Don't hate me too much for this beginning here lol.

Also, shoutout to DemonKittyAngel for being an amazing senpai to an idiot like me!

It was to throbbing pain that he awoke. His eyes darted around, memories playing on loop and merging with the scenery around him.

Where was he?

He grit his teeth when a phantom burning tore into his skin, the smell of fire, of burnt flesh, of... of...

He needed to find where out where he was.

And to make sure...

That Ace was okay.

"What the fuck is that supposed mean?!" Ace's grip on his pipe tightened until it squeaked.

"Ace, calm down! Don't get mad at Luffy over nothing!"

Luffy gazed down at them fondly, a sad smile too small for his usually wide-grinning face. "You always were the nicer one back then, shishi."

"Again with the 'back then' stuff! Explain, moron!" Sabo, smiling smugly at Ace, wrenched the pipe from his raven counterpart's hands, tapping him in the shoulder with it for good measure before turning to Luffy, who giggled merrily at the display that was once so familiar to him.

"Hey, Luffy, could you explain how I got, uh, 'blown up'?" the blonde asked, hoping that his wording wouldn't result in a vague answer from Luffy.

"I didn't actually see it." Luffy says, to which Sabo and Ace both let out a relieved sigh. "But Dogra did! And when Ace and Dadan came home after the fire, he ran in and told us that your ship got blown up by a Ten-burrito. So Ace got mad and Dadan smashed him into the floor and said that the world killed him! And I was so sad, and Ace got tied to a tree."

"...I'm so glad we understand Luffy-speak by this point."

"I think it's an old language called 'Idiot', spoken only by things like Luffy. Careful, his species has a disease that can affect your intelligence, since stupid is apparently contagious."

"Ace, be nice."

"I thought you wanted me to be myself."

"Can't you try to be both?"

"You damn well know the answer to that."

Sabo sighed exasperatedly, "I do."

A moment of silence (if you didn't count Luffy's laughter) passed before Sabo practically fell forward as he jolted, staring at Luffy with shock and disbelief.

"Wait, did you mean a Tenryuubito?!"

"That's what I said!"

"No it—that's not the point, Luffy! I can't believe I got blown up by a world noble!"

Ace's eyes lit up with realization before they darkened. "Luffy."

"Yeah?"

"Sabo died." It wasn't said like a question, but Luffy knew to answer.

"Yeah."

Ace took no time to close the space between him and his younger brother, grabbing the older's collar and dragging him down to his height.

"Where was I?! I wouldn't have let this happen if I was there; where was I?!" Luffy's lips tremble a bit as he smiles—a weak, bitter stretch that conveyed none of the usual happiness that exuded from him.

"There was a fire. The nobles burned down Gray Terminal, and Bluejam almost killed us. Dadan saved me an' Ace but Sabo was taken by his dad, so he was stuck in High Town. And then when Ace came back, Sabo was dead."

Ace would have hit him and told him to speak like a normal person, but the explanation sobered him and cooled his hot temper as he deciphered the situation. A fire, huh?

Sabo cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. "So, what's the Ace of this time like?"

Ace's eyes brightened up, looking up at Luffy for the answer.

"He's super strong! He ate the Mera-Mera no Mi, so he's made of fire! He's so cool!"

Ace glowed in pride, loving the adoration and awe from his brother, even if it was about his older version, it was still him.

"You said he joined the Whitebeard Pirates, didn't you? The strongest man in the world's crew... What's his bounty right now?"

"Hmm... Can't remember." Luffy thought on it for a second, then snapped his fingers. "I have his Wanted Poster hanging up in the aquarium, I think! Let's go!"

It took a moment before they realized that Luffy ran off, but they were luckily able to catch up to him before they got lost on the ship.

It was as they entered the room Luffy darted into, laughing along with the echoes of 'shi-shi's, that they lost their merriment.

Luffy's small and disbelieving voice practically was practically a whisper. They processed the sound around the same time they registered the amount of blood staining the floor. Luffy was on his knees, staring at the man who looked back up at him with shocked eyes.

"Ace...?"

Blue eyes burned into the ceiling, self loathing welling up and spilling over as his pent-up anger spilled out in a destructive punch to the bedside table nearby. It's wood cracked and the vase of flowers that once stood upon it tumbled down and broke. The sound of breaking glass fell upon deaf ears.

How could I forget? How could I forget my most important people? My brothers?

Blond hair was being threatened of getting torn out. He dug his fingertips into his scalp. He clawed for a moment, then dropped his arms and bit his lip, holding back his tears.

His breakdown was interrupted by a knock. Not a moment after the sound was heard did the door get shoved open and Luffy ran in and jumped onto his lap.

"Sabo, you're awake!" Luffy put his small hands, small and delicate and weak little hands, onto his cheeks, making Sabo pucker his lips slightly and look like a fish. He stared into his eyes.

"Why are you sad? Did you have a nightbear? Did it steal your meat during your dreams?" Luffy looked so distraught from that thought that Sabo didn't know if he should laugh or comfort him. "It's okay! Me and Ace will bring Sabo a loooot of food, including meat! So don't let a big dumb bear make you all sad, okay!"

Sabo smiled as well as he could with two hands squishing his face. His eyes sparkled with warmth and he almost wanted to cry again.

Dammit, Luffy's supposed to be the crybaby! Even his seven year old version was doing better at not crying!

Sabo's attention was drawn by an amazing smell wafting through the still-open door. After a moment, a cart passed through, with Ace pushing it from behind. It was filled entirely with food for him and his brothers to eat.

And the fact that he was going to eat it with his brothers made Sabo consider it as the best meal he'd ever had in his life.

"Marco!" Thatch called, alarm in his voice.

The phoenix, having followed the chef down into the dimly lit and "spooky" storage room upon Thatch's request, ran towards the direction he'd shouted from, his pace fast.

His flames illuminated the area more than Thatch's weak lantern did. And perhaps that's why he didn't step closer; he only pulled the brunet back. Further away from the almost lifeless body.

An X-shaped section of burnt skin and blood glimmered in the light, along with the whites of the body's eyes and the tears that continued leak despite his unconsciousness.

"...Ace..."