Warnings: AU, language, OoC characters, child abuse & drug abuse (possible trigger warnings), human experimentation, character death, drama

Notes: SaboLu brotherly, possible hinted AceLu romantic (you really gotta squint for it), *104 degrees Fahrenheit is 40 degrees Celsius, may contain factually incorrect information/things are assumed for the sake of plot, irmão means brother

Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns anything related to One Piece but I own my plot and words!

I Don't Want to be Super Human

Thatch stared down at the teen before him as a light snowfall fell around them. The teen was very underdressed for such conditions, and his breath made puffs in front of his face. He was short, clothes worn and tattered. A straw hat hung from a string around his neck and a scar under his left eye stood out, prominent in the moonlight. He was thin, dirty, and covered in scrapes and bruises.

Thatch had just been attacked by some idiotic teens, who were now lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Thatch could have easily taken them down, but before he could move, this kid came out of nowhere, fists flying, and saved the man. He was confused as to why, though.

"Nah, Mister, can I have some money? I'm really hungry." Thatch stared, blinked, and then burst out in hysterical laughter. The teen just looked at him, utterly confused, growing angrier by the second. "I'm being serious! I need some money! I'm starving!" It practically came out as a whine even though he was shouting loudly, his voice echoing on the empty street along the shoreline.

"If you're that hungry, I'm heading somewhere with a lot of food right now. I can give you some food there," Thatch said, looking at the young teen with a grin on his face. The teen looked at him with a look of surprise before he glared, crossing his arms.

"Can I just have some money?"

"I don't have any money on me right now, kid."

"Eh?" The teen whined and then flushed as his stomach growled loudly.

"My offer still stands." Thatch said, beginning to walk away. The teen looked at him, frustrated as he began to walk away, but his stomach growled again. Grumbling to himself, he ran after the man, telling him to wait up.

"So, Thatch, who's the kid eating my ham sandwich?"

Thatch looked up and his brown eyes met gray. It was one of his friends and his coworker, Portgas D. Ace. He looked absolutely livid as he looked over at the younger teen. The boy just stuck his tongue out at him and took another large bite. Thatch chuckled.

"Dunno his name, but he beat up some thugs who tried to mug me and he was hungry. Your sandwich didn't have a chance, Ace."

Ace glared at the teen, who glowered right back at him.

"'s ma' sam'ch n'w," The teen growled as he chewed. Aces eyebrow twitched as he crossed his arms. Thatch could tell he was holding back from punching the younger teen.

"You can make yourself another one, Ace," Marco said, walking into the room. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, pulling it out and shutting the door, leaning against it. "It's not like we don't have enough food to feed a small army here."

"I know, but I was really looking forward to eating that sandwich! I got it from the Baratie this morning! The Baratie, Marco!"

"That sucks."

"You have absolutely no sympathy for me, do you."

Marco took a gulp of his beer. "I feel more inclined to laugh than to feel pity for you over a sandwich."

Ace just glared at his friend. "The Baratie," He hissed out, staring at the teen again. He had just finished off the sandwich and was licking the crumbs from his fingers. "So, who are you?"

The teen looked up at him, glaring and growing tense. He backed up into his chair. "What's it to ya?"

"I would just like to know who ate my sandwich so I can cuss you out properly," Ace replied, serious and sarcastic all at once. Marco rolled his eyes while Thatch chuckled.

"What's got Ace blowing his top?" A woman – Haruta – walked in and opened a cabinet, pulling out a box of cookies before sitting on the counter.

"You can hear his yells down the hall," A man with a black mustache and a hairy chest (his shirt wasn't buttoned all the way) walked in, leaning on the wall next to Marco.

"He's just upset cause this kid here ate his sandwich and won't tell him his name."

All of them looked at the teen, who looked increasingly more hostile. It caused Ace to blink and pause, looking at him with a more serious, slightly concerned expression.

"Really, kid, what's your name?"

The teen glared for a moment, not relaxing at all when he replied. "Luffy." It was then Ace realized that the teen's breathing was heavier than it should've been. "Thanks for the food, but I should get going." The teen stood and made to move for the door, but they all saw how he stumbled, how he was a little wobbly on his feet. Ace grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, are you al-shit!" The kid's legs gave out and it seemed he lost consciousness. Ace barely managed to grab him before his head smacked the table. It was then that everything became chaotic.

Ace stared down at the kid, Luffy, who was currently in his work's infirmary. Something about this kid was bothering him, but for the life of him he could not figure it out.

He noticed the kid shift and he blinked, slipping out of his seat on the windowsill and walking to the kid's bedside. He groaned, his eyes fluttering open to stare at the ceiling above. He blinked a few times, probably to get rid of the sleepiness that was obvious in his eyes.

"The doctor said you were exhausted and that you have a pretty bad fever," Ace said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. Luffy jolted and turned his head toward Ace. His cheeks were still flushed with the fever, but at least he didn't look like he was on the verge of death like he did a few hours ago.

"Where…" His throat was sore. Ace wasn't surprised. The kid had thrown up while he was unconscious.

"You're still where Thatch brought you. Right now, you're in the infirmary."

Luffy blinked and looked around. He moved to sit up and Ace helped him to do so when he saw Luffy's thin yet strong arms shake with strain. Luffy made a grabbing motion for the cup of water next to Ace so the older teen quickly grabbed it, bringing it to Luffy's mouth and carefully tilting it so he could drink. Luffy only took a few gulps until he tried to pull his head away and Ace placed the cup down, rubbing the teens back as he began to cough. His brows furrowed in concern for the stranger.

"How'd you get so sick? Doc said you had a fever of 104 degrees*. That's really bad to have, especially on the streets."

Luffy didn't look at Ace. "People are always sick on the streets. If you're not careful, you're going to get sick. I wasn't careful, I guess," Luffy murmured. But then he turned to Ace, his eyes guarded. "Why do you care?"

Ace blinked at the hostility in his eyes. It reminded him of himself when he was younger. At least he knew how to deal with this behavior. "Just wondering. After all, our Doc did help you, you know. You'd probably be in the hospital without her," Ace said calmly, shrugging his shoulders. Luffy blinked, looking flustered and annoyed, and turned away.

Ace's cell phone rang and he looked down, pulling the device out of his pocket. It was a text from Thatch, telling him he was needed for…business.

"I have to go," Ace said, standing and moving away from the bed. "Don't try to move from that bed. Doc's not afraid to buckle you down."

He closed the door behind him and didn't look back as he began to walk down the hall. He greeted his friend he saw along the way with a high five, a wave, a smile, but inside, he was preparing himself for a meeting. There were always serious issues to be talked about in meetings.

He slipped down an empty hall. At the end of the hall was a door with a keypad next to it and, if you looked close enough, cameras were in the corners above it. Ace pressed the numbers and then pressed his thumb against the screen. The door opened for him and he walked in, closing it quietly behind him.

Ace pulled out his phone and placed it on the table next to the stairs and immediately proceeded to descend the stairwell. The walls and stairs were cement and his footsteps echoed off of the walls. He could hear voices at the very bottom, talking loudly, probably arguing.

The room at the bottom did not, in itself, seem deserving of the security at the door. It was a simple room made of cement, the walls unpainted, lit by a few lights spread around the room. In the center, there was a circle of seventeen chairs. No chair was the same – some were plush, some were plain wood, there was a rocking chair, a few were facing outside the circle so the person in the chair had to straddle it, leaning against the back, some were brand new while others looked old as dirt and a few were bright colors, a couple even had floral patterns.

Ace approached one of the chairs as he watched the people arguing in the center of the ring. His chair was simple wood but, if one looked closely, they could see etchings in it carved painstakingly from boredom by Ace himself. Some of the engravings had the beginnings of being filled in by what seemed to be plain black sharpie, showing battling monsters, superheroes, a bearded dog, and pirate crossbones.

"You're late, Ace," Marco said from his bright blue chair that was decorated with gold. Ace looked over with a scowl (but if you asked Marco, it was obviously a pout on the freckled teens face).

"The kid just woke up, Marco. I didn't think I would be needed until later."

Marco sighed. "Doesn't matter when you'll be needed. You should show up on time for these things."

"And let that kid wake up alone in a strange building? That's just asking for disaster, Marco. You should know from experience," Ace said, smirking at the blond who only smacked him in the shoulder before taking a sip of his beer.

"Enough," An old, wise, gruff voice commanded calmly. Ace looked up at the man who was his father, who sat in an old wooden chair that had red cushions on it, worn from years of use. The two in the middle – Izo and Vista, Ace noticed – both backed into their own chairs, both of floral patter, Vista's with roses and Izo's with cherry petal's. "I agree that we must now take action against Teach, considering his most recent actions, but, as Vista said, we must be cautious. We do not know what he has in store for us."

Ace spoke up. "Pops, can I," he didn't get to say much.

"No, Ace. You are still recovering. I do not wish for anything bad to happen while you are not at your full strength." Ace grumbled and rested his head down on his arm. While normally he would be fighting that comment, he did have to admit there would be more risk going now than if he was completely healthy. "Until we can attack, Haruta, Vista, I want your divisions to collect as much info as you can on Teach and what his next moves may be." The two nodded from their seats accordingly. Then Pops shifted. "Also, I have heard that there is someone in our infirmary that Thatch picked up off the street?"

The brunette grinned. "Yeah. Some thugs came at me and before I could even punch one of them, he came out, fists flying, all to try and get some food. But, when after we did get him food, he passed out. Doc said he's really sick."

"He just woke up," Ace commented, sitting up straighter than previously. "He's not talking though. All we know is that his name is Luffy and he just told me he's from the streets." Whitebeard hummed in thought.

Crashing sounds and frantic yelling were suddenly heard upstairs.

They all looked up, confused at the sounds. No one would be stupid enough to attack them at their own base, would they?

Curious, they all ventured up the stairs and followed the noise through the maze of halls until they ended up in the mess hall. They were all quite shocked that Luffy was in there, standing on a table, having a tug of war match with the Doc over what seemed to be the blanket wrapped around Luffy.

"You need to get back in bed, you damn brat! You could get sick again! I swear if you don't get down from the table, I will castrate you!"

"Stay away from my family jewels, lady! And I'm not getting back in bed until I eat! Now let go of my blanket! I'm freezing!"

"Then get back in your bed!"

"No way!"

Pops just took a seat in his chair, picking up a tankard of rum and beginning to drink out of it while his children crowded around and watched. Thatch was laughing up a storm while Haruta and Izo were making bets over who would win. Marco stepped onto the bench, trying to calm the two down, while Ace sat down on the table behind Luffy. Most of the others were just watching, amused, or ignoring them all together in favor of food.

Then Luffy slipped. His foot caught on the blanket, which was yanked out from underneath his feet, sending him backwards. Marco and Doc weren't quick enough to catch him, but luckily Ace was. He was up in no time, arms reaching out for the teen as he fell back.

They both fell to a pile on the floor.

Ace groaned, looking down at the teen on him, who had his face buried in his chest. Ace was pretty sure he was snoring. Did he have narcolepsy too, or was he just that exhausted that he fell asleep as he was falling from a tabletop?

But then Doc was there, tossing the teen over her shoulder like he weighed as much as a pillow, and walked out towards the infirmary, grumbling the whole way about unruly teenagers and their idiocy.

Three days later, Marco and Ace were somehow roped into being the brat's caretakers. The kid had told them that he had nowhere to return to, so Pops said that he could stay with them. The two men didn't know why Pops chose them, exactly, but they didn't try to question the man. He trusted them with the kid, so they would watch him.

Even if Ace thought he was being an annoying little shit at the moment.

"Marco, can I hit him now?"

The blond sighed. "Ace, please refrain from hurting him. I don't want to get yelled at by Pops for him getting hurt or something like that."

Ace grumbled, glaring at the teen who stuck his tongue out at him while he hugged Ace's favorite pillow close to his chest. The kid was staying with them in their apartment and he was being really annoying about it. Well, that's what Ace felt. Maybe because the kid was purposefully being an annoying shit and eating all of his damn food. Marco, on the other hand, was just amused with and tired of all of their bickering.

When they had gotten home earlier, Ace offered to play Mario Kart with the kid while Marco cooked dinner for them. Luffy just kept taking all of Ace's favorite characters and refused to give them up, even though Luffy was horrible at the game. He refused to listen to Ace's advice, to the elder's chagrin. Then he stole all of Ace's meat at dinner. Of course, Ace stole it back, but it was still irritating. And now, since they only had two beds and the kid had no clothes, he was wearing Ace's comfy clothes and neither Ace nor Marco wanted to give up their bed and they didn't trust him alone. So now Ace, due to a flip of a coin, was forced to share a bed with him. And this was only after all of the annoying stunts he pulled back at headquarters.

Ace felt his frustration and anger were justified.

"I'm going to bed. Don't kill him, Ace," Marco said as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Ace grumbled as he walked over to his bed and shoved the kid over closer to the wall.

"What are you doing?" Luffy yelled at him, rubbing his forehead.

"Shut up. I'm not going to risk you trying to escape while I'm asleep. Lay down," Ace shouted, shoving the kid down and putting a muscled arm over him. He felt the kid struggle, but Ace just sighed and yawned, wondering why he had to be so much trouble. "Seriously. I'm not in the mood for this. Go to sleep."

Ace was out in the blink of an eye.

When Ace woke up, it was to shaking, whimpering, and darkness. His eyes blinked blearily and he wondered what was making that sound when he remembered Luffy and the coin toss. He looked down.

Ace didn't expect to see Luffy look so scared. The kid had silent tears trailing down his cheeks and he was unconsciously biting his lower lip so hard it was turning white. He was trembling too, violently, and he was whispering unintelligible things fearfully, his voice choked.

It kind of scared Ace, if he was honest. This was not the teen he had gotten to know over the past five days. That kid loved to play pranks, annoy people, and was constantly hungry. He had seen wary expressions and glares and flustered eyes, but he had not seen Luffy in this state.

Ace wasn't sure why, but he brought one of his hands up to Luffy's head and began to rub it softly. Luffy seemed to lean into the touch but at the same time, his face grew even more frightened. He felt the beginnings of thrashing and Ace took him in his arms, whispering calming words to him. He didn't like seeing the kid like this. It took him a few minutes to calm down, but when he did, his arms were around Ace in a tight hug, clutching at his bare back desperately. Ace just continued to soothe him until he fell back into a hopefully peaceful sleep.

For more than one reason, Ace didn't fall back asleep that night.

The pattern repeated itself over the course of a month. Luffy would be really irritating during the day and then at night when he was asleep, he became a child in need of comfort. Ace didn't really know how to react. He'd told Marco, Thatch, and Pops about it, but they didn't seem to know what to do either. All they said was that Luffy should stay with Ace because he was the least hostile around him. While Ace knew that was true, he wanted to know why Luffy acted like that around him.

He got to find out one night right after one of Luffy's "attacks", as Ace called them. Instead of falling asleep after calming down, the teen actually woke up. His eyes were bloodshot and he still didn't let go of Ace. Instead, he buried himself deeper into the older teen's chest, taking in a shaky breath.

"Sorry that I woke you up," He mumbled into Ace's skin. Ace just rubbed his back again. It was silent for a few moments before Ace spoke.

"Luffy, why do you react this way, to your nightmares?"

Ace realized the question sounded silly, stupid – no one likes nightmares. Yet Ace figured that something in Luffy's past was haunting him – these weren't just nightmares about a fear of spiders the younger may or may not have. It was possible he was just prone to nightmares, but he would always call out the same word, "irmão". It was more like he was remembering something. And he would always beg for something to stop, but nothing ever did stop. He just kept crying until Ace managed to calm him.

Luffy was silent for a little while, but Ace let him take his time. He knew that some things were harder to say than others.

"They won't go away. They won't stop. No matter what I do or say, they won't listen to me."

He fell asleep again and Ace was left unsatisfied with more questions, more worried than previously.

There was heavy snowfall the next day, drowning the streets in waves of white and unbearable coldness. Pops had sent out a mass text, telling everyone to stay home, because there was no way any of them would be able to get there without getting frostbite or worse, getting lost.

Marco was in the living room, sitting in an armchair with a robe over his pajamas, reading something on his tablet with his glasses on while snapping at Ace to stop calling him an old man. Ace, who was always warm, was wearing short sleeves and flannel bottoms, his feet bare. Luffy was sitting next to him on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and sipping some hot chocolate, his feet covered by socks and moccasins. Ace was just glad the boy no longer had to wear Ace's own clothes.

Marco's phone rang, causing the youngest to jump at the unexpected noise. Ace just snorted as he changed the channel again, looking for something decent to watch. He ignored Marco talking quietly into the phone for a few minutes as he finally decided it would be best to put in a movie. He stood, moving toward the DVD player and the assortment of movies they had. He pulled out a few, flipping through them, and was so focused he flinched when Marco put his hand on his shoulder.

"Ace," Marco whispered as he kneeled down next to Ace. "I have to take this call. Don't make too much noise. I'll be in my room," He said, standing and patting Ace on the back. The teen mock saluted him before he turned back to the DVD's finally deciding on Iron Man, because he really didn't know what else to choose and he didn't know what Luffy would like.

Around thirty minutes into the movie, as they were sitting on the couch, Ace turned to Luffy. The teen hadn't said much since the movie started, and Ace was curious as to what Luffy thought of it.

He was surprised to see Luffy's eyes were wet, to see that he was looking at Tony Stark with understanding. A small tear made it's way out of the corner of his eye, but Luffy didn't seem to realize it was there. Ace reached up a hand and thumbed it away. Luffy looked over at him with shocked eyes. Ace let his hand fall back into his lap as he stared at Luffy for a few moments, thinking of what to say. Ace turned back to the movie, not really registering the images or sounds from the TV as he spoke.

"My parents died when I was really little. I can't really remember them, but I can remember sleeping in between them at night when I got scared of the dark. I was told they died in a car crash, years later, but when they died, Marco took me in. He was one of their friends and he didn't want me to end up in an orphanage.

"Still, life was hard. Marco was only twenty one and his job didn't pay well. He worked long hours to bring food to the table and often times, he was forced to leave me at home alone. That stopped when he met Thatch one year later. Thatch was already working for Pops, and for some reason, they had taken a liking to us. They helped us out, offered Marco a better job, one where he didn't have to leave me alone. Sometimes Thatch would watch me, sometimes Marco would work from home. On his days off, he would take me to the movies and during holidays, we would always go to Pops.

"Things changed when I turned twelve," Ace paused for a moment, glancing at Luffy. The teen had his eyes on him, curious and nonjudgmental. Ace didn't know why he was telling Luffy his life story. Something about him just made it feel alright to say it. Ace turned back to the TV, even though he wasn't paying attention to the movie. "I had cancer. We were able to get it to go away, at first, but it just kept coming back. I was in the hospital for the fourteenth year of my life, as a result, but they managed to get it to go away by the time I was sixteen. But then, this year, I got really sick. It wasn't cancer, and it wasn't fatal, but it sure as hell felt like it was."

The two were quiet as sounds of a shouting audience, demanding for more, echoed through the room. Luffy was still staring at Ace, even though the older wasn't looking at him. Luffy looked back to the TV.

"You're really strong, Ace." The older turned to the younger after he whispered. The characters voices were dull in his ears. "I'm scared of my past. It's always there, haunting me, you know? But, I'm too scared to even talk about it. It's like they're going to come out from the depths and snatch me, pull me back into that dark, lonely place. That's probably the worst part." Luffy's voice tapered off to a whisper as he buried his face into his arms, shivering. "I wish I could go back to the days when everything was simple."

"I do too, Luffy," Ace whispered, blinking at the screen lighting up the dark room. "I do too."

A day later, Ace and Luffy came inside, soaked to the bone from helping to shovel the snow away and from a snowball fight they had gotten into. Thatch, who was visiting, took one look at the shivering duo before he burst out in laughter. Marco just sighed.

"Go dry off and change clothes. We don't need you two getting sick again."

Ace gave a mock salute again and dragged Luffy to his room. He closed the door behind them and began to shift through his drawers. Luffy blinked before moving to go and search through his (very messy) bag on the floor for a new pair of clothes.

They kept their backs to each other as they changed, but Ace changed before Luffy. He didn't know the younger wasn't done yet when he turned around, about to ask him if he wanted hot chocolate.

His eyes widened as he froze in place, his mouth's smile changing into a gape of horror and shock.

The expanse of Luffy's torso was covered in scars. They were from cuts, burns, gashes, and stab wounds. It seemed that every inch of his skin was damaged.

"Luffy," He whispered without realizing it. The younger jolted and turned around, a look of apprehension on his face. He gulped as Ace continued to stare, taking in the fact that the scars continued to his chest.

Ace didn't know what Luffy was expecting when he walked forward, but the younger flinched. He felt him tense in surprise when Ace brought him into a hug, resting his chin on top of his head.

"You're really strong too, Luffy," Ace whispered softly, thinking of the words from yesterday. He didn't know Luffy's past, but he didn't need too. He knew he'd protect Luffy. He had a feeling that, even if he hadn't told Luffy his past, Luffy would do the same for him as well.

Ace didn't mention anything about the wetness on his shoulder. Marco and Thatch didn't say anything about how they were in Ace's room for about an hour. Luffy didn't speak of his scars and Ace didn't ask about them.

"Ace, why do we have to make so many brownies," Luffy complained, staring longingly at them. "We can't even eat them."

Ace smacked Luffy's hand away from some of the cooling brownies. They had made about five trays and had two more to go. Everyone was expected to bring a lot to work parties. After all, there was more than one thousand of them working there. Not that Luffy knew that, but still. Ace was just glad he wasn't stuck in charge of getting all of the booze they'd need, like Marco was. Not that Ace could get any of it even if he was in charge of it. He was still underage (and illegal methods would not be regarded well, which Ace thought was stupid since he was in a gang, but then again when did the gang ever make sense).

Luffy whined more about not being able to eat them and Ace sighed. He grabbed one of the new, hot, gooey ones and handed it to Luffy.

"Have that, but that's all you can have! You can't eat any more until the party!"

Luffy quickly shoved it into his mouth, chewing on it. He made a hum of contentment and, for the first time since they met, a smile painted itself on the boy's features. Ace watched with large eyes as the boy smiled so wide, his eyes shut. It made Ace smile, especially when the boy began to laugh, cheering about how good the brownies were. That was new too.

It really made Ace relieved because it meant that Luffy was finally getting relaxed and comfortable around them.

Around one month after Luffy came into their care, a gang war broke out. Considering that, underneath the office, the Whitebeards were a gang, Ace and Marco had to go.

They didn't expect Luffy to follow them.

Ace was like a storm. Every man he fought he defeated in less than ten seconds, leaving a path of groaning bodies in his wake. He had just punched a man in the face and didn't stop to watch him fall to the ground. He turned to face another opponent, but was stopped by a hand on his arm, turning him around. There was another man there, wearing brass knuckles, blood dripping from his forehead, as he aimed right for Ace's face, his hand now around Ace's neck to keep him still. Ace prepared himself for pain, because there was no way he was going to be able to get himself out of this one, when the man was suddenly, violently pulled away.

And there was Luffy, pulling the man back and doing the classic kidney-nose-temple, causing the man to fall to the ground in a heap of groaning unmanliness. Ace looked at Luffy, shocked.

"Luffy, what the hell are you doing here?! We told you to stay at home!"

Luffy looked up at him, angry, his hands on his hips as he glared. "I just saved your face, Ace! Besides, some people tried to break into your apartment. I beat them up for you."

"Wait, did you just leave them there?" Ace asked incredulously. He really hoped they didn't wake up to try and break in again. He rather liked his room as it was – not ransacked, thank you.

"No, I tied them up."

"You tied them up?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Where did you tie them up?"

"To a telephone pole."

Ace smacked his forehead for a second – he really hoped no one saw Luffy do that – but then he looked up and there was a man behind Luffy, about to hit him with a bat. He pulled Luffy out of the way and grabbed the bat, holding it in a crushing grip. He pulled the wielder closer using his own weapon and yanked it out of his hands, slamming the metal weapon into his gut. The man fell to the ground and Ace tossed the bat away.

"Well, as long as you're here, you should fight. Are you up for battle?"

Luffy grinned. "Why are you asking?"

Ace's birthday happened to be just over a month after they found the boy and it fell on New Years. As usual, there was a large party with the Whitebeards that involved a cake, booze, gambling, music, and obviously being extremely loud. There were also many embarrassing pictures, something that annoyed Ace since he was in a few yet at the same time he couldn't help but burst into laughter at them all.

Ace also obviously drank. He'd been drinking since he was seventeen. He didn't drink every day, but when they had large parties like this, it was odd if he didn't drink.

So he decided that Luffy should be drinking as well around one in the morning. He had gone looking for the boy, who they had dragged along and had probably gotten lost somewhere in the building considering he didn't know anything about it, even with his extensive exploring. This place was like a maze, even to Ace, and he practically grew up here.

He finally found the boy after an hour of drunken searching, sleeping in a quiet place, curled up in a corner, snoring softly. He chuckled as he knelt down next to the younger teen and stared for a second at him. He reached out and poked a cheek, laughing softly when he whined in his sleep and tiredly swatted at his hand. The process repeated for a minute before he shot up.

"Stop poking me!" He yelled, looking very tired and actually he looked drunk, now that Ace though about it. Luffy hiccupped. Yup, definitely drunk, Ace thought. Ace merely wanted to get him a little tipsy. He assumed Thatch had something to do with this.

"C'mon, let's head back to the party," Ace said, standing and grabbing Luffy's hands, pulling him up with him. Luffy stumbled a little, falling into Ace with a tired mumble followed by another hiccup. He clutched onto Ace's arm when they began walking, since he was largely unable to walk in a straight line. Ace had to stop him from walking into walls. Note to never let Luffy drink alone.

Luffy finally fell down on his butt and looked as if he was about to pass out. Ace exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, not angry or annoyed but feeling very sarcastic, and lifted the teen onto his back. Luffy seemed to snuggle into him like he was a teddy bear and he felt him mumble something into his shoulder, followed by the word "meat". Ace laughed.

"'appy Birthday, Ashce," Luffy slurred then, and Ace could feel him smiling against the skin of Ace's neck. Ace paused for a moment before smiling softly at the kid over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Luffy."

"Shouldn't you be going to school?"

Luffy looked up at Thatch, spaghetti sticking out of his mouth, as he grimaced. He shook his head fast and Ace raised an eyebrow at the action. Ace knew that no one really liked school, but Ace had a feeling Luffy would've thrived with the people there. Plus, he was pretty smart. Well, he didn't have much common sense, but he could do complicated math that made Ace's head spin.

"But you're only sixteen, right? It's not that bad."

Luffy shook his head again as he swallowed the mouthful of pasta. He looked at them with a sigh as he said, "I haven't been to school since I was eight."

They all looked at him, blinking in shock.

"Wait, you haven't been to school in eight years?" Marco said as he cut a meatball in half, speaking calmly as he looked up at the teen. Luffy shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"No. A lot of stuff happened and I never got to go back."

"Didn't your parents ever say anything?"

It was obviously the wrong thing to say. Luffy's face turned dark and he looked down at the plate. "They died."

It was quiet for a few moments before Ace spoke up again. "Can I ask what happened?"

Luffy blinked and stared at the freckled teen. He opened his mouth as if to reply and then shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ace nodded nonchalantly, trying not to make a big deal about it. Luffy just blinked a few times before he looked back at his food, taking a small bite. Everyone else he had told that his parents had died had tried to force the answer out of him. He finished it before speaking again.

"I don't really know what happened. All I know is that one day I was in Brazil, the next I wasn't."

"Brazil? What were you doing in Brazil?" Thatch asked, looking at the boy with curiosity. Luffy blinked and looked at them with a wasn't-it-obvious expression.

"I'm Brazilian."

"You're Brazilian? How did you end up here?" Marco asked. Something about that statement bothered him, for some reason. Something happened in Brazil eight years ago, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember.

Luffy's eyes turned dark and he tensed, becoming guarded. He finished off the last of his pasta and excused himself from the table. None of them tried to make him stay.

"Luffy, what're you doing here?" Ace asked, looking down at the younger teen hiding behind a wall. He turned surprised eyes up to Ace and yanked the other down with him. Ace grunted as he fell down to the floor before glaring up at Luffy. "What the-"

A hand came up to his mouth and Luffy put a finger to his own lips, grinning mischievously. Ace stared, eyebrow twitching slightly.

What did he do now?

"LUFFY!" Doc's shrill voice pierced the heavens and Ace stared at Luffy, going pale. Of all people to prank, he pranked the Doc? That was asking for death. Still, Luffy smothered his giggles behind his hand as she continued to shriek. "I swear I'll strap you to a bed and castrate you! Where the hell did you put all of my clothes? Where are the bed sheets and where the hell are you?! I'll make you scrub the graffiti off of my walls with a toothbrush!"

Ace was white, staring at Luffy with a mix of awe and terror. He was so screwed. But then Luffy turned to him, a deadly glint in his eye.

"And tell Ace I'll kill him for giving you everything!"

Ace paled. Oh shit, what did she say. Wait…graffiti…that meant spray paint. Oh fuck no. Ace had about 15 cans of that in his closet…at least he did…

"Wanna run?" Luffy whispered, smirking. Ace stared before smirking back.

"Looks like I don't have a choice."

And thus began the chase and the start of Luffy and Ace's weekly pranks, most harmless, but all perfect at causing the victim extreme irritation (and, occasionally, a rash or odd colored body parts, because that was how they rolled).

Luffy sat on the dock, a hand clutching at something hanging around his neck. There was still snow on the ground – just a thin layer, but the cold it brought was enough for his breath to make hot puffs of air form in front of his face. The ocean was calm yet dark, the cloudy sky above it dropping snowflakes to the ground blocking out the light that would turn it a beautiful blue during the summer.

His sneakers – red and worn, because he had not wanted to give up the ones he had when he first met Thatch – had his socks stuffed in them as they sat next to him. His jeans were rolled up and his bare feet dangled over the edge. He wasn't a fan of the cold, but he had done this plenty of times. At least it wasn't so cold that it would induce frostbite.

His straw hat was tilted over his eyes and the gold scarf around his neck was wrapped tight. He didn't move as he heard footsteps on the wood, approaching him. He just continued to stare out at the expanse of water before him, eyes filled with unnamable emotions.

The larger body – Ace, he could tell, because only Ace had those boots – was close to his own, heat radiating off of it like the sun. He said nothing, just sitting there. Luffy wasn't sure where he was staring, but he didn't think it was the ocean.

"You really like the ocean, don't you?" Ace said softly, leaning back on his hands as he stared up at the gray clouds above. Luffy nodded with a soft smile on his face.

"It doesn't matter where you are. The ocean is always beautiful." A nostalgic look suddenly entered the smaller teen's eyes as he thought of a head of blond hair and a missing tooth, a larger hand holding his own. "When I was younger, my big brother would always take me to play in it when the weather was nice. When I was really small, I'd sit in the basket on his handlebars. When I got older, I'd stand on those metal bars that stuck out of the center of the back wheel. He never got tired of it. He'd take me fishing, to small tide pools, to play in the shallow water, or just to watch the sun set. Sometimes we'd sneak out at night too and just sleep in the sand…" Luffy trailed off, looking down at his lap with a nostalgic smile.

"He sounds like a good brother," Ace said, eyes turning to Luffy. Luffy looked up at him with a large grin.

"He's the best big brother I could've asked for. We'd always play pirates together, when we were little. When I was scared, he was always there to comfort me. He was always there to save me when I got into dangerous situations, too, no matter how bad they were."

It was quiet for a moment as Luffy thought back to the days of his early childhood, when everything in the world made sense and he didn't have to worry over things such as having enough food to eat. He remembered how Sabo always loved to help people, something he probably got from Dad, who would take them to help out the poor at least once a month.

"Do you know where he is?" Ace asked, voice soft, cautious. Luffy shook his head, a sad smile painting itself onto his features.

"No. I haven't seen or heard from him since I was eight. I've been searching for him for a long time, but I have no idea where to look."

It was quiet again. Ace gently grabbed Luffy's shoulder, causing the younger to turn to him again. "We can help you find him, you know. We just need a name. You know by now who we are, and you haven't told anyone. You didn't have to stay quiet…You're like family to us, Luffy. If we can help you, we will."

Luffy was staring up at Ace with surprised, wide eyes. His lips were parted with what Ace thought was awe.

"I don't have to be alone anymore?"

It was a whisper so quiet Ace almost didn't hear it. He noticed that Luffy looked nervous, as if this was all a dream and he would wake up on the streets again. It made Ace's heart break a little bit, realizing that the boy had probably been wishing for this for years.

Ace shuffled closer to Luffy and put an arm around his shoulders, holding him close to his chest. He felt the younger teen take a large breath, felt the practically unnoticeable shudder that wracked his frame for but a second.

"You don't have to be alone anymore. We'll always be here for you, alright, Luffy?"

For the first time since he met Luffy, the boy cried out of happiness. He snuggled deeper into Ace's chest, tears soaking the fabric of the older teen's shirt shirt, but Ace merely rubbed a hand over his back soothingly. Though he didn't like crying or tears, it made Ace feel good to know that this time, the tears were not out of pain.

"Monkey D. Sabo, is it?"

Luffy nodded as Jozu, a large man with pierced ears, wrote down the name on paper. Next to him, Namur stared at the paper, deep in thought. The rest of the room also seemed to be pensive, anxious in a way, but Luffy did not notice.

The commanders – who were all surrounding a circular table in an office meeting room (not that they ever used it) – watched as the teen pulled at a chain around his neck. When he pulled it out, they realized it was a locket. Ace would've teased him about having a locket, of all things, but then he saw him open the two pieces of fake silver clasped together. Upon seeing the image, he felt his heart stop. He handed it over to Blenheim. The only one who didn't notice the slight widening of his eyes was Luffy.

"That's what he looked like when we were really little. I don't know how he'll look now, but it's the only picture I have of him."

The image had made its way to Marco, who nodded before looking back up at Luffy.

"We'll help you find him Luffy."

Ace was sitting in one of the rooms in the large complex that made up their base, staring at a picture in his hands with great frustration.

"We can find him, you know. It'll be hard, but we can do it."

"He went missing, Marco. He up and left to go look for his brother who shows up here. How are we supposed to find him? He left no contact number or anything. Damn," He punched the table surface below him. "If only Teach hadn't screwed everything up…"

"But now we know who Luffy is," Marco said softly. "We have a better idea of what happened to Sabo's brother. As long as we can figure out some way to tell him that Luffy's back, he'll return. Luffy was all he talked about for years."

Ace chuckled, a pained look on his face. "I know."

Ace watched as Thatch stormed into their apartment, a bundled up object in his hands, screaming for Marco. His caretaker, who had been making supper, had run into the room and just as quickly ran out, heading to the bathroom for the first aid kit.

"Ace, help me out here!"

The eleven year old approached quickly and listened to Thatch's commands, grabbing a bowl of water and a clean cloth as fast as he could. He could only watch as Marco and Thatch cleaned his wounds and stitched the child up with concern and even fear. There was so much blood and the other kid was so pale, that if Marco and Thatch weren't keeping track of his pulse, Ace would've thought he was dead. And as soon as the child was bandaged, he was laid on Marco's bed. Ace was ordered to watch him while Thatch and Marco made some emergency calls.

When the boy woke up a week later, it was at the infirmary at the base, next to a window with Ace at his bedside. Ace had grown curious over the child, who by no means seemed weak. To survive all of those wounds was a great feat for even a full grown man.

The kid looked at Ace with tired eyes. Ace blinked and stared back.

"You okay?"

The blond child looked at Ace. Ace thought he saw something broken in the child's eyes. Ace had a feeling it couldn't be fixed easily, if at all.

"No."

The boy was allowed out of bed after a month. His name was Sabo and he was only a few months younger than Ace was. Yet unlike Ace, he seemed depressed, as if he was longing for something.

Thatch was put in charge of the boy, who ended up moving in with him. And for the first few months in Thatch's care, they tried to get the child to warm up, to smile. But it was hard.

Ace could tell something was wrong down to the depths of the boy's heart. He had been asked to befriend the kid, and he tried. The boy would hang out with him and they would watch movies and play together, but he never knew if the boy enjoyed it or not.

Ace never really understood until they had their first sleepover. Marco had to go on a mission for at least a month so Ace was to stay with Thatch. He was to sleep in Sabo's room with the other boy.

It was that night Ace learned he had horrible nightmares. He never screamed or anything like that, which was probably why Thatch didn't know. No, the boy would silently cry and whisper and writhe in his bed in extreme pain. It honestly terrified Ace. He wanted to get Thatch, but had a feeling Sabo wouldn't appreciate it. So instead, he hugged the boy tight, not letting go even when limbs smacked and punched and kicked him, until the other fell asleep.

When he woke up, he thanked Ace and for the first time since they found him, the boy smiled.

They had become good friends. They pulled pranks together, they played video games together, they worked on homework together, they fought together. They were their only friends in the school, where the children were scared of the two boys for no reason other than "they look scary".

And then, Ace got sick.

Ace had been feeling ill as of recently, more tired than usual. He was often times not hungry, which was odd because Ace was always hungry. Sabo and Ace had been walking home from school when it happened – when Ace's steps had become wobbly and his eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed, barely saved from breaking his nose thanks to Sabo, who brought him home and was forced to dial 911 for help when he didn't wake up.

Cancer. Ace had stomach cancer. It wasn't in the most dangerous stages yet, he could still be saved, but the fact was that he was sick with the same thing his father once had. That meant the fear that it was genetic plagued the hearts of the Whitebeards and Sabo as they waited and waited for the chemotherapy and the surgery to bring back their lively Ace.

During that year, he was never in the hospital long. It was when he turned fourteen that things became dangerous. The cancer was refusing to leave and the doctors had to resort to more drastic methods to keep Ace alive. It pained them all to see him like that – pale and thin and stuck in bed, almost always staring out the window when they weren't there.

It was that during those years of cancer that Sabo finally decided to open up to Ace completely about his past. Every time the black haired boy was in the hospital, Sabo would tell him stories from his childhood about him and his little brother and all of the crazy things they got into, all to make Ace laugh again. And when Ace got out of the hospital, he asked what happened to this boy.

"I don't know. We were separated. I'm not sure if he's even alive."

The news spread like wildfire among the Whitebeards, and Newgate himself told the boy he would help him to find his little brother.

That was when their troubles began.

Sabo told them that one of the reasons he did not immediately tell them about his brother was because he could not, for the life of him, remember what he looked like or what his name was. None of them were really surprised. When they found him, he seemed to have been smacked over the head with a bat. That undoubtedly caused damage. Sabo could not remember where he used to live, what his whole name was, or what happened to separate him from the younger boy. Whenever he tried to remember, he induced a migraine. All he could remember was the younger boy's contagious laughs and smiles and how he always had to go save the boy.

But how could he save him again if he didn't know where to start?

It made everything more difficult than they thought it would be, but they promised to help find Sabo's brother. Once the boy had told them, every day they would hear another crazy story about the missing brother, and Sabo always had a fond smile on his face when he talked about the child who Sabo thought was around three years younger than him.

Ace felt as if he knew the younger child. He began to feel fondly for the boy he had never met and every time Sabo talked about him, a soft smile grew on his face. Ace had always wanted to have a younger brother, in the depths of his heart. As a child, he never had anyone his age to play with and sometimes he was forced to stay home alone for his safety. When Sabo entered Ace's life, he didn't feel so alone in those moments anymore. But he wanted to help his friend to close the indescribable hole he knew was in his heart. At the same time, he wanted to close the hole in his own as well.

By the time Ace was sixteen, all traces of the cancer had been erased. The fifteenth year of his life had been filled with anticipation, for everyone, and when he was deemed cured, they held a huge party. Alcohol, drunken singing, loud music, cheering, photos, and even presents for the teen were just a part of the party. And the whole time, Sabo never left his side, there for when Ace got tipsy Sabo gave him a present in congratulations – the red bead necklace that he would come to wear every day.

When Ace and Sabo were seventeen, Marshal D. Teach betrayed the Whitebeards. He killed several members and seriously injured others, one of whom, to the boy's extreme horror, was Thatch. Not only that, but he took weaponry, information, and other important possessions of the Whitebeard family.

It broke everyone, the fact that he would have done this, and at the same time the flames of fury burned deep in their hearts, waiting for his destruction. Newgate had said no one could go after them, for he felt something wrong about the whole situation, on another level than betrayal.

A week after the traitor fled, they learned why.

A package had been found in one of the storage rooms, stained with blood and hidden under boxes of weaponry. They could all tell its contents weren't weaponry.

Ace and Sabo were there to see them open it. Inside there were detailed reports about happenings all over the world. The one that really caught their eye was what happened in what was supposedly Brazil – it could've been Argentina or Uruguay – because there was a video to go with that one.

It was brutal. The men in the video spoke in foreign voices as the camera followed their every step to a modest looking house on a hillside, alone for miles. They kicked down the door and, shouting while holding up guns, ran into the dining room. The table had been set and there was a man, standing in the room and glaring, holding a gun at them. He shot down some of them, but the rest were brutal, shooting him down in a matter of seconds until the table and food was stained red.

They had found a woman next. She tried to attack them with a sharp kitchen knife, but they were stronger, and they slammed her head against a counter top and them shot her in the forehead.

There were sounds of destruction and crackling flames as they continued to move until someone shouted something and the camera focused on a window. Outside, two small figures were running down the path towards the village a few miles away.

It was two young boys running, and they were suddenly being chased by all of the men. They shot at the two until finally, after ten shots, the smaller one fell to the ground. There was a panicked yell as the other stopped and knelt next to the younger boy, screaming something at the top of his lungs.

The camera got close enough for them to recognize the kneeling boy as Sabo before the screen went black.

Ace begged Sabo not to go. He told the other that he would help him look for his brother not matter what. Sabo had promised he wouldn't leave.

Sabo disappeared that very night, leaving only a note with no contact information, saying that it would be too dangerous. He left a separate note just for Ace, apologizing about leaving, saying that he couldn't stand the thought of his brother out there, hurt, and he had to search or he would drive himself insane. Ace blamed himself, despite the note telling him not to.

The Whitebeards searched, but never found anything of the boy for two years. Ace felt more alone than ever, even with everyone there. It wasn't the same.

Then Luffy appeared.

It had been a month since they learned that Luffy was Sabo's brother, and they had since been relentlessly searching for the blond. The fact that Luffy showed up here two years after his disappearance must've been some sort of bad luck for both of the brothers and at the same time, it was probably a blessing. At least the younger was now safe, and they all knew that Sabo would somehow be able to manage.

Ace pondered about the younger raven haired boy as he walked down the wet streets, really wishing that he had a car to get out of the rain. He, personally, had been looking for Sabo before Luffy came along. Whitebeard had allowed him to do so, knowing how close he had been with the blond who had become his best friend over the years. Now, Luffy was here. He felt he was becoming close to the boy, too. When the boy had first had the nightmares, Ace had felt slightly nostalgic – it was like Sabo all over again. He wanted to protect the kid, something he felt he was unable to do for Sabo. Now, Luffy was Sabo's brother. That didn't change his feelings for wanting to protect the boy. Even if they weren't related he doubted the feelings would go away. But now, he wanted to help both of them.

"Ace!" The twenty year old looked up and then behind him at the sound of Luffy's voice calling his name. He saw the younger running towards him through the rain, getting drenched in the downpour. Ace blinked, wondering why he didn't grab an umbrella as the younger finally caught up to him. "Ace, you forgot these on the counter."

Ace blinked in shock as he looked down at Luffy's hands and saw the narcolepsy pills that he was supposed to take every morning. Damn. He knew he forgot something, but didn't know it was that. Normally if he didn't take them, he ended up falling asleep on the stairs, and that was never good for anyone. He took them from Luffy and smiled at the teen, ruffling his hair despite the slightly annoyed, protesting grunt he gave.

"Thanks, Luffy. Do you want me to take you back so you don't get even more soaked?"

Luffy shook his head. "I'll be fine, but thanks. See ya later, Ace!"

Ace watched as he turn and ran back in his sneakers and pajamas, singing something loudly on the way back, completely out of key. He chuckled. "You sure have one crazy brother, Sabo."

Ace was surprised at how well Luffy could fight.

The boy had come up to him earlier that morning and asked to spar, saying he was itching for a fight. Ace, feeling as though he might've been getting out of shape, agreed. So here they were in one of the gyms at the base, fighting it out. This was probably the twentieth time they had gone at it that day. Luffy was pretty good – not good enough to beat him, but he knew what he was doing.

Luffy missed a punch to Ace's face just as Ace got him in the gut, knocking him over. The younger fell to the ground with a thud and a grunt, frowning in frustration before he got to his feet, putting his hands up offensively as he grinned.

"Again!"

Ace grinned.

Luffy still had nightmares. It pained Ace to know he couldn't help, but he figured it had something to do with what happened in Brazil eight years ago. Whatever happened during that eight year interval couldn't have been good for the younger teen.

Still, Ace did all he could for Luffy. The two shared a room and even though Luffy had his own bed, most nights he ended up sleeping in Ace's. Ace didn't mind – he had often times shared a bed with Sabo anyway, due to the blonde's nightmares, and it made him feel slightly better to share again.

He didn't want anything in turn – he had told Luffy adamantly he wanted nothing in turn – but it didn't stop the younger teen from giving him something in turn for helping with his nightmares and allowing him to sleep in his bed.

He had given Ace an orange hat.

The hat was an odd one, like a cowboy hat, with red beads around its rim. On those beads were two pendants, pale blue, one with a smiley face and the other with a frowning face.

It kind of reminded Ace of his necklace.

"I've noticed you keep looking at hats at stores or in magazines but none of them ever caught your interest. I thought you'd like this one!"

Luffy had grinned so wide his eyes closed and Ace felt something warm in his heart. He laughed and hugged the kid close, smiling into the dark locks atop his head as he stared down at the straw hat hanging from the boy's neck.

"Thank you, Luffy. I love it."

Ace's grin widened at the feel of Luffy smiling and giggling against him.

"Luffy!" The black haired boy looked up, turning around at the sound of his name being called. He was holding a wooden box in his arms, his big eyes blinking curiously as Ace ran up to him. "Luffy, you need to come with me right now," Ace said, pulling lightly on the other teens arm. Luffy's brows furrowed.

"Why? I'm working right now, Ace."

"I know that, but it's important."

Luffy frowned (pouted, really, but if Ace teased him for it the brat would probably bite him) and put the back down before following after Ace. He was led through a heavily guarded door down dark stairs until he was in a room in the basement. Wait, the base has a basement? How did he miss this when he was exploring?!

"Luffy, are you listening!"

"Huh?"

Ace sighed. "Guess not. We have some information on your brother."

"Sabo?!" Luffy exclaimed, looking suddenly very interested and attentive. Ace smiled and chuckled.

"Who else is there?" Luffy frowned at Ace's comment and looked away, just causing Ace to laugh more as the rest of the commanders began to filter into the room. Everyone began to sit and Luffy, not seeing a free chair, sat in front of Ace's, leaning back against it.

He listened for the first hour, growing impatient as they talked about other things that were not Sabo. Sure, he understood that whatever they were talking about was important, but he wanted to know about his brother, dammit. Still, Ace had quietly asked him to be quiet and for once, Luffy complied, knowing it was better to not make Whitebeard angry.

Then it was Haruta's turn.

She was talking about all of this stuff that Luffy had heard about before, and he wondered why it sounded so important. It had to do with guns and Brazil and this city and damn, Haruta just said Blackbeard, didn't she. Luffy's eyes darkened. Things were going to become more difficult now, weren't they?

"And in more recent news, we found Sabo."

Luffy's head shot up as she took out several pictures, which she held up for everyone to see. "He's on the other side of the country with some pretty renowned underground people. Still, when one of our people talked to him, they weren't hostile. When they heard about the recent turn of events, they all agreed to come here."

"Sabo's coming back?" Luffy whispered, eyes watering at the thought of seeing his brother again. He felt Ace's hand ruffle his hair comfortingly. Luffy gulped, biting his lip. He could see his big brother again, the brother he'd wanted to see for eight years.

Haruta smiled down at him. "Yeah, you'll get to see your big brother again. He should be coming in within the next three days, but most likely tomorrow."

Luffy stared, and they wondered if something was wrong, but then he grinned loudly and cheered. They all blinked and then smiled as he stood, saying he had to go out and buy something – anything – for his brother because it was his brother and his birthday was coming up and he wanted to get him a birthday present –

And then Luffy was gone, out the door, not seeing the fond smiles that stared after him.

The plastic bag was held loosely in his hand as he stood and stared in front of him. His eyes were wide with fear and at the same time, filled with burning hatred. He trembled from how tense his body was. Luffy absently wondered to himself why he thought it would be a good idea to walk through such a secluded area from the stores back to the apartment.

"Hello, Luffy."

"Blackbeard."

The other man – the man who haunted his every waking dream and sleeping nightmare – grinned maliciously at him. His gut was as large and hairy as ever; his teeth just as yellow, rotten, and missing; greasy, unkempt hair and a tangled, matted beard both stood out against the white and brown background of the early March weather.

"It's been a long time, boy. Heard Sabo was coming back, so I thought I'd come pick you up again. I'm surprised you managed to escape alive. Most die before they make it to the electric fence."

"I'm not like most people," Luffy replied, glaring now, ignoring how fast his heart was beating against his chest or the fact that his brain was screaming at him to run. He knew it would do him no good.

"True, but," Blackbeard pulled a gun out of his pants, pointing it at the now tense boy. Luffy would've run, but he felt hard metal press against his back. When had someone armed gotten behind him? "That's what makes you my most beloved prisoner, and that's why I'm taking you back."

There was no chance for Luffy to run from the bullet shot at him.

The freckled face stared downward at the plastic bag splattered in red sticking out from an inch of snow. He bent down and lifted it, opening it to stare at its contents. In there were goggles, much like the ones Sabo used to wear before the straps snapped from being so worn. Sabo really loved those goggles, even now, covered in duct tape and the glass scratched.

"Sabo, why do you wear those goggles all the time?"

"These goggles? Ah, I'm pretty sure my brother gave them to me."

"Yeah? How long ago?"

"I'm not sure…but I know they're precious to me. Just wish I could repair the straps, you know?"

Ace's hand clenched around the goggles as he looked up, staring at the tire tracks being quickly covered by snow, heading out of the city. His eyes narrowed as he put the goggles around his neck, to keep them safe. He took a few steps back and got into the truck he had taken from base, put it in drive, and moved as quickly as he could down the pathway that he knew would lead him to Luffy, who had been missing for two days.

Luffy sat curled up in a ball in the corner of the room he was in. He breathed slowly, trying to keep himself calm. The room was made of steel and absolutely freezing – it was the only reason he hated being cold, it reminded him of this box.

The cold was also biting at his wound – it had barely been treated, and his arm was in excruciating pain. He really hated bullets.

The door opened, but he didn't acknowledge whoever it was that entered. They approached with heavy footfalls and grabbed one of his arms, yanking it outward. He glared up at him as they injected whatever it was into his bloodstream.

"You won't get away with it this time."

The man dressed in a lab coat and suit walked out without even glancing back at the glaring teen.

Luffy stared as the door closed, once again shutting him in darkness. He could already feel the tingling in his arm. He could only assume they increased the dosage of whatever it was they always gave him. Luffy could only think of wanting Ace at that moment. He'd grown really close to the older teen, and to think that he'd never get to see him again like Sabo…his heart felt like it was breaking. He closed his eyes and placed his head back on his knees, voice cracking a little as he spoke to himself.

"I don't want this…"

He had watched them drag Sabo out. He had wailed and screamed for his blond brother, but neither could do anything. Sabo was injured and sedated; Luffy was too small to do anything and was easily forced back.

That day was the day he became alone and the day he began to pray, every day, for his brother to be alive and well.

They had begun to drug Luffy one month after Sabo was gone.

It always hurt. Sometimes they would force him to take pills, others they would shove liquids down his throat, on occasion they stuck it into his bloodstream. Some of the men found amusement in making him drunk. They'd take some form of alcohol – beer, vodka, mixed drinks – and force him to drink it. They never cared for how much pain he would be in after, when he would throw up and cry and ask, beg the world to stop spinning, for light to stop shining, for sound to stop resonating in his ears.

He was happy Sabo didn't have to experience the pain he was in.

They began to damage him with knives, swords, cigarettes, cigars, scissors – anything they thought would hurt him – what seemed to be a year later. Luffy honestly had no idea how much time had passed while he was in there.

It hurt. Sometimes they made him walk on or carrying things with his broken limbs. Others they would leave him in uncomfortable positions, not helping him for days.

He began to pray not just for Sabo, but for himself as well.

He began to hallucinate. It was always after they drugged him with something. He'd see his brother, hear Sabo blame him, wish for his death. Sometimes he'd see his mother or father blaming him. The sweetest dreams were when he was on the beach, staring out at the ocean, listening to the birds sing and the waves rumble and roll over expanses of sand that felt heavenly between his toes.

Whenever he woke up from those dreams, he would cry with longing.

Some of the drugs really hurt his head. For days and nights, all he could see were numbers and letters, floating around. They spoke to him in the strangest of ways, and though he understood it, it terrified him. Why were the numbers speaking? Eventually, the numbers never left and stayed there all day, all night. Luffy's fear of the numbers and letters disappeared, and he began to accept them. It didn't mean it didn't hurt, though. Learning the number language was painful for him. But every time he asked the doctors to make the numbers stop, they laughed at him.

Luffy wished he could show them the pain of the numbers.

He stopped crying. There was no use in it – his captors reveled in it and he wasted energy doing so. He pushed it all into the back of his head – the pain, the sadness, the desperation, the agony – and reserved it for his deepest, natural sleeps. It was only then that he could cry, and even then, only in his dreams.

They got very violent. Luffy didn't know why. But one day, Blackbeard came in. He was fuming with hatred and anger. He carved an X into Luffy's chest with a dull knife, listened to his screeches with glee, and then left him there, lying on the floor. He didn't even allow them to heal it properly and as a result, three days later, the puss-filled wound was infected.

He ordered it to be cauterized shut instead of properly attended to.
That was the day Luffy learned true hatred.

He became their experiment. They began to give him one drug, forced him to run and fight against his will. Sometimes, they strapped him down to a cold, hard metal surface with strong binding forces. They would see how certain concoctions affected him. They were all meant to bring out a strong reaction.

Sometimes they left him there, thrashing and writhing in pain. Others would paralyze him and the hallucinations would change from those of family members taunting him to monsters surrounding him. Some knocked him out and he would wake up with no memory.

He became afraid of the dark.

He discovered that one of the drugs gave him immense physical strength, even if it was only for a few minutes. He didn't know which one it was, since they would often times give him more than one at once.

He managed to figure out which one it was through deduction, something he had been forced to learn within the metal fortress' walls.

To be honest, whatever the drug was that gave Luffy strength was the most painful of them all. He became faster and his punches packed more force, but his heart would always pump painfully fast.

Still, it helped him to break out.

The breakout was not at all what he had planned it to be. The men who would force the drug into his veins had decided to give him three times the normal dose. Luffy could remember screaming and a bright light behind his eyes. Then everything was a blur. He had ripped the door made of hard steel off of its hinges. Anyone that tried to stop him was knocked out or pushed into walls. He had run so fast, everything and everyone became a blur. Through walls and doors and bars, he had destroyed all in his path. At the end of his path, he had seen bright white light, glaring in his eyes. He could remember screaming as he ran right through the glass windows. The sharp shards did not deter him in the slightest as he stared up at the sky, eyes wide and full of tears.

For the first time in years, he had seen the sun. The horizon line was shining as the sun disappeared beneath it, turning everything shades of red and pink and orange.

Luffy had never seen anything so beautiful before in his life.

He didn't even care that there was nothing below him but water.

If I die, at least I'll be free.

Luffy had awoken on a beach in the middle of nowhere, drenched with sea salt and covered in sand. It was night, the moon full and surrounded by shining stars. He looked up at them and for the first time in years, he allowed himself to cry out loud. And it wasn't out of desperation or agony – it was pure euphoria. He was free. He was no longer within their clutches.

His sobs pierced the night sky for hours until he managed to pick himself up and begin his long journey to nowhere.

He quickly realized he was no longer in Brazil. No one spoke Portuguese and he had to internally thank his mother for staying bilingual when she moved back to Brazil from wherever it was she had lived previously.

He quickly learned he couldn't remember much about his family. It was all a big blur for him. The sounds of their voices, the touch of their hands, how they smelled, what they laughed like, what their hugs felt like – none of it was within reach of his memory. He couldn't remember their faces, and that scared him the most. Probably because he still hallucinated about them – he'd see them glaring, they'd taunt him, they'd hurt him. But was it really them? He couldn't remember anything about them.

Even his worst nightmares became strangers.

He was truly alone in the world.

Spring. That was the season – or rather, spring was just a few days away. He wondered if Sabo's birthday had already passed. He couldn't remember the date, all he could remember was that it was in March.

He couldn't remember, but he found a small place to celebrate his brother's birthday. Even if he wasn't there, his brother deserved the wishes. He stole a candle from a store and made one of those lamps that his father would make with him when he was just a little boy. He surprised himself with the fact he remembered how to make them in the first place. But he remembered that Sabo loved the lamps.

Luckily the ocean was calm. Luffy had set the lamp on the waves and watched them take it out to sea. He watched until he could no longer see the little light, and then he continued to move.

The days were sweltering hot when summer came around. It had been around three months since his escape, avoiding the police and the captors. The months had been painful. He had been addicted to whatever they had been giving him, so he spent much of the spring trapped in one place.

The full effects of withdrawal had hurt. He had been delirious, he had curled in on himself and cried, he had screamed, he had emptied his already empty stomach of nonexistent contents, he begged for the pain to go away, he begged for the drugs.

During those two painful months, where he was only conscious enough to get himself food once a week, he had kept himself secluded in nature. No one ever came out the far and only he knew how to get to his hiding place from the city.

Quitting may have been painful, but at least now he could live again, in the full sense of the word. During those months, he had moved all of five miles. Now, perhaps, he could move quickly.

It was a fleeting thought, but he wondered when his birthday was. He could not remember, but he knew it was when the air was not too warm and not too cold. He could vaguely remember sitting in his mother's lap and the singing of a song, but aside from that, he had no recollection of the anniversary of his birth.

He decided to ignore anything concerning his birth all together. At the moment, it wasn't important. Sabo was much more important.

He wanted to find his big brother again.

Luffy wanted to know if he was alive.

He had been moving north. It was easy to tell, since the air and sea grew colder. Each new city he roamed in was filled with drug addicts and prostitutes. He didn't find fault in them, but he found himself begging internally for just one more taste of the drugs. It was painful to ignore the urge, and at times he had to hurt himself to keep from falling for the lust he felt for them, but he managed to do so. It was probably the greatest challenge he had ever undergone, but he came out victorious.

He had to learn to fight. He learned quickly. Every city he walked in, he was on someone's turf, trespassing. Punches, kicks – he fought weaponless. At the beginning, he often lost, and would be thrown out of the city or left where he was defeated to rot – they never checked for a pulse and assumed him to be dead. But the many fast, repetitive loses only taught him more – how to win. Luffy improved drastically. Maybe it was because he had to fight other people on occasion while captured? He wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he was alive and that he had to find his brother, and if fighting had to be learned to do so, then so be it.

The air was chilled now, and he noticed some tree leaves turned different colors. He couldn't remember if he'd seen such a thing before. But he knew it was a sign of the passing of time.

It was bittersweet and beautiful all at once.

Snow. White, cold, and he was not at all prepared for it. He had been stuck in three storms already and was surprised he was still alive. He was coming to hate the snow.

Food was hard to come by. It was more difficult to steal food than before, for some reason. He had grown slower – maybe from lack of food. Maybe because he felt unbearably warm despite the cold. He hurt a lot, too.

He needed food.

He took the first chance he could – saving that man from getting beaten up by thugs. He had only wanted food, but he got more than he bargained for when he was offered shelter.

It was that day that his whole life changed.

Luffy didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up. He was still chained to the wall, still curled up in a corner. But it seemed they had been monitoring him. Men came in almost immediately and grabbed him, lifting him, dragging him out of the room. Luffy knew he was sedated – he couldn't feel his limbs.

His heart was breaking. What if they didn't come for him? What if he didn't get to see his brother again? What if they had lied to him, about them caring? He loved them, but right now, when he was back within the walls, he felt as though there was no hope. They caught him again. There was no way they were going to let him out of here ever again. They probably figured out what happened last time, anyway.

He felt like he could cry.

The straw hat he wore constantly fell to the ground, and he couldn't help but feel as if he had failed.

He had been forced to share a room with a teen as soon as Sabo was gone. He could tell the teen was in terrible shape and would likely die soon. He had red hair and a straw hat on his head. His name was Shanks, a British boy who had grown up in Japan, kidnapped from his home more than three years ago.

Despite the fact that Shanks was in worse shape than Luffy, he comforted the terrified child with a smile.

Luffy slept next to Shanks every night. They comforted each other from their nightmares. Luffy never knew what caused Shanks to be so scared at night, but he was too afraid to ask.

The two would always share stories with each other and talk about random things for those few weeks they were together. Luffy came to adore Shanks and he was pretty sure Shanks felt the same for the small boy. He would always comfort the child when the boy wanted his big brother or whenever the men were mean to him. He taught Luffy some Japanese just as Luffy taught him some Portuguese. They talked about anything and everything they could think of.

But then that day happened and changed it all.

Luffy didn't understand what they had tried to do to him the first time they entered the room, only that it was bad and made Shanks really angry. He had attacked the men and in the process, he had somehow lost his arm.

Luffy had cried excessively, his wails echoing off of the metal walls. Shanks had only smiled at him and gave him he straw hat he wore. He made Luffy promise that Luffy would someday escape and never get caught again.

Luffy doesn't know what happened to Shanks that day.

Luffy was strapped down to a chair with the toughest materials they had. The room was one of the oddest ones he had ever been in. He didn't know why Blackbeard would lock him in a room of windows considering how he escaped last time, but he couldn't help but to admire the scenery he could see – the sun moving down to eventually set over the horizon line, which was the picturesque ocean he loved so much.

A door opened. Luffy assumed it was directly behind him. Despite yelling internally at himself not to panic, his heartbeat increased drastically. It was loud, as loud as the slow steps slowly, steadily approaching him. They were the only two things he could hear.

Was this the end?

A large, grubby hand came up and covered his eyes.

"You've been a bad boy, Luffy."

"I'm not your pet, you bastard."

"No, you're my toy."

Luffy snarled, but it only earned him a cuff over the back of the head with the butt of a gun.

"This should teach you to stay mine forever."

His mouth was pried open. Luffy thrashed and tried to bite at the fingers holding his jaw, but it was useless. Long, grubby, fat fingers shoved something far down his throat. He choked and in the process ended up swallowing whatever it was – all he knew was that it tasted disgusting.

The men backed away and Luffy sat there for a moment. He wondered what they were doing. They moved out of the way of the window and Luffy once more stared out at the beautiful image.

Crushing, searing pain suddenly shot through him, and he screamed.

Ace pressed on the gas, now speeding down the salted streets. His phone sat in the empty seat next to him, on loud volume. He had been on and off the phone with the gang for about an hour now. The tire tracks had lead to this street, and it was in the middle of nowhere. Ace was praying it would bring him to where the boy was.

As he turned around a corner, he saw a large building, shining with blaring brightness as the sunlight broke through the clouds.

That's it!

Ace pressed down harder, going as fast as he could. He really had to thank Namur for teaching him how to drive. That man was an expert driver.

Within fifteen minutes, he pulled up to the building, hiding behind the trees out front. He was thankful there were no walls around it, but then he realized there were cameras at all of the doors and that probably meant there were all sorts of traps in store for him.

He glared.

Like that would hold him back.

He grabbed his phone and quickly sent a text to Marco, explaining his coordinates and anything else the man would need to know. Then he looked back at his arsenal. He grabbed his backpack and quickly shoved supplies into it, mainly for the end of his one-man raid. Aside from that, he grabbed a few pocket knives to stuff in his many pockets and extra ammo for the shotgun he was bringing. Grabbing his metal baseball bat, he stuffed it into the backpack he had, grateful there was enough room for the damn thing in there at all. He hadn't exactly gone light with packing.

He opened the car door calmly, the exact opposite of the fury he felt, and stepped out. He closed it harshly, the slam resounding throughout the whole area. He grabbed a few bullets from the bag at his waist and loaded the shotgun. He stopped before the entrance and aimed it at the camera. The camera exploded as soon as the bullet hit it and Ace grimaced.

He knew he had less time than he thought for this rescue mission.

Still, he wouldn't let that get to him. He put the safety on for the gun and put it in the holder at his side. Then, he gave a snarl, followed by a yell, as he grabbed the bat and brought it up, swinging it at the door. The sound of glass shattering was loud and as soon as it broke, alarms went off. Ace smirked, feral, as men began pouring out of doors.

Ace rushed them all, swinging his bat with expertise. Front foot planted firmly on the ground, he spun on the back one with his hips, yelling as he smacked someone right in the face ruthlessly. But that was only the first one.

Ace ran forward, swinging the bat at one man and knocking him into a second, causing both of them to fall down, tripping several others and making a small pile in the hall. Ace clambered over the pile of groaning bodies and jumped down at one of the men trying to climb up it. He smacked the man on the side of the head and then, suddenly, Ace was struck by a man from the side. Ace took him out with one swing of the bat.

Ace was forced to continue down the hallway this way, swinging his bat at men launching themselves at him with the intent to kill him. He did not come out unscathed. He was pretty sure his nose was bleeding and he felt blood in his mouth. He was also covered in newly formed bruises, but that hardly mattered to him.

When he finally reached the end of the hall, he was met with a tall, winding staircase. Ace cussed and ran forward, taking the steps two at a time as fast as he could. Once again, he would have to thank someone – Thatch this time – for constantly chasing him upstairs after he got pranked. The learned ability was really helping him right then.

The stairs went up for two floors straight. At the end of the stairs, Ace was met with three directions – right, left, or forward. He looked all three ways but decided on one for the sole reason that one object only Luffy had laid on the floor. He approached, gently grabbing the straw hat and lifting it. There were bloodstains on it. Ace's hand tensed a little and he carefully tied the hat around his own neck, staring down the left hall. It wasn't stairs, but it inclined the whole length of the passageway.

Ace turned and sprinted down the hall. This time, instead of people, there were traps. He ducked as he stepped on one tile that almost set him aflame. He had to be careful about a set of lasers he came upon, that just seemed intent on cutting him up. No, they weren't set in a pattern of diagonals and horizontals – they fucking moved and more than once Ace though he would lose his head or feet. They just forced him to move even faster though. He managed to stay upright when the floor turned to really slippery ice and he didn't fall when bouncing balls were set loose. After that there was a trap of banana peels.

Banana peels.

Just like Blackbeard to try and kill and degrade someone.

Still, there were also swinging swords coming out from the walls and occasionally gun shots from concealed places, making Ace curse each time he was almost shot. Still, he managed to avoid the stray bullets and the swinging swords.

Eventually, slightly singed and more than a little ruffled, Ace made it to the door at the end of the hall, glaring. He grabbed the handle and twisted, slightly surprised that it opened unhindered, but relieved more than anything.

The door opened and Ace moved inside, standing just inside the doorway. There was a chair in the center of the room, facing the wall opposite of him. Rather than a wall, it was all windows.

Ace stepped further into the room, approaching the chair. He moved around to the front of it and gasped a little, kneeling down. "Luffy! Hold on, I'm going to get you out of here, alright?" Ace whispered, pulling out one of the lock picks he had in his shoe and starting to work on the right cuff attaching him to the chair.

The sound of clapping startled Ace and he looked around the chair, glaring at the figure standing in the doorway.

"Teach."

"So glad you could make it, Ace. I was worried you wouldn't make it."

Ace stood, glowering at the man with fury. The other man merely grinned wider, the expression filled with sick glee.

"What do you want, Teach?" Ace demanded, fists clenching at his sides. He just wanted to get Luffy and leave. But the man across from him only smirked maliciously.

"Have you ever heard of those super human experiments? I'm sure you've heard of the, considering you're a commander and all."

Ace narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going. "They stopped those decades ago. Why bring it up now?"

The man cackled. It was a haunting sound, one that would probably stalk Ace in his nightmares. How did this man trick them when he was so obviously deranged?

"They've been hoping to start them again for the past two decades or so. Where would they get the subjects for it though, and there was no one who wanted do the experiments. That's where I came in. My group had no qualms about doing it. Grab some foreigner brat, kill his family – no one would have thought he was alive after that fire back in Brazil. His brother was too annoying to keep, but little Luffy there was one of the best subjects we've had here in years."

Ace felt the fury turn to rage with each word the disgusting man across from him spoke. Luffy had been an experiment these past seven or eight years. No wonder Sabo couldn't find him, no wonder the gang couldn't find him.

And Teach had been doing this all along under their noses.

"Of course, I wasn't doing anything myself. No, my group was far out of Newgate's watchful eyes. Then, when one of the damn shots actually worked, the kid broke out with it. Had to punish him for that one."

Ace felt something clutch his heart and he glanced down at the teen for a moment, nervous about what, exactly, Teach had done to him.

Ace bit his lip as a sudden shot tore through his shoulder. He gripped at the bleeding area and turned his eyes back to Teach, glaring at the man with rage as deep as the sea.

"You're a bastard," Ace spat out, but the man once again only laughed, for some reason amused with Ace's statement.

"That's what my toy said. Soon, you'll be just like him."

Ace's eyes widened, trying to comprehend what the moron across from him just said, before his eyes narrowed again. If he could, he would be on fire right then.

The whole building suddenly shook. There was the sound of rumbling, deep from within the structure. Teach looked back through the door, eyes wide.

"What the hell is going on?!"

While the man's back was turned, Ace pulled out his gun, aimed, and shot right at the other man, who yelled in shock. He turned despising eyes toward Ace, who glared at him with pure outrage.

"I'm not letting you get what you want!"

Ace honestly did not know what happened, but he charged the man. He pulled out the bat, putting the gun away quickly as the other man began to shoot at him. Ace managed to dodge by zigzagging and brought the bat up, aiming for his head. Teach brought his arm up just in time though, but the resulting crunch of breaking bones satisfied a little of Ace's bloodlust.

Ace pulled the bat back and aimed again, this time for his gut. Teach brought out a sword from a sheath and blocked it. The piercing sound of metal on metal made Ace want to cover his ears, but he didn't. He pulled back again and began to swing, trying to catch the man off guard.

The bat was knocked out of Ace's hands and the teen went flying backwards. He purposefully rolled himself into a ball and somersaulted across the floor before getting a grip and crouching. Immediately he jumped to his right, barely avoiding the biting slicing of Blackbeard's sword.

His shoulder stung suddenly, painfully, and Ace cursed, grabbing at the wounded limb. A foot met his face when he wasn't paying attention, sending him flying across the floor. Ace shouted in pain and then mentally slapped himself, telling himself to focus on the fight as he began to get back to his feet as the man approached him with predatory steps.

Ace quickly shoved his hands into his pockets as he stood, dodging the repetitive swings of the sword. He pulled out two pocket knives and clicked the button on each, allowing the blade to be freed from the sheath. He dodged a blow with a duck and aimed a punch for Teach's abdomen. Lucky for the teen, the blade sunk in quick. Teach screeched in pain like a child as Ace brought up the other blade, sinking it in just as deep. The red blood pooling over his hands didn't bother him in the slightest as he glowered at the man.

"It's scum like you who need to disappear from the face of the earth."

He yanked the knives out and kicked the man to the ground, allowing him to bleed out, ignoring his whimpers of pain. He stared for a moment before cursing and running over to the chair.

"Luffy, are you alright?" Ace asked, but the boy was still unresponsive. Ace knew that was really bad. He grabbed the lock pick and continued to work on the locks, trying to ignore the number of explosions he heard and felt wrecking the building.

The last lock clicked and Ace quickly pulled the teen out of the chair. He saw nothing physically wrong, but he could be very mistaken for all he knew.

Ace placed Luffy on the ground and took off his backpack, rummaging through it until he pulled out what he needed – kindling, gasoline, and matches. He tossed his bag a few feet away and gently placed Luffy next to it. He walked back to the chair, ignoring Teach's groans and pleads a few feet away. He covered it with kindling he had stuffed in the bottom of his bag and then drenched the whole thing in gasoline. Ace took one of the matches from the pack and on the first strike he hit flames. He tossed the small fire onto the gasoline and watched with a blank expression as the chair began to burn, not at all caring for the heat radiating off of it.

"You'll never get away with this! My men will come and hunt you down! You'll all be my experiments! I will get that money! I will get what I want!"

Ace looked at the man coldly, eyes as deadly as a stormy sea. Teach felt himself flinch. Ace pulled his gun out and aimed it at the man. He shot the gun three times – one for each leg, the last between the stab wounds. The man began to wail.

Ace turned and moved back to Luffy and the bag, ignoring the man in the background. He stuffed his bat back in the bag and put the gun on safety, stuffing it in the back of his pants. He then turned his attention to the teen, who was still not awake. Ace bit his lip nervously and ran a hand over the teen's hair, whispering his name shakily and worriedly.

Ace grabbed his bag and put it back on his bag and then made to pick up Luffy. A sudden last boom shook the whole structure, and Ace looked back through the open doorway. His eyes widened in shock.

There was a blast heading right for them.

He picked up the younger teen, holding him protectively, and ran for the window opposite the door. He somehow managed to pull the gun back out while not dropping Luffy and shot at the glass until it shattered. He jumped through the hole it left, dropping the gun and wrapping himself around Luffy in the process, not wanting the younger to get hurt. As he fell, he couldn't help but to glance at the horizon line, where the sun was setting and turning the sky orange and red.

He hit the ground as a loud boom seemed to deafen him, a wave pushing them further across the ground. Ace turned over with Luffy under him, ignoring the pain in his back, and covered him as parts of cement went flying. The orange and yellow flames burst high into the sky, and Ace wondered if anyone else was there to see it, if anyone else had survived.

Something hit the back of Ace's head and his world went black.

The next time Ace woke up, he was in his truck, someone else was driving, and damn everything hurt. Light was too bright and he groaned, keeping his eyes closed. He never thought his truck was this loud before. He couldn't remember much either. He remembered shooting Teach but after that, it was all a blur.

He felt something on his lap and opened his eyes, blinking blearily. Luffy was on his lap, still not waking up, and they were both leaned back in one of Ace's car seats – he could tell, because only his leather was as worn as this. He slung an arm over Luffy and closed his eyes once more, trying to block out the light.

"Are you alright?"

The voice was quiet and it sounded very familiar. He felt a hand touch his forehead and it felt comforting, cool against his hot skin. He opened his eyes a crack again to see who had the nice hands and was met with curly blond hair, tan skin, and blue. If it didn't make him feel like vomiting, he would've thrown his eyes open, screamed his name, and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"Sabo…?"

He thought he saw the other smile. "Yeah. It's nice to see you again, Ace. You're still as reckless as ever. Seriously, you couldn't wait even a half hour for us to get there? I know you wanted to save Luffy, but you almost got yourself killed!"

That was Sabo. Only Sabo would lecture him like that. Ace leaned into the hand and smiled.

"I have to say thanks," Ace tilted his head, feeling like speaking would take too much effort. Sabo knew him like the back of his hand – he knew what Ace was trying to say. "You saved my little brother. You were there for him when I couldn't be. So…really, thank you so much."

Ace didn't like the sound of his brother sniffling or the wavering in his voice. He gently grabbed the hand on his forehead and squeezed. Sabo chuckled – a watery, relieved sound. They spent the rest of the drive like that, silent, just being there for each other, something they each felt they had failed at before.

Everything hurt. It was all too bright at once and noises were muffled and so loud all at once. He couldn't move anything. There were people above him, and he thought he saw Doc for a second, but that couldn't be right. Luffy was still stuck to that chair, wasn't he?

Something felt excruciating and it was so horribly terrible that he fell to unconsciousness once more.

Everything was moving. It all blurred together – colors and sounds and smells and feels. Everything was fuzzy.

There was a hand on his forehead, he thought, and it felt nice. The rest of his body felt as if it was on fire. He wanted to go back to sleep. He heard a song being sung softly, and he didn't know what it was, but he knew it was very familiar, and it caused him to fall back into darkness.

His lungs hurt. He felt as if he couldn't breathe. He felt his fingers clutching at something and there were panicked voices above him. They put something on his face. They turned him over. Everything really hurt.

Everything began to fade and he felt something was off. He felt so relaxed but for some reason, deep in his mind, he was panicking. He lost sound first, followed by touch – was he even touching anything? He couldn't smell anything anymore and then his sight began to disappear. He felt as though he didn't exist anymore. All he could understand was that bright white light, flooding everything, and it was enveloping him.

Something jolted his body, and it felt odd, but he didn't react. It happened again. The light began to disappear. A third time, and everything assaulted his senses all at once. Too much light, too much touch, too much, overload of senses, smells strong, loud, sound hurts, make it stop, please, please, help.

This time when his world faded, it was to black, and he felt much better for that for some reason he couldn't quite understand, though he knew he should.

When Luffy woke up, completely coherent this time, he knew something was wrong. He was in the same infirmary bed as the first night, next to the window, but this time there was no Ace. He was alone. The thought made him panic. How did he end up here? He was last with Teach, from what he could remember.

His fingers twitched and felt agony shot through his limbs. His mouth opened in a silent scream before he fell to pitiful whimpers.

He heard the door open and someone said his name – it sounded like his name, at least, but he wasn't sure. Turning his head hurt too much, but it sounded like Ace. And there he was – the freckled teen was leaning over him in less than two seconds, staring down at the teen with unhidden concern.

Luffy croaked his name and Ace reached to the side, picking up a glass of what Luffy presumed to be water. Ace tried to tilt it down Luffy's throat, but it just made Luffy choke and trying to swallow hurt. Why did it hurt? He thought he heard Ace pleading with him to drink it, but each time Luffy coughed and it dribbled down the side of his throat. It was so painful that Luffy thought he felt himself crying. He made feeble protests, trying to push Ace away, but it only hurt him more, why did it hurt so badly? Ace turned away for a second and he spoke to someone, someone Luffy couldn't see. Then Ace took a gulp of the water and leaned down to Luffy. Luffy opened his mouth to ask what was happening, but then Ace's was covering his own, trying to coax him into drinking the water. Luffy almost choked a few times but somehow, with Ace's help, he managed to swallow it.

Ace pulled back and asked Luffy something, but Luffy still couldn't hear well. At least his throat didn't feel anywhere near as parched as it did a moment ago.

Ace turned around and was talking with whoever else was in there. Whoever it was, they were having an argument with Ace. Suddenly Ace got up and left Luffy's sight range and Luffy felt really lonely for a moment, until someone else came into view. They looked really guilty and worried all at once. Luffy immediately recognized him – he could never forget those eyes, that blond hair, those goggles (now wrapped in tape) – and he assumed that the blond must have realized Luffy knew who he was, as he quickly and carefully sat on the bed ledge and pulled Luffy into a tight hug.

Luffy couldn't hear anything that Sabo whispered to him. All he knew was that it made him feel like he was at home again. He was pretty sure it was in Portuguese. It reminded him of his childhood. He was pretty sure Sabo was crying, since he was trembling, but then again Luffy might've been crying too. Maybe they were both crying. He felt his mouth moving, but if felt like he was saying one word over and over again, if he was even saying anything. Luffy somehow, painfully, managed to bring his hands up to grip onto his brother, even if it was a light grasp. Sabo brought one of his hands up from the hug and put it on the back of Luffy's head in a protective hold.

Hours later Luffy fell asleep in his brother's arms, a smile on his face and tears on his cheeks, clinging to him with all the strength he could muster.

What Teach had given Luffy had been designed to heighten all senses and increase his strength by ten percent or more. The drug worked, but the consequences had been severe. Twice they had almost lost Luffy, right when they got him back from Teach, and a second time two weeks later. He had gone into cardiac arrest. They thought they had lost him for real the second time.

When Luffy woke up, he could barely hear them, and even then it was all muffled. He had to eat out of a feeding tube. He could stay awake for maybe a half hour, most times only ten minutes, and then would sleep for eight hours at a time.

It was painful for them all, but it hit Ace and Sabo the hardest.

Ace felt as if he had lost one of his best friends. Granted, he wasn't dead, but he couldn't do anything then. It felt as if, even though Teach was dead, he had somehow won, tricked all of them. Ace just felt defeated, as though he had failed the younger boy.

Sabo felt cheated. He felt like he failed, like he let his parents down. For years, he had sworn to himself he would find his brother, the boy whose name he couldn't even remember. And finally, when he was able to reunite with him, he's knocking on death's door. He felt like the shittiest brother in the world.

Around the time Luffy turned seventeen, he could hear again. He could talk. Light and sound no longer bothered him. He could sit up again on his own, but he could not yet walk.

Still, they all began to feel better. Luffy's smiles were brighter than before – they were no longer forced mockeries of a grin, but now they felt as though they shined. His smile could light up a whole room.

On Luffy's birthday, Sabo had gone in alone. He had planned to ask the teen to move in with them. They had so much catching up to do and Sabo felt as though he would never have enough time to make up for it.

Before he could say anything or even wish his brother a happy birthday, Luffy had presented the older teen with a pair of goggles. He realized it was the goggles Ace had been wearing along with the straw hat while waiting for Luffy to wake up. His brother immediately began telling him how Ace told Luffy he had found the goggles and kept them safe for that whole time while waiting for Luffy to wake up. Ace didn't want to give the goggles to Sabo; he wanted Luffy to be able to do it.

Even after being tortured, all Luffy wanted to do was give his brother his birthday present.

Sabo almost cried then, but managed to pull off a smile. He told Luffy about his apartment and Luffy jumped on him, knocking them both to the floor. Both were laughing and crying at once.

Luffy said it was the best birthday ever.

In June, Luffy received one of the biggest surprises of his life.

He no longer guilt for what happened with Shanks all those years ago. He knew Shanks wouldn't have wanted him to feel upset for what happened. So he kept the straw hat, a keepsake of the older boy he thought to be dead.

Maybe that's why he was so surprised when the red head showed up at his door.

He was a man now, tall and strong and there were scars over his left eye. He had walked in with some of the commanders, going on about how he was glad Luffy was safe and apologizing for not being able to find Luffy after he was kicked out.

Luffy had stared as he walked in, eyes wide and lips trembling. He clenched his teeth and Shanks had asked him what was wrong.

He had launched himself at the red haired man, sobbing and muttering gibberish. It was much like how he reunited with Sabo, only louder because now the boy could move without hurting himself.

Apparently the man knew all of the gang, Ace, and Sabo. None of them understood what was wrong until Shanks explained the situation to them. Really, it was just like what happened with Sabo, only this time a little more guilt was added into the mix.

Shanks had smiled sadly and began to tease the boy about being a crybaby, which immediately made the teen start cursing him and saying that he was a man, not a crybaby dammit. They had all laughed at that, even Luffy.

Once again, Luffy cried himself to sleep, clinging onto the older man.

By July, Luffy was able to walk again. His steps were slow and shaky and he needed someone with him when he tried to move, but he made progress. But they could all tell he was going stir crazy. He'd been confined to that room for months and his complaining had just gotten louder and more frequent as time passed.

Ace and Sabo decided to take him to the beach.

"Are we there yet? Are we there? How much longer, Ace?"

"Luffy, I swear if you don't shut up and sit your ass on the seat, I'm going to duct tape your mouth shut and then duct tape you to the seat."

Sabo sighed and then chuckled lightly as his brother and best friend began arguing again. He didn't understand how the two of them managed to share a room without tearing each other's throats out.

"Oh, we're here!" Sabo suddenly exclaimed, staring out the window with a grin. Sure, they could've taken Luffy to the beach in the city, but that one was packed. Besides, they wanted to take them to the beach that Marco, Thatch, and some of the other gang members brought them to when they were younger.

Luffy pressed his face to the window, bouncing in his seat in excitement and cheering. Ace yelled at him not to get his drool on the window, but Sabo could see him smiling fondly at the younger teen.

The beach was small, hidden amidst the pine trees and within jetties of rocks. The waves rolled over the soft, sandy beach and gave a perfect view of the horizon line, where one could see boats flying across the blue expanse of sea.

Ace pulled the truck into a dirt and rock path, driving carefully down it until he reached a parking lot amidst the trees. Before he even parked the truck, Luffy was trying to open the door, ignoring his brother and friend telling him to slow down.

Luffy was unable to carry anything – doctor's orders – and started down the path before them. When they got to the beach, he was standing there, staring out at the sea with a peaceful smile.

Ace put his bag down and took off his shoes. Already shirtless, he ran up to Luffy and tossed him over his shoulder before running down to the ocean and tossing them both in. Sabo laughed as he made to follow, grinning when he saw Ace resurface with Luffy clinging to him, laughing loudly.

At some point Luffy discarded his shirt, tossing it to the shore as Sabo and Ace dragged him around in the water in a tube. He hadn't been swimming since he was very young and Doc had warned all three of them that he might be able to swim, but it could hurt his muscles. So instead of risking it – well, really, Ace and Sabo forced him to not swim – they brought the tube so he could join them.

They were in and out of the water all day, eating at some points, playing tag at others (in which case Luffy would jump on their backs and one of them had to run like that).

By the time the sun began to set, they were relaxing on blankets. Luffy was asleep, his head in his brother's lap as he drooled on his leg. Sabo was running his finger's through his little brother's lap when he spoke, startling Ace who had been drinking a can of soda.

"I never thought it would take this long to finally have some semblance of peace in our lives."

Ace glanced at him and then the teen in his lap and smiled softly.

"I didn't either, but, at least we have our peace, right?"

Sabo chuckled a little, nodding as he stared out at the ball of fire setting behind the sea, the sky further above already turning dark.

"Yeah. I'm not gonna lose it this time."

Sabo's finger's continued to run through his brother's hair and Luffy smiled softly in his sleep, leaning into the touch. Ace smiled at the two of them before looking back out at the horizon, closing his eyes after a few moments as the sky began to turn dark blue and black.

For the first time in many years, they all felt at peace with the world.

AN: Slightly lame ending but...I FINISHED IT! I FINISHED IT! I've been working on this for like a month and wrote most of it yesterday and today. And yes, I know, hiatus technically doesn't end until tomorrow, but my midterms were pushed back a day and I've been on a freaking writing roll and I wanted to upload something dammit. Whenever I'm stressed with school, it seems I always have stuff to write.

But my baby! I finished it! Seriously my back hurts and this thing has been so difficult to write. I wanted to make it Acelu but I just couldn't make it fit. GAH. I suck at romance. Need to get better at it.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading this! Please leave a comment to tell me what you think! :) Also, if I missed anything (grammar, spelling, etc.) please tell me! :)