Disclaimer: ...Shit. This is the longest chapter in the story thus far. This is like the average length of Divide's chapters! ...It was an accident, I swear! Don't get used to it e_e;

Luffy wiped away the stream of blood trickling down the side of his mouth, trying to register what happened. He didn't except a violent response from Marco, of all people – the man was more laid back than even he was.

Ace looked back and forth from the Yonko to the Pirate King, trying to gage the situation. Though the blonde retained his calm demeanour he was clearly seething with rage. Why? To Ace the reason wasn't important, really. All he needed to know was that Luffy's so-called "friend" had attacked him. It was a disappointment for him, too, since he was looking forward to meeting the guy.

"What the hell was that for?" Ace growled in Luffy's silence, frustration building within his chest. Just like with the pirates one week ago, he felt like it was his job to take out anyone who tried to harm his companion. He stepped forward and gazed up at the Yonko, his glare met with half-lidded eyes and a look of indifference.

Marco stared down at the boy, unsure if he felt more pity or rage. Taking a closer look, he saw that he held a close resemblance to the deceased commander, freckles and all. His hair was even cut the same way, eerily enough. Eyeing the exposed areas of the child's neck and arms he noticed dozens of scars decorating his skin. Hell, he had more than even the most damaged of pirates, and that's just what he could see. Made him curious about how the Pirate King obtained the replacement.

The look in his eyes was fiery and, though Marco was eager to continue his 'conversation' with Luffy, he was unable to look away. So they stared, glares locked, waiting for the other to speak.

"Try that again and I'll roast you," Ace threatened, shuffling over to his brother cautiously. For some reason he didn't want to flat-out attack the stranger. Maybe that was because Luffy knew him. May it was a result of the Yonko being able to 'kick his ass' as the Pirate King so delicately put it. His gaze turned to the scarred man sitting blankly on the ground. Apparently he still hadn't registered what happened.

"You okay, Lu?" he asked in a tone foreign to his usual. Luffy recognized that voice. It was the same as the one from his childhood—how nostalgic. The boy knelt down with worried eyes, noticing the bruise that was forming on his cheek. His eyes enlarged to twice their usual size. He never saw the Pirate King get hurt before. That only made him angrier and he shot Marco another scowl.

Instead of replying to Ace's question, Luffy burst into laughter, confusing those present. He was laughing at how stupid he'd been – it was his own fault for getting punched. Not that he cared; he could tell that Marco had only used a fraction of his strength, seeing as his jaw wasn't shattered. If he explained things initially there wouldn't have been such an incorrect assumption made. He deserved the hit.

As his giggles settled he saw Marco and Ace were staring, wondering where such bizarre laughter came from. "Sorry," he started, "but your reaction was funny." He was looking at Marco while saying that and, though the man's expression never changed, he detected a slight irritation.

"You think this is funny, yoi?" the Yonko asked, taking a step towards the smiling pirate.

"Back off," Ace warned, standing between them. He flexed his hands in preparation for an attack he wasn't sure would come. Marco was intrigued by his fearlessness, but was more interested in an explanation from the Pirate King.

Luffy took note of Ace's stance – so very similar to his older brother's. He was preparing for Hiken. Would Marco notice, too? Either way, it was best to stop him before the Yonko decided to amuse him and retaliate. He was the Yonko that rivaled Shanks, after all; didn't need him to tear the kid apart. Not that he was violent, just extremely overpowered.

"It's okay, Ace," he stated with a smile. The man picked himself from the sand and began dusting off his clothes.

"But Lu-"

"I'm fine." The pirate gave him a large, toothy grin to prove his claim and the boy backed down. He was starting to notice the differences that arose when Ace's demeanour changed. He would call him Lu, much like Fire Fist from long ago. There was also a clear difference in speech; he was more confident in what he said and wasn't afraid to make a few threats. The usual Ace contrasted that greatly, being too shy to approach strangers and too awkward to start a conversation. And, while he was usually hesitant about looking into someone's eyes, the confident Ace would never look away. It was amazing how much he could contradict himself. "He was just saying 'hello'."

Both Marco and the boy raised their eyebrows at that, but neither said a word.

"Like I said," Luffy began, placing his hands on the kid's shoulders, "this is Ace." That statement only irked the Yonko further. Noticing this, the Pirate King tried to think of a way to explain without the child being made aware of the truth—he didn't feel the boy should know. At least, he shouldn't be told. If he never remembered then it would be cruel to say that he lived a life he couldn't recall.

"You got a replacement for him, then?" Marco asked. He sounded relaxed but Luffy knew otherwise, having been acquainted with the man for a day less than eleven years.

"No," he started, fumbling with his thoughts, "Ace is Ace."

Marco's eyes narrowed, noting the Pirate King's tone. There was a hidden meaning behind his words, but what? He studied the child once more and received a suspicious look.

"What?" the boy spat, eyes daring him to try hurting his companion again. He didn't acknowledge the threat and instead went back to the man with the captain's jacket.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Ace is Ace." Luffy would repeat himself a thousand times if he had to. What else could he say? A blunter explanation would have the boy understanding as well. He just had to sit and hope that his old acquaintance would catch on. He saw the blonde's eyes studying the small figure before them, gears turning in his head – he was figuring it out. Noticing that, he knew he had to get rid of the kid before Marco started asking questions. "Ace, can you tell the crew we're staying for the night?"

"Mm," the boy replied, nodding and reluctantly turning from the pair. "Be careful," he warned. The Yonko had lost his trust after that stunt and he didn't want to leave but did as he was told. When he was out of sight the adults faced each other.

"You're saying that's Portgas?"

"Yep!"

"You're delusional." Luffy pouted at that remark. "Ace died eleven years ago tomorrow. If he was alive he would be in his thirties."

"It's him."

"You can't be-"

"I know it's hard to believe. Just trust me on this." He paused to think of the best way to explain. How do you tell someone that their best friend is back from the dead? As a kid, no less? He scratched his head, hoping an answer would come to him. "He's different but…it's him. He doesn't remember anything, though."

"Then why do you think it's him?"

"Because he knows things he shouldn't." Marco tilted his head and sat back on his rock, showing that he wanted him to continue. "He recognized the Mera Mera no Mi without ever seeing a Devil Fruit. And when he heard your name he got excited.

"Also…he's been saying and doing things only my brother would. He taught himself Hiken and he even asked that question."

Marco knew all too well what he was referring to. Though those things were strange, they could be brushed off as coincidences. He wasn't convinced. Really, Luffy was seeing similarities because he wanted to. The blonde understood the feeling of wanting to bring back the people who died, especially the ones sacrificed at Marineford, but Luffy was taking it to a whole other level. It was unhealthy.

The Pirate King noticed his skepticism and huffed with another pout. "Visit the Sunny tonight and you'll see."

The phoenix nodded in reluctant agreement. He would play along for now, if only to prove later that what Luffy told him was simply groundless speculation.

The sun poked behind the Earth and Marco visited the Straw Hats as he promised. He quickly regretted the decision when a certain boy wouldn't stop glaring at him. To celebrate the occasion, Luffy's crew gathered on deck with drinks and food. Sanji served a tray of meat and only then did the child look away, favouring his stomach over his guard. He couldn't help the upward curve of his mouth when he saw the kid grabbing at the meat and fighting with the Pirate King over who got what. He had to give Luffy some credit – the boy ate like Fire Fist, at least. Still, that's where the similarities ceased. His crewmate had an air about him that the boy lacked. He was loud, boisterous, friendly and courteous. The child was not.

Jinbei took a seat next to him, fixing his eyes on Ace. Everyone had been briefed on their captain's earlier confrontation with the Yonko. They knew what had been said and that the blonde did not believe Luffy's claims. Jinbei had taken it upon himself to voice his opinions to the man. They had known each other for many decades—hopefully he would trust his judgement.

"I was the first to suggest it," he stated, watching the boy and his brother fight over their dinner after Luffy stole from Ace's plate.

"You're a fool for doing so."

"Luffy didn't listen and the subject was dropped, until…" Jinbei's voice faded, remembering that day just over a week ago.

"Until?"

"Ace ate the Mera Mera no Mi."

Marco's eyes widened at that and his encounter from earlier played back in his head. He remembered Luffy saying something about the boy recognizing a Devil Fruit and learning Hiken. And then there was what the kid himself said…

"Try that again and I'll roast you."

He vaguely recalled hearing that threat. So that's what he meant. It irked him to hear that some brat received his crewmate's ability, but he didn't say anything.

"What does that have to do with this, yoi?"

"He knew what it was before even we did. He's been acting strange since."

"Strange? How?"

"He has bouts where he'll act just like Fire Fist."

The two silenced themselves as they stared out at the island, pondering over their conversation. Marco couldn't help but wonder how Oyaji would react to hearing all of that. If he was still there, as captain of the Whitebeard pirates, what would he say? Would he believe their stories? Reincarnation or not, how would he act around the kid? How should Marco act?

"Oi! The hell, Lu?" Ace shouted as his brother stole the last of his pork and swallowed before he could retaliate, jolting Marco out of his thoughts. He turned to watch the fight breaking out and saw tiny flames licking the small boy's shoulders. He really did eat the Devil Fruit.

"You were spacing out—it was free game," the older replied, sticking out his tongue after he chewed the meat. He let out a yelp when the boy jumped up and hit him over the head with a haki-infused fist. The Pirate King rubbed the sore spot with a whine.

"It's called thinking—you should try it sometime," Ace replied mockingly. The brothers' eyes locked and the younger seemed to falter under the gaze. Sweat fell from his forehead and his eyes moved to the snickering crewmates around him. Before long he found himself rushing his brother and hiding under his jacket, both from embarrassment and plain discomfort.

Luffy laughed a little at this, now accustomed to his mood swings, and the rest of the crew simply continued on with whatever they were doing. Ace had only started fighting with Captain over food earlier that day but they were starting to get used to it. After all, they had been dealing with one bottomless pit for over ten years—what's one more?

Marco's eyes narrowed as he watched the display and kept his focus on the boy who was now huddling under the tart fabric of his companion's jacket, leaning into its owner who simply continued to smile. That outburst was something he remembered from his ship back when he was pirating under Edward Newgate whom he considered his father. He could see Fire Fist's fierce determination when he plotted his numerous assassination attempts on Oyaji's life. He could feel the lick of his flames from when they used to spare. It was all brought back when he saw the kid's actions and left just as quickly as the boy's shyness returned. He could see the similarities, but his crewmate was dead.

"He's been doing that often lately," Jinbei noted, snapping Marco to the present.

"Doing what?"

"Acting like Portgas."

"…"

"If you don't see it then that's fine, Marco. I think you do."

A little after 1am, most of the crew was sprawled out asleep on the deck. Robin and Nami had returned to their quarters. After a night of drinking and stuffing themselves it was like they entered hibernation.

Luffy was the last to fall and Marco decided it best he return to his crew but was stopped when a small figure sat down next to him. The small boy didn't face him and instead watched the ocean and stars. Marco did the same. They stayed like that for a few minutes, listening to the waves swishing about and the wind rustling the island's greenery.

"I don't like land," the Ace look-a-like announced, not moving at all from his position.

"Oh?" was Phoenix's simply reply.

"It scares me. I don't want to be left alone."

"Why would you be alone, yoi?"

"I was alone. For a long, long time…" Ace's tone lowered to a whisper as he recalled his time on that island. He remembered that first day he was there, the weeks that followed—the woman's sleep. He would run across the island, trying to find a way off. Eventually his efforts ceased and he resigned himself to the simple existence of fight, eat and rest. But now that was over. "Luffy saved me."

Marco turned to face him. The boy was hugging his legs close to his chest, smiling up at the darkened sky, reminiscing about something the Yonko was unaware of. "I see," he replied quietly, thinking over the interaction between the two. Even if the Pirate King was using him as a replacement for his dead brother, he did seem to care deeply for the boy. Still, how could he forgive the memory of his crewmate being brushed aside by denial?

"He taught me how to speak!" Ace stated cheerily, smile widening to one the size of Luffy's. Marco's narrow eyes opened just a little more to show his surprise. What did he mean by that? Was he trying to say…

"You didn't know how?"

Ace shook his head, smile turning sad. "I was alone." The full meaning of those words entered the Yonko's mind, leaving him to open his mouth absently as they impacted. This boy was so alone he never heard language. No one spoke to him or around him. Where did he grow up? What's more, how was he able to talk so well now? Surely Luffy hadn't met the kid long ago—he wasn't with the crew during their last interaction.

"How old are you, yoi?" Marco asked, trying to veer away from the discouraging topic. He didn't like seeing someone who resembled his former crewmate with such a pained look.

Ace shrugged. "Don't know. Luffy thinks I'm nine." He looked the boy over carefully; he did not look to be that old. Six, maybe seven—far too tiny to be any older.

"You're small."

"Oi!" Ace shouted, blushing. He turned to glare at the man, pouting in semblance to his older sibling. He knew that—he didn't need it constantly pointed out to him by the crew and the blonde. Luffy and his friends liked to tease him about it. "Not my fault, pineapple-head." Funny enough, Ace had only learned what a pineapple was that morning when they had a snack before lunch. Didn't care much for the taste, but Sanji said it was good for him. His hair looked just like the leaves.

Marco's eyebrow twitched. He'd been called that before, but never by some little kid. "You've got a big mouth despite your stature, yoi," he remarked, glaring down at the boy.

"Oi, stop calling me short."

"I didn't say you were."

"Not in so many words, at least." They had a bit of a one-sided stare-down before Ace pulled his eyes away to look at the floor. "Sanji said it's 'cause I didn't eat right."

"…Malnutrition?" Marco shifted uncomfortably when the kid nodded. Just what kind of hell did the boy go through?

The quiet returned for longer this time, leaving only the waves and wind to break the contemplative silence that descended onto the pair. Ace's shyness returned and he blushed, realizing that to be the longest conversation he ever held. He didn't know why but talking to the blonde felt natural. He curled unto himself, wondering what it was about him that made the words flow so easily.

"Why did you decide to talk to me, yoi?" Marco had been curious about that since the conversation began. "Aren't you angry that I hit Luffy?"

"Don't ever do that again," he commanded sternly, angry eyes piercing the Yonko's light orbs. Then he sighed, his gaze softening and resting on the drunken, unconscious form of the Pirate King. "…I don't know. Because you're Marco, I guess."

"I am, but what does that matter?"

"…You're familiar. I feel like I know you." The blonde's eyes widened to a much larger size than their usual lidded appearance. He couldn't help but wonder if that bumbling idiot of a pirate had been right all along. "When I heard your voice over the phone I…"

"…You what?"

"I felt like I was talking to someone I knew a long time ago." Marco's mouth gaped and suddenly he was talking to his old friend, no longer a child. He couldn't help but see the large, muscular figure of the tattooed comrade from his past in that boy. Luffy was right, wasn't he? "Sorry… I know I'm being strange."

Ace huddled into himself and didn't look up until he heard shuffling. When he turned his head he saw that Marco was facing him fully for the first time. His eyes held a sad sort of look, mouth opened slightly to speak words that wouldn't come out. It was the first time he saw him with an expression other than his calm exterior. In response, he tilted his head questioningly.

The phoenix's hands slowly, shakily reached out to him. He seemed desperate—unlike himself.

"Ace…?"

The boy blinked a few times, wondering about the way he said his name, and then nodded. Less than a second later he felt trembling arms enclose him in a tight hug—something only Luffy had given him before. He raised his arms a bit, trying to think of what he should do in response. "Marco…?"

"Sorry," he said softly, shakily, "I just…" He needed to hold him—feel that he was tangible, that he was really there. He needed to know that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. He'd done so before. He lost his two closest friends, Thatch and Ace, as well as his father-figure, all within a year. After denying it all day he couldn't help but submit to the Pirate King's earlier statement.

"Visit the Sunny tonight and you'll see."

He hated when that moron was right.

Ace shook his head. "No, it's…alright." Something was telling him that the blonde needed that and so he wouldn't complain. Besides, it was nice to feel wanted.

A/N: ...Yay? So like I said before, this is Resolve's longest chapter. 3,396 words. The average chapter is 2,300 so if anyone says anything about the chapter being too short I'll drop the average chapter length to 1,000 words e_e; Don't test me - I'm the Troll Empress. Oh, and this chapter doesn't end in a cliffy! Banzai!

Also! I was wondering if you guys would like me to put a short Omake at the end of a chapter once in a while. After reading The Devil's Fruit (if you haven't read it, just know that it blows my crappy fics out of the water) I keep thinking of stupid little scenes and if your interested I'll start adding them. If not, well, that's good too!

And guys... We've reached 254 reviews ;_; Can you believe it? 254! I never thought we've even make it to 100! You're all just so amazing. It's really a lot of work to keep these four stories going and if it wasn't for the feedback you've all given me I don't know if I'd manage. Seriously, I can't thank you up. And despite everything, this story is still my most reviewed! It's still beating Divide! You're all such beautiful people... To thank you, this is my 6th update in 5 days. Yeah, more than one a day. And if Divide gets its last review then it'll be 7 in 5 days. If anyone wants to say I'm not updating fast enough, I dare them to take over and see how they fair :P Dark jokes aside, I love you all and I'd like to thank you for wasting your time reading my drabbles.

To my lovelies~

RoXaS707: And I will continue with the cliffies until all of my fics are complete! And then I'll start new fics and the process will begin anew! Hope this was to your liking - I had the whole chapter planned out but it took on a life of its own and, well, this happened. Actually the story I'm going to troll you with most is probably Reverse. Especially because of the ending. I'm not invested in Skip enough to bother with huge trolling instances.

XxSaorixX: If you were dead you wouldn't have been able to type a review :P When I write sentimental moments like that it seems readers either cry/get depressed or completely ignore it XD I had fun with the lunch scene. I had even more fun with the dinner scene in this chapter. Yeah...Ace doesn't take to kindly to people hurting his big-little-brother =_=;

Kitsune Foxfire: Lol I knew someone was going to say something related to his Devil Fruit XD I love stupid puns like that. There will be a bit of a "fight scene" between Marco and Ace shortly, so look forward to it ;) Thank you!

Cyborgnetics: I'm glad you're patient :) Wish more people were (well most for this story are, luckily). Here's an update as a thank-you!

samettikettu: Lol that's not good! Take care of your arm! It's kinda important. I don't think this chapter's sad or anything so I doubt you'd cry. Your wait has now ended!

azab: Thanks. I'll update when I update. Four fics going, full-time university student (I'm starting to sound like a broken record) and yet I'm still updating more than the vast majority of OP fanfic authors.

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious. Realistically speaking, no one would automatically assume that their friend came back from the dead in the body of a small child. And if they saw a kid who looked just like said dead friend and was given the same name, you would assume the kid's caretaker is trying to replace their loved one. Your guess at Luffy's reaction was very wrong though :P He just laughed it off XD Grave scene is next chapter! It's another important moment, too! And there will be plot progression between Luffy and Marco :D Well they were intact during the prologue and that took place about 1 1/2 months before where we are now so...yes, they are XD Nope, that video only affected Reverse and nothing else. Yep, he's very insecure. It's mostly due to the fact that he was alone for so long. Takes socially awkwardness to a whole other level.

shimaxkutau: Then you'll probably like some other scenes I have planned as well XD Everyone loves Marco, not sure why :P Though I do, too, seeing as he's in all of my fanfics.

angelrider13: It was? Lots of people guessed it XD Well you're more-or-less right in your prediction. Yeah, it's frustrating having to go through the boring parts before you can write the interesting parts... But it has to be done! *determined* Also, I've said this before but your fics are awesome! I swear not even one scene has bored me, which is very hard to do.

Stelra Etnae: Because in a realistic situation that's the most logical answer :P Here's the next chapter! And the longest o.o;

Big Sis of 8: Nah, I won't rush ^^ And it seems I'm keeping up a lot better than I thought I would despite taking the time to think about what I'm writing. Well, actually, I didn't really thing about this chapter specifically...it just sorta happened ahaha...

Remnant of Life: Thank you so much! Hope the chapter met your expectations! Ace will be meeting some of the Whitebeard commanders next chapter, don't you worry ;)

spoons-are-evil: Nah, he's far from a Portgas mini-me. He has bouts where he acts like him but his real personality it quite different. He's introverted and shy, socially awkward, easily scared, very lonely, lacking confidence, confiding in very few... And he has scars, not just the physical kind either. But those haven't been brought up much yet. Soon, though, soon. Yes, they commented on his hair XD You're welcome~

Diclonious57: Well he wasn't about to just accept it :P

Opinionated Asmodeus: I'm happy for your review! Really glad you like my stories! Which one's your favourite? ^^ So you're writing a fic too? I'll have to check it out! Maybe. I'm having trouble finding the time to read lately =_=; But, again, thank you!

99 luffy: Hope you liked this chapter.

The Darkest wizard: Glad you like!

Son Goshen: Lol many people called that XD Well...it kinda happened like that :P Though not quite. But I'm happy you seemed to enjoy it. Let's hope this chapter was to your liking as well.

MysteriousEyez: Yes I have! But this time you got lucky and I decided not to troll you ;) There are some deeper reasons for his fascination with strength. If you look through all of the past chapters it's been a consistent theme throughout and will be better explained during part 2 of Ace's past. Lol I don't know if 'shit bricks' is the best way to explain it but close enough!

ASLfangirl: So how do you think this chapter faired? ^^ I thought up Marco's reaction while remembering the scene where Ace died and his reaction to that. It was obvious how much he cared for him there and I used that as a guide for how he acted to Ace's 'replacement' :)

K: Good ^^ Though I assure you there will be fight scenes as the plot thickens. In the next chapter of Divide there's a fight scene. I'm bad at writing them u_u; but I try. Really? I'm glad you think so! I had so much trouble thinking of how he would react to that... He's such a difficult character. Why can't every character be as easy to write as the Sabo from my other fic?! T^T Yeah, I didn't think Marco would take lightly to that.

AkaNeko-san: I'm glad you liked those two scenes! They were a lot of fun to write ^^ Yeah, the slowing down thing...it didn't happen =_=; Some how I've been updating more than once daily...

RedKetchup: Glad you like it!

OnePieceLover101: Hope the update lived up to your expectations!

(Seriously, guys, 254 reviews ;_; There's so much love! I think I'll start working on the next bonus chapter when I have a chance. Maybe I can get it up by the time we reach 300 reviews. Or not...it's going to be really long. Like, seriously long. Much longer than this chapter. Ah well, if it takes a while to write then there's no helping it. But I'll still try! Love you all and have a wonderful... What day is it? Wednesday, right? My sleep schedule is all over the place so I can't tell day from night right now :P Anyways, I'm off to nap and then write. Adieu~)