Yes, the long awaited Marineford chapter is finally here! I hope it lives up to your expectations!

Read on!

On Sabaody Archipelago, a commotion rustled through the crowd that had gathered before the screens as they craned to get a better look over the heads of those before them, alerted by the whispers of those nearest. "It's Straw Hat!" "Straw Hat Luffy has appeared!"

The spectators stared as the visual den den mushi zoomed in on the prisoner being led up to the execution stand. It was something that would stay imprinted in their minds even as they recalled it years later, and brought back memories in those who had witnessed or heard tales of another legendary execution.

For even though Monkey D. Luffy was being led to his death… never did his smile waver.

"Garp… I'm going to tell them everything."

"Do as you like. I'll be down below."

Tsuru watched Garp shrewdly as he joined her below the stands, but said nothing. Garp felt the weight of her gaze, however, and sighed heavily. "At this point, it's not like it's going to make any difference. Labels can't hurt him anymore, not at this point. Especially now that he has become a notorious outlaw himself." The veteran Marine hardened his jaw. "He's made his choice, and he has to live it." Or die for it, went unsaid. Tsuru turned her gaze back to the horizon, allowing her old friend his privacy.

Overhead, Sengoku picked up the broadcasting Den Den Mushi. "Everyone, I have something crucial to tell you all. Something about the true meaning of Monkey D. Luffy meeting his end here today."

"Gurararara! My beloved son had better be safe and sound!"

"Whitebeard!" Sengoku grit his teeth. His eyes swept across the crescent-moon formation made by Whitebeard's allies around the bay. The way the pirates had them surrounded was worrying in itself, but there was one point that especially caught his attention. Right in the center, at the mouth of the bay, there was a gap large enough for another ship to pass. It couldn't be…! But of course, it could. They had known of this possibility the moment they made the decision.

In answer to his suspicions, the figure of another ship appeared, shrouded by mist and slowly becoming clearer to the eye. That unmistakable dragon figurehead entered first into their view as the Revolutionaries' flagship sailed fearlessly into the bay, to take its place beside the Moby Dick. Garp's eyes narrowed at the green-cloaked figure that stood at the bow. "…Dragon!"

Sengoku's hands clenched at his sides. Only the Heavens knew how the outcome of this battle would be.

"'Melt a little of the ice and we'll slide right down', my foot!"

"I'm sorry, it was an accident!"

"We're going to dieeeeeee! It's solid ice down there!"

"Fiiiireeeee Fiiiiiissstttt!"

"Oh wait! If it's ice I can melt it! HIKEN!"

"Now we're going to drooooowwwwwnnnnn!"

"These Devil Fruit users…"

"Right! Sabo, I'll be counting on you!"

"Dammit, Ace!"

Everyone's jaw dropped open as an entire battleship fell from the sky, along with what appeared to be a whole battalion of escaped prisoners.

Grumbling, Sabo tossed Ace onto the ice. The fire user shot upright the moment he was free of numbing seawater, scrambling to his feet unheeding of the slippery surface.

"LUFFFFYYYYY!"

"ACE!"

"WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU!" Ace yelled. Without ceremony he seized Sabo under one arm in a vice grip, heedless of his protests. "THIS IDIOT IS HERE TOO!"

For a moment Sabo hesitated, but the sight of that painfully figure familiar dispelled all uncertainty. He straightened, shaking off Ace's arm to call out as well. "LUFFY!"

Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "Garp. Who is that boy with Fire Fist!?" he snapped.

Garp was stunned. "There's only one person I can think of, but they said he died years ago."

But a whisper from the chained prisoner confirmed it. "Sabo…?" There was disbelief in his voice, but not a sliver of doubt. "Sa… SABO!" Luffy cried, tears streaming down his face.

Sabo smiled wryly. "He's the oldest, but he's still as much a crybaby as ever."

"That's never gonna change."

The brothers shared a glance, fond exasperation staying for a moment before seriousness retook their expressions. Both knew how much was as stake here. Wordlessly, Ace's eyebrows raised a fraction in question, and Sabo inclined his head barely perceptibly.

But that almost unseen exchange was clearly enough for the two of them, for Ace immediately broke into a full-out sprint. Without missing a beat, Sabo kept at his side, matching his speed perfectly. Slowly, matching grins grew on their faces despite the situation. This was familiar, this was good, and they were going to get their brother back to complete it.

"Don't get left behind, Sabo! You've ten years of training to catch up on!" Ace teased as he shot off a barrage of flaming fists.

Sabo's grin just grew wider, drawing the metal pipe strapped to his back. An inky black spread across it as he coated the weapon with Haki. He slammed the long end of the pipe into the nearest Marine's midriff, sending him barreling into those following him. "Tell that to yourself, Ace! Try to keep up!"

"Luffy! We're coming to get you!"

"Dragon…"

The Revolutionary leader turned slightly to glance at the man who had landed on the deck with a grace that belied his size. A hint of a smile graced his lips, dispelling the worry in his eyes for a moment at the sight of an old friend. "Welcome back, Iva."

"Fufufufu, it is my honor to fight by your side once more. I only vish that it wasn't under such a perilous situation as this. There is one thing you ought to know if you have not heard yet, which ve heard on a Marine channel on our vay here. They're planning to execute Straw Hat-boy ahead of schedule."

Luffy closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "STAY AWAY! ACE, SABO! I'M YOUR BIG BROTHER, I'M—"

"DAMMIT LUFFY IT'S OUR TURN TO PROTECT YOU NOW!" Ace roared, cutting him off, followed by a sharp kick in the gut with a flaming boot towards a Marine who had gotten in his way.

"WHAT HE SAID!" Sabo's staff was coated black with Haki, and was proving extremely effective in clearing the path.

Luffy reeled back, eyes wide as his brothers cut a swath through the Marines as they fought to get to the execution platform.

Eyes narrowing, Sengoku snapped up the receiver of the broadcasting Den Den Mushi. "Cut those men down without hesitation! Fire Fist Ace is another danger for the future! Not only was he raised together with Luffy, he is also the son of the late Pirate King, Gold Roger!"

Ace grit his teeth as shocked exclamations erupted across the battlefield. He hated that it matter even in a time like this, especially in a time like this. He hated the eyes that were drawn to him from all over the battlefield, now that they knew. But even so…

Over the fallen form of a Marine officer, Sabo met his eyes. "Luffy comes first."

"Of course."

"Ace, you go ahead! You've got to get to Luffy! I'll hold these guys off!"

"Alright!"

Ace dashed without hesitation onto the path Inazuma had made, trusting in his brother's ability to take care of himself. Luffy was the one most at risk here, they'd already tried to execute him early, he had to get there before the Marines attempted anything else!

An all-too-familiar figure landed in the middle of the path, crumbling the stone as if it were made of sand.

Ace's eyes widened. Crap! "Gramps!"

Garp reared up. "If you want to get past, you're going to have to kill me first!"

"Dammit Gramps, I can't! Get out of the way!" They may not be related by blood, but he owed his life to this man. And for all his faults, Garp had been a good grandfather. But he couldn't stop here, not when he'd gotten so far!

"Then Luffy will die!"

"I can't let that happen either! Gramps! Let me through!"

"You are my enemy, Fire Fist Ace!"

With wide eyes he saw the fist lifted against him, but then his gaze narrowed with determination. Luffy came first. He had to do this.

Still it came as a shock even to himself as his bare fist collided with the side of Garp's face, sending the Vice Admiral tumbling down below. Ace swallowed with difficulty as continued running towards Luffy. Gramps had let him win, he knew. There was no way he would have been taken down so easily. Knowing that; knowing that the expectations of so many lay on him for this, he could not fail.

Taking a deep breath, he took that final step onto the platform.

"Do you call this being free!?"

"Freer than you are, Gramps."

"FIRE!"

Sabo's head snapped towards the platform, eyes locking on his falling brothers. Ace appeared to be struggling with Luffy's handcuffs still. If he didn't make it in time…

Suddenly a huge balloon-like figure expanded, catching all the cannonballs and flinging them back helter-skelter. Yells erupted around as everyone did their best to avoid the falling ammunition, explosions flaming up.

Luffy and Ace landed next to him. "Sabo!"

His grin made his cheeks ache, but he was finally home. "Let's get out of here!"

Vista whistled, impressed. "Just look at them go!"

If anyone had thought that the teamwork between the youngest two had been fluid, this team-up was borderline flawless. The three brothers fell seamlessly into a pattern that they seemed to instinctively know, filling in any gaps that the other two left open.

"Shishishi, I missed this."

A single shockwave of Conqueror's Haki from Luffy sent about half the Marines in their path tumbling to the ground and the few woozy ones left were easily scattered by a lightning-quick Gatling. Behind him, Ace and Sabo stood back to back, taking care of those who attempted to charge in from other directions.

"Straw Hat!"

Luffy tilted to one side, expertly ducking away from the trajectory of a seastone-tipped jitte.

"Sorry Smokey, I'm not letting you catch me here! Gear Second!"

Smoker grit his teeth as a haki-coated fist slammed into his midriff.

"Vice Admiral!" Dashi ran up to help Smoker up, sword sheath clinking at his side, but the older man held up a hand to wave the Captain back to his position as he watched the three brothers move further and further away.

It was better this way.

At Sabaody Archipelago, a tall man stood watching the broadcast.

"You're trouble as always, Mugiwara-ya! Bepo, we're setting sail!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Torao! Torao!" "You're my friend!"

The Moby Dick was burning.

Luffy stilled, looking towards the back of that great man, standing strong despite the wounds that littered his body. "…Oyaji!"

"Listen well, Whitebeard Pirates! This is my last captain's order! You and I are parting ways here! Get back to the New World in one piece!"

"Oyaji!?" "No, Oyaji, don't leave us!" "Oyaji!"

Whitebeard glanced at the young man who had approached, a small smile curling his bloodied lips. "I never did give you that match you wanted, Luffy, did I? Gurararara. I hope you will forgive an old man's oversight."

"You're really not going with us, Oyaji?"

"I'm a remnant of my era. There's no ship that will bring me into the new one. The world belongs to you young people now."

The usually cheerful rubber youth's face was unerringly serious. "I see."

The great man chuckled. "Good boy. Help out Marco sometime, alright? You know how he overworks himself. Now go."

Luffy nodded. "Come on, Ace, Sabo!" The pair was immediately at his side.

"Luffy, let's get to the Revolutionaries' ship. Dragon-san is waiting for us."

"Okay."

They started running, even as the world burned around them. Behind them, Marineford shook from the sheer force of Whitebeard's power. But Sabo only had eyes for his brothers, and their destination where that man stood. They would be safe, they just had to reach that ship…

"Look out, it's Akainu!"

Magma exploded right next to his feet, sending him stumbling over the ice. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but it was too late. Sabo could only sit there frozen as the fist of magma descended upon him. He had cheated the flames last time but it seemed like this was still the way he was going to die...

He let his eyes slide close. He could only wish that his brothers would get out of this unharmed.

'I'm sorry, Luffy, Ace, looks like it's goodbye for real this time.'

But instead of burning pain, a warm body enveloped him. All his breath left his body. No… No, it couldn't be…

Fingers tightened in their grip on his shirt, fire singeing the fabric as the element slipped from its user's control.

It only took the sound of Ace's shattered whisper for him to know what had happened. Or no, he actually already knew, he just didn't want to believe that the smell that filled his nostrils was one of burnt flesh and rubber. And even though he knew that he didn't want to see what faced him, he still forced himself to open his eyes.

Above him was Ace, but he turned with equally wide eyes and Sabo could only watch numbly as their older brother fell into their arms. Because it couldn't be happening, could it? But it was. And that was blood that was leaking between his fingers, and he was no stranger to blood but this was his brother's blood spilling from a burning hole through his chest.

"Shishishi… This time I… protected both of you."

"Dammit Luffy why, my devil fruit's a Logia, I could have–" Ace croaked out, voice raspy with anguish. A gentle hand came up to caress the side of his face, brushing damp hair away.

"No Ace, your fire wouldn't have been able to stand up to this." Another hand came to touch Sabo's cheek, and he wordlessly leaned into it. "You've got to take care of each other, okay? You're my beloved little brothers. Sabo… I'm really happy you're alive. Ace, thank you for existing."

"…Luffy!" Ace choked. Sabo swallowed past his tears, unable to speak.

Luffy just smiled. "Tell Shanks I'm sorry I won't be able to return his hat to him myself." His gaze turned up to look towards the endless blue sky. "Oyaji… You guys… Gramps too… And Ace, Sabo… Hey, if you happen to run into Dadan and Makino and the others, will you tell them for me too? Shanks and the rest of them also." Luffy's grin widened. "Everyone… I love you! Shishishishi!"

With that last laugh, his eyes slipped close.

"LUFFY!"

"Garp. What are you doing?"

Garp clenched his teeth, tears leaking from his eyes. "Hold me down properly, Sengoku. Because if you don't, I'm gonna kill that Sakazuki."

A Haki-coated hand, curled into a claw, shot out to meet the magma that descended.

"So you can show fury as well, Dragon!" Sakazuki sneered, pushing against the arm that held him at bay. Both sides shook with the exertion but Dragon held firm, his usually calm façade abandoned to eyes that burned with undisguisable hatred. But Sakazuki refused to be delayed. Vermin still remained, in the form of Gold Roger's son. That bloodline could not be allowed to live any longer.

"Admiral Sakazuki! Behind you!"

Sakazuki cursed as Whitebeard's bisento came slicing down at him, forcing him to release the standstill with Dragon. His eyes narrowed as the pair placed themselves resolutely between him and his targets, whose half-conscious forms were being hustled away by the enemy.

With an enraged yell, he charged in for battle.

He would not be thwarted here. Absolute Justice must be upheld.

Cool grey eyes swept across the battlefield, cataloguing the situation. They checked briefly on that fallen form, smile seen even from afar, before landing firmly on a retreating group holding the two who claimed to be Straw Hat's brothers. "You there! Bring both of them to my submarine!"

"The hell, who are you?"

"I'm a doctor! Mugiwara-ya is…was my friend. Let me help!"

Coby's entire body was shaking, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay put. He had said what he wanted to say and if he was going to die for it, then so be it.

"Can't you feel it!? Those lives disappearing one after another! We've already completed our goal! Chasing after pirates who have no will to fight, abandoning Marines who could be saved if tended to! And just piling more sacrifices on top of them! WHY CAN'T WE JUST STOP ALREADY!?"

"Well said, young man."

All eyes went to the captain as he stepped onto the icy shore, backed by his crew. With the way they stood, no one would have thought that the Red Hair Pirates had engaged another Yonko just the day previous.

"We're here to stop the war."

It took one step away from the blood-soaked battlefield for Shanks' façade to crumble completely.

Benn caught him as he stumbled, turning him so that the captain's head rested against his shoulder. He could feel him trembling, Shanks' one remaining hand coming up to grab at him like a lifeline.

Face gaunt and eyes only for his captain, Yasopp took a half-step forward, but a tiny shake of the head from Benn had the sniper stepping back. His gaze found his old friend's, and he knew he could not do anything here, but there was something else he could do in turn. Nodding in acknowledgment, he returned above deck to organize the crew.

Benn let his body fall against the wall, Shanks following the motion and pressing even closer. He gently smoothed down the other's red hair, remembering the youth with the too-bright smile and lonely eyes that he had met, so many years ago.

"Why… Why do they have to die?"

It felt like he was walking through a haze.

Slowly, Dragon lifted the limp body of his son into his arms, cradling him so tenderly. The last time he had held Luffy like this… it had been but mere days after he had been born. How could it be that the second time would be in death?

And a boy this child still was, cheeks still round and childish, not at all looking his twenty years. All who had known him would have told of the inextinguishable delight he had in everything in the world. Of the happiness and hope he brought to everyone he met. Yet… Yet, all that was left of that joy was the remnants of a smile across cold lips.

To the masses, it would appear as if Dragon's expression never wavered the slightest. The press would later describe the man as a cold-hearted one, and speak of the terrifying poise he held as the Revolutionary strode across the battle-torn bay with his son in his arms.

But to those who knew him well, it was clear that his mask had well and truly cracked. It was apparent in the lines of his body, tensed like a string about to snap, but at the same time slumped like something had already broken. And it was most apparent in his eyes, those eyes which for as long as they had known him had pierced and inspired and burned, those eyes which were now hollow.

Had his hands been free, they would be clenching so hard they would drip blood, but as it was he held the boy in his arms with gentleness few knew him capable of.

The father had lost the son he had barely gotten to know, and perhaps that was the greatest injustice.

Garp sat there for a long time, even after all the injured officers had been escorted to the infirmary. After all the bodies of their men had been carried away by their solemn comrades.

They had long since given up on trying to coax him back inside. Not that there was much 'inside' left, Marineford was a wreck in more ways than one.

The heavens had opened up to a torrent of rain about an hour back, but Garp welcomed it, because it matched the numbness of his heart. But at the same time he resented it, for it washed away the blood that soaked the land, replacing it with clear running water. It cleansed the earth, and threatened to cleanse memories; and he knew it would, for human memory was so very short. In days, or perhaps even in hours, newspapers would blare out a story different from the tragedy that had played out today, and the world would believe it. And because the world believed it they would soon come to believe it as well, and forget.

Forget that a young boy had once been the brightest point of his life; that a youth had caused him both frustration and a hidden pride; that a man who had loved the world had died here with a smile on his face.

And what hurt the most was that even with everything had happened, even with how Garp had tried to stop Ace, how Garp had chosen Justice over family… in the end Luffy had still said that he loved him.

Luffy had forgiven him for what he had done. But he was sure he couldn't forgive himself.

"Let go of me at once! How dare you restrain me in this fashion!?" Hancock screeched. "Marigold! Sandersonia!"

The two younger women looked away shamefully, but the snakes coiled around her body didn't loosen the slightest.

Her ire increased with every passing moment. "Release me!"

Sandersonia worried her lip in distress. "We cannot, sister."

Hancock's glare could have turned them to stone if she could use her powers. Her voice was low with cold threat. "Sandersonia." The youngest flinched. "Marigold." The redhead looked to the side guiltily. "If you release this very moment, I may still forgive you for this impertinence."

"If you will never forgive us, then so be it. This is for your own good," a new voice entered, the voice of their elder.

The Snake Princess' rage turned towards the old woman, but the elder met her smoldering gaze without outward emotion.

After a while Hancock's eyes turned back to the ceiling, and Nyon quietly waved for the two youngest sisters to leave the room. They did, but not without a lingering worried glance at their sister.

Silence filled the room as Nyon stood waiting. It was a long time before Hancock spoke, but when she did enough grief filled her voice to drown a soul.

"Elder…" Hancock choked. "What is this feeling, Elder Nyon? How can I make the pain go away?"

The older woman gave no answer, staying achingly silent.

Hancock stared sightlessly at the ceiling. But his smile still danced before her eyes in the pattern on the wood, his laugh still whispered in her ear in the silence of the room.

"There was once I thought that I no longer had a heart. Then he showed me that I did," she whispered. "And I thought that if he dies, it would die with him." She scrunched up her eyes against the flood of tears that would not stop. "But why is this heart still in my chest!?"

"Coby…" Helmeppo looked worriedly at his friend from the doorway. They had both grieved for Luffy's death, but Coby had always been much closer to the straw-hat wearing youth and it showed in his slumped posture.

"I thought that if I became a Marine, I could protect the world from evil. That I would be able to fight for what I believe in. I trained so hard so that I could become strong and he would acknowledge me. But I'm still weak, aren't I?"

Silence fell for a long while, Coby choking back the sobs that threatened to return. But finally his fists clenched, and when he opened his eyes again they were still over-bright but shining with determination.

"Hey Helmeppo… I promised Luffy-san that I would become an Admiral someday. I'm not going to stop until I reach that. I'm going to change this rotten order from the inside."

A ghost of a smile returning to his lips at his friend's resolve, Helmeppo saluted sharply. "I'll follow you to the end, sir."

A young man sat on a fallen log, newspaper in hand. But the paper was never opened, for its reader's gaze was stuck on the first page, reading, rereading, as if he couldn't believe what laid before his eyes.

At his side, a custom-made slingshot lay forgotten, as were the new traps he had been eager to test out until the News Coo had dropped the newspaper onto his head.

"Usoppun? Is something the matter?"

Usopp cast one last look at the headlines before casting the paper aside and picking up Kabuto. "No, it's nothing," he lied.

'Hey, hey, you're Usopp, aren't you? Yasopp's son? Your dad told me loads of stories about you! I'm Luffy, nice ta meet you!"

"BUOOOOOHHHH…!"

"Laboon!"

Crocus looked sadly at the wailing giant whale, heedless to Brook's attempts to placate him. The newspaper that had brought that terrible fate to him still hung loosely in one hand.

"I felt it best to tell him," he told Brook later, after Laboon had cried himself to slumber. "It would be crueler to let him hold the false hope that Luffy would return one day."

The musician took a pensive sip of tea. "This Luffy-san, I daresay you've told me of him before?"

"Yes indeed, he was the one who painted that picture on Laboon. It's all thanks to him that Laboon recovered his spirits in recent years."

"I see. It is to him that I owe a debt. I wish I could have met him, he sounds like an amazing person."

"He was."

The two old pirates lapsed into silence, but both had the same thought on their minds.

Why do the good men die young?

Dragon stood before the grave of his son.

His senses told him of the man who had come to stand beside him, equally silent.

"I heard that you saved my son's life once before. I thank you."

Shanks sucked in a slow, ragged breath. "I wish I could have done more."

The grave was painfully small in the shadow of Whitebeard's coat. They had been unable to find the boy's beloved straw hat anywhere and he'd always had few belongings; so they decorated his grave with strips of cloth red and yellow, because that would be how they would always remember him, bold and bright like the sun.

In a little village in East Blue, the residents grieved for their sunshine. No one questioned the bandits that came from the mountains to drown their sorrows amidst them in Makino's bar. No one questioned when Makino's lip trembled and she would disappear for an hour before returning. No one questioned the cloaked man who landed on their docks, who Makino finally cried to, who bowed his head to the mountain bandits, who some of them remembered in a quiet young boy from decades ago.

But inwardly they all had questions about when, how, why.

Because like so many others, Foosha had lost its sun.

Law shot an unreadable glance at the blond who had come to sit at the shore beside the Heart Pirates' little camp. "You know Hiken-ya is awake now," he commented flatly, eyes watching the younger like a hawk.

"Yeah," the other replied without inflection, also revealing nothing. There was the issue that the blond was resolutely looking anywhere but Law, though. Normally he would have left well alone, but these were Mugiwara-ya's brothers, and since he had decided to pick them up, he felt a tiny bit responsible for them. Curse that rubber idiot for rubbing off some of his overfriendliness on him.

Looking up from the anatomy book he had been reading, Law decided to be blunt. "Why, then, are you avoiding him?"

"I'm not!" Sabo instinctively denied, eyes snapping towards him, but Law's unimpressed stare made him wilt. "I'm not…" he still muttered.

"Right." Law's tone was drier than the Alabastan desert during a drought.

The doctor returned his gaze to a detailed sketch of a brain inflammation, letting the younger man stew over it on his own. No good would come out of pushing too hard, he had to come to terms with it himself, and if he needed a listening ear he knew Law would still be there. It was strange, to be a party that one would confide in, but it wasn't all bad a feeling.

After a while, the youth stress-rigid posture slumped, uncertainty twisting his face. "I… It's just that… I, I can't face Ace. I mean- I left them for ten years! Ten years that they thought I was dead! And I came back to save him, but Luffy- he died saving me instead! I don't even have a right to grieve!"

"Idiot… So you've been thinking that way all this while?"

Sabo whipped around, heart thumping madly as he swallowed down the lump that leapt to his throat as he met the familiar yet unfamiliar form of his brother. He scarcely noticed Law moving quietly away to allow them their privacy. "A-Ace…"

"You know Luffy wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself." There was still heavy pain in his voice, but the brunette still cracked a wavering smile. "He always was going on about how… how we little brothers should just let him protect us."

Sabo's eyes stung as he tried to match Ace's effort. "He was, wasn't he?"

The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment, black eyes into blue. The war had aged them both, had taken away that most important person…but it had also pulled them back together.

Ace was the first to move, tackling the other in a hug. "Damn you, don't you dare disappear on me again."

Sabo smiled through the wetness that ran down his cheeks even as he tightened the hold. "I'm back for good."

And even though countless tears had already been shed, this was the first time since they left that accursed battlefield that their hearts lightened just a tiny bit. They stayed like that even as the sun slanted down towards the horizon, until Ace spoke in a mumble, not taking his face off Sabo's shoulder.

"Rayleigh offered to train me."

Sabo blinked. "Silvers Rayleigh?"

Ace nodded into the crook of his brother's neck.

The blond considered it for a moment, and what it meant for Ace. "Are you going to accept?"

Ace finally pulled away enough to meet Sabo's eyes, and while there was still doubt there was determination as well. "I think I will. I want to become stronger, and Rayleigh gave me the idea of training for two years before meeting back up with my crew. I think that's what we need."

Sabo steeled his resolve. He wanted to do this, this was the way it should have been. "I'll-"

"Sabo, you want to go back to the Revolutionaries, don't you? You should."

Sabo glanced sharply at Ace, surprised. He had been prepared to give up the Revolution to stay with Ace, but now… It seemed that Ace would never fail to throw him into a loop.

Ace spoke first, already knowing what he was thinking. "You have a place with them. I could see that they are to you what my crew is to me. They're family, aren't they?"

Sabo thought of Koala, who wouldn't be sure if he was coming back or not, but would wait anyway; of Dragon, who had become a father and a mentor to him; of all the others, who had accepted a fire-scarred child to their midst.

Tears threatened once more, and he blinked them away. "They are."

"Then you must go back to them. They'll be waiting."

"Ace…!" Sabo swallowed the tears in his throat, rubbing away the moisture that slipped. This time when he met his brother's eyes again, resolution shone within. "Let's make a promise, Ace. When we next meet, we're going to be much stronger than we are now. We never did settle that tie, did we? Let's have our next fight be the tiebreaker."

Ace's smile matched his as they bumped fists, the seal on a promise. "I'll hold you to it."

3D2Y

Heavy booted feet thumped on the old wooden boards of the building. The only patron of the bar turned with a secretive smile. Hazy sunlight glinted off round spectacles as he threw back a glass of scotch. The glass was set back down on the wooden bar with a thud.

"Well, well, well. What can I do for you today, Vice Admiral?"

Shakky chuckled, chin resting in a slim hand. "I can't say I expected that. For the justice-driven White Hunter to have kept it for so long, let alone come to us like this."

Rayleigh laughed fondly as well, but his gaze was a bit moist.

"He had a knack for making friends in the most unlikely places, just like Roger."

Another one who had gone much too soon.

"What, I'm the first one here?"

"Second, huh. So Kuina got here first, that's just like her."

"Ah well, I'll go check up on the Sunny then. Got to make sure she's in top form."

"Is Ace-san here yet?"

"Jeez, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting, you know!"

"Haha, I bet he fell asleep somewhere."

"It's Ace-chan after all! Un, deux, trois!"

"Well, normally I'd be worried that he's gonna be late, but for this…"

Eight different voices, at eight different times, one same belief… "He'll be here."

Ace grinned widely. "Rayleigh!" he greeted, waving at the man who stood at the top of the hill even as he fled from his pursuers. The Marines gaped.

"Holy shit, it's Dark King Rayleigh!"

"Wait, didn't they say that Fire Fist is Gold Roger's son?"

"So they really were working together!"

An attack that slashed open the very earth itself made them all freeze.

"Ace was born of Roger's blood, that is true. But the man who he had become has nothing to do with Roger's. He is his own person. And he is my apprentice, so I advise that you do not cross that line." The Marines gulped as they eyed the line in question, wary of the man who had come to stand before them. Sunlight glinted off Rayleigh's glasses as he gave them a deceptively amiable smile. No one dared to step forward.

Ace swallowed past the emotion that lodged in his throat. Those words coming for this man in particular… "RAYLEIGH! Thanks for everything these past two years!"

"No need for such formalities. You've already grown past what I taught you. There's just one more thing before you leave…"

Something floated towards him, tossed to him by Rayleigh and carried by the wind, and he caught it in surprise. Looking at the object in his hand, his eyes widened. The old man smiled, his usual smirk soft and wistful. "He wanted you to have it. Now go! Set sail!"

His heart firming with resolve, Ace placed the straw hat upon his head, and with it took on the will of those before him.

"Watch over me, Luffy," he said quietly before tilting the brim back and taking in a deep breath. "I'M GONNA BE THE PIRATE KING!"

Do leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter and the story as a whole!

Till next time, signing out!