Portgas D. Ace was not having a great week.
Shitty Gramps had left another boy in Dadan's care so that Ace would have a friend. As if Sabo wasn't good enough.
Ace hated him. Luffy, that is.
It wasn't that Luffy was irritatingly persistent, which he was. It wasn't that Luffy was a spoiled crybaby either, which he also was.
No, what made Ace hate the younger boy was that, despite appearances, Luffy was every inch the devil Ace was. And he never had to suffer for it.
Luffy acted so carefree all the time and it was grating. He didn't realize that anyone who knew what he was would hate him. The idiot didn't know that the world considered his kind an abomination to destroy unless they sold their freedom to become a military dog like Gramps had.
Devils were friendless and cursed and Ace hated that Luffy didn't seem care.
Even Sabo, the closest thing Ace had to a best friend, was no exception. Not that Ace had told him anything, per se. But Sabo was smart, Ace was sure he'd figure it out eventually. And when he did, he'd leave him, Ace was sure.
There really wasn't a way to hide the natural unease people felt around devils, after all. It drove everyone away in the end. Even Dadan couldn't bare to be around Ace for more than a few hours, and she had practically raised him!
But Ace was tough. He didn't need anybody. He didn't.
Luffy didn't get that though, and kept following Ace day after day no matter what Ace did to dissuade him. It was like the kid didn't realize even devils had a hard time being around other devils; given how territorial they were, devils tended to avoid prolonged contact with others of their kind lest a fight break out. The only exceptions were demons and subordinates, and Ace wasn't a demon, and he certainly was no one's subordinate.
And damn, devils were sturdier than the average human, but nothing Ace did seemed to even leave a dent on Luffy. The idiot couldn't throw a decent punch to save his life but he sure as hell could take one.
.
..
…
…. like he proved withstanding Porchemy's torture.
Ace grimaced at the thought. It wasn't guilt. Ace definitely wasn't feeling guilty. No way. Thinking about Porchemy beating up Luffy only made Ace upset because now Ace owed the brat. That was it. Sabo could take his smug face and shove it up a creek.
Luffy was just a nuisance that just so happened to not screw up for once. It wasn't Ace's fault Porchemy was such a bastard. If Luffy had even two rocks to rub together for brains he would've just told those pirates where Ace and Sabo hid their gold! Then he would have been fine! Why keep their secret when he knew he would just end up here, in Dadan's back room, getting stitched up by Dogra and Magra!?
Ace let out a wordless cry of frustration and punched the wall next to him. It was Luffy's own fault! He should have told! Why? Why didn't he say anything!?
The room suddenly got darker and Ace whirled around in alarm, enveloped in Dadan's shadow. She looked about as maternal as Ace had ever seen her, which was to say, not very.
"He's not going to be waking up anytime soon brat, so you might as well leave. You can come back tomorrow, but I won't be having you wreck my house just 'cause you've decided to throw a tantrum." She said gruffly, casting a significant look towards the dent in the wall Ace had just made.
Ace glared at her. Like Hell was he gonna listen to her boss him around. She wasn't Gramps! If he wanted to sit here she couldn't make him leave!
Dadan had raised Ace for ten years now. She knew him better than he thought she did. So when Ace prepared to spit and snarl at her and generally make a fuss, she simply sighed and picked him up by the back of the neck like the unruly pup he was. Of course, Ace immediately protested being manhandled in such a way and twisted and contorted to bang against her side with his fists, but by now Dadan had grown immune to such things.
She opened the front door and, with a huff, tossed Ace outside.
Ace skidded against the ground. He righted himself immediately, neglecting to wipe the dirt from his face or the grass from his hair. "Hey! What was that for!" He shouted, furious.
"You need to cool off brat." Dadan told him, unaffected. "I get it. You feel guilty the other brat got hurt protecting you. Get over it. You aren't doing anyone any favors by hanging around and moping about it. You can come back tomorrow." She said, her voice ringing with finality, and slammed the door.
Ace grumbled. He wasn't feeling guilty. And he wasn't listening to Dadan because she was right, he was just gonna hang out with Sabo at the Gray Terminal for a bit because Dadan's place was being super boring. That was all.
So it really pissed him off when the first thing Sabo did was ask about Luffy.
"How's Luffy?" Sabo asked Ace the moment he got to the other boy. "Is he gonna be alright?" He asked worriedly.
Ace's scowl deepened, and for a moment Sabo looked devastated before Ace reluctantly ground out "Magra says he'll be fine."
Sabo practically glowed with relief. "That's good." He sighed. "I'm glad Luffy's gonna be okay." He said, a small smile revealed a gap where he was missing a tooth. He looked down at the ground and scuffed the toe of his boot against the dirt. "We really owe him, don't we?" He quietly said after a moment.
Ace grit his teeth. "We don't owe him anything!" He spat. "It's his own fault for being an idiot and not telling them where we hid the treasure. If he had, none of this would have happened and we wouldn't have needed to rescue him! If anything, he owes us!" He said stubbornly, crossing his arms tight.
Sabo looked at him, startled. "Still," he said, haltingly, "I think we should try and look out for Luffy from now on. I mean, we did help save his life, and you know what they say- if you save someone's life you are responsible for them."
Ace glared at him. "Of course we're gonna look after the idiot!" He snapped. "That crybaby can't do anything on his own! It's an embarrassment!" When Sabo didn't say anything, Ace looked up in confusion. "What?" He asked irritably.
"Nothing." Sabo said hurriedly. "It's just…" He trailed off, unsure.
"It's just what?" Ace scowled.
Sabo dug the tip of his boot into the ground again. "I was just wondering if you could take me to go see Luffy tomorrow." He admitted. Ace looked ready to snap at him again. Sabo pushed on. "I feel guilty that he got hurt!" He explained. "The least I could do is check on him myself."
Ace swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, well, that's 'cause you're a big softie." He accused, though it lacked his usual heat. "But fine, I guess I could take you with me tomorrow." He said, faux-carelessly as he tucked his arms in closer and turned away. "I don't wanna talk about that baby-loser anymore. Let's see if there are any good scraps on the West side today." He decided abruptly.
Sabo allowed the topic change with just the barest twitch of his lips."Sure. There wasn't much last time I check there, but that was a few days ago."
Ace spent the night camped out with Sabo in his tent in the Gray Terminal. The next morning they hiked up to Dadan's house.
Sabo approached the door and politely knocked while Ace hovered behind him, scowling.
Dadan flung open the door. Half of her curly red hair had been pulled out of the tie she kept it in. There were long shadows under her eyes, and in them was a wild wide-eyed gaze only found in parents who had gotten far too little sleep. Her gaze darted around searchingly before she looked down to notice the two ten-year-olds standing in front of her.
Dadan suddenly scowled. "You're here for the other brat?" She bit out.
Sabo looked at Ace. Ace looked at Sabo. Carefully they turned to Dadan and nodded. "If you don't mind." Sabo said politely.
Dadan didn't care about Sabo's manners, barely seeming to register the strange boy's presence at all. Without turning away Dadan reached behind and flung something at Sabo, the sudden weight toppling the boy over. "You want that brat so bad? You can keep the monster." She barked at the boys who now found themselves in possession of a squirming, hyperactive, heavily-bandaged Luffy. "That devil's caused nothing but chaos ever since he woke up. He's your responsibility now." She scowled, slamming the door shut. Sabo could faintly hear something on the other side of the door that sounded suspiciously like a barricade falling into place.
Ace, on the other hand, felt like he had been doused in ice water. The dread slid down his back at the thought of how carelessly Dadan told Sabo what Luffy was. Now that Sabo knew Luffy was a devil it wouldn't take long for him to realize Ace was too.
Then Sabo would leave. He would hate Ace for keeping secrets, and he would deserve it. Ace suddenly saw all the people who decried the son of Gol D. Roger as a soulless monster, but it was Sabo's face, Sabo's voice, that said these things in his mind's eye.
He wasn't ready.
Ace's thoughts were interrupted when he was barrelled into by a seven-year-old. Ace squawked in surprise in a manner he would later deny as he found himself with an armful of Luffy to deal with, the younger boy having quite literally launched himself over to Ace from Sabo in order to give the moody boy a hug.
Ace swore and pushed the other kid off.
Except. Luffy didn't want to let go. So instead of being forcefully shoved into the dirt like Ace had planned, he watched with mounting horror as the seven-year-old's arms warped and stretched. Ace held Luffy away from him at arm's length and stared bug-eyed at the limbs that had taken on the rigidity of soft rubber. He knew Sabo was gaping at the impossibility just as much as Ace was.
It was the strangest fucking thing Ace had ever seen.
And the damn brat didn't even seem to notice.
"Eh?" Luffy said, cocking his head to the side as Ace and Sabo just stared at him blankly. Luffy turned to look behind them to see what they were looking at, but he couldn't see anything strange. "What are you doing?"
Sabo spluttered, recovering faster than Ace. "You- what- arms-stretch-how?" He babbled helplessly. Perhaps not that much recovered.
Luffy seemed surprised. "Oh!" He exclaimed, looking down to see that his arms were, indeed, stretched out from where he was still gripping Ace. "Yeah they do that." He grinned cheekily. "I'm a rubberman!"
Sabo blinked, surprised at Luffy's relaxed attitude at being a freak of nature. "So… are you a devil fruit user then?" He asked hesitantly, as if it was the only sane answer and he wasn't sure what he would do if Luffy said no.
The truth of the matter suddenly dawned on Ace, even as Luffy asked Sabo what a devil fruit was.
"What the fuck, you little brat?!" Ace spat. "There's no fucking way an idiot devil like you already got your powers!" He exclaimed, very much not at all jealous, and shook Luffy like a ragdoll.
Luffy went limp in Ace's arms, and let go of the older boy. His arms retracted with a creak and snapped into a more appropriately limb-shaped figure. Finally free, Ace dropped him on the ground.
Luffy snickered. "Wow, Ace is acting like Shanks did the first time I stretched!"
Ace choked on air. "Fuck you brat! I was just surprised that someone as lame as you could get his powers so early!" He shouted. "Besides, rubber powers suck! It's pathetic and weak just like you!" He snarled.
Luffy sprang to his feet angrily. "My powers aren't lame! They're really strong! My punches are like pistols!" He defended, fists balled at his side.
Ace scoffed. "Only pistols? That's so weak! I don't even have my powers yet, and I'm sure I can hit harder than that." He sneered.
Luffy's face was bright red. He went to yell at Ace but was stopped when Sabo asked, in a very quiet voice unlike the ten-year-old, "Ace, what's going on? What are you talking about?" He looked confused, and hurt.
Ace paled. He had forgotten Sabo was there, he had been so absorbed in Luffy. But now there would be no hiding from Sabo, and he would leave, and Ace would lose his only friend. He froze, unsure what to do, or say, or start. "Sabo…"
"It's just," Sabo started, agitated and lost, "Luffy's arms stretched and people can't do that, and you're acting like it's not that weird, even though Luffy said he didn't eat a devil fruit, and you're acting like you know what's going on, and- just-," Sabo slowly got more and more worked up, until he was gripping fistfulls of his hair under his hat, "-are we even friends?" He asked, arms falling to his sides as he looked at Ace with such an expression of defeat that Ace wanted to be sick.
"I- Sabo- it's not like that! I-" Ace softly growling in frustration and kicked the dirt, not finding the words he needed. He looked up at Sabo's face and had never been more afraid in his life.
Luffy scratched at his nose, not understanding why Ace and Sabo were so upset. "My arms stretch because I'm a devil. Ace is just jealous because he's a devil too and doesn't have any cool powers like me!" He said, sticking his tongue out.
Sabo relaxed slightly, but more out of confusion than anything. "But… I wouldn't call you and Ace devils," he said hesitantly, trying to joke, "Ace isn't that bad."
Ace flinched.
Sabo's slight smile dropped. "Right?" He asked Ace pleadingly. "I mean, you can't seriously be talking about Devil devils." Sabo glanced between Ace and Luffy; Luffy, who unconcernedly picked his nose, and Ace, who refused to meet his eye. Sabo knew what that meant. "But that's impossible! Devil's aren't real. They're just a story people tell their kids to make them behave!"
"I'm real!" Luffy exclaimed, daring Sabo to disagree.
Sabo's eyes widened. "Oh." He looked at Ace. He looked at Luffy. Then he looked at Ace again. Sabo gave Ace a small, hesitant smile. "That explains a lot, actually." He said wryly.
Ace fumed. "What is that supposed to mean dumbass?!" he shouted. Didn't Sabo get it? Ace was a devil, a monster. Why wasn't he acting right?
Sabo recoiled from Ace's anger, but held his ground. "I didn't mean it like a bad thing! It's actually really cool!" He said, holding up his hands in the universal gesture for peace. He fought not to crack a grin at Ace's dumbfounded stare.
Ace let out a petulant "Humph," and crossed his arms, looking away from Sabo.
It should be said that human children are among the most mentally resilient in all the Blues. And that being the case, it didn't take long for Sabo to no longer find his friends' nature a point of interest. Within days Sabo had almost completely put the whole thing out of his mind. Almost.
"You know," he began, watching Ace and Luffy spar. Luffy flung out his arm, only for it to rebound and smack him in the face. "You never explained why Luffy's rubber."
"I'm rubber cause I can't swim!" Luffy shouted helpfully from where Ace had him in a headlock. Unfortunately it wasn't very effective, given Luffy's head simply stretched. Fortunately, Ace was fighting Luffy, so Luffy couldn't land a hit anyways.
Sabo looked to Ace to interpret Luffy's non-explanation. "Being rubber is his devil power, though it's pretty useless, like him." Ace jeered. Luffy renewed his efforts to hit Ace. Ace grit his teeth and dodged a wild swing of Luffy's arm that nearly managed to clip him on the shoulder. He huffed and grabbed the errant limb- the downside to rubber limbs was that they could easily be tied in a knot, as Ace was quick to teach Luffy.
"Devil power? Is that like a devil fruit?" Sabo asked curiously, gazing at Luffy in fond amusement more as the boy tried to untangle his arms from an impressive round turn and two half hitches knot. The he struggled the tighter it became.
Ace shrugged. "Pretty much, except Luffy's not dead."
Sabo nodded. "Uh-huh, okay," he said slowly.
Ace knew Sabo wasn't really happy with that answer, but Ace didn't have a better one for him. He didn't really understand devil power reincarnation himself, much less explain it. He was ten.
Still, he was trying to be as honest with Sabo as possible. It had been a close call, when he told Sabo what he was, and Ace just knew that if he lied to Sabo again then that would be the end of it. He could barely understand why Sabo still wanted to be around him, but Ace was trying very hard not to look at Sabo's pity too closely.
"Every devil has a special power, but it shows up whenever. I don't have mine yet, but when I do I know it's gonna be better than rubber," Ace boasted, putting his hands on his hips and looking down at Luffy. Luffy stuck his tongue out.
Sabo laughed.
Ace flinched at the sudden sound, and slowly his expression morphed into one of disbelief as Sabo kept laughing.
"Eh?! Sabo why are you laughing?!" Luffy cried from the ground. "I wanna know the joke too!" This just made Sabo laugh harder, so much so that he lost his balance and fell to the ground next to Luffy, who joined in the silliness.
Ace felt something warm and light unfurl in his chest as he watched them.
Two weeks later Ace found himself stealing a bottle of sake from Dadan. When they all drank and sealed their vow as brothers the warmth grew and settled deep in his heart.