One Piece: Ace Lives: Christmas Special

by Black' Victor Cachat

A little holiday special where things go very differently at Marineford. A.K.A. "A Holly, Jolly, Marineford!" Merry Christmas everyone!

3. Chapter 3

I do not own One Piece. Or the other references made here.

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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101, who has a much more in depth and thought-out version of this sort of story . . . minus the Christmas theme.

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Ace Lives:

Christmas Special

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Abridged discussion:

rosetrang628: Are you doing a Christmas Ace Lives this year?

'Black' Victor Cachat: Sorry, but no. I haven't found any inspiration for it. The closest I have gotten is this one idea, but unsure of how to connect it to . . .

*Inspiration hits*

*Starts cackling*

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Guest what? I received an early Christmas present, as the Ace Lives series now has a TVTropes page! Yay!

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This is not a continuation of the previous two chapters, but its own story.

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Upon the execution scaffold, Portgas D. Ace was forced down to his knees, while they secured the chains to his wrists.

So this was it.

In three hours the executioners on either side of him would take his life.

Meanwhile an army of marines, 100,000 strong according to the gossip he had overheard, was spread out before him in anticipation of Pops coming to his rescue. So they could kill his adoptive father before him. All because of his accursed blood.

To drive home the superiority of the World Government and their vaunted 'Justice.'

They even had to be so petty to have extra manacles which kept stabbing him with dozens of thorns, pricking his arms.

Footsteps coming up the stairs and onto the platform from behind broke Ace out of his agonizing thoughts.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Ace glimpsed the Fleet Admiral's eyes as the older man scanned him, before choosing to ignore the prisoner and faced his army. Yet from that moment when their eyes met, it was obvious Sengoku knew.

The clear certainty of this realization made the burning fire within Ace dim.

Instead ice gripped his spine, even as the ground seemed to fall out from under him. His worst fear had come to pass, and he had been brought here, as he had known he would since he was old enough to understand the cursed blood in his veins, to die because of that man.

"I have something to say to you all," announced Sengoku to the Den-Den, his voice heard across the island, and to wherever they were broadcasting this event. "The execution of this man, Portgas D. Ace, is a matter of enormous import."

The man sucked in a deep breath, and Ace tensed against what he knew was to come. How the Navy would reveal he was the son of Gold—

"FOR YOU SEE HE IS REALLY SANTA CLAUS!"

.

.

.

"Whut," stated Ace in befuddlement.

"DO NOT DENY IT!" barked Sengoku. "WE KNOW THE TRUTH! OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO, EVEN BEFORE ROGER'S EXECUTION, WE THOUGHT WE'D FINISHED YOU OFF FOR GOOD! ENDING YOUR CEASELESS BREAK-INS AND SPYING ACROSS THE GLOBE! YEARLY ASSAULTS UPON THE CELESTIAL DRAGONS, AND RABBLE-ROUSING!

"THE MARINES DESTROYED YOUR BASE OF OPERATIONS AND SUPPORTERS, AND WE BELIEVED WE'D KILLED YOU! BUT THAT WAS ONLY NATURAL! IT WAS ONLY LATER THAT WE'D LEARNT YOU MANAGED TO REINCARNATE YOURSELF INTO AN INNOCENT CHILD, DESTROYING THEIR SOUL SO YOU WOULD BE REBORN AS THE MOST TERRIBLE FIEND THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!"

Okay, enough was enough! Clearly the man had lost his mind. Probably being exposed to Garp for long periods of time had made him finally snap.

"SANTA CLAUS ISN'T REAL!" he screeched with impotent fury. "Wh-what even is this!? You're going to kill me over something made up instead of all the other crimes I've actually done!? You—! How—! Why'd—! GRRAAAH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

There were truly no words to describe how humiliating and absolutely insulting this whole mess was.

Growing up, Luffy had loved Christmas. Even Sabo and the bandits liked it, with Dadan making wild stories about how Santa had used to visit, and even criminals like them tried to do enough good to get some sort of token 'Nice' gift.

Ace hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season.

Please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason. It could be perhaps that his shoes were too tight. It could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right (he always beat up people who said that). But the bandits, and even some people back in Foosha Village, liked to think that the most likely reason of all, may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

"This posturing is demeaning," Sengoku flatly said. "Today the charade ends. It is the day of the Summer Solstice, you are bound by thorn manacles, and your executioners are wielding cold iron. And it will all be over."

In response, Ace gave a detailed description of what he thought of Sengoku's posturing here, his posturing in bed, the posturing's of his mother, and a few things he could do with his utter nonsense.

Through long practice with pirates, Sengoku tuned it out and focused more on the arrival of Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard.

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At this point the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies arrived, having been intercepting and listening in on the broadcast as they entered the bay from underwater.

They were . . . well, to put it mildly, surprised.

"So that's why Santa hasn't shown himself in so long?" growled Vista. "It's just as we feared!"

"Pops," said Haruta, "do you think it's true?"

"Doesn't matter-yoi," declared Marco. "One way or another we're bringing Ace back home with us. We can work out the rest later."

"You do remember how much he hates Christmas, right? Like, renewing the assassination attempts on Pops when he saw him dressed up as Santa?"

"Uh huh, right. Because, yes, we knew he had some issues, but now this?"

"I thought it was just Ace getting excited about Christmas. In his own special way."

"Him being murderous is excited?"

"You can differentiate between the two?"

"Well, he went from trying to kill Pops daily to loving him, so I thought it was the same thing."

"Nah man, this is a whole different level of cray-cray."

"He's not crazy. Much. Well, not in that way at least."

"Certainly obsessed about it though."

"Yeeeeeeeah . . . I mean, that whole rant he went on about last year about Christmas being just about commercialisation? And greed? Even though he's a pirate? It went on for, like, an hour."

"I honestly was afraid he was going to set the tree on fire."

"Uh huh, same."

"Didn't they catch him sneaking around where all the presents were locked up?"

"And keeping him away from the stockings. Still set his own on fire."

"Oh yeah he did. And tried to throw out Pop's Santa costume."

"Not to mention trying to spike the plate of cookies with laxatives."

"Wow, wow, wow, what!? That's low even for a pirate!"

As surprising as it may sound, Christmas was historically fairly popular amongst pirates. Oh, hardly the majority, due to the whole 'spirit of generosity' and giving gifts bit, plus the fact of how often they got smacked by a sack of coal in the face once a year.

Despite this, the fact it was a holiday specifically banned by the World Government made many newbie pirates choose to celebrate it for the thrill of it all, and tried to stay on the Nice List as much as possible.

For pirates though, when you were away at sea, during the longest, coldest time of the year, nothing beat finding a Christmas feast and presents. As well as a cheery note praising and critiquing whatever traps you laid out.

What? It was a tradition to try and steal that gift bag!

For the Whitebeard Pirates, they always celebrated the holiday with a big bash, where they and all their allies would get together and laugh and cheer, and exchange presents. Games, telling stories, dancing, comparing new recipes, enjoying the massive scrapbook of pictures of members of the Navy, Beast Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates being hit by coal. Including yearly votes by the newbies on which was the best picture of Sengoku being hit, or Big Mom's reaction to her cookies being switched out for coal. All in all, it was a classically wild, and yet reserved event.

Why even Gold Roger himself had been infamous for celebrating Christmas!

Except for the last twenty years, there had been no sign of the Big Man in Red, and people feared the worst. Santa Claus was held up as a symbol of kindness and generosity who refused to be associated with the World Government. Nowadays the new generation thought of the man as a legend their parents made up stories about, and did not believe Santa was an actual breathing, coal carrying person or anything.

. . . So was it really possible?

Was Santa now somehow, out of all the people in the world, Ace!?

Despite his own burning questions, Whitebeard hardened his resolve, and stamped forward to face the marines as the Moby Dick surfaced. He could worry later about confirming if Ace was also his old drinking partner reborn. One way or another, that boy was his family.

"Gu ra ra ra! How long has it been, Sengoku? My beloved son had better be alright!"

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From the beginning, as much as people tried to deny it, claiming how Whitebeard was too old now and everything, the marines too strong, deep down everyone knew war was inevitable. Whitebeard would never surrender his family without a fight to the death, and the marines would not back down after drawing a line in the sand.

Especially given their claims broadcasted to all the reporters on Sabaody Archipelago. That this was a fight to stamp out the forbidden holiday once and for all.

As they stood there in the crowd, many of the reporters dutifully mouthed aloud the propaganda about how Santa was evil, telling their editors back home that it would finally be over. Many believed it even, while others, especially the older ones, swallowed back other things they could have said, of memories of happy mornings to find presents waiting for them on the feet of their beds. Or even under secret, scandalous Christmas trees. Except there were too many strangers around them to overhear, and marines standing guard, and the sinister truth about rewriting history and stories is that you do not actually need to have everybody believe it.

Instead, you just need to ensure that anybody who does know the truth, remains too afraid to speak up and say otherwise. Silence strangles away reality, and falsehoods step in to take its place. And so the future generations will learn the lies and believe in them, because there is no one to say otherwise.

And therein lay the horrible threat Santa Claus had posed for the World Government. For he came every year.

For centuries. Including those centuries which shall not be named . . .

In defiance of whatever they tried to tell people, with secrets buried beneath supposedly kindly eyes.

He had to be silenced.

The doubts he gave people had to disappear, when he embodied everything the World Government claimed to be.

So for once the whispers were right, there was indeed a war against Christmas, led by the World Government itself! Of course they insisted it was not the holiday cheer they were waging against, but the 'reality' of Santa's 'crimes.' They had marshalled all of their forces, again and again, to stop him for good. Pitting Santa up against armies made up of the very men and women who as children he had tried to help so much. Those who protested were put to death as examples to the rest, while the survivors would receive a hefty bag of coal for their troubles.

It had been a looooong and bitter campaign, festering with betrayal and little progress until the end. Indeed, the Elder Stars now believed they had failed to properly kill Santa last time because of last minute, covert aid to the man.

They would not make the same mistake twice though, and had properly covered their bases.

Which leads us here today at Marineford, where so many people were willing to fight and kill to ensure Santa's final death.

Of course, many of those younger marines were conflicted over this fight. After all, not even the World Government could fully stamp out the stories of Santa Claus after twenty years. Most of them grew up with more stories of him bringing toys to good girls and boys, than of him running over grandmas with his sleigh, or sneaking in to kiss wives underneath the mistletoe while their children watched.

And yet these marines, these soldiers, would not abandon their fellows. They would not be the ones to step out of line to try and defy The Order of Things. To risk the lives of their comrades when bloodthirsty pirates were before them.

So they shot and stabbed at the pirates trying to save the man chained up to be executed.

The older generations of marines though, the veterans of the Christmas War fought every year until the demon's 'death,' readied themselves with grim resolve. Today. It. Ended.

Once and for all!

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His family was dying.

Ace could only watch and despair as the Whitebeard Pirates fought the Navy, and soon the flash-frozen bay was covered in the bloody bodies of the fallen. Cries of pain and fury and sobbing for mercy carried over the air.

And this was supposed to be about Christmas!?

That was as big a joke as the whole holiday itself!

Alright, yes, most of the Whitebeard Pirates and their friends and allies were yelling just Ace's name, but a bunch of idiots believed that nonsense about Santa and were going on about that too. Or being morons and trying to make "Ho! Ho! Ho!" into a lame battlecry. What was wrong with them!? They would die over that!?

The sound of someone else approaching broke him free from his thoughts, and he turned to see Vice-Admiral Garp had come up the execution platform. "Gramps," he said with a touch of surprise and defensiveness.

"What are you doing here, Garp?" asked Sengoku. "You haven't had second thoughts, have you?"

"No. We're fighting pirates here. There's no reason to show them any reason."

"Then . . ."

"Shut up!" snapped Garp, and Ace was surprised at the cold fury at it. The old man had constantly yelled at him, Luffy, and Sabo throughout their childhoods. Usually angrily at them when they said they did not want to be marines, and yet never with that sort of malice he was hearing now. It was a new side of his grandfather.

"Just let me sit here! Outlaws deserve no mercy, but this, this is family! What am I supposed to do!?" Unshed tears filled Garp's eyes. "Ace! Why!? Why didn't you live the way I told you to!?"

"Old man!" was all Ace could manage as memories flooded him.

"Just don't get any funny ideas in your head, Garp," said Sengoku, "or I'll dispose of you too."

"Hmph, if I were going to do something, I'd have done it a long time ago."

All those times Ace had dreamed of being a marine, or had nightmares of him being dragged to his execution for his cursed blood, he had never imagined something as painful as this. The sheer agony in his chest as his heart tried to curl up on itself, the guilt at how he had destroyed both families . . .

Why couldn't the Navy have just shot him then and there when Teach had delivered him to them?

Well, the only way this could get any worse was if Luffy was here.

. . . That was Luffy falling out of the sky, wasn't it?

Please do not let it be out of Santa's sleigh or something!

Oh no, didn't he have a reindeer as a crewmate?!

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As it turned out Luffy had not fallen out of Santa's sleigh.

He had fallen off an iceberg of all things though, in a Navy ship, alongside an assortment of escapees from Impel Down. All in all a sequence of events some people would consider even more improbable.

It did not take long for the new arrivals to learn of the utterly impossible, if not outright insane, accusations the World Government was making against Ace.

"It might be possible."

A blink of surprise, and everybody nearby turned to stare at Buggy, his brows scrunched up in concentration. Noticing their expressions, he went, "What!? I did sail with Roger y'know! D'you really think he'd have passed up on finding Santa's legendary workshop? And yes, it was in the North Pole, and yes, it is colder than the South. Pretty well hidden too, even without the krakens. That place . . ." Years seemed to fall away as his face softened.

A beat.

"Ahem, Buggy?" Ivankov coughed into his fist.

"Eh!? Oh, right! Yeah, it was a magical place. If anybody could pull something like that off, it'd be Santa, full stop."

"So . . . that whole part Straw Hat said about Ace being Roger's son?"

"Y'know, I'm honestly not sure the Navy even knows."

"Well that's, wait. Where did Straw-Boy go!?"

"There he is!"

"Did he even stop to listen!?"

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Of course Luffy did not stop to listen.

Ace was Ace.

The rest was incidental.

Even if, yes, afterwards he was going to complain again about how Ace had kept eating Luffy's gifts. If it was for Christmas, then the usual 'If you have meat then you have to fight to keep it' rule no longer applied!

So he fought. Not for presents, but for someone he loved more than life itself.

With fists and feet of rubber. And if the marines cut those off, then he would use teeth to tear them down if need be. Or whatever else it took!

Then Stupid Ace started yelling at Luffy to go home, and Luffy to go away. As if he would leave after coming so far. Besides, even he knew that the marines would hardly let him stroll away after everything he had done.

Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Pirate, had come here knowing full well he was stacking everything on the outcome here. And he would not back down. Because to abandon his brother behind was worse than death itself.

Deep down he even knew that was the very reason Ace was saying such stupid things. Because as much as his big brother might deny it, deep down Ace did know the True Meaning of Christmas.

And it was not the fake and shiny glimpses of it they had seen in Goa Kingdom. Which tried to make the holiday be all about money and getting as much shiny junk as possible. Lying through their faces about 'charity,' while selling and buying all sorts of goods which-where-in-no-way-to-do-with-Christmas-officer-honest.

But that was not important right now.

Ducking under a sword swing, Luffy's uppercut felled a marine officer. Moving with his momentum he spun to kick another in the gut to leave him gasping behind, and setting up for more punches to others.

No matter how many got in his way, he was saving his brother.

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Scowling, Whitebeard took to the battlefield himself.

Things were moving ahead now to the point his intervention was necessary. Thankfully he could trust Squard to handle leading their allies, keeping up a fighting retreat from those new Human Weapons coming from the rear.

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"Cut the video feed," ordered Sengoku.

Soon it would all come to an end. The Whitebeard Pirates were trapped in the bay, and Akainu would boil them all alive. There was no reason to trouble the citizens of the world with such a sight. And once things were commencing well, with no sign Whitebeard could break free, they would execute Santa Claus. It was only fitting that that menace had chosen to inhabit a pirate, making it all the more comfortable to kill him.

Personally, Sengoku had no notion how the Elder Stars had identified him, even if he was not going to question it. In matters such as these, he had faith in them.

Only then Garp's other grandson had to go and raise a huge spectacle but getting past the encirclement wall, and that dead Ancient Giant proved to be uncomfortably alive, ruining everything.

So before even the pirates knew it, they were all piling into the plaza.

"Garp . . ."

"Yeah . . ."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku rolled back his sleeves. "Looks like we won't be getting off easy this time."

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It was a war between natural disasters: a living volcano versus a human earthquake.

Again and again Akainu and Whitebeard threw their fury and will at each other, breaking up the ground or melting it between their blows.

Yet nature favours the strong, and the admiral was not alone, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of marines firing bazookas in support. No matter how many were swatted away by the clash of titans, more stepped forward to take their place. Others kept back any pirates from reinforcing their 'Pops' who had advanced too far.

In the end, it was the aging pirate who fell to his knees, coughing up blood as he clutched his weak and traitorous heart in anguish as he pushed it beyond its limit.

"Not even you can defeat old age . . . Whitebeard!" Akainu calmly noted as his right hand burned with molten fire.

Unable to move even as he saw the attack coming, Whitebeard took the fist of magma right on and into his chest, cauterizing the wound as the arm was buried in past the wrist and cutting off blood, mutilating organs. Desperately his will fought against his brain's desire to shut itself down to hide from the pain.

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Marco twitched and spasmed in pain as he lay on the ground, desperately trying to heal despite the sea-prism handcuff shackled to one wrist. Nicked heart and gut wound, he assessed. Idiot! I got too cocky!

Arrogantly believing that he could just regenerate despite Kizaru continuing to shoot him in the back, he had dropped his guard enough for a vice-admiral to effectively cripple him with sea-prism handcuffs.

"It's over," Vice-Admiral Onigumo flatly informed him as he drew back his eight sabers for the final blow. "Die-phhk!"

Pushing back on his arms, Marco's foot drilled into the marine's chest faster than his haki could warn him. With a quick spin, his knee followed suit into the man's chin. "Sorry, what was that!?" Marco hissed, yet while he staggered, the vice-admiral was still in the fight.

Swinging his eight blades in a pattern meant to confuse and overwhelm his opponents, Marco danced around them while firing out his fists like a machine gun. To anyone ignorant of haki, it appeared as if he were meeting the sword blades with nothing but his bare hands as Onigumo struggled to block each blow.

Seeking to help, Kizaru fired more of his lasers at Marco, but the Phoenix had been waiting for that, knowing that Onigumo would expect him to try and get some distance, not leap closer towards the vice-admiral. Sweeping his foot between the sabres by a hair's breadth, Marco kicked the man through the air and over his own men to the back of the battle.

Gotta keep moving. Gotta focus, he thought as he coughed up some blood, grateful that Kizaru's attack had cauterized the wound even as it had burned through his body. As quick as that fight had been, the intensity had taken its toll. I can't fight an admiral like this, but I can still fight. And if I can get to the other Commanders, they might be able to do something about this handcuff!

With a burst of speed that tore at his chest, Marco disappeared.

Keeping any reaction hidden under his usual façade, Kizaru turned his attention back to the rest of the pirates.

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Up ahead, Whitebeard grasped his smoldering, smoking wound, still standing but not moving.

And then the jackals and vultures attacked. Wave after wave of marines threw themselves at Whitebeard, their bullets digging into his flesh while others leapt upon him to stab him with their swords right through to his back. Cannon fire hammered at his head.

Like a mighty oak finally felled by the hurricane, he started to fall backwards even as the pirates desperately hurled themselves forward to rescue their Father.

Then his mighty feet checked his fall, cracking the ground beneath him, and a voice made them all, pirates and marines alike, freeze, "Stay back!"

Slowly and ominously Whitebeard straightened himself forward, the movement lazily blowing away the smoke obscuring his face as he called out: "Do these guys really think . . . they can kill me so easily?! I don't need any help. I . . . I . . ." and the clouds fell away as he stood tall and roaring to the heavens, "I AM WHITEBEARD!" And his next blow did not just knock aside the mass of marines in front of him, he hurled them into the sky with nothing but his bisento and awesome strength, bringing them raining down upon their comrades.

Yet the very exertion opened up the barely cauterized wound in his chest as blood spilled out, the hole nearly eating up the old scar that Gold Roger had given him, and it seemed as if that had finally pushed his mighty frame past its limits as he stumbled forward, struggling to stay upright. "I know exactly . . . what it would mean . . . if I were to die! That's all the more reason to stay alive . . . until I've guided my sons toward a brighter future!" And then his golden eyes looked up to specifically address black ones full of emotion, "Right, Ace?"

"Besides!" he boomed as you continued. "You speak . . . of the so-called crimes Santa committed . . . but not what they truly were!" He sucked in a deep breath. "'Assaulting the Celestial Dragons and their property' . . . you say? Well I say he freed their slaves . . . and threw sacks of coal at those ignorant fools!"

In a display of respect, Luffy pulled up his hat so it rested back on his head.

Jinbe gave a reverent nod to the one other Human his people truly admired and called friend. Although some wondered if he truly was a man.

Meanwhile Sengoku was relieved they had already cut the Den-Den Mushi broadcast, so nobody at Sabaody was listening to this.

Buggy glanced at the Den-Den Mushi his follower was holding to confirm it was still broadcasting.

"Again and again . . . every year . . . no matter what the Navy tried! Even trying, like cowards . . . to kill the slaves beforehand always failed . . . because he always knew!"

The Emperor's face twisted into a dark and knowing grin, and drew deep from his remaining strength to for what came next, "Because as they say:

"He sees you when you're sleepin'

"He knows when you're awake

"He knows if you've been bad or good

"So be good for goodness sake!"

At the last, the whole island seemed to tremble at the Emperor's brimming rage as he snarled with a sneer, "And even as a pirate I can say I'm better at being good than you lot!"

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They had tried to execute Ace.

Despite his grand speech, Whitebeard had been too exhausted and tired, and they had nearly taken Ace's head.

Only . . . something had happened, and the men with the long blades on either side of him had collapsed. People seemed to think Luffy was responsible somehow, but whatever.

More of Iva-chan's special stuff running through his veins, he fought like a wild animal to get to his brother. No matter who got in his way, he beat them down.

He would not let anything stop him, no matter what it took. Like he had told Iva, if he did not do everything in his power, if they killed Ace, he would not want to live. Faced with that, he did not care if he died so long as he did what needed to be done.

The shadow was his only warning.

Too distracted by everything else going on. Too fixated on reaching Ace to pay attention to his surroundings. The battlefield was too noisy to hear the warnings people screamed at him.

Monkey D. Luffy turned to find a man in a red suit looming over him.

"Dragon's spawn," snarled Akainu.

Without fanfare or further warning, he thrust his molten fist right through Luffy's chest.

". . . hcx . . ." gasped Straw Hat as his lungs and final breath were roasted away even as the smell of burning rubber hit him. His namesake was only unscathed because it was still on his head.

The admiral withdrew his arm almost gently, even if there was no point. His hands were so large, that there were only the barest scraps of flesh connecting the rest of the pirate's body together, while everything it was actually supposed to keep safe was simply gone.

Once, upon the same scaffold the Pirate King was killed upon, he had faced death with a smile. Now it was a contortion of agony and failure.

Legs trembled once in a display of incredible stubbornness in defiance of death itself and a hole where his spine should be, before letting go.

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"NOOOOO!" screamed Hancock as she tried to fight her way to her one and only beloved.

Legs flailing out into kicks to clear the marines and pirates aside. Even clawing at them to get them away.

Her vision blurred as tears poured down her beautiful face, and her heart felt as if it would tear itself apart if she truly lost him forever.

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No, thought Whitebeard, even as his heart wrenched, and the advance stalled.

I'd wagered it all on you, to see if you'd show me if you're one of the successors to the "Will of D," to see what kind of era you'd create.

To see what the tomorrows that will be beyond my death would be like.

Only that foolish dream had all been for nought.

I'm sorry, Straw Hat Luffy.

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Impassively Hawkeye looked on at the sight.

A pity, really. The boy had such potential, the promise to be an inferno across the world, only for the spark of his life to be snuffed out by Fate and poor luck.

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On Sabaody, the reporters gasped at the brutality of the Admiral's kill, unused to seeing such violence before their eyes.

Even if it was just a pirate.

They tried to ignore the pained cursing of Buggy and his men by the Den-Den Mushi broadcasting this. The voices of people who knew and respected the young man whose torso was for all intents and purposes gone.

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"No," said Jinbe with a soft whisper, before flinging himself forward.

There had to be something he could do! Maybe if he got Straw Hat to Marco!?

Even if deep down, he knew it was already too late.

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Across the world, every Straw Hat Pirate felt a chill go over their spines. Cold and unsettling, and whispering of an end.

Like someone was walking on their graves.

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"I tried to warn him," whispered Ivankov in anguish, only his heart was not in it. There was no denying the truth. At the end of the day, it had been his own choice to give Straw Boy those hormones to fight. To die.

And now it fell to him to go to his best friend Dragon, upon his knees, and tell how the famed 'miracle doctor' had not only failed to save the man's son, but doomed him as well.

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"LUFFY!" wailed Ace as he saw his little brother falling.

"He is just one of many who will die today," Sengoku said with mercy or sympathy, ignoring the stunned tears on his best friend Garp's face. Of course he did brace himself for having to dealing with an enraged grandfather if the man lost his senses. "As it should be."

The vessel of Santa Claus screamed in denial and rage and impotence. For there was nothing Ace could do.

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With a face of stone, showing none of his inner satisfaction at snuffing out such a potential menace, behaving only as a professional doing his duty to Justice, Akainu turned around for his next pirate.

Only to stumble as haki exploded out from behind him.

He whirled around to face this threat, just as an armoured gauntlet forged of Conqueror's Haki projected beyond a rubbery fist hit him in the jaw, broke the skin, and cracked the bone beneath.

-0-0-0-

". . . What?" squeaked Ace as he looked at his little brother standing tall.

Throwing back his head and roaring his defiance while black lightning crackled across his frame.

From the remaining patches of ice from the bay behind him, ice shot towards him and into the hole in his torso, shifting before their eyes into blood and organs, muscle and bone, and finally pink skin as his 'mortal wound' disappeared as if it had never been.

"What!?" growled Akainu in pain and shock as he rubbed his aching wound. "What are you!?"

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"Is the Will of a D, unbreakable by even Death itself?" whispered Whitebeard in awe.

But no.

As he saw events unfold, he and the rest saw it, and began to understand.

This was something older than the D's. Older than even Laugh Tale. Something, regardless of your beliefs, which harkened back to the days of the birth of Humanity, the Fishmen, the Giants, and all other races. A power that people deny even as they remember.

For there is power in belief. In stories. For they are where memories go when they're forgotten.

And there was a certain tale. A song. A myth.

One children told themselves while laughing, and the adults looked on with nostalgia at something that was not real.

Because it was too fanciful. Too 'make believe.' Because they feared the truth of what lay beneath those seemingly harmless words, and what they promised.

As Monkey D. Luffy stood there, steaming with his boiling blood, the manifestation of his very Ambition and Will snapping and blazing around him like a living thing, eyes unwavering despite what had nearly happened to him, everyone else could see it.

A figure seemed to overshadow him. Just for an instant. Yet they all saw, and it was seared into their minds forever more. Even as the viewers on Sabaody wished to deny its very existence.

Big and white, made from three round balls stacked atop each other. A corn cob pipe, a button nose, and two dark eyes which seemed to stab or burn into your very soul.

And they remembered . . .

Frosty the Snowman

Is a fairy tale they say

He was made of snow, but the children know

How he came to life one day

There must have been some magic

In that old straw hat they found

For when they placed it on his head

He began to dance around

Oh, Frosty the Snowman

Was alive as he could be

And the children say he could laugh and play

Just the same as you and me

"RAAAAGH!" went Luffy as he shot forward with a sense of inevitability.

His fist shot out at shoulder height for himself, and buried itself within Akainu's groin, still coated with Conqueror's Haki.

Gasping in agony, the 'Red Dog' hunched forward as biology betrayed him, and Luffy's heel snapped up take him on the chin to snap the admiral reeling back.

His signature hat rested firmly upon Luffy's head like nothing could remove it from its rightful place, and he prepared to play.

-0-0-0-

With a wordless snarl, Akainu regained his footing, and fought back.

"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!" Firing a wave of magma shaped like a fanged dog's head at the pirate.

A warning shriek from his Observation Haki made him swing up his other arm to block a kick as the brat dodged it entirely. The impact shook his whole body, and he grimaced at the effort to push back the slightly teenager.

Before Straw Hat landed, the Admiral lashed out with a lava-covered kick, but a rubbery arm shot out to grab some debris to pull himself aside.

No.

He had been reaching for that debris already, as if in anticipation of the kick. Instinct, or advanced Observation Haki?

Or some other freakishness of nature like whatever perversion had resurrected him from that hat!?

No.

No matter.

Silently Akainu pressed forward, swinging again and again with his fists, spraying molten droplets as he did so. Sloppy compared to his usual control, yet necessary here. He was at a disadvantage against someone so small and quick, and yet if he could simply burn that accursed hat by spraying it, then it would be all over.

A leg sweep the rookie leapt over, and Akainu had him as he hung there in, lashing out with both hands to fry the pirate.

Straw Hat Luffy grabbed them.

In that heartbeat while he was in the air, he bit into his forearm and blew.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!

Swelling in size and power, and now with a muscular form resembling a deity he locked grips with the Admiral. Feet planted, he pushed back as he roared in his killer's face.

The collision of haki sent pirates and marines around them flying, as the two titans strained against each other in a contest of Strength and Ambition.

Up close like this, Akainu's unease grew even as he tried to drown it out. Something seemed different about Straw Hat's face, and up close like this there was no denying how he felt with Observation Haki had shifted as well. Truly he was becoming even more of a monster.

"How scary, Straw Hat" drawled Admiral Kizaru as he came up behind, a blade of light swinging for the neck.

In a flash Straw Hat released that new form, shrinking even as he expelled the air so he flew beneath the sword.

Unable to halt their momentums, Akainu ran straight into Kizaru's attack, the latter only retracting his own haki a millisecond before contact, so it passed harmless through the body of lava.

As much as Akainu wanted to chew out his 'comrade,' this was not the time or place for it.

"Jet Gatling!"

A barrage of fists pummeled into the admirals, and they grimaced at the impacts, blocking them to the best of their abilities as it just kept coming. Not even Kizaru could use his legendary speed against this assault.

But they only had to stall long enough for the other marines to start shooting at this upstart. No, he had grown beyond that. Even without that Hat, the brat had grown into a Threat.

So they would get that Hat off, destroy it, and then kill him for good this time.

And as anticipated, the Navy did indeed intervene.

A bellow of white clouds as Commodore Smoker arrived like a vengeful storm, his signature jitte stabbing with its sea prism stone tip.

Wide-eyed, Akainu froze as it pressed deep into his side, and he went from magma to mere flesh and blood while his strength was sapped.

"What!?" he cried, before choking on blood as his body stumbled back from the pummelling doing damage he could not prevent. Not even his haki responded with that turncoat's weapon maintaining contact.

"Huh!?" gasped Kizaru as he took in the tableau from the corner of his eye.

"Ehhhhhhhh!? Smokey!?" gasped Straw Hat in shock, even as he kept on punching.

"I'm not doing it for you!" snarled Smoker. "Or for any pirate! I'm doing it for the sake of Christmas! What they took from us! What they're trying to take from us for good! They might want to forget the past, what that meant, but I haven't!"

"Traitor!" said Kizaru with uncharacteristic agitation and anger. "This is beyond forgiveness."

"Y'took the words right outta my mouth!"

Tashigi took her mentor's back to guard it, and at this sight, marines began to waver in their own conviction.

Amidst this, Akainu fell.

-0-0-0-

Sweating, Sengoku took in the sight.

Thankfully Aokiji appeared in a blur to grab Kizaru and pull him away. Unsurprisingly, especially given their history, the third admiral was left behind.

It remained though a bitter reminder of the power of Christmas. All those humiliating defeats over the years.

This is what it can marshal even now, on the Summer Solstice. Who knows what would've happened if we did it later?

Fortunately, they still had Santa captive as their trump card.

-0-0-0-

"It's best if I don't engage Straw Hat," said Aokiji. Because, y'know, the whole spirit of Frosty or whatever. Honestly, he did not want to think about it, and if he survived the storm of this war, afterwards he was getting plastered like he was going to die tomorrow anyways until he collapsed from the alcohol. Because, just. W.H.A.T.

No, really WHAT!?

They were hardly beaten though. Doflamingo for one was throwing himself into the battle, looking like he is trying to personally reach Straw Hat himself.

Hawkeye was being slowed down by Crocodile and some of the pirate captains, but hopefully he would arrive soon. That eager smile on the swordsman's face boded well for his assistance.

Then there was Hancock making her way over too, with a frankly unnerving expression on her face.

Not to mention they still had the Giants, vice-admirals, and Pacifistas.

Hrm, and if they were all focusing on Straw Hat like that . . .

Quickly he whispered his plan to Kizaru, who gave a solemn nod. The Glint-Glint Fruit user would hold back to regain his strength, and see where it was best for the follow-up strike.

-0-0-0-

When predators hunt, they rarely go after strong and healthy, no matter how big a meal they would offer. No, they go after the weak and infirm.

Whitebeard did not know what was more insulting: that they would try this tactic against him, or that it actually seemed to be working.

A wave of ice appeared out of seemingly nowhere, encircling him while it froze over many of his sons, and cutting off the rest from him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he spared a horrified glance at his stuck within the miniature glacier. His heart throbbed with rage at how they were being used as hostages against him, and keeping him from using his Devil Fruit.

Because while being a Tremor-Tremor Man meant he was immune to similar assaults by Aokikji, if he used his big moves so close to them, their bodies would shatter before anyone could submerge and thaw them in water. Every swing with his awesome strength had to be checked as well.

That distraction cost him, as his attention and Observation Haki slipped.

"Ice Block: Partisan."

Four spears of ice stabbed into the pirate's chest, laced with Armament Haki, shoving him back as he coughed up blood. This was much worse than the stabs by those no-names earlier. "Aokiji," he glowered.

They were targeting him to kill him while he was wounded, to remove a still-serious threat, and demoralize the others. But he was not done yet!

Frowning back, the man flatly said, "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak." Now he released a massive wave of ice in the shape of a bird.

This time Whitebeard could see it coming, and swung to deflect it, only for his body to betray him as his injuries caught up again, and the attack slipped under his guard—

A fist brimming with haki smashed the ice the instant before impact.

"Ice Ball!" snapped Aokiji with uncharacteristic haste, trying to ensnare another hand coming for him, only for it to snap back and retract. "Straw Hat," he grimaced at the sight of the newly arrived figure. "You're supposed to be distracted with the others."

"I know," was the flat rejoinder, and the rookie was only barely recognizable. He had shot up in height again, with strange markings of haki across his body, while his hair waved upright in the air. Less bulky than his earlier transformation, so maybe one emphasizing speed?

The seemingly innocent hat now resting against his back, while still giving off that unsettlingly, chilly aura.

No, it's more than that, thought Whitebeard, listening to his instincts. Something else has changed about him. What though?

"You're too old, Whitebeard," said the Straw Hat punk flatly. No, judgmental.

"Hrmph, just try and keep up, brat," he growled, even as he fought to keep on his feet. Just a breather, and he would show them all he was no lame prey to be ganged up on. He just had to move the fight away from his frozen sons—

"No, you're just getting in the way."

"What—"

The small but powerful fist buried itself in the Emperor's gut and right on one of Aokiji's cuts, cutting off his breath, and lifting his massive boots off the ground.

Slim yet wiry arms wrapped around him even as Luffy leapt into the air, swinging the old pirate around in circles before releasing him to send him flying out over the ocean.

"POPS!" screamed the pirates in horror.

"Whut?" whispered Sengoku in shock. Treachery was the way of life for pirates, only it made absolutely zero sense here.

"LUFFY!" screeched Ace.

"Are you insane!?" demanded Aokiji, taking a step back.

-0-0-0-

"POPS!?" cried Marco. Ripping his arm away from his crewmates trying to unlock the sea prism stone shackle.

"Marco, wait! We still haven't gotten it undone!"

"Hurry up! I'm the only one who can save him!"

"We know! We know!"

-0-0-0-

"I knew you were mad, Straw Hat, but not that much," Aokiji said, sending waves of ice across the ground to try and freeze the pirate whenever his feet touched down.

An Ice Saber blocked another punch, lessening the impact even as it snapped underneath the force and sent him stumbling back.

"I honestly expected better of you," he said, ignoring the burning sensation to his side.

"Not my problem," Straw Hat answered, and there was an unnerving seriousness to his eyes, totally unlike when they had first met. Something uncomfortably recognizable. The expression of a man who had been broken and re-forged into something stronger, and now had the power to back up their sheer determination.

What had happened to him in those moments when Akainu burned away his heart? Was this man even Straw Hat anymore? The man who risked it all for Nico Robin? Aokiji had let the Straw Hats live that day in honour of his friend Saul, for Garp, and in hope for something better.

Even if that backstabbing of Whitebeard did make things far easier for the Navy, he was still sickened by what had come to pass.

He was not the only one either. Grief stricken, vengeful pirates fired pointlessly at the duo as they fought, while some marines followed suit as well. All completely forgetting they were shooting at a logia user and rubber-man respectively. Wait, no, some were bringing forward cannons, those might at least hurt Straw Hat some.

With a gesture, Aokiji manifested and let loose more ice spears, while trying to close in with an Ice Saber. Close combat might be unwise against someone who specialized in it like this menace, yet Straw Hat was dodging all of the admiral ranged attacks thus far. Time for something new.

-0-0-0-

"What has happened to Straw Boy?" said an aghast Ivankov.

While he did not expect a response, he received one regardless.

"Could it be that spirit of Christmas?" offered Jinbe, except it was obvious he was grasping for possible answers beyond the one right before their very eyes. "Luffy never seemed the type, and yet this is . . . there is a code of honour, even for pirates! And to commit such a crime against an ally—"

"And a pointless one!" spat the okama. "Why save Whitebeard just to backstab him like that!? It makes no sense! It's like he's entirely different . . ."

Shrewdly Jinbe eyed the Revolutionary Commander as the man/woman frowned in thought at the distant pirate. Thinking on those words before he/she had trailed off, the Fishman took another look at Luffy as well.

"He's changed," Ivankov suddenly said. "Beyond just that new form."

"How can you—"

"Trust me, I'm very good at this sort of thing. Besides, check again with your Observation Haki. It's him, but not."

What? No, he could see it now. However, that didn't explain—

Without even a blink, Straw Hat suddenly sidestepped away from a burning, taloned foot that crushed the pavement where he had been standing a moment ago.

"Straw Hat!" snarled Marco.

-0-0-0-

A few years ago he would never have let such a betrayal slip by him.

The wind whistling through his ears, the sight of the ocean rising up to meet him, only to fade away, along with thoughts of vengeance, Whitebeard instead chose to reminisce on his time with his family. All that they had given him.

It had been a good li—

*CRASH*

The familiar sound of wooden planks splintering beneath his body, even if he did not really feel the impact. He was just that tough. Or maybe his body was just breaking down too much to care any longer.

Vision blurry, he tried to maneuver his bulk so he could haul himself upright. Foreign ship or not, he was going out on his own two feet.

A pair of boots entered his sight, and half-deaf, he caught only some of the words.

"—dying here—last—thought—

"Merry Christmas, Edward Newgate!"

-0-0-0-

"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"

Scowling, Luffy dodged away from the barrage of lasers coming from above, and then had to block another kick from Pineapple Head, even as spears of ice nicked his side as he failed to dodge fast enough.

Ice flowed up from what Aokiji had left on the ground to clean away the wound, yet it was visibly slower this time, and the others would pick up on that. He could not hold up much longer. Not against two admirals and a vengeful First Division Commander.

-0-0-0-

It began with a ripple, the next shift in the war.

A growing murmur for attention by those from the outskirts, which were really yells from those on the edge of the battle to those in the center. Because they came without a sound beyond the breaking of waves.

Once they were seen though, the fighting quickly ground to a halt at the sight of the new players.

The Kraken.

Dozens of them stretched across the bay, and under their massive tentacles the hapless marine battleships were ground to splinters and blood.

For the pirate ships, surprise was total for them as well, and yet when they saw how they were being ignored, promptly played dead.

More and more of the legendary monsters seemed to appear, many of them bearing scars of old battles, and no one could ignore the sensation they were glaring at the marines.

"But why . . ." murmured Jinbe, before his eyes lit up in memory of something Buggy had said.

"D'you really think he'd have passed up on finding Santa's legendary workshop? And yes, it was in the North Pole, and yes, it is colder than the South. Pretty well hidden too, even without the krakens."

"They're here for Santa," he breathed out. Then he bellowed loud and clear, "They're here for Santa!"

"You've got to be kidding!" gritted out Sengoku in frustration. Well, thankfully the Navy still had a few contingencies yet to play. "Garp—" he began.

The largest of all the kraken, covered in scars that looked uncomfortably familiar to the Fleet Admiral (he had been so sure they had killed that one), loomed itself up even higher, drew back an oversized tentacle, and snapped it forward.

CRACK.

Everyone heard the splitting sound as the air broke.

BOOM!

The whole island shook with the impact of whatever had been fired by the head kraken, right into the marine ranks, sending them flying. The epicenter was close enough to Aokiji that he had to struggle to stay on his feet. Luffy flailed in the wind, yet had stamped his feet right into the ground beforehand so he was not sent flying. Having learnt from Arlong, he quickly worked to tear them free.

"GU RA RA RA RA!"

.

.

.

The hearts of every marine and watching reporter froze stiff, while the pirates and Revolutionaries felt a dawning hope.

In the blink of an eye, the dusty cloud surrounding the new epicenter was burst away, and there stood a towering figure. Bristling with muscles and a few proud scars.

Beautiful, golden locks of hair reaching past his shoulders.

A smile that was all teeth.

And a long, curved mustache.

Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard, now some thirty years younger, and back in his prime to when he used to fight with the Pirate King as his equal.

"Well Navy," he all but purred, "ready for Round Two?"

-0-0-0-

"Well, I dunno about you guys," grinned Jewelry Bonney, studiously ignoring the Emperor-sized hole in her deck, "but I think he liked his gift."

It had been nice to do something like that with some measure of privacy, as the marines would have no idea if she was the one responsible, or if it was another piece of weirdness (or madness) for today.

"Does that mean he owes us one, captain?" asked her navigator.

"Don't be daft! It was a gift!"

-0-0-0-

"POPS!?" screamed the Whitebeard Pirates in pure shock and delight.

"Hah! Took you long enough, old man!" laughed Luffy.

"Cheeky brat!" barked back Whitebeard with good humour. His eyes narrowed with a knowing intensity. "You're older, aren't you? From a few years into the future."

"Yep," he answered cheerily, heedless of conniptions this was causing. Indeed, Ivankov and Jinbe took a second look, and realised what had seemed 'off' was how Straw Hat had gained a few inches, and wear and tear.

"I see," nodded Whitebeard, his passion dampening slightly for a weighted solemnity. "So today, Christmas Past and Christmas Yet To Come are present?"

"Eh, who cares? Just another mystery."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!?" screeched Marco. He had thought the man had murdered Pops, flinging him off to drown before the seastone could come off, only for this!?

Straw Hat just twisted a finger in his ear, pulling out a piece of wax to glance at and flick away. "You were being all shouty and weren't gonna listen, so why bother?"

"Dwuuuht!" Marco mangled out through choking, conflicting emotions.

"Gu ra ra ra ra! Well then, let's put on a show, shall we?"

"Sure."

Both Emperors, the first of all of them who defined their era, and the one who would be the first of the next generation, leapt towards one another. Whitebeard drew back his halberd as he gathered power to it, even as Luffy brought back his fist to his opposite shoulder. With a swing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit user brought about this weapon and the concentrated tectonic energy, even as Straw Hat's backhand met it.

For a heartbeat it seemed they were fighting one another.

Instead their powers combined and merged into a titanic, explosive-like wave of force which tore across the battlefield.

"FREEDOM STRIKE!" they bellowed.

It cut a trench straight through Marineford and any marine hapless to find themselves in its way before it erupted against their HQ, gutting a hole straight through the massive fortress. The kanji for "Marines," and the symbol of the Navy across it, was entirely defaced.

Gone.

-0-0-0-

The backlash of what may have been the most powerful attack in recorded history sent more marines flying, and destroyed most of their remaining defenses and cohesion.

Even as the reporters back at Sabaody panicked, and his men lost hope, Sengoku's mind still whirled with possibilities. To give up now would be to let the pirates win, for Christmas to come again, and to bow head in defeat and betray all the brave men and women who had died here today. So he was not finished yet.

Powerful muscles wrenched out the chain securing Santa's body to the execution platform. The whole platform was starting to crumble with the impact anyways, and if he was to have any chance of securing a victory out of this, no matter how slight, he needed to keep custody of their hostage.

Fingers clenched tightly around the pirate's throat, ready to crush it if necessary. A warning for if the pirates pushed any farther.

There was still Garp, and their remaining two admirals, even if they were bloody, were regrouping to his side. Garp would need a little more time though, as he had been too shocked to properly brace himself from that attack, and been thrown far away.

There was still a way to win, and he just had to find it.

"ACE!" screamed Straw Hat, and once more the battlefield froze. Only this time at the sheer command and presence in that single syllable.

"LUFFY!" cried back the man in Sengoku's grip. Although it seemed he was just saying that because he could not think of anything else. "Why? Just . . . why?" he sobbed brokenly. "I don't understand."

"Because you're my brother!"

"He's not your brother!" spat Sengoku. "He's Santa Claus! You have no idea what'll happen if we don't stop this horrible holiday from coming again! Look around you, you see all this death and devastation!? Is it really worth it!?"

"It's you who doesn't get it!" Straw Hat's form receded back to his normal one, and yet somehow he seemed even larger-than-life like that. "You think this is what Christmas is about? It's not! And you won't stop it from coming! You can't hurt Christmas, Seagull-Guy. Because it isn't about the gifts or the fancy lights. Christmas is about friends and family! The bonds and meat we share together!"

The pirates and many a marine beside Smoker shouted their agreement, and something shook Ace at those words. With their ironclad confidence, and a defiance against everything the world had to throw at them.

And he remembered back with the bandits, how on every Christmas morning while Luffy would bemoan Ace eating his meat . . . every year his little brother, every year, had also wrapped up some of his own meat to give to both his big brothers. Even after Sabo died, a piece would be set aside for him.

Luffy. Gave. His own. Meat.

Maybe . . . it was not about the ribbons, tags, packages, boxes, or bags. Then Ace thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe . . . Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more.

And what happened then, well in Foosha Village they say, that Ace's small heart grew three sizes that day.

Red, green, and white light exploded out of his body, lighting up the whole island for everyone to see.

Screaming, Sengoku was sent flying away while his palm smoldered.

The lightshow quickly coalesced before Ace, and despite the intensity of it, he felt no discomfort. More like being relieved of some burden he had never noticed before.

In a blink it was over, and a figure stood before him.

One time, Makino had read this poem or story or whatever about Santa. Because it was Makino, Ace had let her read it to him and Luffy (even if with arms crossed and a scowl) and actually listened to it to show he was paying attention to her.

For some reason the words sprung back into his mind, and wagered that long-dead writer had indeed met the man.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

"Well now, that's better," said Santa Claus, looking at his fingers as he flexed them. "Oh, pardon me." A snap of those digits, and Ace's manacles fell away. "May I help you up?"

Strength may have flown back into Ace's veins with his release, yet his limbs remained too shaky to stand.

Taking the dazed silence as a yes, he gently guided Ace onto his feet. "I'm terribly sorry about this. You're probably confused as well. You see, I didn't actually reincarnate, so much as I managed to hide myself, if you will, within another soul. There's more to it than that, but that's the simple version, and I know you're not into the technicalities. It was an understandable mistake though, and not even Sengoku can be right all the time."

Sengoku!

Ace whirled around, hands raised as he called fire, only to see the absolutely gigantic fist coming straight for his face.

. . . Still coming.

No, it was just . . . hanging . . . there . . . !?

Leaping to the side, Ace took in the sight of the Fleet Admiral, in full golden, massive Devil Fruit form, just standing there, punch extended and frozen.

"He's not frozen."

Jumping a little, Ace turned aghast to Santa, who was gazing at the legendary Buddha with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "No worry, a common mistake. He's just moving very, very slowly."

It was then Ace noticed the total silence across the entire battlefield, as everyone was just standing still. Even his family.

Tens upon tens of thousands of the world's strongest rendered helpless.

". . ." managed Ace, eyes blinking with an utterly dumbfounded expression.

"Ho ho ho! How do you think I can deliver toys all over the world within a single night? I have power over time itself, my boy!"

No, he had never thought about that, because he had always assumed Santa was not real!

In a daze, he let himself be led towards the pirate lines, while Santa went on. "As for how I'm here today, well, as I said, I was reborn hidden within you, separate from your own soul. Safe. I figured, and I do hope you'll forgive me the presumption, that a child of Roger would be a wise choice. There I would recover, and return. Released with the lingering power of Christmas."

Distantly, Ace noted a sort of hum in the background during this talk.

"Unfortunately, your childhood, filled with guilt and pain over your birth, which you had no control over by the way, I do suggest talking to your family about that more, and the sheer naughtiness of the Goa Kingdom, kept you from finding sufficient Christmas Spirit within your heart. It was only now that I had the connection and power to break free, after causing you so much further trouble."

"I . . . I didn't—"

"You," Santa said more firmly, "did absolutely nothing wrong. Even as a pirate, you'd have been on my Nice List. Most of the time." His brow crinkled a little in admonishment. "Except, you know all that dining and dashing you do is actually getting worse, right?"

Before Ace could make a retort, the humming sound seemed to intensify. "What's that?"

"Ah," said Santa sadly. "Our time's almost up. We'll have to continue this later. I'll send you a letter."

"What!?"

"Alas, it is the Summer Solstice, and my powers are at their weakest. Even for me, this is a challenge."

"But you—!"

"Do not worry," Santa gently cut him off, patting him lightly on the head in a manner somehow more affectionate than condescending. "You and your family will be fine. Even if it takes the last of my power. Do not worry though, I do have a gift for you."

He waved his hand, and before Ace could say something more, his vision of Marineford faded away.

-0-0-0-

Dragon and the other men and women at Baltigo stood glued to the Den-Den Mushi before them. One of their agents on Sabaody had been reporting back everything at the climactic battle as it played out. While it was an unsecured transmission, the man's cover as a reporter allowed him to talk freely to his 'editor.'

They had waited with baited breath on the outcome of the war which would decide the future of the world, only to be stunned again and again with each revelation and shocking twist. Which had culminated in apparently the entirety of Marineford suddenly freezing in place. At first it was assumed technical difficulties, until somebody pointed out the plumes of smoke and dust were moving. And then—

"—pirates are gone! The marines are starting to move again—"

Porgtgas D. Ace, the Fire Fist, and Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, appeared out of thin air upside down, and fell head first onto the noggin of Chief-of-Staff Sabo.

"Gah!"

"Whah!?"

Bouncing off, Ace came down on his rear. Craning back, he looked up at the blonde figure standing over him.

"Ouch, what was that for, Ace?"

"Sabo?"

"Yeah, of course it—"

Sabo's eyes rolled up, and he fell backwards into Luffy's arms.

"Sabo!?" cried the Rubber Man, before his own legs gave out from under him.

Only to be caught in turn by Ivankov. "Straw Boy!?"

"Luffy!" gasped Ace, his exhausted body and general (massive) confusion making it hard for him to get up. He figured he could probably trust Luffy's ally though. A little.

The okama, Jinbe, and all the Revolutionaries were looking around in utter shock. Meanwhile the people of Baltigo were staring in equal shot, many having drawn, if not aimed, their weapons.

"What is going on here!?" cried Ace. "Why's Sabo here!? How's he alive!"

"Sabo!" wailed Luffy as he sobbed with joy.

"You know him!?" demanded a puzzled Ivankov. "Wait, Dragon!?"

"Iva," nodded the leader of the Revolutionary Army, his impassive expression marred only by a single drop of sweat. "This is unexpected."

"Don't you pull that stone-faced act with me! Do you have any idea what I've been through for your spawn!? And how'd we—"

"It was Santa Clause!" snapped Ace. "And I asked you how's Sabo here!? Why's he unconscious!?"

"Sabo experienced a violent head injury and amnesia when we met him," answered Dragon, already piecing things together. "Did you know him from Goa Kingdom?"

"Know him!? Of course I did! Do! He's my brother! And, wait, aren't you—"

Zoro fell on him.

"Huh, what?" said Zoro, not realizing he was on a person. Or that his injuries were totally healed now. "Wait, Luffy?"

"Zoro!" yelled Luffy with delight while Ivankov shifted the pirate captain over to Jinbe to be held.

On second look, there was not a scratch on the young man, and nothing 'off' like before. Had he really been from the future? "I found you!"

"Get off!" hissed Ace.

"Huh, Luffy's brother?"

Nami fell onto Zoro's lap, with Ace still beneath.

"Oof!"

"What!?"

"Where'd you come from, witch?" Zoro exclaimed, burying down his profound relief that another of his nakama was safe.

"How dare you!?" screeched Nami, returning the affection. "And where's—"

"You may wish to move," Jinbe cut in, only for the appearance of the massive Fishman, with a familiar tattoo across his chest, to spook the two, younger pirates onto the defensive. Without actually moving from their spot.

"Hey, who—"

As one every last other member of the Straw Hats popped out of thin air and fell down atop of Fire Fist.

"Alriiiiiiiiiight!" Ace whimpered from beneath. "I'll stop the dining and dashing! Geez!"

A beat.

"But thanks for saving my idiot brother, and for finding the other one."

-0-0-0-

At Marineford, the last of the pirates faded away as well. Taking with them their wounded and dead as well.

Satisfied, Santa turned to face the Navy.

Many a marine quivered at the sight of them, doubt and hesitation gripping at them. Even Smoker felt a touch of concern.

Out of their ranks strode one towering figure, the very picture of casual danger, yet even they could see the faint beads of sweat.

Donquixote Doflamingo.

"Well now, are you really sure you want to send them away?"

"Why yes," said Santa good naturedly, unconcerned by threats before him.

Gritting his teeth, Doflamingo spat out, "You are unarmed!"

"Always."

"You stand alone!"

"Often."

"You're the one who should be afraid!"

"Never."

Fists tightening as veins throbbed across them, the Warlord sneered, "The Navy killed you before! Along with your wife and your elves!"

A beat, as the hearts of every marine, of everyone watching still on Sabaody, seemed to feel their hearts clench as if a cold hand was gripping them.

Softly Santa released a sigh, visible even from that distance, and shook his head a little. Gently he asked, "Yes, you did. Do you want me to put aside goodwill to all, and be angry with you about it?"

The twinkle left his eyes as he politely threw down the gauntlet, and Doflamingo's teeth started to crack and he gnashed them, trying to force himself to say something.

Anything.

Anything at all to this plump, elderly nothing before him.

He was a god!

"At any rate," continued Santa once it was made clear nobody was going to say anything, "that's not quite true."

He waved his hand once more, and as if stepping out of a fog, tiny elves at her side, and thirteen reindeer, was an old lady.

"My family is doing quite well, thank you.

"And now," he hefted up a sack which had not been there a moment before, "I do believe it's time to deliver some presents. I'm badly overdue as it were."

Kindly eyes cooled somewhat, "But don't worry, I'm well aware of whom among you has been naughty, and who has been nice."

Promise delivered, he took a step forward . . .

-0-0-0-

Blinking, Whitebeard stared around at his family.

They were all crammed onto the Moby Dick IV, and beside them were the allies in their own ships. Marineford nowhere in sight. In fact, they were right by an island he recognized as not only being in his territory, but one with both a sizeable hospital and shipyard. Not that it seemed as necessary, as those with the worst wounds were suddenly much better, if still needing help.

Okaaaaaay . . .

He raised his hand to call for attention, when he realized he was holding something. Reflexively he started to squint, before remembering he no longer needed to.

Being young again was going to be a highly enjoyable learning experience.

Anyways, it was a note in a familiar hand:

Newgate,

Thanks for the hand there, even if I know it was for your boy.

Ace is fine by the way, I just dropped him off with your other family. He should be back soon, or making a call.

See you in six months!

Happy Holidays,

Santa Claus

Huh, well. This certainly was a day of surprises.

"MY CHILDREN!" he roared aloud. "ACE IS SAFE, AND SO ARE WE! WE HAVE WON! VICTORY!"

"VICTORY!" they all yelled back.

"VICTORY!" he challenged them.

"VICTORY!"

"GU RA RA RA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT! NOW SEE TO THE WOUNDED!"

There was so much to do. The injured to heal, help his family grieve, spread the word about Ace, and plans to make.

Oh! They would have to dig out the old Santa traps! It had been twenty years, and best not to make the old man think they had gotten rusty. They would never hear the end of it!

-0-0-0-

Doflamingo was out of the fight.

Honestly, Hawkeye did not fully understand what had happened to his fellow Warlord. At best guess though, he had been lured onto a patch of ice that the battle and boiling ocean had left thinner than the rest, making him fall into the water. Now he was left submerged up to his neck, and bound in ribbons to be sure.

Marvelous.

As an extension of himself, Hawkeye danced Yoru through the air, always a hairsbreadth behind Santa as the chubby fellow sidestepped almost casually away from every swing and thrust. In fact, sometimes it felt as though the old man, perhaps the oldest man, was deliberately letting Hawkeye get closer than necessary to try and lure him in deeper.

Exhilarating!

"It is a shame you wield no sword," he said, and even he did not know if he meant it as a praise or backhanded compliment.

"Oh, I'm much too busy for that," said Santa, even as he skipped back and bent backwards nearly ninety-degrees under an attempt to cut out his heart. "So much to catch up on this year. Why, I'll be living on caffeine to finish fixing my workshop in time, and making all those presents! To say nothing of all that coal to get. Oh dear, I do hope Mrs. Claus will be alright with me being so busy. She worries about me overexerting myself."

Stars rang and Hawkeye's legs gave up from underneath him as he fell.

Blurrily he felt deft hands relieve him of Yoru, and next he knew he was being laid on his back, with a block of ice pressed up against the new bump on his head, even as his arms and legs were bound. Thankfully his sword was still by his side.

"Such ruffians," sniffed the old lady now standing over him, her voice ringing with the pain in his skull. "And as for you, you're no spring chicken no more, you need to go rest."

"Yes dear," said Santa amiably, and honestly Hawkeye liked the idea of them leaving, so as to give him some peace and quiet. "Just one more thing to do."

"Don't you overexert yourself!"

"Why, nothing of the sort."

-0-0-0-

"Big News" Morgans, the president of the World Economy News Paper, looked down at the very fat cheque in his hands, and then back up at the various Cipher Pol agents pointing guns at him.

As well as the marines doing the same behind the intelligence agents.

They seemed a tad tense.

So he swallowed down his burning anger at this insult. "Let me guess," he said with dry politeness. "This is about what happened in Marineford earlier today."

The grim-faced men scowled deeper somehow at him.

With a theatrical sigh, he waved his hand dismissively at them. "Oh very well, I won't say anything bad about what happened. You run along now."

"We—!"

"Please, I'm well known as a man of my word. I'll behave. Goodness knows, you're going to be busy enough tracking down all the other reporters and witnesses. And getting therapy for those poor fellows of yours."

From what had been seen before Buggy the Clown was finally finished rubbing it in, many marines had actually received wonderful gifts for their genuine heroism. Like that Smoker fellow, who seemed to be taking many defectors from the Navy; something else the Elder Stars would want hushed up.

The majority had been tied up in ribbons, with coal shoved in their pockets.

Along with other things.

Apparently little elves could carry a grudge. Who knew?

Oh, and the entirety of Marineford had been buried in coal.

Let that sink in for a moment.

In fact, you may have misheard me.

The. Entirety. Of Marineford. Was. Buried. In coal.

As in a massive mound that covered even the top of the largest, greatest fortress in the world.

So yes, the Navy had a few other 'concerns' going on.

As for Morgans though, he knew better than to press the issue when faced with such direct threats, along with a hefty pay-off, and Cipher Pol knew it. So he ignored their threatening scowls, and waited for them to leave.

"Boss," whispered one journalist once the government agents were safely out of earshot, "you aren't really—"

"I gave my word!" he snapped. "Therefore I'll honour it!"

And so he did.

-0-0-0-

The next day's headline was thus:

"Yesterday, Everything Was Fine in Marineford, and Nothing Bad Happened."

The big, bold words covered a good half of the front page, while the rest of it included a small picture of the pristine headquarters, along with sentence after sentence rambling about how everything was perfect for the Navy there, and there was absolutely no reason to be concerned. At all.

Honest.

No mention of the execution of Fire Fist that had been in all the papers the day before, or the dire predictions of war with Whitebeard. Instead there was an entire paragraph about how sunny the day was, if not too sunny.

There, nothing to worry people about, right?

For some reason though the World Government was not impressed, nor amused. Alas, when their agents returned to file a 'formal complaint,' the newspaper office had relocated, without leaving a forwarding address behind.

So strange.

-0-0-0-

"Ooohhh."

"Senny?"

Blurrily, Sengoku opened his eyes, to see a concerned Garp leaning over him. As he focused, his friend reached over and brought over some ice chips he spooned into his friend's mouth with surprisingly delicateness. Goodness, it must have been bad. Whatever this was. Why was he here? Taking in his surroundings, the fleet admiral confirmed he was in the private medical ward reserved for the most senior officers.

It took him a few tries, but he managed, "Garp?"

"Ah, Senny!" the boisterous idiot grinned. "You had us worried!"

With a groan, Sengoku readjusted his stiff body on the bed. How long had he been out?

"No rush," assured Garp. "That brat Kuzan's handling things for you."

"Good," he grunted. "I overworked myself again, didn't I?" A stabbing pain in his forehead made him squeeze his eyes shut, missing the surprised looks shared by Garp and the doctor. "And I had the weirdest dream. Or a nightmare. There was Santa, a young Whitebeard, your menace of a grandson possessed by a demonic spirit . . . and something about cookies? Oh, and a scary lady older than Tsuru. Ridiculous, the lot of it."

"Hah! I should say so! And that's exactly what happened," assured Garp, putting a remarkable amount of cheer and ease into his voice, even as he sweated buckets while the Fleet Admiral's eyes remained closed. With one hand he gestured silence to the doctor, who bobbed his head rapidly in agreement.

"Whelp! Now that you're awake, I'm going to go find Kuzan. Let him know not to get comfortable in that old chair. Then help up some rookies." Sengoku felt a stab of pity for said new recruits; Garp was a menace when he was not also working off stress because his friends had gone and worried him. Hrmph, maybe send them some apology donuts. Plus one for Garp. More for Tsuru of course.

Of course Garp would take extras, but if he gave the man more than that, then he would go about crying how "Senny's dying and this is his way to say goodbye!" or some other nonsense. Nope, Sengoku had learnt his lesson about that.

"I brought you some rice crackers, on your right by your glasses, if you get hungry. Also fed your goat earlier. For now you just rest. Hup, hup, hup, I mean it! Relax, ease your blood pressure down and all. Nice and calm. And I'll, just, y'know, have Kuzan come by later and fill you in on everything. Yeah. Cool? Cool."

With that Garp bodily grabbed the doctor, and scampered out of the room.

Used to his friends dramatic, Sengoku just sighed and decided to take that advice. Surely he could just lay here for a little while. There was probably nothing serious to worry about anyways, right?

Heh, he would bet Garp was just trying to cover up something ridiculous he had done. Again.

Ah well.

So he settled back to a quiet sleep . . .

While visions of sugar-plums danced in his head.

-0-0-0-

Back at the Revolutionary Army HQ, one side of Ace's whole extended family was having a celebratory breakfast.

Listen, they were Luffy and Sabo's family, so that meant they were Ace's as well, alright?

Even if that meant another deadbeat dad, and a crazy uncle with purple hair. Thankfully Jinbe was present. Also the Straw Hat Pirates.

Another blessing was that last night had been so emotionally draining for everyone as stories were exchanged, that the meal was pretty calm. Well, as calm as it got while fending off Luffy's attempts at glomping your food. Seemed hereditary even, given how Dragon's fingers twitched, and the practiced ease at which Invakov handled Luffy.

"—not remember anything after that?" pressed Chopper.

"Nah," repeated Luffy. "I went from Marineford to finding myself on this mystery island, running from this huge guy with horns, blue scales, and a massive club." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "He was pretty scary, and that's all I could do."

. . . Please let that not be Kaidou he's describing. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease . . .

Oh who was he kidding, it was totally Kaidou.

"Then I was here with Sabo and Ace! Shi shi shi!" he chuckled with glee once more.

"That's amazing!" gushed the little reindeer.

"Say, Luffy?"

"Yeah Usopp?"

"How'd you know to throw Whitebeard like that? Exactly there and all."

"Oh, I didn't."

". . . What?"

"Everyone just told me I threw Whitebeard like that, and he landed on Bonney's ship. So I just knew if I did the same, it'd be fine."

Ace's heart missed a beat at that admission. "Luffy, please don't tell anybody else that."

"Why?"

"Because, Captain," said Robin tenderly, "it's better most people don't realize how big a chance you took on turning Whitebeard into fish-bait."

"What is wrong with you?" demanded Ace.

"A great many things," she airily said.

"Don't you insult Robin!" snapped the chef.

"Oh no, please pick a fight with him," drawled Zoro.

"Are you sure you want to keep them on base?" muttered Ivankov to Dragon. "For two years?"

Stoically, the man said, "They need the training before attempting the New World. Besides, while they may never join us, we can be assured they'll be out there raising havoc regardless. Better that we arm them for maximum success."

"It'll be great to have them around," grinned Sabo, fully recovered after a bit of a nap as he readjusted to his recovered memories. The general consensus was that Santa had done something to ease the process. Given how he had patted Ace on the head right before said skull impacted Sabo's, he was inclined to agree. Even if that was a rather overly dramatic way to handle that.

Trying to divert the fighting (squabbling) between Zoro and Sanji, Nami said, "So Luffy, what about your Hat?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, it was possessed by the spirit of Frosty the Snowman and all?"

"Well yeah, it's his hat after all."

". . . I beg your pardon?"

Something about that even and calm voice raised the hairs on Ace's arms. Luffy seemed to agree as he also edged back. "It's his hat!" he repeated. "It's always been Frosty's hat, and he was able to help me with this."

"You never mentioned it was his!"

"Sure I did!"

"When?"

"Well, uhm . . ."

"You never did."

Everyone but Luffy froze, before slowly drawing their eyes to the hat of straw resting on the table beside him.

The clearly amused tone from the piece of legend continued. "I'm sorry Luffy, but you never told them."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"Huh. Oh well! Shi shi shi shi!"

"Are you Frosty the Snowman?" managed Ace with a strangled voice.

"Do you see any snow here?" said the voice with good humour.

"That's not really an answer," pointed out Brook.

"It's a mystery," said the hat smugly, clearly quoting Luffy.

"You aren't going to be helping out again, are you?" asked his little brother seriously.

"No, don't worry. I'll only do it if Christmas is imperiled. I won't cheat you out of the challenge."

"Oh, phew! Good to know."

"No it's not!" screamed Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, while the other Straw Hats laughed.

"Quite the interesting crew," said Ivankov with a sweatdrop.

Jinbe threw his head back and laughed at it all, that girl Koala tightly pressing herself up against his side as if afraid he would disappear. That whole story about Fisher Tiger had been a real eye-opener to Ace, even if he would deny crying to it. It was just residual dust in his eyes from Marineford. "They're a fun lot!"

"And just imagine what Christmas'll be like with them here," smirked Sabo.

"I'm almost afraid to know," said Ace, but his smile was even wider in anticipation.

It was good to be alive.

-0-0-0-

Author Notes:

The original inspiration of this fic was a Narnia crossover fic, which brought up how the White Witch had kept Christmas from coming to Narnia for years and years. So it made me start thinking of the Straw Hats having to save Christmas. Then I read The Iron Trial, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare . . .

In addition, this took inspiration, and sometimes direct lines, from Frosty the Snowman (yes, yes, it is "top hat" for Frosty, but a different world here!), Santa Claus is Coming to Town, A Visit from St. Nicholas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (original book and Jim Carrey film), Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

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Credit for the new story summary goes to OceanLord2017.

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The Twelfth Doctor: "Stories are where memories go when they're forgotten." On a similar note, that little conversation between Doflamingo and Santa was directly drawn from the Doctor Who episode "Extremis."

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Originally I was planning to depict Santa Claus more like how he is from The Dresden Files (also source of thorn manacles and summer solstice bits), before taking this approach after considering Doctor Who more. And frankly, the Navy would fine the latter far more unnerving.

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Morgans' news article title was inspired by a certain broadcast by "Hyperion Truth Broadcasting" in Borderlands 2.

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~TV~Tropes~~TV~Tropes~~TV~Tropes~~YAY!

-0-

Please Review, and I will get back to you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!