Ace wasn't sure why he was surprised anymore. Silver eyes slid over to Luffy who was happily climbing up on their ship, his rubbery arms stretching out to grab the mast and sling himself up. Ace glanced back at Sabo, taking in his brother's drawn brows and the crinkles at the edges of his eyes. Sweat was sliding down his face and his blue coat was off but even then his white dress shirt was soaked through and transparent in some spots.
"Fucking hell Sabo, I don't know." Ace ran a hand through his hair, cringing at the dampness and shook his hand off. Sabo gave him a weary smile, nodding and glancing towards their baby brother, blue eyes softening.
"Yeah, I figured, just thought I should share the stress." Sabo gave him a cheeky grin, not quite managing to hide his worry. Ace moved his arm to slap his brother across his head before he registered the movement and growled when the blonde dodged away easily.
"Oi! Come here! I need stress relief now too!" Ace surged forward, reaching with both hands to grab at Sabo and growling when his brother danced away, a slight chuckle leaving the blonde.
"Now, now Ace, you can't go around screaming like that. We have to set a good example for Luffy!" Sabo dodged again, skipping back and heading towards the ship in a full sprint. "Or are you gonna give up on being a good role model for Lu?" He called back over his shoulder with a smile.
Ace paused momentarily, fighting with himself before he let out a sharp breath and a curse. Sabo was right, if he didn't at least try to act like a civilized human he knew Luffy would use that as an excuse to be just like him. Cause his baby brother was adorable and looked up to him and Sabo with a single track mind, like their word was law and they could do no wrong. Ace deflated, slouching and stomping over to the ship. They weren't near the main harbor; it was easier to hide the fact that they were being escorted by a sea king that way so he didn't have to worry about his foul mood scaring off any locals. And the fewer eyes witnessing their method of travel, the better. A splash in the ocean caught his attention and Ace watched as the sea king bounced Luffy on it's head like a ball. Considering how bouncy his rubber brother was, it was a good possibility that he was being used as such.
Ace snorted and laughed at the sight, getting ready to leap up onto the ship before he froze at the voice that came from behind him.
"Shouldn't you be more worried about him, yoi?"
He spun on his heel, sand slippery under his feet and hands coming up clenched and he spread his legs, readying himself. Ace snarled when he caught sight of the blonde man, sneering at his bored look and tensing when his gaze lingered on Luffy a little too long.
"Why do you fucking care!?" His voice was loud, drawing the attention of Sabo who came into his peripheral on the left. The slapshing of water stopped and only the lapping of the waves hitting their ship was heard for several moments. They eyed each other, the cloudless sky allowing the sun to illuminate them from all sides. The man had blonde hair, the sides completely cropped and a buttoned up purple shirt with ankle length dark pants.
"I'm Marco," the man turned his gaze back to Ace, raising his hands to show he had no weapons and was unarmed. Something about the situation told Ace not to trust that, there was something off about him, something dangerous.
"Who gives a fuck," he muttered out, about to say more when Sabo cleared his throat.
"Erm, forgive my brother," Sabo cut him off and Ace bristled, he would have shot his brother a glare if he didn't have to keep his eyes on the man that managed to sneak up on them.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Sabo. What do you need?" Sabo's voice was controlled but there was a biting chill to it that told Ace he also wasn't happy with the situation. They were anchored near a cove and it would be difficult to leave fast, but it also kept them well hidden.
The man, Marco gazed between the two for a moment before giving them a lazy smile. "I'm here on businesses actually,"
Ace tensed further, teeth grinding together and preparing for a fight.
Marco gestured towards the ocean where Luffy was resting on top of the sea king's head, laying on his belly and watching the interaction with his wide eyes.
"His grandfather asked us to help him find Luffy, yoi."
Ace felt the blood drain from his face and he dared a glance to Sabo, cringing when his brother nearly fell off the ledge of the ship.
"Oh Gramps? Is he okay?" Luffy called over, the sea king slithering closer to the shore and lowering it's head so his baby brother could talk to the man more clearly.
"Lu" Ace warned, giving him a glare to back off. Luffy pouted at him but listened, gesturing for the sea king to go closer to the ship instead. When Ace turned back to Marco it was to see fascination on his face, a look he absolutely loathed to see in regards to his brother. It was the reason they had left Dawn island, the locals there had looked at Luffy in much the same way, damn near worshiped the ground he walked on. Ace and Sabo both knew what kind of trouble that attention would bring, especially with the nobles that were far too close to comfort.
"Get your eyes off my baby brother" he snapped, gathering Marco's attention again. "So what if shitty gramps is looking for us, we ran away for a reason. Who wants to be a stupid marine?" Ace straightened and spat out his response, gauging how much time he could give his brothers to sail away and escape from the man.
Marco ran a hand down his face, his purple shirt gaping and Ace caught sight of the tattoo across his chest. He froze, recognizing the symbol of the whitebeard pirates. Against a normal person Ace knew he could at least give his brothers a running chance, but against a man from that crew? One of his father's rivals? His fists clenched in anger and desperation, eyes slipping to an oblivious Luffy before meeting the knowing blue eyes of Sabo.
"Listen, we just want to make sure you kids are safe, we owe Garp a good deal. It would be easier to bring you along if you agreed." Marco sounded sincere, but Ace couldn't ignore the lingering threat under that tone.
"We're quite fine by ourselves, thank you for your concern. Come on, Ace."
Sabo replied before he could and Ace didn't waste a second, swiftly turning and jumping on the ship before looking at the hardening eyes of the whitebeard pirate.
"If you cared, then leave. We don't need you."
Marco frowned up at them, his posture sagging as if resigned. "Fine, we tried to be civil, yoi."
Ace didn't bother to reply as he ran across the deck, swinging his arms out for Luffy to jump into them and easily caught his brother who shifted and clung to his back. He was glad Luffy had allowed himself to be protected, even though he and Sabo had to literally beat it into him that he was still too little to properly fight someone strong. And no matter how easy going he seemed, Ace knew that man was strong. Their ship lurched and Ace grabbed onto the rail, watching as another sea king rose up from the water and lifted their ship onto its back.
Ace ignored Luffy's low mutterings, knowing he was talking to them and instead making himself useful by grabbing the gun he had stollen back in the east blue. A shadow of blue cast over him and Ace looked up, silver eyes widening at the phoenix that flapped above their ship. One of the sea kings shot from the water, blue maw with razer sharp teeth opening wide and snapping shut millimeters away from the bird's legs.
"Go, go go!" Ace shouted, spinning and running down to the belly of the ship to place Luffy into a treasure chest. He saw Luffy open his mouth to complain but shot him a sharp look, eyes narrowing.
"Luffy, you promised." His baby brother deflated instantly, his eyes watering but tears didn't fall. Ace ruffled his hair, smirking. "Crybabies can't fight yet. Wait for us." He didn't let him respond and he shoved his brother down into the chest, locking it. As he turned to go back upstairs where he could hear Sabo slamming his steel pipe, he paused, eyes catching the devil fruit that Luffy had brought up from the ocean days earlier. Ace eyed it, lips pursing in thought before he grabbed it and took a bite.
xxx
Izou was on the deck of the ship, a sharp frown on his painted lips as he tried to reason with the blonde. Stupid Marco, man had clearly been with pops too long and no longer had the finer touch of how to actually recruit someone. Kidnapping was good and all when out on the high seas and against men and women who were hardened by the grandline and new world, not for actual children. Izou shifted, haki flaring just enough to dodge a bullet aimed his way. Marco was keeping the sea king busy, clearly not wanting to kill it if the boys somehow managed to tame it. That left Izou facing the blonde, his features were hard and his scarred face gave him a fierce look. Izou's senses pinged and he rolled to the right, dodging the sharp jaws of the sea king that crashed into the spot where he was just standing. He huffed, straightening his kimono and was about to complain to Marco to do a better job but paused. Marco was facing off the sea king. They were all currently on a ship that one was carrying so that meant... Izou turned to look at the beast, to the third one that had shown up and raised his brows in surprise. What the hell was with these kids? He jerked, a bullet grazing his cheek and leaving behind a hot sting.
This may become an issue if they had an army of sea kings at their disposal. Izou readied his guns and just as he was about to fire at the blonde man a door burst open, flames spilling out and searing the edges of his kimono. However hot it was, it also had the added benefit of making the sea king near him recoil back from the fire, the one that was holding the ship stiffened and made them teeter to one side. Izou ground his teeth and bent his legs, spreading them wide to try to balance on harshly rocking ship. The blonde, Sabo, was gripping the railing with one arm, his feet sliding and desperately trying to gain purchase. At this rate they would end up capsized and on fire. Izou glanced around, eyes catching on the source of fire and cursing under his breath. The boy from earlier was running towards him, fists raised and entire body flashing with orange and red.
"Take this!" The teen sent a first of fire towards him, it spiraled out and seemed uncontrolled but still managed to get him to move further away. Izou crossed his guns in front of him, haki flaring as he tried to disburse fire he couldn't dodge. A wall of blue blazed in front of him and consumed the incoming red flames before Marco landed in front of him and they nodded to each other, both knowing it would be better to switch opponents.
Izou glanced to the right, noting the sea king that he had been fighting was flailing around, blood coming from one of it's eyes. Izou shifted and sprinted to the right, cocking his gun and firing a shot that he knew would cause the blonde the jerk back. He jumped forward, leg kicking out and using Sabo's unsteady balance to knock him onto this back. Sabo rolled away in an instant and they both jerked when fire licked at their sides.
"Hey watch it!"
Ace you idiot!"
They paused and glanced back at each other, assessing.
"Why can't you accept that we don't want to go with you?" Sabo spoke and narrowed his eyes, pipe clenched tightly in his grip. Izou frowned but readied himself again, trying to determine how to knock the boy out but not harm him too badly. After all, if they wanted them dead this would have been a cake walk.
"We aren't going to hurt you." Izou answered, ignoring his question and noting the glare the blonde sent his way. When it seemed like he was about to retort, a scream of fury had them both whipping around and staring as Marco grabbed Ace, his blue fire smothering the black-haired teen's furious orange and red ones. Ace's eyes were blazing in anger, his hands trying to remove the flaming arm that was closing in further around his neck.
"Let him go!" Sabo turned from him and readied his pipe, bringing it up for a swing before Izou shot it out of his hand, grimacing at the slight spill of red that came from the teen's hands. Ace's fury spread and soon the flames became uncontrolled, the ship sizzling under his feet and the sails catching fire. Waves of heat began to distort the air and just as they began to boil over Ace went limp, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and his flames receding back into his skin. Marco pulled away, his haki coated hand grabbing Ace to sling him over his shoulder before he set his eyes on Sabo. Izou took this moment to swing forward, jumping over the spreading fire and knocking out the blonde from behind. He crumpled and Izou frowned, gently catching him and setting him over his own shoulder.
The ship gave another jerk and the sea king roared, diving back underwater to get away from the flames and dumping the ship back into the sea. The wood groaned harshly under the treatment and Izou watched as seawater swept in from where the wood had been burned away, large waves threatening to topple the entire ship over.
"Marco!" He called, grabbing the other brother and hefting them both under his arms. He staggered; their limp weights were heavy but all he had to do was hold still. Marco transformed, blue wings spreading and talons grabbing his shoulders. They weren't far from the shore, but it felt like forever until Marco managed to land and Izou could drop the two, his arms nearly numb from the strain.
"Go get the other one, yoi!" Izou froze, nearly forgetting about the younger brother and nodding sharply as he clutched at Marco's talons in time to be swung into the sky. He landed on the sinking ship with a heavy thud, Marco next to him as the commander tried to control the flames, trying to prevent the ship from sinking too fast. Izou ran down to where he saw Ace go, cursing at the water that already filled the cabin. Depending on how long it had been filled… He swallowed and threw his guns on the deck, diving down into the dark water and gripping at the wood to propel him further. The space was small, and he didn't see anyone in there, just a few stray boxes that floated around and a large chest. The little brother didn't seem like the type to listen so easily and he wondered if he would have been locked away. Izou glanced at it for a moment before swimming up, taking another breath before diving back down. The cold water made his arms sluggish but he pulled at the chest, cursing at the heavy weight of iron and tugged harshly. It skidded across the floor heavily and Izou was getting more desperate as time went on. He had to keep coming back up for air and in-between one he called out for Marco. When he was back underwater he saw the room light up in blue and knew his friend had heard. Izou broke the surface, gasping but finally had the chest near the stairs.
"Help me up!" He reached for Marco's hand, gritting his teeth when Marco helped pull him up harshly his arms straining from being stretched out so far. Izou flexed his muscles, spitting out water that dripped into his mouth and grunted. The chest was getting heavier with each inch that was out of the water.
"Is he…!?" Marco's eyes widened as he caught sight of the chest, blue eyes filling with panic. Izou ignored him, pulling the large chest up onto the part of the deck that managed to stay afloat.
"I-I don't know. But it's the only place he could be, I didn't see him come out!" Izou gasped out around large inhales of air, his black hair splayed across his face. He coughed, moving out of the way so Marco could tear at the lock with his clawed feet. It snapped easily enough and Izou watched wearily as Marco opened the chest, his heart sinking when seawater spilled out over the edge with a large splash. No one could survive that long underwater. A part of him had hoped that the chest had been airtight, but he should have known better with how hard it was to drag around.
The lid snapped back with a heavy thud and Izou's dark eyes widened, watching as the young boy peeked his head over the chest full of water. His black hair fluttered in the breeze and his eyes were wide, baby fat on his cheeks more prominent as he scowled in anger and worry. It was then that Izou noticed he was completely dry. Even the damned straw hat that was on his back was still crispy and held its shape.
"Luffy!" Ace's voice broke the silence and Izou snapped his gaze around, eyes widening at the man staggering towards them. His fists were ignited in fire but he seemed trapped on the shore, desperate to reach them but now unable to. A snap of wood and iron made Izou turn back sharply to see Marco twisting the iron clasps on the chest together, locking the chest again in a crude manipulation of the materials.
"Did you just?" The banging from inside the chest confirmed his suspicions and Marco helped him by hauling him up.
"Come on, I'm sure they'll follow, yoi!" Marco transformed again, grabbing the chest by the handles with his claws and Izou took this moment to jump on his back, glancing towards the shore as they flew into the sky slow enough to be purposefully seen. Izou watched grimly as Ace screamed his rage from the beach, fire swirling up towards the sky in a vortex so high that Izou felt it sizzle across his skin.
"Luffy!" Another voice called out and Izou watched as Sabo staggered next to his brother, somehow unaffected by the searing heat of the enraged devil fruit user.
"We're coming for you Luffy!" Their voices combined and echoed with anger and worry across the sea, sending a pang of guilt right through Izou's chest. He knew what it was like to lose a brother, and he couldn't blame them for their anger. His dark eyes drifted back to the chest where it was teetering from the punches thrown inside, mouth set into a firm line. God, he hoped this kid actually wasn't anyone important to Red Hair.
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Thanks for reading pls review :D
