I Will Wait For You

by Fayra1-5

After Ace died at Marineford, nobody would've thought that he would be ressurected, much less kidnapped and taken to an unknown island in the East. Two years later Ace's friends from the past return to keep their promise to him and rescue Ace from a dangerous assault. But it was on that day when Ace unleashed his powers was when Law,Sabo, Luffy found out he was possible alive.

Ace was frozen.

He couldn't move as he watched the people who have looked after him on the HOPE was killed and slaughtered by the Rose pirates. All he wanted to do was run and find Yukimaru and the others but his body sat there frozen in fear as the familiar faces who welcomed him warmly on this ship 11 months ago were being burned alive. His ears could only hear people shouting in agony and some begging for mercy as the ship was getting bombed at from a distance by the Rumble Rose Cannons.

(All he wanted was to be held in Yukimaru's arms and listen to everyone's laughter around him shielding him from danger.)

As he noticed heavy footsteps walking towards him and bloodthirsty grins heading towards him Ace closed his eyes very tight, not wanting to see who was going to end his life at that very moment but Ace had to get back to Luffy and he wanted to see everyone again.

So, he called out to the one person he knew was going to come and rescue him and it was-

''Y-YUKIMARU!'' He shouted, ''SAVE ME, YUKIMARU!''

The next things he hears are incoming footsteps.

Gunshots.

Swords clashing together and many thuds.

After a while, Ace finally opened his teary grey eyes he was met with a pair of dark black eyes making him sighed in relief when he saw Fena with a gun and Shitan with his bow and arrow not too far behind

''Are you okay Ace?'' He asked me softly reaching his hand out which Ace took sniffling nodding his head slowly.

''Yea-'' But before Ace could finish his sentence Yukimaru pulled him off the ground and started running gripping his hand tightly.

It felt like everything was going in slow motion as he ran through the chaos with his friends joining the run one by one.

Karin.

Kaede.

Enju.

Tsubaki and Makaba.

'They were all still alive' Ace thought to himself as they ran further to the edge of the ship where Franz was with a rowing boat set and ready to go.

''QUICKLY!'' Franz shouted, ''We don't have much time before he comes for Ace,'' he told us setting the rowboat down into the water with Ace inside and with Yukimaru near the edge.

''W-What are you guys doing?!'' Ace asked them, as they looked down in him with sad smiles and when he turned to look at Yukimaru and realized he wasn't getting in the boat with him and started panicking.

''N-No wait...Guys, what are you doing?'' He asked feeling tears build up again.

''We will see you again Ace!'' Enju and Kaede shouted with determined looks gripping their spears.

''Yeah, stay out of trouble as well!'' Tsubaki shouted out raising his sword

''We love you, Ace!'' Karin shouted waving goodbye.

''No matter where you go, we will see you again,'' Fena shouted back with tears brimming in her ocean blue eyes which she wiped away carelessly.

''You must survive Ace!'' Shitan shouted while shooting arrows at the enemy pirates aboard the ship, ''Don't worry about us, everything is going to be alright!''

When Ace turned to Yukimaru, he knew this goodbye would be the hardest one to do but still brought up lots of courage and decided to break the stare.

''Yukimaru,'' Ace told him softly watching as his black orbs gazed down in him intently, ''Yukimaru I-''

'I love you '

Is what Ace wanted to say but before he could finish his sentence warm lips were placed upon his own, drowning out all the battle cries and the blazing fires that surrounded them.

Ace sat up a bit more wrapping his arms around Yukimaru's neck moving his lips against his as he felt Yukimaru grip his waist pulling his body closer but had to end it when they parted needing air.

He felt Yukimaru's hand stroke his cheeks before saying, ''I love you too.''

Ace felt heat spread to freckled face within seconds making Yukimaru chuckle but before he could continue, they were interrupted.

''LISTEN TO ME ACE!'' Franz shouted out looking at me with desperate eyes, ''THIS IS IMPORTANT!''

''GO TO EDEN! -ARGHHHH!'' When Ace heard Fena's father utter those very words another cannonball landed and hit Franz with a thundering sound.

''N-No way...Franz...Is he-''

Ace paused in his sentence as the sound of Yukimaru cutting the rope that kept him tied to the HOPE and when he finally broke them, he hung onto the ropes and pushed Ace's boat out to sea.

''YUKIMARU!''

''NO MATTER WHAT STAY ALIVE AND I'LL FIND YOU!'' He shouted climbing back onto the boat with the help of Shitan and running back into the ship without looking back.

That was the last time Ace saw his friends.

His family.

And the life he had once known.

(Ace then sat back as he watched the ship burn and sail into the vast ocean with tears streaming down his face and passed out.)

When Ace woke up, he found himself on the familiar shores of Dawn Island and sighed heavily after looking back on last night's events.

He turned to look at the ocean from where he came from.

''Someday,'' he whispered, ''Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday we will meet again and... A-And maybe I will get another chance to tell you my feelings like you did Yukimaru,'' he said quietly letting warm tears stream down his cheeks.

''But thank you for sending me back to Luffy and my bandits,'' he finally said before walking into the forest he missed so much.

When Ace walked into Makino's Bar, he didn't bother hiding his tears when he saw Luffy sitting on a bar stool eating a slice of meat looking very sad with the way his smile barely reached his eyes as he remembered.

''L-Luffy'' he croaked out as Ace saw the way his body twitch when he called his name and when Luffy's eyes met Ace he didn't get a chance to prepare himself when a pair of rubbery long limbs wrapped around his body making them both drop the floor.

''A-Ace I-is t-that you?'' Luffy asked with tears and snot on his face but when he looked into his brother's big brown chocolate eyes, he did the one thing he wishes he could have done 11 months ago.

He sat up, adjusting Luffy in his lap and pulling his face down into his chest where his heart was, and held him tight.

''Do you hear my heart, Luffy?'' Ace asked silently, feeling him nod his head in recognition.

''I'm home Lu,'' he whispered to Luffy happily stroking his black hair, ''I'm home.''

-(SEVEN YEARS LATER) -

As Ace sits in his cell at Impel Down, he still smiles when looking back at that memory and starts to hum the lullaby he sang on the HOPE with Fena and the others. He loves them very much and thinks about them every day...And sometimes wonders if they have for the past seven years, ever since that night.

(He doesn't even know if they are still alive)

Ace was in for many surprises when he was pushed around by the guards and secured onto the executioner's platform with Garp sitting next to him with an unreadable look.

But what he was shocked to see was The Moby Dick appearing through a blanket of water with Luffy and Law, Pops, Marco, Thatch, and the others there to break him out.

Part of him was glad they came for him but…

The other part of him knew he wasn't going to make it.