Author Notes:
My attempt at a SaveAceAU
I don't own One Piece, because if I did, Ace wouldn't have died. Seriously, he deserves better. So in this fic, he will live.
I had many ideas, but this is the only one that got written.
I usually don't like OCs (the irony of writing one) except if they are really well written and have a definite personality, so for me, this is quite difficult and an awkward situation.
I am not sure where I am going with this fic (except Luffy and Ace are both alive) or how much I will follow canon.
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Warnings (important):
English is my fourth language.
The story will include thoughts about suicide, self-harm, and Ace self-worth issues.
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Hope you enjoy!
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This chapter was rewritten, and was been beta'd by the wonderful Kurapikababu. You can thank her for my good grammar and wonderful phrasing. Check her stories and arts, if you are OP fan you will appreciate it.
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Somehow Lina understood that she was in some kind of trance; she was there but then she wasn't.
They (her and Luffy and Jinbe and the Revolutionaries; there were others but they were just along for the ride) were going to save Ace. They were going to the marine stronghold, to Marineford to save Ace. The same Ace that they couldn't save from Impel Down. The same Ace that she called her big brother.
Luffy looked at her, and said they were going to Impel Down. Luffy didn't ask (he never does) if she wanted to go or what she thought. He just said that they would save Ace, and like always, she followed him. She didn't think the idea of Ace's execution really sank in, that there could be a day when Ace wouldn't be sailing the same seas as them. That was unthinkable.
Deep down she knew this was crazy. It's going to be even harder than their experience at Enies Lobby, and there they had their crew as backup. Oh how she missed them… she missed Robin's calm, and her dark humor. She missed Chopper's panicked dancing, even Zoro and Sanji's bickering- STOP! Deep breath.
This plan of Luffy's (Luffy and plans, seriously!) was suicide. It's impossible! But then again, this was Luffy they're talking about. Impossible is his meat and water (or maybe his meat and meat). She believed, as improbable as it sounded, that they would make it somehow. In Impel Down, they almost, ALMOST, made it. Almost. Isn't that the kicker. If they were just a little bit quicker… If they had gotten there five minutes earlier- no, only one minute, if they- NO. She stopped herself. No regrets, NO regrets she repeated in her head; that's what they promised. To live their lives with no regrets.
But at that moment, she understood that she had so many regrets. So many that she felt like she was drowning.
She regreted not trying harder to stop Sabo from leaving with his bastard of "father" (that bastard doesn't deserve the honor being of called one). She regreted that she couldn't tell him that she loved him, and that she was happy to have him as big brother. She regreted not being there when he needed them the most. She regreted that he was alone when he set sail, without tasting the freedom that he seeked .
She regreted not telling Ace that she loved him more, and that she needed him. She regreted not telling him that she was happy for him to be alive. She knew that he questioned his own right to exist, so maybe she should have hugged him more, and smiled a little more…. She regreted not being stronger, not training more, not learning more. She regreted being a burden, she regreted….
She shook her head to try and clear the thoughts of regret from her mind. She shouldn't be sitting here worrying and regretting things. She needed to have faith in Luffy.
When Luffy speaks, one can`t help but believe in his words. Even though she was his twin sister, she wasn't immune to his ray of confidence. She always followed his pace- no that isn't true – she was enticed to his pace. She truly liked it; following Luffy meant being free from the burden of thinking and analyzing.
That's what she does. She broods over things. She examines and analyzes some more. She never knows when to stop; that's why being with Luffy is so freeing, she could just follow his pace and not second guess herself so much.
But, this couldn't continue anymore. She had to change. She won't lose another brother. She won't have any more regrets. Luffy isn't gonna charge in alone, with her only following; he will not carry this burden alone. She was gonna stand right beside him and help support him all the way, and not just until they saved Ace. Because they were gonna save Ace. Anything else was unacceptable.
And they will do it together.
She was gonna do what she does best; she was gonna analyze and plan. She knew Luffy would not follow a plan. He just won't; it's not in his nature. After all, a storm doesn't follow a specific path, and that's what Luffy is. An uncontrollable storm that will sweep you away with its power and magnificence. She will have to take that under consideration.
She was gonna make a plan, and that's why she needed information. But first things first… food… A healthy mind in a healthy body, Yes.. Food ..
Jinbe, Ace's friend, interrupted her brooding, asking worriedly "Lina-chan, are you okay?"
She ignored him and called to Luffy, who was speaking with Iva-chan and Bon Clay, "Luffy, please go inside the ship and look for food, eat as much as you need, and bring me some. We need our strength". Luffy looked at her blankly for a second, and then gave her his million dollar smile and bounced inside. "Bon-chan please go with him and make sure he doesn't get lost and doesn't wear himself out".
"Don't worry Linnnnaaa-chan!" he followed after him, twirling in his ballerina style all the while.
Lina was still a little worried about him. They almost lost him, and he was still too pale to her liking; so was Luffy. She didn't know what she looked like, probably worse.
"Vhats on your mind little Lina-chan ?", Iva-chan was sharply watching her.
"Jinbe, how much longer until we arrive at Marineford?" she asked Jinbe, who was the one steering the stolen marine ship.
"A little less than two hours" Not long, and definitely not enough time.
She looked Iva-chan in the eyes and said "We need a plan, or something resembling a plan." Iva-chan looked at the door where Bon-chan and Luffy gone in and started to speak, when Lina continued "Luffy is gonna do what Luffy wants to do."
Both her and Jinbe snorted at that; they've known Luffy less than a day, and even they understood that Luffy can't be contained. Which was good; this meant that they could adapt to change, and they needed to be adaptable if they wanted to be around Luffy (and stay sane).
"We have a choice. We can either follow his pace and help him in any way we can, or we could try to do more by doing our own thing, while still supporting him. Maybe, just maybe, we can get out of there in better state than when we left Impel Down".
They both eyed her speculatively for several seconds, "What do you need?" Jinbe was the first to speak.
She took a long breath. No more regrets, she repeated to herself. "Tell me everything about the Whitebeard Pirates (and there's another regret; she should have asked Ace more about his crew, his new family), the Shichibukai, the Admirals, Marineford itself,…and fleet admiral Sengoku". After thinking for a bit, she added, "Quirks, devil fruits, anything." She stopped and took another breath "It doesn't matter how trivial it may seem, I want to know it."
And so they began their discussion. Somehow in the middle of all the stories and the information, Crocodile joined and, surprisingly, even Buggy added his two Beli. Everyone was listening in now. Luffy and Bon-chan brought food, and sat down, listening quietly. She automatically grabbed hold of Luffy's hand and didn't let go. He was her anchor. It`s kinda of funny; Shanks always called him anchor as a joke, but to her, he was a pillar of strength.
Little by little, the atmosphere changed. The joy and giddiness from being free of that hellhole was beginning to diminish. Where they were going and whom they were facing begin to sink in. They were going to war. A war like no other.
An idea started forming in her mind. Calling it a plan would be very, very generous since she didn't have all the information she needed. But at least she had something to hold onto, apart from Luffy.
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No regrets.
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Please with chocolate-chips on top, review?
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Rewritten and beta'd by Kurapikababu.
