Chapter Four
Luffy changed back to normal size in the middle of dodging the lava fists. A few clipped his limbs, and one came very close to burning his face, but Luffy managed to stay away from most of them. His grin widened.
Then Candle-head screamed. The pirate captain turned to see Mr. 3 clutching his wrist, staring at the empty air where his left hand should have been. The rubber-man grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him out of the way of another attack that would have taken a leg as well.
Grimacing, Luffy scanned the area for a safe place to stash his friend. There were none. Only a handful of pirates had made it farther than the courtyard entrance. Ace shot a large column of fire below them, clearing the area the three pirates landed in. Luffy held Mr. 3 over his shoulder, placing his back to Ace as he got ready to fight. Twice candle-head helped free Ace. Losing a hand was not okay. No way was Luffy going to let more harm come to the wax-man, even in a dream.
The two brothers did not get much of a breather. Most of the cannon fodder was still out from Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, but that still left a few dozen stronger marines. Akainu was being distracted by a few Whitebeard pirates, but Aokiji was heading right for them.
The ice-man built a wall as he walked, protecting the fallen marines while Ace and Luffy fought off the ones still standing. "I'm afraid this is as far as you go," the admiral stated when he reached ten paces away from the pirates.
"Men! Back up Ace and Straw Hat with all you've got!" A roaring affirmation filled the air at Whitebeard's declaration. In the showdown with the Ice General, no one reacted to the battle cry. The standoff may have gone on forever, but another lava fist interrupted the standoff. The two brothers scrambled out from under the giant hand that tried to flatten them. Aokiji followed up with a flurry of ice crystals aimed at both brothers and a lunge for Fire Fist with his ice sword.
Luffy pushed off the ground and back flipped over the ice attack, and then spun around another lava punch Akainu launched at him. The rubber-man almost lost hold of his friend when he landed. Adjusting the wax-man's position on his shoulder, Luffy dodged another attack from the Red Dog and lost his balance when the kick turned into a river of lava that whipped towards him.
The Straw Hat captain twisted and jumped, ducked and rolled. His shoulder ached, his side was soaked from blood from the ice spear from earlier, and his limbs were starting to tremor like it did just before Iva's mystery shot wore off the first time. The baggy uniform pulled over his normal clothes didn't help the situation either.
Mr. 3 likely had a concussion at this point on top of his lost hand. Still, Luffy continued to avoid Akainu's attacks. He had no energy left for any counter offense. The entire world shrunk to be just him and the lava-man. Luffy's rubber body was getting slower by the second, until a final wave of lava came at him. His legs froze when he tried to hop out of the way. There was no way to dodge it.
A wall of seawater crashed in front of him, hardening some of the lava and pushing the lava wave to the side. The Straw Hat captain would have been a goner without the timely intervention. The rubber-man expected Jinbei, but a smaller fishman with a bigger head stood next to the rookie pirate. This must be one of Ace's nakama.
"Th-," Luffy's thank you caught in his throat as the world around him pulsed. His vision grayed and when he managed to clear his eyes, Luffy found himself laying on the ground. The fishman was fighting Akainu a bit of distance away and two sets of hands were trying to pull Mr. 3 from Luffy's grasp. His body tensed when he tried to shove them away, but nothing moved. He didn't realize his ears had stopped working until sound started to filter back in.
"-kay, Straw Hat!" one voice cried.
"We've got you Ace's little bro." Another soothed.
"Come on, man. Just let the dude go," a third grumbled.
Luffy managed to twist his neck to see four Whitebeard pirates around him. One kept tugging at Mr. 3 while the other two were trying to pry his hands off the wax-man. Frowning, Luffy concentrated on relaxing his hands. It still took a moment before they obeyed his commands. When his hands were loose enough, two of the pirates whisked Mr. 3 off while the other two lifted Luffy off the ground. The rubber-man tried to protest, but his body just twitched. His voice came out a gargled mess.
"Don't worry Straw Hat. We've got you. The commanders are taking care of the Marines." Sure enough, two others were fighting Akainu alongside his fishman rescuer. Ace had a man with swords blocking Aokiji's attacks while the ice-man dodged several bullets being fired from somewhere. When a red-haired guy who was shorter than Luffy joined in, Ace gave a shout and wave before turning to check on Luffy.
The moment Ace's eyes met Luffy's frustrated gaze, the older brother lost his easy grin. "Luffy!" he cried. Luffy couldn't even call back. Fire Fist nodded at something the swordsman shouted to him and then turned away from the battle and dashed towards the two pirates carrying Luffy away. "What happened," Ace asked the two.
"No clue. Your little brother just collapsed when Namur joined the fight against Akainu. It took us a few minutes just to get him to let go of his friend. You'd think he was frozen or something."
"Hand him over," Ace demanded. The two pirates didn't argue. Ace scooped up Luffy, holding him tight to his chest as they picked up the pace. The rubber-man didn't like this. He couldn't see anything except Ace's chest and a small patch of sky.
"Marines! Fire Fist Ace cannot be allowed to escape. His brother, Straw Hat Luffy, grew up with Ace, and is the son of Revolutionary Dragon! Both of these pirates must be stopped here and now! Don't lose heart. They cannot leave this island!"
Shouts of support, shock, dismay, and denial rose from all around. Luffy grit his teeth and managed to push away from Ace enough to see a new wave of marines joining the fight. Once more he tried to move, but he only jerked to the side and messed up Ace's balance.
"Don't worry Lu. I've got you now. You can rest now, it's all going to be okay," Ace murmured.
"Liar." Luffy tried to retort, but it came out as a weak growl.
"Ace!" Someone with a loud voice called from in front of them. Luffy still couldn't see much with the way Ace was holding him, but the rubber-man felt Ace's breath catch.
"You guys…" Ace smothered a sniffle and shook his head. Luffy growled and focused on getting his stupid body to move again. First the dream slows him down, now it stops him from moving altogether. He just rescued Ace! How is he supposed to get him out of here alive if he can't even talk right!
"Straw Hat Boy!" Iva! Perfect. Luffy tried to call out to his friend, but he bet only Ace could hear him. Ace tensed up as the drag queen neared, but the fire-man had seen the purple afro fall from the sky with his little brother. "Ah. I see," the drag queen hummed when he got closer. "I warned you the hormones would only work for a short time, but it seems they wore off quite a bit sooner than I had calculated. You've overdone it Straw Hat Boy."
"No way." Luffy scowled. Then he grinned at his friend. "We're just getting started. Right, Iva?"
"Now now, don't worry Straw Hat Boy! You have done very well. You have rescued your brother and must rest. Your body cannot handle more than you have already put it through."
"What are you talking about!" Ace snapped. "What's wrong with Luffy?"
"Straw Hat Boy has gone to great lengths to rescue you Fire Fist Ace. His love for his brother has pushed himself well past his limits. When he was in Impel Down-"
Luffy finally managed to snap his arm out. Clutching on the magenta collar he had grabbed, Luffy glared at his friend. Ace didn't need to know this stuff. And they weren't out of danger yet. What was up with all this talking? The pirate captain needed them to fix this so he could make sure Ace got out of here!
"Iva! I still need to save Ace!" His friend's face scrunched in confusion.
"Straw Hat boy, you have saved Ace." Luffy tried to shake his head but it came out as a jerky wobble instead. The two had been running during the conversation but stopped when Luffy grabbed Iva. Now it felt like they were moving again, but he knew Ace was standing still. His vision blurred, but the pirate captain ignored it.
He tried once last time. "If Ace dies here," he breathed. "...after all I've done..." Luffy tried to put all his determination, the knowledge that the fight wasn't over with, and his desperate need to help into his eyes. His vision cleared and he locked that gaze with the revolutionary.
"I'd rather die!" He cried.
"Luffy! You rubber-brained idiot!" Ace screamed. His brother shifted him and all Luffy could see his older brother's angry face. "You can't say stuff like that!"
Iva seemed to agree. "You complete fool!" The revolutionary yelled. "I've told you before, if I let you die, I'll never be able to face Dragon again! No more Straw Hat Boy. Another injection could kill you!"
"What!" Ace pulled Luffy farther away from the purple haired revolutionary. "No way! What have you done to my little brother?" Ace put a few feet of distance between them and glared at Ivankov.
"Ace." Luffy's low voice was serious. Ace looked down again. "Iva saved me." The brother's eyes held an entire conversation. Ace looked back at the drag queen, a conflicted expression on his face. Sighing, the fire-man bowed as low as he could while holding on to Luffy.
"Thank you for taking care of my foolish little brother."
Iva tsked and waved away the thank you. "Your little brother did the most work. His determination is extraordinary." Ace stood back up and nodded, starting to retreat again.
"No!" Luffy cried, throwing all he had to stretch towards where he thought the drag queen was. His hand hit empty air and snapped back painfully. Ace swayed with the recoil but didn't stop.
"Lu-" Whatever Ace might have said was lost when pirates and marines alike cried out.
"Pops!" were the Whitebeard's cries of horror.
"Whitebeard is...!" the marines yelled in disbelief and awe. Ace's face snapped away from Luffy and gave a wordless cry at whatever he saw.
"They hit Pops!" Someone cried. Fire Fist took two steps in a new direction, then jerked back and stopped. He glanced down at Luffy. Growling, Ace turned back to the way they were going, picking up the pace.
"Ace! I need to get back to Iva. I have to fight-" Luffy choked off, coughing hard. Swallowing, he looked back up at Ace. His vision started to blur again. Shaking his head to clear it, Straw Hat growled.
"Stupid little brother. What are you talking about?" Ace grinned down at him. "You've grown a lot, but I'm still the older brother. I'll make sure we get out of this!"
Luffy closed his eyes against a wave pain that rushed over his body. His side was screaming. "No!" He cried, shoving his brother away. He barely felt when he crashed into the ground. When the world came back into focus, he realized he'd landed on his good side. Panting, the rubber-man pushed himself up, and met his brother's eyes.
"You've never been able-" Another coughing fit interrupted him. This time it didn't stop until a large blood clot hit the ground. He breathed deep while Ace frantically asked him if he was alright. The pirate captain glared at the 2nd division commander. "You've never been able to run from a fight. Not once."
The fire-man gaped at him for a moment. "Ace! I'm not losing you again!" Luffy cried. "I'll fight until I die or we're both out of here." Straw Hat's vision grayed out again and he was barely able to catch himself from crashing back to the ground. He clenched his fists and bit his lip to bring back his focus.
The pirate captain pushed himself up again, gazing around for Iva. With his body like this, he couldn't do anything without his friend's help. A ship was nearby, almost blocking out the sight of Whitebeard fighting a horde of marines. Before he could find the revolutionary, he felt Ace's hand ruffling his hair.
"Why are you making things so much more difficult?" Fire Fist grumbled. Luffy glanced at him, watching Ace pinch his forehead. "You're being such an idiot! I know you're strong. You rescued me, didn't you? Haven't you done enough?"
The rubber-man shook his head. "No." Ace met his gaze again. "I'm not watching you die protecting me. I won't let it happen. Not one more time!" This dream was turning out like all the others. Luffy refused to see it end like the others. It was his dream. He could do what he wanted.
Just as he turned away to look for Iva again, Luffy heard his brother whisper one last phrase. "I'm sorry, Lu." Then a fist crashed down on his head, sending him back to the ground and into total darkness.
Author's Note:
So Ace was rescued, but he can still die, right? And those worried about Whitebeard, remember he got injured several times before he actually died. Poor Luffy.
Also – no update likely this week after this. I've got to decide which route I'll take for the next two chapters and after chapter 6, the rest is only outlined.
Reader Responses (1/25/2021):
Louve3 – I don't think Luffy can go back. If he was pushed again by Kuma, would he end up in his own time or be pushed to an alternative timeline? But your questions is right on track with my original thoughts when I first read time travel fics. Luffy would never settle for copies of his nakama. I could only see him living in that time with the goal to get back to his real nakama.
frightener-boy – Yeah, I see your point. The original reason of this fanfiction was to see if I could plausibly put Luffy back in time since he would never choose to – and then explore what Luffy would do if he was back in time. I think he would choose to save Ace for certain, but that doesn't life will always go his way. Hence, debating if Ace should be destined to die and if Luffy could make it through it a second time or not vs. saving Ace and figuring out how that would affect everything.
Would Marines be more pro-active in chasing both boys if they didn't at least kill one of them? If I killed Whitebeard, would that be enough? The leftover Whitebeards failed to win when attacking Blackbeard after Marineford in the original two years, so would having Ace change anything? Would Luffy join that battle if he didn't want to go back to the island to train for another 2 years? So many possibilities and I'm not sure which one to chose now that I've accomplished my original goal when writing this. Glad to hear your thoughts, it helps!
Lolobugga1 – Thanks for the vote! As a fan, I'm leaning that way as well. It seems silly to go through all this and not save Ace, but that tragedy is also very tempting to write. (See my thoughts in frightener-boy)
N1cok – You're right. Haki would basically translate to willpower. It's an innate power. The series explains it is mostly will and talent. But they also seem to state that just because you can use it, doesn't mean you don't have to train it to use it effectively. They outright tell you training will make haki stronger. But how much is mental and how much is physical training?
I think Luffy can automatically use all three haki in his younger body because he has plenty of willpower and the memories of using it. I personally believe his younger body would not be used those powers as he would remember his older body reacted to using them.
I also figure he must have built up body endurance over 2 years so he can apply armament faster, for a longer period of time, and cover more of his body. Especially when in giant mode – that's a lot of space to cover. Not to mention the unique way he uses it for Gear 4. And would building up muscle also affect the Armament, amplifying the strength his body has?
He might be able to sense the attacks with observational haki, but his younger body's speed and reflexes may not be able to keep up with the information he observes.
Conqueror's haki was obviously powerful when he used it originally, but I bet it takes practice to aim it and use different degrees of the power. I bet Luffy would have the easiest use of this in his younger body, but his body might not be used to the strain of using it so it would tire him out faster than he remembers.
ChunkyFunkyMunky – In the original work, it was called Gomu Gomu Fruit. The Japanese word gomu can mean rubber or gum. But Luffy's powers are rubber, so the correct translation would be Rubber Rubber. However, the dub translation team probably agreed that Rubber Rubber sounded bad, so they call it Gum Gum. I just hate Gum Gum as well because it's not like Luffy is made of gum. True, natural rubber is from a plant similar to plant gum. But from my understanding tree rubber is what it is called when it's physical properties are like rubber. Tree gum is what it is called when it's more like glue. The name of the devil fruit has great impact on the powers you get, so calling a rubber powered fruit a gum fruit just doesn't settle right for me, even if you can twist it to fit.