'Italics' – DenDen Call
'italics underline' Hallucination talking
"Bold Italics" – Kings Haki
Ace leaned back against the trees and cast his gaze to the night sky, the fire crackled merrily sending sparks up to blend in with the stars like fireflies. A soft smile pulled at his lips as he heard the familiar laugh drift on the wind, rebounding off the trees.
"Ace!" Luffy giggled as he tumbled into the clearing hat askew, a wide grin on his face.
Ace grinned wide, basking in the love and joy that reflected in his baby brothers' eyes, hand reaching out for Luffy to join him. "Luffy!"
The grin grew wider as Luffy fell into his embrace and snuggled in close like they did when they were children, like when Ace would tell him stories after he had nightmares of Sabo's death and the terminal fire.
"Ace needs to sleep more," Luffy murmured as he snuggled deeper into his embrace, pulling a huff of laughter from Ace.
"What are you talking about Lu, I have been," Ace replied with a chuckle, running his hand through Luffy's hair.
Luffy huffed and sat up, turning to look at Ace with an uncommon frown. "But you haven't, you aren't."
Confusion swept through Ace at that. "Wh–what do you mean?"
"You promised you'd take care of yourself when you left nii-can, but you aren't." Luffy's voice was tinged with disappointment and sadness, causing Ace to stiffen and sit up, eyes never leaving his brother.
A whole sense of wrong slithered up his spine and Ace took the clearing in with new eyes. It was familiar in a way that it shouldn't be because he knew this clearing, knew it like the back of his hand. It was the one that he and his brothers trained in, the one with the clearest view of the sky because of how many trees they had cleared with said training.
It was a place that no longer existed.
"I'm dreaming." He whispered in agony, tears pooling in his eyes as he stared at Luffy who now sat cross-legged before him. It was a familiar feeling now, this dream. Except, instead of Luffy, it was usually Sabo. "You're dead."
Luffy's eyes were sad, big things that bore into his very soul. "I am. You need to wake up Ace."
"No," Ace whimpered, begged, he didn't want to. He hadn't dreamt of Luffy since he was told about Dawn and hadn't been able to hug his brother for longer than that but here, in this place, in this dream, he was with his Otouto.
He never wanted to leave Luffy again, didn't want to wake up and return to reality.
"Yes, you need to wake up now Ace-nii. You can't stay." Luffy stated seriously, hands coming up to grasp Ace's own. "Wake up nii-chan before it's too late."
"I can't lose you again, please," Ace begged, grasping the ghost of his brother in desperation.
Luffy sighed and cupped Ace's face, thumb brushing away the tear that spilled over and further driving home the point that this wasn't his brother, that this was all a dream or even a narcoleptic attack. Because his brother was never this gentle, would never hold his face like this.
It only made his heart ache further.
"Wake up Ace! There's danger near, you need to wake up." Luffy's voice was urgent, grip almost painful. "WAKE UP!"
Ace jolted awake with a lurch, stomach heaving as he held in the scream of Luffy's name, hand outstretched grasping for a ghost only in his memory. Bleary eyes scanned the empty deck of the Moby, the moon was full and washed the deck in a silvery light. It was silent except for the waves lapping at the sides as they sailed through the sea, the wind flapping the sails.
'Ace, hurry!' Luffy's voice echoed faintly in his mind that had him up, his eyes catching the tuft of black hair and the familiar gold of straw race around the corner.
He was up and on his feet in a blink, heart hammering in his chest as he rushed after the image of his brother, desperate with hope that it was real and not an illusion. He tore around the corner with the hope of catching his brother only to stumble into a nightmare.
"FIRE FIST!" He roared and let his flames fly the moment he saw Teach - ragerageragebetrayalbetrayalTRAITOR! – plunge a knife into Thatch's back. He surged forward as Teach dodged and dove over the edge of the ship and Ace screamed his rage as the bastard escaped.
The copper stench of blood had Ace snapping out of his rage, head whipping around, and a whine escaped his lips at the sight. He dropped to his knees, hands going to staunch the blood that was leaking out of his ship brother, his fireflies flickering up into the air and exploding to draw the attention of whoever was awake.
Thatch needed help, he was dying, and Ace wasn't going to allow that, not again… he wasn't there to save Luffy but by the seas, he was here now and he could help Thatch. Then… then when he knew Thatch was okay, he was going to hunt the bastard that tried to kill someone that was his.
"ACE!" Izou screamed as he dropped to his knees, ripping the sleeves of his kimono, and screaming for someone to grab Whisky.
Hands grabbed at Ace, tried to pull him away from Thatch, trying to remove his hands from the wound but he fought them, teeth snapping and snarling, don't they know, can't they see? His hands were the only thing keeping the blood in and it needed to stay in. If he removed his hands then Thatch will die, and he can't… he can't…
"…CE it's okay Whisky's got him; you can let go." Marco's voice broke through the fog, blue flames swirling around them and bringing Ace back from the brink of insanity and ferality.
A cry escaped his lips as he fell back into Marco's embrace, body going limp as he watched Whisky and her team take Thatch away. His vision blurred as he let the tears free, heart aching fiercely as his eyes locked onto the vision of Luffy standing off to the side, a smile on his face… he reached out to the spirit, his cry growing louder as his brothers' image vanished on the wind, leaving him bereft.
Panicked voices buzzed around him as he curled in Marco's arms, hands clutching tight as he screamed and sobbed, as he broke. Demands for answers, what happened, Ace are you okay? Who did this? Please! But Ace couldn't answer, not now, not yet, not till he could pull himself together once more.
What felt like hours had passed until Ace became aware once again, he blinked blearily and realised he was in the medical wing, his own bed next to Thatch who was lying next to him hooked up to every machine they had. Panic surged in him at the view, and he jolted forward, stopping when the giant hand of his Oyaji caught him, dark eyes peering at him sadly.
Confusion was brief as Ace's brain finally started to catch up. He could feel the familiar drain of Sea Stone, the pinch and itch of an IV in his arm and the tell-tale signs of a migraine. "Oyaji?"
"Son." Newgate breathed in relief. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was having a nightmare… I think?" Ace swallowed as he recalled the dream. "Luffy… I was dreaming of Luffy and he told me to wake up… told me that there was danger. When I woke I saw him… I saw him… and I followed when I rounded the corner I saw Teach."
The wash of Haki the flooded out of him at that had Newgate raising his brows, hand coming down to soothe his youngest son. His own Haki washing over him in a steady calmcalmcalm but he was anything but, he was furious beyond words and means.
Ace's hands clenched tight around the edges of the bed, crushing the frame. "He was standing over Thatch with the dagger, I saw him rip it out… I… I think I got him with my Hiken but he got away with the fruit. I couldn't let Thatch die, couldn't let another brother die. Is he… is he going to be okay? How long have I been asleep? Did I hurt anyone?"
"Calm my son, calm." Newgate soothed. "Thatch will be alright, you got to him in time. He'll be on bed rest for a while, but he will live. It's been a day, Marco had to knock you out, you were hurting yourself."
That would explain the cuff and the migraine.
His eyes scanned the room critically, looking over every surface that he could see for any hint of his brother. He knew now that the image of Luffy was a side effect of his narcolepsy, he can recall now what the doctors in Foosha told him after Sabo's death when it got bad.
This was of course months of seeing his dead brother.
But Sabo was alive now and Luffy… Luffy had taken his place.
"I'm going after Teach, he betrayed the family Oyaji, and he was under my command," Ace stated firmly, fury starting to bubble up once more. "I won't let him get away with this."
"Ace, no, we will find him, but you need to rest," Newgate stated firmly but he knew there would be no stopping him, not with that familiar gleam in his eye.
It was one he was familiar with and had only encountered a handful of times. Ace may look like his father, may look like Roger but Ace was Hibiscus Rouge in temperament. Stubborn and strong-willed, anger that burned like wildfire and would hunt down anyone who hurt those that were hers relentlessly.
"No, I won't allow this." Ace gritted out as he ripped out the IV.
Newgate sighed and let him go, holding off his daughters as they went to stop him. It would only cause more pain, only cause Ace to leave in the dead of night and he would rather Ace leave with supplies than nothing. He got to his feet and ordered one of his sons to gather a few things for their brother and to set up his Striker.
"Be safe my son, check in regularly—daily," Newgate ordered firm as he and Marco stood on the deck, looking down at Ace who was finishing up on loading.
Marco sighed. "Don't make me have to call Shanks and Sabo to find you, because I will and then I will make you do all my paperwork when you get back in revenge."
Ace chuckled as he untied Striker, "I promise. I won't let him get away with this, I'll bring him back but I'll be safe."
Both Marco and Newgate watched Ace vanish on the horizon, both with a pit in their stomach. Newgate hoped he had done the right thing, hoped that this would help Ace. Marco just hoped that he wouldn't push himself too hard, that he wouldn't let the dark thoughts win and the guilt consume him.
They both hoped they wouldn't regret this decision.
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The small town that Ace had stopped at, the one that was closest to where the Moby was, was deathly silent. The only noise that seemed to come from the tiny port town was the bar, which was fitting.
There was no sign of Teach, which was alarming and aggravating because there was no other island near that the bastard could have stopped at. Ace knew he didn't have supplies, or well he assumed the bastard didn't have time to gather any and he would be burnt as well.
Yet he had searched this entire island and there was no sign of him.
A growl escaped his lips as he came to a stop in front of a bounty board, his eyes catching sight of his own as well as a few others of Pop's fleet. He chuckled as he saw the rare one of Marco and pulled it free, tucking it into his pants pocket to give to Pops later because it was rare to find Marco's bounty.
He went to turn, only something caught his eye hidden under a flyer of something else, a familiar jowl of a sea king. His hand came up and pulled the paper free and Ace couldn't help but freeze as he took in the image before him and the name below it.
King Tamer
The image was blurry but still easily viewable, but Ace could make out someone standing on top of the Sea King's head, a red straw hat on their head and a mask hiding their face.
He had never dialled Sabo's denden number fast enough.
'Ace? Are you alright?' Sabo's voice was sleep-filled and though Ace would feel bad about it he couldn't, not with this. 'Marco called me two days ago about what happened, if you need…"
"Sabo what do you know about King Tamer." Ace interrupted his brother firmly.
There was a ruffle of Sabo getting up followed by a yawn. 'What?'
"Sabo, I'm currently looking at a bounty of a boy riding a sea king with a 200 million bounty wearing a straw hat," Ace stressed fingers crumpling the edges of the paper. "Remember what Shanks told us, about King giving Luffy a tone dial?"
'Give me a second.' Sabo was wide awake now. Ace listened as the sounds of papers were shuffled through and then a muttered curse as something broke. 'How did I miss this?'
Blinking in confusion Ace frowned at the muttered curses. "Sabo?"
'A month ago, Koala and Hack went on a mission to intercept a slave ship, I was elsewhere, or I would have been with them.' Sabo explained as he read over the report. 'When they got there the slaves were already free, the slave traders already dealt with and locked away in the cells. Koala spoke to the boy; he didn't give his name just said he was only here for his friends… a mink and two boys. Two called him Straw Hat… his bounty came out a day later as King Tamer when he attacked the marine shipped dispatched to the incident as the ship was bound for the holy…"
"Sabo…" Ace managed to choke out as his brother trailed off. "What if this is who was with Luffy after I left? Who gave the tone dial to our brother, so we have a recording of his laugh… of his voice… that he loves us?"
'I'll look into it, I swear it Ace, we will find him.' Sabo's voice was filled with determination. 'I'll inform Shanks…"
"And I'll keep an eye out for him on my hunt for Teach. If you get any information on him, even a whisper, can…"
Sabo interrupted him with ease. 'Of course, Ace. Go get some sleep okay, I'll see you in a month for Luffy's birthday, right?'
"Absolutely." Ace choked out watery, wishing his brother a good night before hanging up, his eyes never leaving the bounty.
I have so much to thank you for…
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Ace choked down the sob as he jolted awake once more, Luffy's name on his lips. He dreamt that he was running back on Dawn, his brother just out of reach and no matter how fast Ace ran he could never catch up, could never catch a glimpse of him.
'Ace is being stupid again.' His head whipped around to stare at his little brother who was swinging upside down from the sail.
"How am I being stupid?" He asked knowing he shouldn't reply, knowing that this image was just a figment of his imagination but there was no way in any world or lifetime that Ace wouldn't speak to his brother.
Luffy just stared at him unimpressed, driving it in further that it wasn't his brother. 'Because you're pushing yourself too much. You need sleep Ace-nii, you need a break, you need to stop ignoring the DenDen.'
A wince flickered across Ace's face at the accusation. He had been ignoring the DenDen calls for the last week, had been dodging Sabo's own relentless hunt for him, barely. He knew that Sabo was trying to find him, he knew Shanks had been trying to call him as well as Pops and everyone else.
But as the days passed and the trail of Blackbeard led him into paradise, as the trail grew cold… Ace's desperation grew more frantic, more obsessive. He knew he started to forsake sleeping and eating, barely even stopping most days on the islands he came across. He knew he was being reckless, careless…
He was just so tired.
'You need to stop Ace, rest please. Answer the Den Den' Luffy whispered sadly and vanished within a blink.
Peru-peru-peru
Ace snapped his head down to the snail that rested at the base of the mast, Sabo's scowl and scar peering back at him. With a sigh he let his flames die and took a seat, answering the call with trepidation.
'Ace! Where are you, are you okay? I've been worried sick; I haven't been able to find you and even Shanks and Marco don't know where you are.' Ace stared at the DenDen in bewilderment at the tone Sabo was using. He had expected yelling, not this.
"'Bo, 'Bo I'm okay… I'm okay, I promise." Ace stammered out and tried to reassure his brother. "I'm in Paradise."
'Paradise?' Sabo asked bewildered. 'The last known location I had of you was still in the New World. No, never mind, where have you been!? Do you know how worried we've been!?'
Ah, there is the anger… "I'm okay, I'm sorry Sabo… I… I've been trying to hunt this traitor and it isn't going well. I didn't think Teach was capable of vanishing like this and… I'm sorry I haven't been answering. But I'm okay, I promise."
The silence that followed had Ace on edge, his eyes snapping from the horizon to the DenDen in his hands with his entire focus. Tears had begun to silently stream down the snail's eyes and that only furthered to cause him to panic. "Sabo?"
'Ace, it's been weeks since we've heard from you… do you… do you even know what day it is?' Sabo choked out softly.
"…No?" Ace drawled slowly with a furrow as he tried to recollect the date, his heart hammered when Sabo just remained silent, and his breath became short bursts. "It's the end of April, right? Sabo… please tell me it's April."
'It's June, Ace…" Sabo confessed, and Ace felt his world shatter.
"No, no, no, no!" Ace choked out in a panicked cry, flames igniting and sending the Striker bursting forward. He turned it towards Reverse Mountain
He forgot Luffy's birthday, the most important one… His little brother would have been seventeen and would have set sail to finally start his adventure and goal of becoming Pirate King. He had promised Sabo and Shanks that he would be there to share a toast in his little brother's memory and he… he was so consumed by his hunt that he… he forgot… he didn't even realise.
A scream tore from his lips as the wind whipped past him. He failed… he was a horrible brother for forgetting, how could he do this? Luffy was one of the most important people in his life and he swore he would never forget the day his Otouto was born. That he would never not be celebrated like he was… and after, well after, Ace swore that oath again and he broke that.
Sobs tore at his throat with his screams, his fire dying as he collapsed in on himself, arms wrapping around his head. Luffy, Luffy I'm sorry… I failed you again… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…
'Ace! ACE! AAAACE!' Sabo's voice screamed repeatedly. 'Listen nii-chan it's okay… it's okay! You're not a failure okay, you didn't fail Luffy. Ace breathe, please… it's okay…"
"It—it's not okay Sabo…" Ace choked out through his tears. "It's not."
Sabo choked down his own sob at hearing Ace's broken voice. 'Where are you? I'll come to you okay, please Ace.'
"I–I don't know… I think I'm near Drum…" Ace replied once he checked the log pose on his wrist.
'Okay, look, meet me in Alabasta. We can go to Dawn and look for King together." Sabo ordered his twin. 'Don't make me hunt you down like a mark, Ace, okay?'
"Okay."
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The desperation to get to Alabasta was high once he had stopped in Drum to gather some supplies and a top up on his medication because if Sabo knew he ran out in the middle of the ocean with only his skiff then… well there would be no rest for him in hell, cause Sabo was going to kill him.
Though his stay there was brief, it had sparked hope in his chest that he had tried to smother since his talk with Dalton.
" One last thing before I go, have you seen one of these people?" He had asked, holding out the bounties for King Tamer and Teach.
Dalton's eyes widened as he looked at them, eyes snapping up and narrowing. "I know and have seen both. What do you want with them? Blackbeard came and destroyed this island if you are with him…"
" This one." He held up the poster of Teach, a sneer on his lips. "Betrayed our crew and I've tasked myself to bring him back for judgment."
" And what exactly do you want with Mugiwara no Anka?" Dalton asked sharply, a tone of protective suspicion but Ace's heart lurched in his chest.
Swallowing he held the bounty of King Tamer up. "Did… did you call him Mugiwara no Anka? You… you know his name?"
Dalton stared at him, hand clenching around the weapon in his hand. "Why do you want to know first? He saved this island only a few days ago and we owe him much, if you've come to…"
" No, he…" Ace swallowed. "My brother died and he… my family and I owe him a debt, I wish to thank him… without his help, we never would have… He gave my brother a tone dial so we have his voice forever now. We only know him as King though."
The harsh edge in Dalton's eyes softened. "He didn't give his full name, but his crew called him Anka… Here take this, it's the newest bounty of him. We didn't know he was the Liberator when he saved us, but it would explain his prowess with Haki which I found odd as he was from East Blue. They were heading to Alabasta."
Ace took the newest bounty in his hand with a jolt, rubbing his eyes in disbelief because though the bounty in front of him was a clearer picture, he could swear that the boy in it was his brother. But the hair was black, and he couldn't see half his face because of the trident blocking it, but Ace did see the smattering of burns that stood stark against tanned skin, his eyes hard under the shade of the red straw.
Mugiwara no Anka
45,000,000
Anka… Anchor… Luffy…
It would have to be a coincidence, perhaps King had decided to honour Luffy… it would have to be the only explanation and it made Ace wonder, how close was this King to his brother for him to take up a name that meant so much to so many people.
Determination set in as he pushed his flames harder, he was days behind them, he was so close.
Regret was heavy on Ace's shoulders as he staggered through the desert, his throat was parched and though the heat didn't bother him because of his fruit, he had run and fought from one place to another with little food and even little sleep.
He knew that he had to meet Sabo here somewhere but there was a war between the Resistance and the government, against a warlord. Ace had dodged the attacks since getting here, keeping his head low and Pops' mark covered because the last thing he wanted to do was for someone to suspect Pops was part of this.
That was the plan till he saw Luffy, He was running with a laugh tossed over his shoulder, red hair glinting in the sun like a warning to others but like home to Ace… and well, Ace followed out of muscle memory and instinct because though it may be another hallucination… every time he saw his brother it led him to places.
Places he needed to be… and Sabo was here.
He followed his brother's ghost into the desert, his brother's laughter, and his voice on the wind. He didn't stop looking, didn't stop searching even when the sounds of war died down in the distance, even when the rain came, even when the sound of his brother's laughter and voice vanished.
"LUFFY!" He screamed himself hoarse calling for his brother, begging the sands, the wind, the universe for his brother. "Luffy, please! Please Otouto, please!"
He kept going till he collapsed, his body curling up against the rock formation as tears trailed down his cheeks. Ace curled inwards, hands tangling into his hair and tugging sharply. He was so tired, so very tired and he just wanted it all to end… he wanted his brothers. He wanted Luffy to come barrelling at him with a wide smile and a laugh, slamming into him with a hug.
With shaking hands, he pulled his blanket free from the bag, wrapping it around him and curled up in the scent of his brother. He ignored the Den Den that had been ringing for… he couldn't recall how long for the moment as night fell. He knew Sabo was worried and a pang shot through him but Ace… Ace was tired. He just wanted it all to stop…
His eyes turned skyward to the stars that were starting to peek out through the smattering of clouds. Heart aching stronger as he sees a shooting star, childishly wishing for something he couldn't have. Wishing it wasn't Luffy who was taken, wish it wasn't true, wish that the universe took him first.
What I wouldn't do to have one more day, one more chance to say that I love you, just five more minutes by your side and laugh like we used to Luffy…
Ace was terrified of the day when he forgot the sound of his brothers' laugh, the way his smile seemed to light up the forest. That he would forget the way his brother shouted his attacks and did all he could to make Ace laugh. He's worried that he'll forget that his brother loved him and he revert back to the way he was before… an Ace in a world where he didn't know the love of a brother.
Sabo… his mind supplied hazily, reminding him he still had one. Reminding him that he still had a reason to live and continue onward.
Time passed strangely, the world darkening as he collapsed inward further, body shutting down in the familiar way of an attack, leaving him exposed.
He felt someone gather him up and begin to carry him, his mind still hazy as they tucked the blanket around him tighter. The familiar scent of safety, home… Ocean Breeze and fresh rain in the forest, sunshine, Luffy.
Oh, it was one of these hallucinations. It wasn't often that Ace had sensory ones besides visual and sound… but maybe it was because the blanket was still wrapped tightly around him.
No, he could feel the warmth of another being, feel and hear the steady thump of a heart under his ear as someone tucked his head under their own. Though he couldn't open his eyes, his senses told him he was safe, that nothing would harm him here and he continued to drift because Sabo had him. Sabo found him.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Captain? You're still injured." A voice murmured low, one that was unrecognisable but worried.
A soft hum filled his ear, "it's better I carry Ace just in case he comes too. He won't hurt me and I'm healed enough for this."
What… Luffy? Ace's mind was struggling to comprehend but he could hear Luffy's voice, feel the vibrations under his ear.
"That may be so Luffy, but he still thinks you're dead…" The voice from before explained and Ace fought harder against the mental bindings keeping him trapped. "He may hurt you by accident Captain."
He wanted to snarl at the voice, snarl, and spit that he would never hurt his brother, not ever, he would rather die. A whine escaped his lips causing the conversation to halt, his heart hammering as he struggled to wake, only to melt as he felt fingers run through his hair comfortingly… a smile pressed into his crown.
"Rest nii-chan, let your Otouto look after you for once. I've got you, you're safe, sleep." The voice of a ghost whispered to him and dragged him back under.
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Waking up was instantaneous, his eyes snapping open and his heart hammering as he realised a few things. One he was not where he should be, the last he remembered was collapsing in the desert and two, he was on a ship.
He could hear unfamiliar voices talking, four voices to be exact and muffled from behind the closed door. Flames threatened to burst from him but he could feel Luffy's blanket covering him and that was something he would never risk burning.
There was someone in the room though, someone that wasn't Sabo because Sabo would be ranting at him the moment his eyes snapped open. With a swallow, his hand inched towards his dagger as he turned his head, breath hitching in his chest as his eyes landed on the figure.
Luffy sat before him, chin dropped to his chest as it always did when he fell asleep sitting up. He drank in the image of his brother, a clear view of him for the first time in days. Luffy was older, his red hair longer and the more Ace looked, the more he saw. There was a vivid burn scar that matched Sabo's that ran down from his chin to his chest. He could see a scar curve over the top of one shoulder and finishing under Luffy's familiar red vest, all of those wounds were old.
Wait… old? He thought in shock as he jolted up, eyes wide.
Luffy shuffled and Ace held his breath, he didn't want this dream to end… but was it a dream?
A flash of colour caught his attention as Luffy settled once more, arms dropping to his sides as a soft snore escaped him, revealing his torso. Fond exasperation flickered across him as he saw that Luffy still wore his vest open… no focus… shaking his head Ace finally caught what drew his attention in the first place.
There on his little brother's chest was a tattoo, something familiar in a way he had seen all the things separately in his life. Shanks's Jolly Roger wearing a straw hat, his fiery spade from his own Jolly Roger behind it and two pipes as the crossbones.
It was a tattoo of all of them, Shanks, Sabo, Ace.
But what also caught his attention was the fresh bandages across his stomach, and a familiar straw hat resting on his knee.
"Luffy…" Ace choked out jolting the illusion before him. Maybe he finally lost it, maybe he finally died and joined his brother.
The Luffy hallucination jolted, body jerking as he woke and caught himself, hazy black eyes blinking repeatedly till they saw that Ace was awake and lit up. Though the joy lingered soon it was replaced by a familiar pout, an unhappy one that had Ace's heart clenching. "You promised you'd take care of yourself when you left nii-can, but you aren't. Looking after yourself means not collapsing in a desert with no food and water!"
Ace jolted, stomach dropping at the words. The very same ones that Dream-Luffy had stated long ago on the same night Thatch was attacked. More proof that this was indeed a hallucination. "No, this… this is another hallucination, you're going to vanish again, and I can't… I can't take it anymore. It's killing me, Lu. It hurts that I can't reach out and hug you."
In a blink Ace found himself wrapped up in a tight hug, a familiar hug that felt more like a constrictor that a hug. Luffy's arms and legs had wrapped around him multiple times, face buried in the junction of his neck, breath tickling his bare skin.
Shaking hands came up to wrap around his brother, pressing firmly when the body under his hands felt solid, real, alive.
"Lu?" The word was a whispered plea of desperation, one dangerously close to hope. "You—you're alive?"
Luffy pulled back enough to stare at him, his dark eyes. "I am Ace-nii, I'm here okay, I'm here big brother."
This time it was Ace's turn to squeeze his brother tightly, sobs breaking out from him as he held his little brother, his very much alive little brother.
Thankyouthankyouthankyou his mind chanted to the universe. Thank you for bringing him back to me.
A loud curse sounded followed by a bang before the door to the medical room they were in was kicked open. Ace acted instantly, turning, and unwinding Luffy, dropping to the balls of his feet from the bed with bared teeth and arms full of flames.
He will not let anyone harm Luffy, not when Ace just found him.
The figure in the doorway stepped through and into the light, the clatter of Sabo's pipe dropping to the floor as he took in the scene before him. Gloved hand coming up to muffled the sob that threatened to escape.
"Luffy?"
A soft shishishi rented the air as Luffy draped himself over Ace's back and grinned at his other brother. "Hi Sabo. I'm so happy to see you, now I have both my brothers with me again!"
It took no less than a heartbeat for Sabo to stagger over and yank both of them into a hug, home, he and Ace were home.
Luffy was alive…
Author Note: SO! This was swimming in my head all day, originally was the alt version of the original Ace chapter but now this is what it is because this lore feels better!
Also this will remain on CH 8 till I catch up with Ocean Blessed side of the story, as I need to know where that is going to write the last chapter for Shanks.