This first chapter has been updated since it was originally published, so to anyone who may have read this first chapter previously, i'd recommend reading it again, just so you don't miss out on anything. In addition, I may make further updates to each of the chapters as the story progresses, so be on the lookout. UsoLando, out.

Chapter 1

Marco had had ENOUGH. He was tired of it all. All the pointless war and fighting. All the useless struggle and wasted effort. Just what was the point anymore? Actually, what was the point of anything, ever? It In all his years of living, he has not once been given any plausible reason for the purpose of his existence. Or anyone's existence, really. Because, as far as he knew, existence amounted to nothing but suffering. He has yet to believe in anything greater than himself, or anything that he's already witnessed with his own two eyes. Well, actually, that wasn't entirely true. A long time ago, he'd believed in something. But Marco had been a young man then, hopelessly naive and yet to see the world in its entirety. He'd been holding on all this time in a rather vain attempt to be proven wrong about his beliefs, but he just couldn't lie to himself anymore. Now, armed with experience beyond years (experience that would be the envy of any scholar) and finally no longer disillusioned, he knew the world for what it was. And as it was, it didn't have anything else left to offer him. Or so he thought.

~]O[~

Ace had been walking home from the store when he saw the stangest sight. Now, he didn't like to be judged for his habits: his strange proclivity for hats, setting things on fire, or taking long walks along the beach for example. Because that's what he was doing. Walking along the beach, he means. Not setting things on fire. That's beside the point. Today, Ace had decided to take the more 'scenic' route on his way home, and he wasn't disappointed. The sea, in all its vast wildness, had somehow never failed to sooth his nerves. It was quite ironic, actually. So, when he had punched that cashier in the face after the bastard had decided to "question" his life choices upon seeing the tattoos that Ace normally so proudly displays, he had decided a nice walk would be necessary to avoid lashing out at some poor innocent bystander. Ace had always been told that he had anger management issues. He always tended to disagree. With his fists.

Disaster averted.

But even as he was mentally congratulating himself over this small personal victory, he couldn't help but feel slightly off somehow, as if something in his gut was telling him that something bad was about to happen. Unable to shake off this unnerving feeling, he took another glance out towards the sea in a rather pitiful attempt to calm down his overactive mind.

What he ended up seeing unnerved him even more.

Standing precariously on one of the precipices that overhung the sea, a man with feathery blond hair and a business suit stood with his back to Ace. The man appeared to just be staring out at the ocean, as if searching for something. His eyes, so glued to the vast expanse, didn't even seem to register the young raven-haired man that had sauntered more closely and was now watching him intently from only a few yards away. Ace frowned as the man unlatched the briefcase at his side, holding it open in a way that allowed the wind to suddenly blow away all the paperwork inside of it and send it scattering all over the place. Most of the papers however got blown in the direction of, and then got caught on, an immense tree branch only a few hundred feet away. The man simply shrugged and looked out towards the sea again. Ace tensed in anticipation for what would happen next. He already knew what would happen; the signs were so obvious that he could've beaten a monkey to death with them. There was nothing he could do, so he would stay to watch this man's final moments and at least give him the dignity of being remembered. There was simply nothing worse than being forgotten, and Ace could strongly attest to that. He grimaced as the unpleasant thought went through his mind. But then, as if the very universe itself deemed to go out of it's own way to prove Ace wrong, what happened next could only be descibed as the very last thing he expected.

The man was on FIRE.

And no, not "on fire", as in a figurative term. He was on fire, LITERALLY. Ace blinked his eyes, and then rubbed them again, trying to clear his vision. The sight didn't go away. The man was still standing there like earlier, only now looking as if he was being cooked alive. Ace tried to think back to today's earlier events. He mentally crossed drugs off the list, or tried to anyways. At least, he didn't remember having done them today. He generally tried to steer clear of them, but he wasn't above a good night of partying either. Maybe someone had roofied him the night before? It seemed plausible. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time. It happened so depressingly often, actually, that he'd stopped counting. But wait a minute, that didn't make sense. Why would he only be seeing things just now if that was the case?

His stomach suddenly growled at him in a turn for the worst, and his thoughts instantly devolved back to the last time he'd eaten. He paused for a moment, an idea forming in his head quite impressively, considering the fact that his brain felt like it was going to explode and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. Maybe... he had eaten something bad during lunch, and was hallucinating because of it. Yes, that was it! He had eaten something bad, and was definitely hallucinating. He had to be. There was simply no other explanation. In fact, he was probably imagining this whole scenario. The man he was seeing didn't even exist! Satisfied with this rather shitty line of reasoning (he knew it too, but had stopped caring a while back), he started to walk away, only to suddenly be gripped with a feeling of dread. Why was he feeling this way? Turning around, he began to see the "man" transform. He blinked again. He wasn't even sure what to believe anymore at this point. His mind simply couldn't process this shit. So all he could do was watch dumbly, as what now stood before him was the most magestic creature Ace had ever laid eyes on.

"T-t-that's a-", he didn't even the chance to finish his sentence as the creature suddenly took of into the air in a feat of graceful aero-acrobatics. For a few minutes, the creature danced and twirled in the air in a way that Ace could only compare to as the same way flames do. And he just knew it too, being the devoted pyromaniac he was. It was easily the most breathtaking display Ace had ever witnessed in his rather short life. But then again, how many people can say they've witnessed such a spectacle before? The notion of such a ridiculous and absurd thing was completely unheard of. When Ace had just become completely entranced by the beautiful creature, it suddenly veered downwards and plunged into the sea. Now broken out of his trance, Ace looked on, completely horrified, as the creature disappeared below the surface. He hesitated for a while. Could the creature swim perhaps? After a full minute had passed, he began to fear the worst. All doubt or reasoning vanished from his mind as he ran up to the precipice and, without the slightest hesitation in his actions anymore, dived in right after the creature.

So, in case you're wondering about the tattoos I mentioned Ace had, they're not the same tattoos he originally had in the manga. Ace is in a gang, and it's not with Whitebeard either. So Ace has tattoos to show his affiliations, hence the scene in the beginning.

Also, Ace does not remember Marco. He is merely reincarnated in modern times, due to his Willpower, which will play a key role in the story regarding reincarnation. He may act a bit like him and have his personality and temperament, but his life experiences are a bit different, so he will also be a little OC later on.