Chapter 15

Ace held up a hand, listening with bated breath. He didn't hear anything abnormal and waved his fingers forward. Several people crept up behind him, each one moving almost silently.

"Cameras start at the next turn in the alley," Ace muttered to his new companion. The man - an acquaintance of Law's (Ace got the feeling that Law had been lying about the "acquaintance" part) named Penguin - nodded and pulled out a laptop.

"Block the feed for long enough for me to get into the network and we'll be good," Penguin said. He handed Ace a small device. "Plug this into the guts of the camera. I'll do the rest."

Ace nodded and signalled for the rest of his strike team to wait. Eyes taking in every detail, Ace darted forward as the camera swung away from him. It swung back quickly, but Ace was ready with a wall of flame that would blind the camera and distort the lense with heat. Memories of using that trick before filtered through Ace's brain as he jumped up, nimbly climbing the building until he was hanging just above the camera.

Feeling his abs strain with the effort, Ace stretched out and gingerly removed the metal plate from the back of the camera.

They need newer models.

But Ace was grateful that they didn't, and he slid in Penguin's device, seeing it spark. Ace waited for ten seconds and then saw his team emerge from the shadows, grins on their faces. Ace wore a matching one and lightly jumped down.

"So, is the bastard in there?" Ace asked. Penguin didn't reply for a moment, his lips pursed in concentration as he watched his computer. And then he smirked. In that moment, Ace could see why people called him one of the greatest hackers in the city - even with the penguin hat, the guy had that look; the one of victory that Ace had seen on people who knew exactly what they were doing.

"Yeah. ninth floor. Can't tell what he's doing, but…" Penguin paused again. "I don't see any of his gang."

"They must be running interference at Impel Down," another person suggested. Ace nodded his agreement.

"Right. I'll report back - you guys get to your ready positions. Without those cameras, they'll never see this coming."

The police weren't prepared for the assault at all. Ace saw more new recruits - distinguishable by their fresh faces and utter terror upon recognizing who they were fighting - than he'd ever seen before and knew that the best of the police force were at Impel Down, trying to capture Whitebeard. Ace tore through the young officers that were trying to block the way to the entrance of the building, his Devil Fruit and natural agility making him an extremely difficult target.

A bullet grazed Ace's cheek and he winced when it actually drew blood. Honing in on the officer with the Sea Stone bullets, Ace used the man's allies as shields until he was close enough to punch the officer. The young man went flying, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Off to one side, Ace could see Kid and his crew mowing down enemy after enemy. Kid's crimson hair stood out in the crowd but not nearly as much as the monstrosity of a mechanical arm attached to him. Ace almost stopped to stare as Kid brought the limb down on a crowd of helpless officers. Nearby, Killer flipped and danced around a squad, his sickle-like blades whirling with deadly efficiency.

"Gum Gum Rifle!"

A rubber fist missed Ace's head by inches and Ace whirled, watching as an officer that had been about to stab him with a Sea Stone blade fell with an imprint of Luffy's fist on his face. Sending Luffy a grin and a wave, Ace took off again, turning to pure flames and flowing through the rest of the officers, becoming whole again when he crossed the threshold of the building.

Law was already inside. Ace watched with an incredulous expression as heads flew throughout the lobby, screaming policemen creating a din that had Ace's ears ringing. Seeing the worryingly calm expression on Law's face, however, Ace decided that it would be best to just move on.

But he did hesitate for long enough for Luffy to catch up, and the rubber boy nearly bounced past Ace before the older brother sprinted to keep pace.

"Wait up, Luffy!" Ace called, following his brother into the elevator. "We should take the -"

The doors slid shut with a quiet ding, and Ace watched as Luffy reached out a hand to press the button. Realization struck Ace and he darted forward, reaching out to catch Luffy's wrist, but he wasn't fast enough to stop the younger boy from pressing every single button on the panel.

Ace stared at his younger brother for a solid four seconds. He didn't blink when the elevator lurched into motion. He hardly glanced at the doors when they slid open. He only turned away from Luffy when the policemen waiting in ambush on the second floor tried to charge the elevator. Ace pushed them back with flames until the doors closed.

"Are you serious?" Ace asked his younger brother quietly.

"I always do that!" Luffy declared with a grin.

"Luffy, no," Ace said. "You do that after you get out. Not right away."

Luffy blinked. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

The two brothers waited in silence for the elevator to stop at the right floor. Elevator music played in the background, and every minute Ace had to send out streams of fire to stop any officers from getting in the elevator when the doors inevitably opened at the wrong floor.

They finally reached the ninth floor, and the second the doors dinged open, Ace yanked Luffy to the floor. Bullets hit against the wall where they'd just been, destroying the decorations and raining dust down on Ace and Luffy. One bullet rolled by Ace and he tapped it just to make sure, wincing when he felt his strength waver. Sea stone, definitely.

"Assholes couldn't even wait for us to get out," Ace muttered. He glanced at Luffy, who nodded. As one, the two got to their feet and charged forward with war cries, fire and fists flying. Policemen scattered left and right, their magazines exhausted from that first volley.

Ace ducked a knife slice and responded with a sharp kick to the attacker's knee. As that man went down Ace kneed him in the stomach, grabbed his arm as it came up, and threw him at three of his companions. All four when down in a heap, but Ace was already focused on his next opponents.

Two came at him with knives and the third had a sword. Ace roasted all three and moved on, seeing Luffy tearing through six officers off to one side.

The next officer to come at Ace - one with incredibly pink hair - found himself lifted into the air, Ace's eyes inches from his own.

"Where is he?" Ace growled, tightening his grip on the poor officer's uniform. "Where is Blackbeard?"

"L-let me go!" The officer struggled, reaching for a baton strapped to his belt. Ace grabbed it with his free hand and held it up to the officer's face, letting his eyes focus on the tip.

"I asked where Blackbeard is," Ace said, raising his body temperature enough to make the officer sweat. "Tell me. I won't ask again."

"Get away from Coby!"

Ace jumped back and released the officer as another nearly cut off Ace's hand at the wrist with wickedly sharp Sea Stone blades. Ace eyed their odd shape and then the visor over the new arrival's eyes. "Who are you?"

"Helmeppo!"

"Right. Well, Helmeppo, do you know where Blackbeard is, since your partner doesn't?"

The blond stayed resolutely silent. Ace scowled in irritation, his eyes roving the wide office space - now a war zone - once more. There was still no sign of Blackbeard. Ace could almost picture the traitor laughing at him and he grit his teeth, fire flickering in his hair. A policeman tried to jump him from behind but he went straight through Ace, receiving heavy burns for his efforts.

Helmeppo and his pink-haired friend Coby tried to help the officer and Ace ignored them, his instincts telling him that they weren't much of a threat, at least not anymore.

"Ace! Ace, is that you?"

Ace blinked, reaching up to touch his earpiece. "Penguin?"

"Yeah, it's me! Listen, Teach just passed a camera on the tenth floor! Looks like he's avoiding the elevators. He might be trying to escape through the roof."

"Like I'll let him do that. Keep us updated. Luffy!"

"Yeah?"

Ace kicked away a police officer and ran over to Luffy, clearing a path as he went. "Teach went to the next floor! We're going!"

"Got it!"

Luffy disentangled himself from the four officers he'd been fighting and followed Ace to the stairwell. Right before they stepped in, the windows surrounding the large room abruptly shattered, more people swinging in on ropes.

Ace stared in mild confusion as the people - clad mostly in black cloaks with their faces hidden - assaulted the marines. One of them strode up to Ace, his features hidden in shadow, but Ace recognized the boots he wore and the pipe he held. "Sabo?"

"Just say my name and throw my disguise out the window," Sabo said cheerfully.

"Sorry."

"We'll keep these guys and everyone else below from following you up. But that's it. Officially, we're here to collect information."

Ace grinned, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "I like the way you think."

"Of course you do. Now go!"

Ace had learned his lesson earlier and so he and Luffy took the stairs and not the elevator. They had to fight through waves of officers to get up, but Ace thought it was worth it. After all, if they went in the elevator again, the policemen would probably try to sabotage it.

With screams, the clash of weaponry, and the report of gunfire echoing throughout the stairwell Ace could barely hear himself think much less talk to Luffy, but the two brothers had never needed to talk during a fight; they moved instinctively, and Ace found himself slipping into a rhythm he didn't know he had as he and Luffy worked seamlessly together to cover each other's weak points.

The tenth floor was another maelstrom of officers but right as Ace was about to launch his attack, war cries sounded from the elevators. An oddly innocuous ding rang throughout the room and then the elevators slowly slid open -

Kid and his gang poured through with wild yells, grins on their faces and Kid leading the charge. They tore through the shocked policemen in their way with reckless abandon. Blood arced through the air and someone was screaming only to be silenced a second later -

"What're you waiting for, asshole?" Kid shouted as he landed next to Ace. "I called dibs on this floor. Move it!"

Ace nodded and took off, Luffy hot on his heels. Again they went to the stairwell, but there were far fewer officers this time.

"Looks like most of them were on the lower floors," Ace said to himself as he flipped a woman over his head and sent her screaming down the stairs. The noise cut off with a dull thud and Ace glanced at Luffy, who was taking on three at once. The nimble teen jumped up and executed an impressive spinning kick that had all three falling in unconscious heaps.

By the time they made it to the roof, Ace had blood splattered across his chest, hands, and arms. Very little of it was his; he'd taken a few slashes from knives and a black eye from a particularly wiry policewoman, but that was the extent of his injuries. He was breathing hard, however, and silently resenting the fact that his muscles still hadn't fully recovered from his time spent unconscious on Sabo's couch.

Kicking open the door to the roof, Ace brought a hand up to hold his hat down as wind blasted through the stairwell. He and Luffy stepped into the watery sunlight. Distant clouds were gathering on the horizon, but whatever storm they contained was a long ways off.

The roof wasn't an even surface; another stairwell had another exit nearby, and air conditioning units sat in blocky formation. Ace signalled for Luffy to stay quiet.

"Penguin," Ace whispered, "do you have eyes on the roof?"

"Hold on; trying to help...crap. Hold on... One second."

Ace waited, fingers drumming impatiently against his dagger's sheath. Luffy fidgeted as well, his mouth a thin line as his eyes darted across the rooftop. Ace tried to see if Blackbeard was in immediate view, but the bastard was nowhere to be found. Could he have slipped back inside? But there was no point - there were only eleven floors in the building not including the roof, so he would have been sandwiched between Ace, Kid, and everyone below that.

"Looks like a couple of the higher-ups are coming from Impel Down."

Ace mouthed a curse and then said, "Who?"

"Can't tell. The city cameras suck. But you have about ten minutes; some of the people under Whitebeard's protection are running interference. Wait - Shanks is stepping in. You should be good until they find a way to get around him. I'll let you know if they get close."

"And Blackbeard?"

"Can't see anything on the roof besides you and your brother. There's a camera above the stairwell doors, but that's it."

Ace glanced over his shoulder and waved to the camera before turning his attention back to the rest of the roof.

"He's not inside as far as I can see. No one's reported a sighting of him since earlier, either. Oh, and one of Sabo's men is coming your way."

"Got it. Thanks."

"Is he here?" Luffy whispered. Ace nodded tersely.

"Somewhere. We're gonna sneak around and find him, okay?"

Luffy gave a thumbs-up of acknowledgement and darted away, his sandals impressively quiet on the paved roof. Ace watched him go for a second before quietly running in the opposite direction, his senses on high alert for any sign of Blackbeard. The wind hummed as a constant background noise and Ace pulled his bandana a little higher on his face, his eyes narrowed.

He darted between the air conditioning units, their large bulk shielding him from prying eyes. After checking that Blackbeard wasn't in or near the units, Ace scoped as much area as he could while remaining hidden. He had pushed his hat down to his back, confident that no one would be watching. The bright orange on his head would only give him away.

Ace saw a stairwell door open in his peripheral vision and a black-clad young woman slipped through. Waving, Ace saw her notice him and she quickly made her way over, recognizing the need for stealth.

"You haven't seen him?" She asked, sliding into place next to Ace. Ace shook his head.

"It's a big roof. Too many places to hide."

"The helipad doesn't help," the woman commented, eyeing the construct on the western end. Ace shook his head.

"No, it doesn't. What's your name? I'm Ace, by the way."

She seemed to be smirking at him from behind her mask. "I know who you are, Ace. Sabo won't shut up about you. My name is Koala."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm here to help - Sabo's tangled up with stopping a few higher-ranked guys from getting through. Luffy's gang is helping him out."

"Ace?"

"Penguin?"

"Something just passed in front of the stairwell camera - the one that your friend came through. The camera - oh, fine."

"What?"

"Both cameras are out. You're on your own for that. But the doors are locked electrically - hold on, I can keep whoever's trying to leave up there with you. Good luck."

"Thanks. Well, screw catching him by surprise." Ace took a deep breath and was only distantly aware of Koala plugging her ears. "LUFFY!"

The younger boy was at Ace's side almost immediately. "Where is he?"

"Stairs," was all Ace said, and then the two were gone. Koala watched them go before sighing and muttering,

"They're all the same, huh?"

Ace wasn't exactly sure when he'd moved. He'd been by Koala, he'd called Luffy -

And then he'd been running, just knowing that Luffy was there, and they'd reached the stairs, and Ace saw -

Blackbeard.

He looked no different than Ace's memories, and when he saw the bastard's face Ace nearly staggered, his brain stretching to a wire-thin band before snapping back into place so quickly that sparks exploded behind his eyes and Ace staggered, only avoiding falling thanks to Luffy's quick reflexes.

"Ace?" Luffy asked, but he wasn't looking at Ace. His glare was fixed firmly on the traitor that had dared to attack his brother standing a few yards away.

"I'm fine," Ace managed around the headache pounding away in his skull. Names and faces and memories flooded through his mind but he forced them back. He would have to sort through whatever had just happened later. Now, there was something far more pressing to do.

Ace straightened, drumming up all the hatred and anger and betrayal he had fostered inside of him for the past several weeks and months and focusing them into a single blistering glare, a glare he levelled straight at Blackbeard. Blackbeard, because this man was not Teach; he wasn't a friend, a brother. Flames danced into existence along Ace's arms and shoulders, and more fire appeared to burn in his eyes. When he spoke, his words scorched the air.

"You."

Blackbeard froze, no longer fruitlessly trying to open the lock. He turned, making eye contact, and the flames on Ace's shoulders burned blue from heat.

"Did you think you could hurt my family and get away with it?" Ace continued, each word sharp and painful and blisteringly furious. Ace put one hand on Luffy's shoulder, felt the tension in Luffy's shoulders, and realized that Luffy was just as furious as he was. "You're going to regret what you did."

"Zehahaha!"

Ace's grip on Luffy's shoulder tightened as Teach laughed. "You think this is funny?"

"Come on, Ace," Blackbeard taunted, intentionally using Ace's real name instead of Fire Fist. Ace grit his teeth, knowing that Blackbeard was trying to get a rise out of him. "This is a funny situation! You never would've though you'd be attacking me, right? But here you are!"

Ace's grip tightened again, but this time it was to stop Luffy from jumping forward. "I don't think I can appreciate the humor." Ace engulfed his free hand in flames, bringing up the fist just in case Blackbeard somehow missed it.

Blackbeard grinned, his missing teeth clearly visible. "Scary," he commented with absolutely no fear in his voice. Ace's eyes narrowed, he let go of Luffy's shoulder, and he darted forward so quickly the muscles in his calves twinged.

Ace and Luffy both aimed for Blackbeard's stomach. Blackbeard didn't even have the time to move; as one, Luffy and Ace's fists collided with his abdomen.

Ace's flames shot out in all directions and then, to Ace's shock, sputtered out and Ace cursed, pulling back quickly while his fingers pulsed with pain. He stumbled and Luffy had to catch Ace and drag him out of Blackbeard's reach as the man pulled out a gun. Ace had no doubt that it had sea stone bullets and, as he and Luffy crouched behind an AC unit, Ace examined his fingers while two bullets dug into the ground right by him.

Two of them were most likely broken and almost every digit was already beginning to bruise. All the power that Ace had poured into that punch had been stopped cold.

"He has sea stone on his stomach," Ace muttered, gingerly flexing his hand. Punching with his right again would be difficult, but not impossible. "Probably a plate of some kind." Ace reached down and unsheathed his dagger, flipping it into his left hand. He'd trained to use both hands for just such an occasion and was now happy that he had.

"You good?" Ace asked, glancing at Luffy. The younger boy nodded, holding his middle. Eyes narrowed, Ace pulled aside Luffy's torn shirt, seeing a fairly deep gash over Luffy's chest. "Did he do that?"

A nod. "When I jumped at him. Had a blade in his left hand."

Ace cursed. Blackbeard had been targeting Luffy, not him. "Bastard. I'm gonna roast him."

Luffy nodded.

A bullet pinged off the ground right by Ace's hand and he quickly pulled his arm closer to his body while Blackbeard's voice echoed across the rooftop.

"Come on out, brother!"

"Like he has the right to call me family anymore," Ace snarled, but Luffy's hand on his arm stopped Ace from jumping out from cover. Ace glanced at his younger brother, saw the determination burning in Luffy's eyes, and sighed. "You're right. I can't rush into this."

But Blackbeard's weapons and armor were a problem. Ace had no idea how much Sea Stone Blackbeard had managed to strap onto his rather robust form, or where that Sea Stone was. He knew there was some on his stomach, but other than that…

If Ace had to guess, he'd say that Blackbeard had more on his back and possibly the back of his neck to prevent fatal blows from behind.

Coward.

"Well, you two gents really look stuck."

"Koala!" Ace turned so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. Koala waved at him with a small grin.

"So, I checked out the rest of the roof. There's no good cover in Blackbeard's direction besides these AC units. Blackbeard himself is approaching very slowly; he's especially wary of you, Ace, since your fire can go around his Sea Stone plates."

"I could just barbeque him," Ace offered.

"In the time it would take you to create a sustained wave of fire hot enough to do that, he would fill you with bullets."

"...Right. Guns."

Koala gave Ace a fleeting smile before becoming serious again. "Fortunately, Blackbeard doesn't know that I'm here. Therefore, I can distract him while you two charge in for close-quarters. Avoid striking at his vital areas; those are the places that have armor, and he may have a ring or two made of Sea Stone to give his punches more weight. And Luffy - you can move faster than Ace. You have the better chance of getting close before Blackbeard can react. You have to get those guns out of his hands."

Luffy nodded. "Gear Second. Got it." A moment later, Ace saw his brother's limbs almost pulse, and then he began to steam, his skin turning pinkish-red.

"Lu?" Ace was fairly sure he'd seen this before, but never up close. He and Luffy hadn't sparred much over the past few years, so Ace had probably missed this development.

"I'll be fine, Ace. Just wait, I'll knock that bastard down!"

"I'm going," Koala whispered, darting away. Ace waited with bated breath, eventually hearing Koala shouting from a ways away. Luffy tensed.

Ace stared at his younger brother for a second before nodding. Luffy was off like a shot, gone so quickly that Ace almost didn't realize he'd moved. Three shots rang out and Ace stiffened as the sounds of a scuffle reached him. Then the clatter of something, another shot, and Ace couldn't stay still anymore when he heard Luffy grunt in pain.

Darting out from behind cover, Ace took in the scene immediately. Blackbeard was standing over Luffy, cradling his right wrist - there was still one gun in his right hand - while Luffy was on his back on the ground in front of him, clutching his stomach. Ace could see blood seeping through his fingers and his vision went red.

"BLACKBEARD!" Ace roared, launching himself forward while fire exploded from every inch of his body.

You won't touch Luffy.

Ace brought his fist back, seeing the fear in Blackbeard's eyes as the traitor brought his gun around.

I won't let you.

Luffy was yelling Ace's name, trying to sit up and distract Blackbeard -

Ace stared into the barrel of Blackbeard's pistol, knowing that he wouldn't make it in time. He threw his fist forward anyway, fire surging in a raging wave that wouldn't be fast enough -

Blackbeard's smile was cruel. He pulled the trigger, and the resulting bang echoed across the rooftops.

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