, "What'd you do to earn that nickname?"
His opponent was very composed and did not react much to his attempt to rile him up. Marco simply observed him closely while removing the combat jacket he was wearing. Ace noticed his eyes flashed red but the vampire made no attempt to ensnare him.
"I received that title because I am very difficult to kill, yoi." The vampire answered while tossing his jacket aside and shifting his weight slightly, "What about you, Vampire Slayer?"
"I'm pretty sure you know how that name came about." Ace shot back, readying himself for battle, "Isn't that why you're here?"
"The Council sees you as a threat…and I am here on orders to kill you, that much is true." Marco continued, half-lidded eyes tinged with sorrow, "That being said, I can't help but feel regret at having to end the life of such a young child, yoi."
Ace scoffed and willed flames to appear in his palm.
"Child, huh? Try saying that again when you're a smoldering pile of ash!"
Their fight lasted nearly three days, with both of them taking incredible amounts of damage but refusing to back down. Ace had to admit that Marco was tough and would be difficult to beat. As the blonde vampire stood to his feet yet again, Ace prepared another attack, but stopped when his opponent suddenly held up a hand.
"Enough of this, yoi. I'm sorry, Ace…but this must end."
"Giving up? I'm surprised."
The vampire shook his head.
"Not giving up, yoi…just changing tactics." Suddenly, shadows appeared above him, prompting Ace to leap backwards. He grit his teeth at the appearance of ten other vampires, all powerful. "I apologize for this, but…I believe that killing you would simply be a waste."
Ace sneered at the vampires who slowly moved to surround him.
"Oh…you're going to try to capture me? Good luck, bastard!"
Fighting all the Commanders together proved to be too much for Ace. Merely two hours later, Ace was thrown to the ground and backed up on his elbows in an attempt to escape the encroaching vampires. Suddenly, he was full of regret.
No…I have to get back to Mom and the baby!
Oh, and Dragon to.
"Surrender, Ace. There is nowhere to go, yoi." Marco ordered while moving to stand at the head of the group. Ace, still breathing hard, just smirked.
"No…I don't think I will." Ignoring all warnings given to him by Dragon and even his Father, Ace swiftly reached into his shirt, pulled out his pendant, and bit it in half. Almost immediately, his body was filled with power and his mind went blank.
When Ace woke, he was seated on the floor of a completely empty room with his hands chained behind him and his ankles tethered to a link directly in front of him. He wasted no time glaring at Marco and the other commanders who surrounded him even though his ears were ringing so much he couldn't hear much of what they said.
"-not a good idea, Marc." One vampire said, finally coming into focus, "I mean, he's awakened. This 'kid' nearly killed all of us…and we're not pushovers."
"I know, but what other option do we have, yoi? At least this way…he will live."
"Yeah, but…is that really a good thing?" Another put in harshly, "Sure, he's young, but he's killed countless numbers of vampires."
"This is my decision…I will take responsibility if it goes wrong, yoi."
"But you could die!"
"Enough of this. We will do it together."
Ace growled, unable to speak because of a cloth wrapped around his head and between his teeth. It was then that the monsters noticed he was awake.
"Welcome back, little hunter." Marco greeted, kneeling in front of him. The only comfort Ace had was the fact that not one vampire in the group had gotten out of the fight unscathed. They were all covered in bandages from head to toe. Unfortunately, it appeared that he hadn't managed to kill any of them. "We were just discussing what to do with you, yoi."
Suddenly, someone removed the gag from behind, causing Ace to cough lightly.
"Is that right? If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."
He glared at Marco when the vampire shook his head, almost in pity.
"We aren't going to kill you Ace…you're going to join us."
Ace's eyes widened in horror as the vampires unhooked him from the floor and began to remove his shirt.
"N-No…you can't!"
"Yes, we can. Just relax…it'll be over soon."
He struggled as much as he could against the grip of his vampire captors, desperate to get away. To become a vampire was a fate worse than death. He'd rather die!
"NO, don't touch me! STOP!"
The vampires didn't respond to his desperate, angry, and fearful cries. They simply kept holding him and gripped his hair to expose the sensitive area of his neck. All Ace could think was that if they succeeded, he'd become the very monster he desired to destroy.
He'd hurt people…like his Mom and baby sibling who's gender he didn't even know yet.
"You'll regret this." Ace managed, growling at Marco who approached him with blood red eyes, "I won't become your thrall." The vampire smiled softly down at him in a way that appeared more menacing than anything.
"Oh Ace…don't worry, you won't be a slave." He grit his teeth as Marco grabbed his chin and forced it away from him, further exposing his neck so he could whisper in his ear, "I'll make sure you forget all of your anger…your pain. We'll take good care of you."
When the fangs sank into his neck, all Ace could feel was pain and fear. It was like all his memories were exiting his body through the two puncture wounds and soon, he knew nothing.
Ace gasped and released Luffy's arm, stumbling back until he collapsed onto the carpeted floor of the human's cell. He tried to calm down, but he just couldn't, not when he finally remembered everything. Suddenly, his 'first' memory of waking up in the infirmary with his new sire seemed so insignificant compared to the rest of his life.
"A-Ace, are you okay?" Luffy called, holding his metal hand to the wound in his arm in an attempt to stop the blood flow. Ace numbly nodded and shakily made his way back to the boy on the bed, his sibling. He wrapped Luffy's arm with bandages leftover from Law and sat down next to him, staring at the far wall with a blank expression.
Everything the Whitebeards told him…was a lie. They'd forced him into their clan and kept him from returning to his real family. Ace felt fury build up inside him. How could they do that to him!?
"Ace?" Luffy questioned quietly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He exhaled slowly and put an arm around the boy, the only family he had left.
"Sorry, Lu…just thinking. I can't believe how much I forgot…"
"So you remember? That's great!" Luffy chirped, lips curling up into a bright smile that immediately made Ace think of his Father, Roger. For whatever reason, his little brother was more like his Dad than Dragon.
"Yeah…my full name is Gol D. Ace…I'm a Denali, just like you." Luffy looked startled by that statement, but quickly recovered.
"Shishishi, so the secret's out, huh?"
"Why'd you try to hide it from me?" Ace asked, prompting the boy to droop and shrug.
"Marco and the others warned me to keep it a secret, or else."
'Those bastards knew that knowledge would trigger something.' Ace thought, seething at how easily they misled him…and they did it for years! Had he not found Luffy, would he still be blindly following their orders with no idea who he truly was?
It pissed him off that Marco would dare to threaten his baby brother.
Luffy looked up when Ace stood to his feet and grabbed the chain between the handcuffs that held the boy's hands together. He'd love to remove them (along with the ones on Lu's ankles), but they were made of a special material that would be very hard to break. It'd be easier to wrestle the key off Law.
"Come on, Lu. I need to give those bastards a piece of my mind."
Luffy made to object but didn't have time to as he was pulled to feet. Almost instantly, he cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees.
"What's wrong!? Are you okay?"
"S-Sorry…it's my back…" Luffy managed, making Ace gently lay the boy over his left arm so he could lift up the back of the shirt. What he saw made his blood go cold.
"They…they sealed you." He said in barely a whisper, horrified he'd allowed such a thing to happen to his family. It was the ultimate humiliation for a Denali. "When…? Who?"
It was then that he remembered the scream he heard only hours before.
They'd done it right under his nose and even kept him from going to Luffy's aid.
"Katakuri did it." The boy explained, straightening up slightly with a bit of effort, "Guess they got scared when I beat you up, shishishi…" Ace grit his teeth, feeling even more responsible.
"I'm so sorry, Lu."
"It's okay…it's not all gone." Luffy said with a glint in his eye as he made his flesh arm turn black. Ace gaped and gently ran two fingers across it, impressed at how strong the 'armor' felt.
"Damn Lu…you're amazing."
Luffy just laughed and allowed Ace to help him to his feet. He was careful moving the boy, given his injury, but that didn't stop Luffy from babbling about all sorts of 'forbidden' things. Apparently, now that his memory was back, the kid didn't feel the need to keep things from him anymore, which was refreshing.
"Wait so, 'Katakuri' is the same guy who saved you?"
"Yeah, he's cool." Luffy said with a tiny shrug, "I mean, the sealing sucked, but he was nice about it."
Ace made a mental note to not beat up Katakuri as much as the others given the fact that he'd protected Luffy when he couldn't. When they left the room, Luffy looked nervous, but Ace didn't stop. He wouldn't let anything happen to his precious little brother, especially now that he remembered exactly how Lu fit into his life story.
If only he'd stayed home…maybe he could've witnessed Luffy's birth.
A few minutes later, they emerged on the ground floor and earned a few glances. Ace ignored them for the most part and tightened his grip of Luffy's arm so he could better steady him.
"What're you up to, Ace?" Shachi, one of Law's keepers asked, eyeing Luffy with curiosity, "I thought the Captain ordered him to be on bedrest."
"Luffy needed some fresh air." Ace lied, eyes wandering around the room as he searched for his targets, "Hey, where's Marco?"
"I think he's with the purebloods."
"Right…but where."
"Uh…probably the gathering hall, if I had to guess."
"Thanks." Ace all but hissed, assisting Luffy as they continued their trek through the citadel. He hated having to drag the kid out of bed, but he didn't want to risk confronting Marco when his brother wasn't close enough to protect. It would be terrible if they used Lu against him. "You okay?"
"Uh huh." Luffy affirmed with a short nod, "I just…are you sure you want to…you know."
"Definitely. I have to confront them, Lu. After everything they did-" Ace trailed off and Luffy closes his eyes briefly in understanding.
"Okay, just don't do anything you'll regret."
Sabo huffed as they continued to go over their resources and what needed to be done to prepare for the upcoming battles. There was just so much…especially after the damage caused by Ace's rampage. He looked up from his papers at the other occupants of the room.
Kidd was whispering with Law about something while Katakuri simply stood off to the side, seemingly deep in thought. Marco stood just to Sabo's right and had a hand on his chin while Thatch had his feet on the table, entertaining himself by throwing an orange up and down.
"If we can stick to this timeline, we should be ready with time to spare, yoi." Marco stated, apparently pleased with Sabo's work, "Though our enemies outnumber us, we do have quite a few resources on our side."
"When do you think they'll come?" Kidd asked, entering the conversation. Marco hummed.
"I can't be sure, but I suspect in a few months, yoi. Vampires never seem to do battle quickly and the Council will need time to gather their forces."
"Plenty of time…" Kidd whispered while bringing out a map of the surrounding areas, "Do you think we'll be able to evacuate the city before that?" Before Marco could reply, the door was all but kicked open, revealing a very angry looking Ace and…Luffy? Katakuri frowned at the sight while the others simply straightened at the sudden intrusion.
"Ace? What're you doing up-"
Before Thatch could even finish his sentence, Ace left Luffy behind in the doorway, rushed forward, and punched Marco right in the jaw. Sabo watched in shock as the old vampire skid across the floor, traveling a few meters from the force of the hit. What the-
"You bastard…how could you!"
"Uh oh…" Thatch whispered, looking pale. Sabo, for his part, wasn't sure how to respond to the D's fury. Marco stood to his feet holding his jaw while Ace fumed where he stood, breathing hard like an angered beast.
"Ace, yoi…" Marco started, but the raven-haired vampire didn't let him finish.
"No, I don't want to hear your excuses! I remember everything, Marco. Everything."
Sabo gulped and glanced over to Kidd who had a frown on his face. Lord Phoenix had warned them that Ace would get violent when his memories fully returned…did they need to prepare for more damage to the citadel? Still in the doorway, Luffy padded forward awkwardly, watching Ace with big eyes.
"I see…and how did that happen, yoi?" Marco probed, not moving from where he stood. Ace snarled, his eyes turning red briefly.
"Luffy's blood restored the memories you all but ripped from me." Sabo's eyes moved to the small human and noted the bandage around his arm.
"Ace-ya, please, be reasonable-" Law tried, only to stop start when fire erupted from Ace's shoulders. Sabo started at the sudden heat. Hadn't Marco just sealed him!?
"Shut up, Law. You're just as guilty as the rest of them. You were there, weren't you? The day they kidnapped me and turned me into a vampire against my will." Law's expression said it all. "That's what I thought."
Seconds later, Ace had a pistol in his hand, one with the Whitebeard's sigil on it, meaning it could do some serious damage. The angry vampire wasted no time aiming the weapon straight at Marco's head.
Sabo swallowed hard, unsure what to do.
"You should've killed me when you had the chance."
"I don't regret what I did, yoi." Marco replied in a calm voice while putting his hands in the air, "I…no, we, turned you to save your life…gave you a family."
"You stole me from my real family." Ace sobbed out, his hand shaking as tears formed in his eyes, "Because of you, I wasn't there when my Mom and Step-Dad were attacked…they died, Marco…and Luffy had to suffer through hell in a damn hole in the ground as a blood slave for a psycho!"
At the mention of that, Sabo turned to stare at Luffy. He had no idea something so terrible had happened to him…was that why he was claustrophobic? The small human's bottom lip trembled with emotion.
"A-Ace…at the time, we didn't know you had a family." Thatch put in, sorrow and regret clear on his face, "We thought you were just some kid in over his head. I know this doesn't make up for what we did…but I'm sorry." Ace turned his attention to Thatch for a second before meeting Marco's gaze once again.
"You're right, it doesn't. Sorry but I'm not in a forgiving mood."
"Killing Marco won't bring your parents back." Katakuri suddenly said, startling Ace. Luffy sniffled and looked up at the tall vampire, not moving when the pureblood approached him. Ace immediately whirled around and trained the gun on Katakuri, skin going pale when the vampire placed a hand on Luffy's head. "I know it's not my place to intervene in this matter, but I will say this: though you were separated for many years, you have finally been reunited with your little brother. Do not taint this memory with murder."
Ace trembled slightly, though Sabo wasn't sure if it was from sheer emotion or pure anger. He breathed a sigh of relief when Ace lowered the gun a few inches. Maybe Katakuri had gotten through to him!
"You're right…revenge won't change anything…" Then, he suddenly whirled around and fired a shot directly into Marco's thigh, causing the vampire to cry out in pain, "but it will make me feel a little better."
While Law and Thatch crowded around the now injured Marco, Ace holstered the gun and stalked towards the doctor. Sabo made to warn them, but Trafalgar seemed aware of the approach and stood to his feet.
"Give me the key to Luffy's cuffs." Law frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I can't stay in this place anymore," Ace said, holding his hand out, "and there's no way in hell I'm leaving without my little brother."
Ace said nothing to the bystanders who watched him pack up his bike, Striker. He hardly ever used it, but now it would be the vessel that got him out of the citadel that ruined his life. Ace didn't pack much, but enough to survive for a while in the wastes. He turned around when someone cleared their throat.
It was Izo and Luffy, the little human now free of his shackles.
"I hope this is acceptable?"
He smiled fondly at his little brother who was out of 'human' clothes and dressed in clothing appropriate for the wastes. Luffy wore a long-sleeved tan tunic along with long pants and boots that would help protect him from the sun while they traveled. Izo had also given him a scarf that was wrapped around his neck (reminiscent of the one he'd first found Luffy wearing) and a hood on the back of his jacket.
"Yeah, thanks."
Ace knew that Izo had only volunteered to complete such a request as a peace offering to him, which he appreciated, but it wasn't enough to make him stay. His emotions were just too jumbled and his anger too fierce to simply forgive and forget. Still, it was nice that none of them were trying to stop him…they hadn't even contested when he insisted Luffy come with him.
"It's soft…" Luffy whispered, tugging on the tunic before smiling at Izo, "Thank you!"
"No problem, little one."
About an hour later, Ace felt like they were ready to leave and a large crowd gathered around them, consisting mainly of commanders. He glared at Marco who limped out into the courtyard, aided by Blenheim. Sabo and Kidd exited behind them and descended the stairs like they had something to say.
"Um…Luffy?" Sabo said, earning the boy's attention. Ace frowned as the pureblood approached his little brother. Though he wanted nothing more than to pull him away from Sabo, he resisted the urge. "I know it's not much, but I got you a few things…uh…for the road."
Luffy blinked in confusion as Sabo handed him a bag and glanced to Ace. He nodded, knowing for a fact that Sabo cared too much about the kid to actually hurt him. The boy pulled the string off and immediately grinned.
"Woah, picture books!" The small boy exclaimed, immediately opening one with the picture of a cat on it, "Thanks, Sabo!"
"You're welcome." The pureblood responded, reaching out to ruffle Luffy's hair. Sabo then turned to Ace, looking sorrowful. "Where will you go?"
"I want to visit my Mom's grave." He answered, turning to face the still broken outer wall, "After that, who knows…away from here."
"Be careful." Katakuri said, appearing out of nowhere, "There are many unsavory characters out there, especially now that war is on the horizon. I'm sure you know that there are those who would do anything to acquire your brother's blood…so don't do anything rash."
"I know." Ace shot back, frustrated the pureblood didn't seem to think he could protect his little brother. Still, he couldn't stay mad at the man, not after everything he'd done for Luffy. It was clear the older vampire was just concerned about his brother's safety.
"Ace…"
He growled and met Marco's gaze, his sire looking more sad than anything else.
"What?"
"No matter what happens, or where you go…you will always be welcome here, yoi."
"Thanks, I guess." Ace muttered under his breath, unwilling to respond or interact with Marco too much or risk becoming extremely angry again. "Lu, you ready?"
The boy nodded and mounted the bike, gazing at its machinery with big, excited eyes. Ace joined him moments later and pulled the kid's hood up before starting the vehicle. With one last glance at the place he used to call home, Ace rode out the front gate and didn't look back.
A few hours after Ace and Luffy left, Sabo found himself sitting on the steps of the courtyard feeling a bit depressed. It all happened so fast…while he didn't miss Ace all that much, he was already feeling melancholy knowing Luffy was gone.
'Why did Marco and the others let them leave so easily?' Sabo mused while leaning on his hand. He and Kidd decided not to get involved which cost them one of their best fighters (unfortunately, Ace had his uses) and Luffy, the human with the special, healing blood. He imagined that once the war began, they would regret giving Luffy his freedom.
"A penny for your thoughts, yoi?" A voice asked, prompting Sabo to look up. It was Marco, looking a little worse for wear.
"Lord Phoenix, are you sure you should be moving around?"
"I'd rather be out here than indoors right now." The elder vampire replied while taking a seat next to Sabo. He glanced down at his bandaged leg, noticing it had been properly treated since Ace drove off. "Something tells me you don't approve of our decision to let them go, yoi."
"I don't…but I guess I don't really understand the circumstances." He admitted with a huff, "Forgive me, but Ace was pretty upset and it sounded like his anger was justified." Marco sighed and gently laid a hand on his bullet wound.
"We always knew this day would come, though we did everything we could to prevent it. It's true that we turned him forcefully…but at the time, we felt there was no other option to ensure his survival."
"Why did you care so much for him?" Sabo questioned, recalling what he knew about Ace before he became a vampire, which wasn't much, "He was just a human…one who was trying to kill you, correct?" Marco closed his eyes briefly before answering.
"At first, I was just following orders…but during our fight, something changed." Sabo frowned and leaned forward slightly, curious what the other vampire was referring to. "It's…difficult to explain but all of a sudden, my desire to kill him all but vanished. All I could think about was how young he was and how much of a waste it would be to kill him. It wasn't until after he turned that I realized why I acted the way I did."
"…what, are you mates or something?" Marco laughed at that.
"No, definitely not, yoi. Ace and I have the same blood type."
Sabo's eyes widened at the revelation. It seemed like a small thing but blood types could drastically change a vampire's behavior under the right circumstances. According to the textbooks, it created a feeling of comradery with particular humans that the Council deemed 'a weakness'.
"It's strange how blood connects us, despite our differences." Marco continued, smile dimming slightly, "I will say that, looking back, we were cruel to him…but I don't regret saving him, yoi. Hopefully, one day, he will forgive us for being so selfish."
Sabo hummed quietly and went silent, sitting with Marco and listening to the babbling creek nearby. It was clear that the Whitebeards had long since adopted Ace as one of their own, even if their relationship had a rocky start. It was clearly difficult for them to let the fledgling go…but if they were going to make amends with Ace, releasing him from his chains was a good start.
"…and Luffy?"
"I will admit, losing him is a blow, yoi." Marco said with a frustrated huff, "Without his blood, we will probably have more casualties during the upcoming battles. But it wouldn't have been right to try and separate them after everything that happened. Thankfully, Law has a few bags saved...they will have to do."
"Aren't you worried that he'll fall into enemy hands?" Sabo asked, "That would be terrible!"
"Ace is strong, yoi. Besides, I imagine he'd rather die than see harm befall his kin." Marco trailed off and gazed at the closed gate across the yard, "Though this all happened at a very inopportune time…my brothers, sisters, and I determined long ago that we needed to make an effort to atone for what we did. Forcing Ace to stay would only break what fragile trust he has left for us."
Before Sabo could respond, Blenheim came rushing towards them at break-neck speed, almost bowling over a smaller vampire who was attempting to pick up some debris left over from Ace's rampage.
"Marco, you've gotta come see this!"
"What is it, yoi? What's wrong?" Lord Phoenix questioned, grimacing as he stood to his feet. The larger vampire swallowed harshly and tried to catch his breath.
"Just come see."
Sabo helped Marco around the building to the back garden where a large group had gathered. He recognized Law, Kidd, and the other commanders…but what were they gawking at? They made their way through the crowd until they got a good view of the 'thing' in question.
He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Stefan, the dog who'd taken Luffy on an impromptu run all those weeks ago. The dog seemed agitated and was quite literally running in circles, barking excitedly.
"What's up with him?"
Marco frowned and limped forward, whistling for Stefan to come. The dog panted happily and yipped as he trotted up to Marco, placing a paw in his hand. Sabo craned his neck in an attempt to see what was going on, especially when the vampires around him started to whisper amongst themselves.
"Care to explain what's going on, Phoenix?" Kidd called, crossing his arms. Marco stumbled to his feet, prompting Stefan to take a few steps and settle down at his side.
Sabo's breath caught in his throat when he met the dog's now golden irises. They definitely hadn't been that color before…what did it mean?
"Marco…could it be?" Izo whispered, his hand in front of his mouth in shock. Sabo was surprised to see tears forming in his eyes, disturbing his always perfect make-up. Marco smiled shakily, eyes watering as well while Stefan slapped his tail against the ground in obvious happiness.
"Yeah…Pops is waking up."