The story is betaread by Checkmate-13, because English is not my first language.
Chapter 9. The Truth Behind the Mark
Zoro entered the room with his usual bored expression. His sharp, silver colored eyes instantly fell on the back of his captain, and he stiffened on the spot.
What he saw was an ugly burn mark.
It didn't appear that Luffy had been burned in some accident as the mark had a distinctive circular shape with the spots above and under it. The swordsman's eyes flickered to several round scars on the boy's non-bandaged shoulder. That didn't look like stab wounds, more like… bullet holes? He scowled. How could Luffy have scars from bullets if they were ineffective against his rubber body? All that together with the nightmares, screams for help, and Luffy's words about losing his freedom meant that his guess that something really bad had happened to the kid in the past was actually true.
Luffy gasped at the sudden feeling of Zoro in the room. He swiveled around to see the green-haired man staring at him. A barrage of thoughts attacked his mind. He saw! Zoro saw the brand! A slight panic gripped Luffy, but he forced himself to calm down.
Luffy preferred to hide his dark past from the whole world, but he was not so naïve to believe that it was truly possible. Not with an unremovable mark on his back. If his nakama would ever want to know about it, he would not lie to them.
The swordsman cleared his throat. The split second of fear on Luffy's face didn't go unnoticed by him, but it wasn't his place to question other people's scars. "I came to see if you needed any help with bandaging your wound," he said.
"I'm fine, but thanks." Luffy put on a new shirt. Apparently Zoro wasn't familiar with what that mark stood for, and he was glad about it. "Where's Nami?"
"She dragged her loot to the boat," Zoro replied. "Are you sure it's a good idea to invite the thief to join us?"
The rubber pirate smiled. "Trust me, Zoro," he requested. "She'll become our nakama in no time."
The swordsman stared at him, before sighing. "Your mystery power again?" he asked, more as a joke, but Luffy giggled blissfully.
"Shishishishi, that's right!"
-Previously, somewhere in the New World on the Moby Dick-
Ace leaned on the railings. He closed his eyes, feeling the last warmth of the sun for the day and enjoying the light breeze, caressing his whole body. The noise and voices from his new brothers and sisters somewhere on the ship behind him gave Ace a pleasing feeling of safety and home. His lips curled up into a serene smile.
"Watcha doin'?" came a playful question from beside him.
Ace opened his eyes, and looked to his right at the grinning pompadour man. "Thatch," he acknowledged, and turned to face the sunset again. "Just indulging in the calmness of this moment."
Thatch raised a questioning eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like you. Are you feeling okay?"
The freckled pirate chuckled and flashed him a satisfied grin. "Never been better!"
"Well, that's more like you!" the redhead laughed and joined Ace by leaning on the railings.
Having his good friend and brother so close to him, Ace's thoughts drifted to his youngest brother, back at Dawn Island. He wondered what Luffy was doing right now. He was too young to leave the island, so he had to stay there all alone. His baby brother must feel so lonely. Did he still have those nightmares? What had caused them in the first place?
Ace suddenly perked up. "Oi, Thatch?"
The pompadour man gave him his full attention, while still relaxing on the railings.
"Do you know anything about a certain burn mark on a person's back? It's… um… a circle with three triangles above and one under."
Thatch hummed thoughtfully. "That does sound like a slave's brand of the Celestial Dragons."
Ace's mind went blank. Coldness washed over his whole body. His fingers dug into the railings, and he had to summon all of his willpower not to tumble down as he felt his legs weaken. "Slave?" he whispered. Ace knew about Celestial Dragons and their inhuman pleasures. Back at Sabaody Archipelago when he was preparing to cross the Red Line, he had seen one briefly from a distance, surrounded by his slaves who were leashed like dogs and crawled on all fours.
"Those bastards do horrible things to their slaves," not noticing his friend's distress, the red-haired pirate continued. "Starving, beating, various tortures, that's just a few things those World Nobles do to them. I heard most slaves who manage to run away can't live normal lives because their bodies are so broken. Some of them go completely crazy. Most can't handle freedom altogether, and decide to take their own life."
Ace's heart was now thumping painfully against his ribcage. The weight in his stomach increased with every word coming from Thatch's mouth. Now he fully understood why Luffy behaved like he did from the moment Ace had found him on that cliff. The heartbreaking plea from his baby brother played again and again in his mind.
"I wouldn't wish for such a fate, not even for my worst enemy," stated Thatch.
"What fate, yoi?" joining the conversation, the 1st division commander walked over to them.
"Becoming a slave for the Celestial Dragons," explained the redhead. "Marco, can you imagine what it feels like to get branded by a hot branding iron? That would hurt like hell!"
Ace's mouth ran dry, but he couldn't muster even an ounce of strength to lick his lips. Luffy got branded like that. While Ace uncovered his back to show his pride – the tattoo of Whitebeard's mark – to the whole world, his little brother would have to hide his back for the rest of his life. Ace clenched his teeth. Just how many wounds had he had to endure before he was rescued?
"I believe it would," Marco agreed casually. He glanced worriedly at Ace who was unusually still. He could see the tension in the young pirate's shoulders, but he brushed it off to the effect of hearing about such disgusting things. "Why are you two even talking about that?"
"Acey here asked," Thatch grinned. "Do you know anything?"
"I heard that after an incident in Mariejois when most slaves fled the place, Celestial Dragons found a new game to entertain themselves. They pit their slaves against each other in death matches."
Ace suddenly had to fight an urge to throw up. He didn't want to hear anymore. He already knew that Luffy's four unaccounted years had been really awful. But the vague understanding he'd had until now was nothing compared to every fact his friends were laying out in front of him. Luffy went through all that? And Ace did what?! Enjoyed an easy life on Dawn Island!
"Shut up," whispered Ace, but it was so quiet that neither of the two pirates heard him.
"They especially enjoy using children in those matches," Marco added, anger clearly in his voice.
"Shut up," this time the freckled pirate said it a bit louder. Marco glanced at him, but Thatch still didn't hear him.
"Whoa! That's horrible!" the redhead continued.
"Shut up!" Ace screamed. He grabbed Thatch by the collar and pressed him against the railings, almost flipping them both into the water. "HE'S NOT A SLAVE!" he yelled in rage as fire flared to life across his shoulders.
Both older men were now fully alarmed. Ace was usually a calm and composed person, keeping his hot temper under complete control. All the crew were fascinated by that, and at the same time absolutely surprised by how the flame user could keep his head cool in the toughest situations. It was so rare for him to lose to his temper.
Thatch tried to gently take Ace's hands away, but withdrew them immediately from the first nip of fire.
"Ace–" Marco started.
"I don't want to hear anymore, so just shut up!" Ace lowered his head, but his grip on Thatch's shirt only tightened. "He's not a slave… Luffy is… He's free, dammit! He'll become the freest person in the world!"
The redhead shared a worried glance with the phoenix. None of them knew what their younger brother was talking about.
"He's my Pirate King!" Ace suddenly exclaimed proudly, followed by a chuckle which soon got choked by a sob. The flames slowly died with it.
Thatch opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. He looked at Marco with a pleading glint in his eyes, but the blonde was also rendered speechless.
Ace was crying, and they didn't know why or how to help him.
A surge of anger sparked in both older pirates. A sudden desire to kill whoever made their dear brother sad like that washed over them. First, they needed to figure out who Ace was talking about.
Thatch carefully placed a hand on Ace's shoulder. "Ace, talk to me, brother," he beseeched gently.
"I-I couldn't do anything. He spent four years in that hell… Thatch, four years!"
"Who?"
"He was taken right from under my nose, and I did nothing! The same with–" Ace fell silent. Luffy's words emerged from his memories. "Oh, so Sabo was killed by them." Flames flared again, responding to a sudden wave of fury. Those despicable people harmed both his brothers!
"Who was taken, Ace?" inquired Marco, watching the fire dancing on the youth's skin cautiously, ready at any time to help Thatch if needed.
The younger Whitebeard pirate was on a serious emotional rollercoaster. This was becoming more dangerous with every minute. The 1st division commander deduced that someone close to Ace was kidnapped and sold as a slave. That was the only feasible explanation to his behavior.
Ace just cursed. He finally let go of Thatch, and the man stepped away from him instantly. Ace felt the urge to punch someone. Or burn someone alive. Preferably, barbecued dragon.
"Oi, Marco!" one of the Whitebeard pirate shouted, strolling towards them. "Watchers saw some rookie pirate ship coming our way, looking for a fight. Pops asked for you to take care of it."
A chuckle reached all of their ears, and three pairs of eyes fell on Ace.
"What perfect timing." Ace turned to them. An evil smile played on his lips, eyes glinting with murderous intent. "I'm ready to take them on."
"Um, but Pops said"-
Marco interrupted the pirate, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. He turned to the flame user. "Ace, go ahead, yoi."
"Thanks, Marco."
Once Ace and the other pirate went to haul the Striker out, Thatch gawked at Marco.
"What the hell?!"
The phoenix sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I would like to know too. As I understand, someone close to him was taken and sold."
"No kidding." The redhead's gaze lingered to where his freckled brother had disappeared. "What should we do?"
"What can we do, Thatch? We can't force him to tell us what happened."
The pompadour man frowned. "I guess we'll have to wait until he decides to speak about it. Damn! And I thought he was just curious."
Marco patted him on the back. "Let's go watch the show, yoi," he smiled.
They got to the main deck just in time. Ace was already surfing the waves towards the enemy pirate ship. The flames powering the engines of the one-man raft glowed menacingly in the late evening's darkness.
"Where's Pops?" Marco asked of Fossa who was also on the deck, watching the Striker gracefully dodge canon fire.
"He's already retired for the evening," replied the swordsman. "Shouldn't we help Ace?"
"I would advise against it," the phoenix commented. "Ace is grumpy at the moment."
Thatch snorted, "Putting it lightly."
Fossa looked at them both, puzzled.
A pillar of fire in the distance drew the attention of everybody present on the Moby Dick's deck. The bow of the attacking ship was now engulfed in flames. There was another burst in the middle, much smaller. Suddenly all the fire subsided.
Whitebeard's crew fell silent, dumbfounded. No one wanted to believe that their new brother just lost to a bunch of rookies.
A fireball slowly started to form in the middle of the sea, just a bit further from the rookies' vessel. It grew into an enormous ball of flames, roaring with supernova's heat and destructive power. Most of spectators aboard Whitebeard's flagship cringed as it collided with the enemy ship, devouring it completely in mere seconds.
"Did I just see Ace drop a freaking sun on that ship?" Haruta inquired, joining the other commanders.
"Yeah," breathed out Thatch. "Poor sods."
"So that's what grumpy Ace look like, huh?" Fossa mused, nervously chewing on his cigar.
The Striker sailed back and after a couple of moments, the flame user jumped over the railings and onto the Moby Dick. He turned to the men on deck. "Can someone take care of my raft? Thanks."
His authoritative tone didn't leave any room for refusal, and several crewmembers scrambled to do what he'd just asked.
"Feeling better, yoi?" wondered Marco, closely observing Ace with his usual bored expression on his face.
"No," replied the youth. He walked past all four commanders, a brim of his hat shadowing his eyes.
"Um, Ace, would you like me to make you a pudding?" Thatch blurted out awkwardly. "Or pancakes, maybe?"
Ace stopped, causing the redhead to have an inner debate whether it was a good idea to call out for him and if he should run and hide in Pops' room now. Thatch was worried sick about the kid, though. He really liked him, but apparently his newest brother was able to transform into a vengeful devil, dropping suns, as Haruta had said, on the unlucky souls like it was nothing.
The flame user turned around and looked straight at Thatch. Part of his consciousness realized that he couldn't really do anything now, that he'd already helped his little brother as much as he could, that all the hell Luffy had to go through was in the past. Luffy was a strong person, his unyielding will was above anything Ace had ever encountered, but he still felt so horrible, so guilty and so helpless, because of all the knowledge he now possessed. Some part of him wished he'd never asked about it.
The happily grinning face of Luffy popped into Ace's mind and he smiled too. "That would be great, Thatch."
-Presently, somewhere in the East Blue-
"Do you understand what you are looking at?" Nami asked.
"Of course!" Luffy huffed. "The map to the Grand Line!"
Nami was standing at the edge of her boat, which had a small cabin in the middle and still held a black sail with Buggy's mark, and was leaning over it to get better view of the map which was outspread on her companion's dinghy's floor. Luffy was sitting cross-legged in front of it, while Zoro napped nearby.
"Yeah, but can you read maps, Luffy?"
The teen pulled his eyebrows together as he stared at the map with great concentration. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh of defeat, but then cocked his head and declared proudly, "Nope!"
"It's not something to be proud of!" the thief raised her voice in exasperation. "It's a miracle you survived up to now!"
"Shishishishi. That's why I've got you now, Nami!" Luffy flashed his usual sunny grin at her. "Zoro is my swordsman, and you're my navigator! We're nakama!"
"I'M NOT YOURS!" screamed the girl, before turned her back to the rubber boy. "Stupid pirates always think about people as they are just tools to be used."
"You, guys, are too noisy," mumbled Zoro, sitting up and rubbing his eye before yawing. "I can't sleep in peace with all this noise."
Luffy observed the orange-haired thief with sad eyes then turned to Zoro and grinned. "Sorry, sorry." Something in the horizon caught his attention, and he squinted. "Oi, I see an island!" he exclaimed excitedly, jumping on the bowsprit and leaning forward, trying to spy what kind of island it was.
Nami brought her binoculars up and looked through them. "That island is unpopulated, so it's not worth landing there. Let's just keep going," she reasoned.
"Nah, it's perfect!" cheered the boy, grabbing oars and starting to row towards the island.
"How's that perfect?! WAIT!"
As the dinghy bumped into the rocky shore of the new island, Luffy jumped off of it and glanced over the area before his eyes.
The shore was hard and rocky, but relatively smooth with some huge boulders on one side. Dense forest line stretched across the wide and empty field.
Luffy grinned. It was certainly perfect for what he wanted to do. Zoro landed beside him and stretched his neck. Nami's boat also bumped into the shore, but the thief wasn't in a hurry to step on the ground.
"Like I said, this is an unpopulated island," Nami huffed. "The sun has already started to go down, so let's just use the daylight while we still can."
Not paying any attention to their navigator's discontent, Luffy turned to Zoro. "Want to spar?"
The swordsman gave him incredulous glance. "Spar?"
"Yeah, it's been a long time since I sparred with anyone."
Zoro smirked. He would never miss a chance to see what his captain could do. It had been ages since his last spar too, so he felt that he might be a bit rusty. The swordsman's gaze fell on the boy's shoulder, and he slightly frowned. Luffy fought with his bare fists, a wound like that would really undermine his abilities.
"Come on!" Luffy walked forward, excitement radiating from him. "It'll be fun!"
"Oi, Luffy, aren't you hurt?" Nami asked. She persuaded herself that she just felt sorry for the boy, she was in no way concerned about the pirate's wellbeing.
"Don't worry, Nami!" a cheeky smile spread across the straw hatted captain's face.
"I'm not worried!" she screamed, causing Luffy to just laugh it off. "Fine! You can both just kill each other, like I care!"
"Luffy," Zoro called, unsheathing his two katanas. "I hope you can defend yourself against my blades with just bare fists."
Luffy's smile grew wider. "Who said I'll fight you with only my fists?" he inquired as he pulled out three metal sticks from behind him and assembled them into a Bo staff.
He started to spin the staff in front of him at an incredible speed. Not slowing down, Luffy lifted his hands to spin it above his head, occasionally twisting it around his back. At one point he flung the whirling staff into the air, caught it again and just kept spinning. When the weapon finally came to a halt, Luffy smiled satisfied. It had been quite a while since the last time he used his staff, but his body still remembered how to properly wield it.
Zoro observed the captain's short warm up routine with the staff. "Interesting," he muttered, as he felt his own excitement rising. He pulled out his third sword and put it into his mouth.
Next Chapter: Different Kind of Monsters
A/N:
So, disappointed in Zoro's reaction? Probably some are, but I know a lot of people wanted to read Ace finding out the mark's on Luffy's back meaning, so here you go :)
Did anyone got trolled last time with this chapter's title? Hehe. Because I definitely didn't do that on purpose, I swear! Trololol! *dashes to hide now*