Chapter Text
In the chaos of war, the smoke was filled with vapors of blood and tears. Amid clashing swords and grenades, screams of anguish echoed. Men of all colors were divided into two groups, fighting for one absolute goal: victory. The carefully plotted war was taking too many lives to save just one, the one who holds the legacy of the late Pirate King. The one who had no choice in his birth, who had carried hatred since the day he was born, and who is still searching for the answer to his existence: Portgas D. Ace.
The Marines had everything well planned in their own territory, Marineford. They had top-notch equipment and resources, along with the powerhouses of the Admirals and Vice Admirals. Thousands of men stood against the strongest man alive, Whitebeard. Ailing but unyielding, Whitebeard entered the warzone to save his son. Yet even with their strength, his crew was falling behind against the overwhelming might of the Marines. The commanders, no matter how powerful, could not fight the whole war alone. The perfect plan of the Marines appeared impenetrable, and triumph was about to be celebrated.
But the victorious Marines never expected a crack in their meticulously planned future. The unpredictable young pirate, the torchbearer of the future, the one who ate a Devil Fruit yet was never hated by the sea. The pirate, who had only begun his journey a few months ago, was already making miracles wherever he went. The ever-grinning, round-eyed, naïve dreamer, Monkey D. Luffy, who wanted nothing more than to be the freest man on the seas. With his crash into the war, the Marines’ cocoon of control shattered. He changed the direction of the battle, giving the Whitebeards a new spark of hope. The fallen men rose again, running with renewed vigor to save their second commander.
The chained Ace, sitting beside his grandfather Garp the Fist, felt helpless as his crewmates fell one after another. And when his younger brother crashed into the war, fear gripped him. He bit his lips hard as memories bombarded him. For the first time in this entire nightmare, Ace wanted to break free, not to fight, but to hide his little brother behind him, as he always had. He hissed and shouted every time a punch landed on Luffy’s body, every time a blade slashed his rubbery arms. He wished he could protect his brother in his embrace like when they were children. He wished he could stop time and wrap his sunshine in safety. He wished he could turn back time and hold his Luffy close so no one could ever hurt him.
Ace had promised to live his life without regrets, yet regret consumed him now. His brother was bleeding, looking like the walking dead, and his eyes never left him. He shouted at Luffy to leave, but has Luffy ever listened? The stubborn little idiot would follow him even if the destination was death. And in that moment, Ace finally saw it clearly: he was loved, he was wanted, his existence was cherished. Now, all he wanted was to hold his brother, cry, and tell him how sorry he was, that even when Luffy showered him with love and care, he still kept searching for an answer. And he realized then, he was even more foolish than his baby brother.
While Ace was lost in those thoughts, Luffy pulled off another miracle, snatching him right under the nose of the Fleet Admiral and dashing toward the Whitebeards. The hoots and shouts around him made Ace realize he was unchained. His eyes met his brother’s, tears misting as he saw Luffy’s own eyes filled with tears and a smile that rivaled the sun. Side by side, they fought with practiced determination, desperate to leave this hellhole and breathe air untainted by blood, tears, and death. They wanted to lie on the sand and bask in the sun, to eat their ever-favorite crocodiles, to hold each other and admit how scared and sorry they were.
But things never go as planned. The hot-headed Ace found himself standing in front of the lava Admiral, selfishly taking the fight because he dared to provoke Whitebeard. All the sacrifices made up to this point fell into the background as he burned with the need to defend Whitebeard’s honor. In his desperation, he left behind his vulnerable brother, who had fought tooth and nail, God knows how long, to reach him. His brother, who looked as if he had lost everything just to set him free. By the time reason returned, it was already too late.
The cunning Admiral wanted nothing more than to give Ace the cruelest torture: to make him watch the person he lived for die before his eyes. He wanted him to feel dread and despair in their purest form. As the Admiral moved to strike Luffy down, adrenaline surged through Ace’s body. He did what he had always done, shielding Luffy in his embrace. The scorching lava fist struck his back, and time stopped. Literally.