Chapter 14

Ace stood over the small stone plate, his gaze riveted to the letters etched onto its surface. A soft breeze rustled through the hills on the outskirts of the city, sending the piles of leaves still stuck between the old and dilapidated warehouses swirling. One leaf, orange at its base and red at its edges where it wasn't curled and brown, danced through the air only to get stuck between the two wooden poles dug into the dirt beneath crumbling asphalt.

The freckled teen stared at the leaf for a few seconds, watching it twitch. Then he crouched down and pulled it out, letting it go.

PORTGAS D. ACE

The name was the last homage to a man supposedly dead, one last honor on his gravestone.

But Ace wasn't dead. He was alive and had so much to do.

Ace took a deep breath, vowing that he wouldn't let this possibility - one that had so nearly become a reality - come to be. He reached out, gently lifting the dagger from the two crossed poles. Hooking the dagger back onto the belt, Ace felt some of his tension ease; there was simply something comfortable about being armed. He then stared at the hat, at the two faces that decorated the front. One smiling, one frowning.

"Not yet," Ace whispered quietly. He took the hat and set it firmly upon his head, feeling it press down his hair in a way that was comfortingly familiar. Then he stood and turned away from his gravestone, seeing Sabo standing a ways away with Luffy right beside him.

"Brothers?"

"Brothers!"

The eldest brother set his jaw and started walking.

Ace was less than pleased about the fact that he was basically under house arrest while the Whitebeards tried to figure out exactly what was going on. During the two days he spent exploring the base, his brain continually assaulted him with random bits and pieces of his memories. But, little by little, Ace was starting to recognize names and faces from beyond his immediate memory. The trip to his grave to pick up his hat and dagger had increased that recognition even more, though Ace wasn't sure if that was because the feeling of familiarity or something else.

Ace knew that, if he just stayed put, he could probably recover the rest of his memories in time. Unfortunately, he wasn't one for staying put and really never had been. Marco and Thatch seemed to know this and tried to keep an eye on him, but with their duties ramped up from Ace's longtime absence and the entire Blackbeard situation, they weren't able to keep that close of watch on the teen.

Someone knocked on the door and Ace glanced up, calling, "Come in."

"Ace, we've found Blackbeard," Thatch said, stepping into the room Ace and his brothers shared and closing the door softly behind him. Ace raised one eyebrow, anticipation rising within him.

"Where is he?"

Thatch smirked, dropping onto the opposite bed. "Give me a second. I have to have my dramatic moment, you know." Ignoring Ace's eye roll, Thatch continued. "Luffy's in the kitchen, by the way, before you start to worry. Your brother Sabo should be able to keep him under control."

"Great. Where's Blackbeard?"

Thatch raised a hand. "I'm not telling you until I get your solemn word that you're not going to go charging off and getting into trouble without at least me there to drag you out of whatever mess you find."

Ace frowned. "Really? Thatch, I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that," Thatch replied evenly. "But I'm requesting that anyway. We just got you back, Ace, and no one wants to go through that again."

Seeing the pain in Thatch's eyes, Ace relented. He didn't want to cause the Whitebeards pain like that again, especially since he was just starting to realize how close-knit they were. "All right."

"Thank you. Also, I lied."

"What?" Ace snapped, only for Thatch to laugh.

"Relax, Ace. We don't know exactly where Teach is, just that he's been very active in a particular area over the past couple of days."

"Which is...?"

"Impel Down."

Ace went quiet at the name of the infamous prison. He recalled hearing stories from inside and knew that, if Teach was there... "What's he after?"

Thatch's expression was grim. "He's likely trying to break out Level Six prisoners to recruit them. The bastard doesn't realize that even he can't handle them."

Ace took a deep breath. "We're going to stop him?"

"Of course. You'll be welcome to help once the nurses have cleared you."

"Wha - I'm fine!"

Thatch stood. "Listen to me, Ace. If you lost your memory, we all want to make absolutely sure that you didn't lose your combat knowledge along with it. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Yeah." Ace sullenly watched Thatch rummage around in his pockets, feeling more than a little bitter.

"By the way, these are yours; Marco grabbed them from your old room. Turns out the guy felt nostalgic. Anyway, here."

Ace caught the bundle Thatch tossed his way, eyeing the dark fabric. He pulled the two items apart, seeing a black sleeve and bandana lined with flame patterns. "Why?"

"We don't want you fighting in public without your stuff, dummy," Thatch said amicably. Ace's gaze shot up to meet his adoptive brother's, seeing the mischievous light Thatch made no effort to hide. "Of course, giving these to you definitely isn't an insinuation that, should you sneak out, you're welcome to join us. Not at all."

Ace grinned, feeling respect anew for Thatch. "Of course not."

"Glad you understand," Thatch said, clapping Ace on the back before he left. Ace looked at the bandanna and sleeve before eyeing the tattoo on his left arm.

"So that's it," Ace muttered, sliding the sleeve over the tattoo. It fit perfectly and Ace carefully turned his arm to fire, only to to grin and stop when he saw that the sleeve wasn't damaged. So it was the source of the fire-resistant material that Sabo had found in his couch. Then he grabbed the bandana, realizing that, with his hat, his face would be almost completely covered, either by fabric or shadow.

Footsteps outside the door stopped Ace from putting on the bandana. The door opened and Sabo and Luffy walked through, the former half-dragging the latter. Ace raised an eyebrow and Sabo just shook his head.

"The idiot nearly cleaned out the kitchen before I stopped him."

"What were you doing, sleeping?" Ace asked. Sabo shook his head, a proud little smirk quirking his lips.

"Eavesdropping."

Ace raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "What did you hear?"

Sabo's proud smirk only grew. "Enough. I think I know where Blackbeard is heading."

"Impel Down," Ace said immediately, noting the way even Luffy - as full and sleepy as he was - reacted to the name. "Thatch just told me, and gave me unofficial permission to go as long as I have help."

"Ace -"

"So, I was thinking that, with you two, we can take out Blackbeard and any other ilk he's managed to dig up around the city. Sound good?"

"He won't be at Impel Down," Sabo said firmly, stopping Ace in his tracks.

"What?"

"I said, he won't be at Impel Down. Think about it; his original plan was to play the revolutionaries and Whitebeard off each other. Clearly, that isn't happening anymore. But there's one other major power in this city that would be more than happy to attack Whitebeard, and now that Blackbeard has drawn Whitebeard's heavy hitters into the open with the rumors of Impel Down..."

Ace's eyes went wide and his stomach dropped. "The police. He's going to the police."

"And where would a scheming little showoff like Teach go first?" Sabo asked the question as though he already knew the answer. Ace guessed that he did.

"Police headquarters." Ace clenched his hands into fists. "We have to stop him."

"We don't have the manpower," Sabo said bluntly. Ace stared at him. "Think about it; the Whitebeards are too busy with the Impel Down bait and they won't really want to commit to a different offensive. The revolutionaries don't want to get involved overtly in something like this. There go our two main allies."

"There are others," Ace argued. "Luffy's gang, for one."

"It's small."

"Strong," Ace and Luffy corrected at the same time. Ace continued, "I've met them, Sabo, and even though I was a little off at the time I can at least remember that they aren't weak. And there are others."

"Like?"

Ace thought back, casting his mind to the various allies he'd bumped into along the way. "Kid would help, if only for the fight. Law, once I track his ass down. Shanks for sure now that it's come to this; he won't appreciate hearing that Blackbeard is trying to cause chaos like this."

Sabo looked impressed. "Wow. Maybe you're not dumb."

"Thanks."

"I can probably find a few people willing to help," Sabo mused. "As well as a few gangs that wouldn't mind helping to put Blackbeard in his place; Blackbeard's gang has been causing a lot of trouble in the underworld since its formation."

Ace grinned. "Good. Can you do that in five hours?"

Sabo smirked. "Give me three."

"I can get some people too," Luffy put in, sitting up and letting out a burp as his stomach finally returned to normal size. "Rooster'd be willing to help. Cabbage, too, if there are cameras."

Ace blinked at the nicknames but decided he'd just roll with it. "All right, Luffy. Just make sure you're ready in three hours. We'll meet up at the old Whitebeard hideout."

"Oh good, you finally remembered where it is," Sabo said, his tone only slightly sarcastic. Ace shot him a dry look.

"I had to go there to get my stuff."

Sabo put up both hands, palms up, and grinned. "Right, of course. Well then, I'm off. See you in three."

"I'll go too," Luffy said. "Bye, Ace!"

Ace waved as his brothers left and then took a deep breath. He had to find Kid and Law, which was no easy task. Fortunately, he had a good idea of where the two would be if he went calling.

"A bandana?"

"Of course. You have to hide your face while functioning actively as a gang member if you don't want to be attacked while you're normally out and about. Plus, I'm sure you don't want to drag your brother into danger."

"Right. Thanks, Marco."

Only this time, he wouldn't be meeting them as Ace. The freckled teen pulled on the bandana, habit driving his fingers as he positioned it on his face. Then he stood, rolled his shoulders, and walked over to the window. He had some talking to do.

It took no time at all to walk over to the park, especially since the crowds parted around him like water. More than once, police officers approached him, but Ace sent them running with minimal damage to them and the surrounding environment. Not many of the policemen wanted to tangle with a guy that was supposed to be dead.

As Ace had expected, Kid and his gang were in the park, setting up for their usual soccer game. Ace watched the old man reading the newspaper on the bench get up and leave hurriedly upon noticing Ace, and the teen grinned.

It felt so nice to be in his normal gear. Even better to have his flames so close to the surface, ready to be called at any time whether he truly needed them or not.

Ace walked right up to the field and got within ten yards of Kid before the gang leader - and his friends - noticed Ace.

"Hey!" The initial indignant shout died as the Kid gang realized exactly who they were shouting at.

Again, Ace heard whispers of disbelief and confusion. Kid, unlike his crew members, strode right up to Ace, Killer at his side. "The hell is a guy like you doing here?"

Ace stifled a smile and reached up, ignoring the way Kid's eyes narrowed fractionally in response. The freckled teen simply adjusted his hat before letting his hand fall. "Would you care to help me attack police headquarters? I'm a little short on men at the moment and a close friend of mine told me you might like something like that."

Kid blinked, his suspicion obvious. Killer cleared his throat. "You're Fire Fist, right? How is that possible? You're supposed to be dead."

"I didn't fancy the afterlife. So, yes or no?"

"We're not going on fucking suicide mission," Kid snapped. Ace could respect that response; after all, any respectable leader wouldn't be willing to attack such a heavily defended area without enough people to push back counterattacks.

"Then it's a good thing it's not one," Ace said amicably. He stared Kid down, despite having to look up to do so. "As polite as I'm being, this isn't an invitation." Ace held up one hand, letting the flames on his skin say his point clearly. "There will be others."

Kid scowled. "Why the fuck should I trust someone like you?"

Ace smirked and summoned a wall of flames that effectively hid Kid and Ace from everyone else, even Killer, who had to jump back to avoid getting burned. Before Kid could attack, Ace pulled down his bandana and tipped up his hat, revealing his face. It was a gamble, of course, to show Kid his face. But Ace was confident that Kid wouldn't tell anyone, especially since the redhead was all too aware of Ace's occupation. And Ace would roast him if he tried.

Kid's eyes widened immediately. "You're -"

"Let's keep it quiet, yeah?" Ace suggested, pulling his bandana and hat back into place. "But that's why. I'm confident you'll keep your mouth shut. We're meeting at the old Whitebeard hideout in the warehouse district in two and a half hours."

"R-right," Kid acknowledged after a moment. Ace extinguished his flames and stayed perfectly still despite the number of knives and guns that were pointed at him. Kid noticed the situation and snapped, "Guns down, dumbasses!"

"But Kid -"

"It's fine." Kid gave Ace a long look. "We'll be there, but if it turns out to be a trap or some shit, your head will be the first one coming off."

Ace grinned. "Duly noted."

Finding Law proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Ace was operating under the assumption that Law was still keeping an eye on Ceasar's gang, and therefore he was back to the side of the city he'd been at when Ceasar's men had tried to kidnap him. After almost an hour of no one approaching him, however, Ace was beginning to think that Law wasn't in the area anymore.

"Mysterious bastard," Ace muttered.

If he was honest with himself, Ace wasn't sure whether Law would agree to help or not. Based on Ace's memories, Law had been distancing himself from Ace and Luffy in the past couple of years - before Ace joined the Whitebeards, at least - despite the fact that he had been a de facto member of the family for several years after the fire at the orphanage.

Ace couldn't remember the last time he'd talked to Law outside of the encounter he'd had while still without his memories (and he was definitely going to make Law pay for that bit of assery), which made tracking him down all the harder. And he couldn't really ask around, not with the way people seemed to be avoiding him at all costs.

Rubbing his forehead, Ace tried to think like Law. If he was a mysterious death doctor, where would he be? But there weren't any caves or abandoned hospitals nearby, so that line of thinking fell flat.

Just calling out Law's name would be inviting trouble and would probably annoy the guy if he was nearby -

Ace resisted the temptation to smack his forehead. "Of course!" Taking a deep breath, Ace filled his lungs until they felt as though they would burst and then yelled as loud as he possibly could, "LAW!"

The noise bounced around the empty streets, echoing for an impressive amount of time. Ace waited with his arms crossed over his chest, inwardly debating whether to try again. If Law had not heard that shout, then there was little doubt in Ace's mind that another would not make the enigmatic man appear.

Ace was about to shout again when he heard footsteps from behind him. Turning, Ace grinned when he saw a familiarly irate expression.

"And why, exactly, are you shouting my name so loudly?" Law asked.

"I wanted to find you."

"Congratulations. Here I am."

"Don't be like that, Law. I need your help."

Law's eyes narrowed. "The way you're talking...you recovered your memory?"

"Of course!" Ace's grin turned feral. "And I remembered exactly how much I owe you for all your stupid tricks over the years."

Law paled, but he wasn't fast enough to escape. Not by a long shot.

"Well, we're all here, I suppose," Sabo said slowly. He, Ace, and Luffy stood in front of the fairly large crowd of people gathered beneath them. Ace nodded his agreement, somewhat surprised by the number of people his brothers had found in such a short span of time. He saw Kid and what looked like most of his gang in the crowd, and Law was hiding somewhere in the back. Ace recognized the Straw Hats, noting the rather colorful group of people clustered around them.

Luffy knew this many people?

Ace knew that he shouldn't be surprised; Luffy got into all kinds of trouble without telling Ace, and he picked up allies and friends along the way. Even Shanks was hanging around in the back, largely staying out of the crowd's awareness. For all that the infamous leader liked attention, he recognized that he wasn't the focus here.

"We should call the leaders of each group," Ace decided. "And we can come up with the best plan to get that bastard, and launch our assault in an hour."

"Whoa, don't get too ahead of yourself," Sabo warned. "Planning is more difficult than it sounds."

"It is?" Luffy and Ace asked simultaneously. The two glanced at each other, grinned, and returned their attention to Sabo. The blond sighed.

"Yes. Ace, you should know this - Luffy said that you had your own gang for a little while."

"We didn't do anything that required this many people," Ace pointed out. Sabo nodded, conceding the point.

"I can handle most of the planning, then. The revolutionaries have been eyeing police headquarters for a while now. The thing is, I won't be able to participate much in the battle - at least not visibly."

"Don't want to drag your people into it?" Ace guessed. Sabo nodded.

"We're a careful bunch, though I'll pull some strings and see what I can do from there. You and Luffy will probably be the heads of the assault."

Ace paused. "Wait, Luffy? No, he shouldn't - "

"I can handle it, Ace," Luffy said firmly. "You might not remember, but I'm not little anymore." Luffy grinned. "My punch is like a rifle!"

That's certainly better than a pistol...

Still, Ace was hesitant. He didn't want Luffy to get hurt. But both his brothers were staring at him and Ace caved under the pressure, but not after warning Luffy that, if he got hurt, there would be hell to pay.

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