Last chapter, guys. Stuff will be at the bottom.

Part 7

Ace looked around, blinking. His first thought was that the entire area looked far too blue and that there was a chance he was drowning. The second was that he was clearly breathing and probably not drowning.

With those two possibilities out of the way, Ace focused on the details of his surroundings. He'd barely gotten any sleep the night before, lying in front of those two graves, but it was better than nothing and he was at least able to stop his eyes from sliding shut. Strangely, his ever-present fear of falling asleep at the wrong time was almost negligible, which was odd because it was always there and the stronger it got the more likely he was to fall asleep.

Dismissing that for later pondering, Ace looked around. There were massive rock formations that were half-destroyed, half-submerged in the ground, which was covered in white dirt, almost like ice but not quite. There didn't appear to be any people around.

Ace sighed, running one hand through his hair and automatically walking to the highest point he could see. Unfortunately, that did little to alleviate his confusion. The same landscape that he had seen from below stretched on for as far as Ace could see in every direction, and even the hill he had climbed was only slightly higher than the rest of the land around it. It even levelled off, so Ace wasn't sure if he could really call it a hill at all.

If he was on an island, then he would have to find a way to get to the shore. Maybe then he could try to figure out where the hell he was now.

Ace sighed again and debated whether he should begin walking or try flying. He still wasn't as good at the latter as he would like and there was a chance that he could fall, but it was also much faster than just walking. He spent another second before shrugging and deciding that he would walk. He had time to kill, anyway. It seemed that whatever was keeping him around did whatever the hell it wanted with him; getting thrown all the way to his own damn grave was proof enough of that.

Memories of the gravesite from yesterday brought memories of Whitebeard and Ace hurriedly backtracked, saving his true mourning for Whitebeard for later, when he could stop worrying about Luffy.

The kid was already moving past the worst of his grief but Ace wouldn't be content until he knew for sure, and the only way to do that would be to talk to Luffy himself.

Ace flexed his hand, still able to feel the familiar grip of his knife as he had painstakingly carved those letters into the stone. Each one had been a promise, and the finished product had been a declaration.

The feeling disappeared and Ace let his hand drop back to his side.

Before he could start walking, however, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. They were fast, so whoever was behind the sound was clearly moving quickly. The steps stopped behind Ace and he turned around, an automatic smile curling his lips as he saw the familiar face out of the corner of his eye.

It was Luffy. The biggest grin was quickly covering his face, his expression filled with joy upon seeing his brother again.

The two stood like that for a minute, both taking in the other's appearance. Then Luffy flew forward, tackling Ace in an incredibly strong hug.

"Luffy!" Ace gasped, hitting the ground hard and having the breath knocked out of his lungs. "Watch it, you idiot!"

"Ace!"

Something wet splashed against Ace's cheek and he looked up at his brother who was still hugging him, splayed out on top of Ace. He wasn't as heavy as Ace had been expecting. Ace blinked and realized that Luffy was crying.

"Oi, Luffy, what's the matter? And get off me—I can't breathe!" Luffy didn't move. "Luffy!"

"I know I'm dreaming," Luffy eventually hiccupped, his hands curling against Ace's chest, "but it's good to see you again, Ace!"

"Hey, hold on," Ace said, pushing Luffy off as his curiosity won over his patience. "Dreaming? What are you talking about? This is your dream?" Ace looked around, once more taking in the monolithic rocks and the bright, sunny sky. "Are you serious?"

Luffy frowned. "You mean I'm not dreaming?"

"Well, if you weren't, where the hell would we be?" Ace groused. Though his tone was approaching sardonic, he actually meant the question seriously. Was Luffy dreaming, or did they somehow end up in some strange corner of the world together? Honestly, Ace was beginning to feel that he was the one dreaming.

"I dunno. Maybe we're at the bottom of the ocean!"

"Idiot," Ace said, bopping Luffy on the head. "If we were at the bottom of the ocean we'd be dead! Plus, there's sky up there!"

"But everything's so blue!"

Ace decided not to mention to Luffy that he had suspected he was underwater at first too, purely because he didn't like to think that his thought process had mirrored his kid brother's. Luffy's mind went to some strange places, after all. Well, when it wasn't fixated on meat. But meat was pretty good; ace had frustrated his crewmates plenty of times when he went night raiding in the kitchens (that new refrigerator they got a month before he left was totally uncool, though; who said they could put a lock on the thing? Sure, Ace could melt it, but that would be messy and everyone would know for sure that it was him).

"Hey, Ace," Luffy began quietly, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat, "am I really dreaming you? 'Cause last time—" his voice cracked—"last time it was just you dying over and over again."

Ace automatically reached out and brought his brother into a half-hug, reassuring luffy that he was there through touch. "You're not. I'm really here, Luffy." A cocky kind of half-grin, the likes of which had not been on Ace's face for some time, tugged at Ace's lips. "Hell, I thought I was dreaming you at first."

"I'm real," Luffy muttered in protest, but he was clutching Ace like a lifeline. Ace ignored the discomfort of Luffy's fingers digging into his abdomen in favor of enjoying his brother's company. They hadn't met up since that brief time in Alabasta, and before that it had been three whole years.

They spent a minute like that, neither willing to break the peace of the moment. It was silent around them, the only movement coming from the slow drifting of the puffy white clouds across the sky.

Once Ace felt that he would bleed if he let Luffy hang onto him any longer, he gently pried his brother off and got to his feet, stretching slowly. He could feel Luffy's eyes on him the entire time; as far as Ace could tell, the kid had yet to blink. It was almost as though he was afraid that Ace would disappear if he did. Finally, Ace sighed and tipped his hat down, his expression dropping into a disapproving frown.

Luffy had gotten to his feet and watched his brother's every move with a combination of anticipation, excitement, and wariness.

"I can't believe you sometimes," mused Ace, not looking at his brother and keeping his eyes shadowed by his orange hat. "First you go and break into Enies Lobby, then you punch a World Noble, then you bust into and then out of Impel Down, and because that's not enough, you go to Marine Headquarters just to save me." Ace shook his head, finally turning to look at Luffy fully, a grin on his face. "You're stupid. Unbelievably stupid, and dense, and dumb, and—" Ace suddenly reached out and pulled Luffy into a hug so quickly that the younger boy stiffened in surprise—"so incredible. Luffy, whatever happens, hold onto that fire of yours. Keep it burning bright, and shake the world. Become King of the Pirates where I failed, and live your life with no regrets."

"Ace . . ."

"You know, your bounty's going to be bigger than mine some day."

"Ace—"

"I'm looking forward to that. I want to see you get stronger, Luffy."

"Ace!"

"I told you a long time ago that when we met again we'd both be great pirates." Ace looked down, meeting Luffy's eyes and bringing one hand up to ruffle his hair. "And I'll say it again, Luffy."

"I don't want you to leave!" Luffy cried, squeezing as hard as he could. "You promised! I'm selfish and sorry and I don't want you to go!"

"Heh. That's the first time you've ever bothered with those manner lessons you eavesdropped on. Listen, Luffy. It'll be fine. You always sought to beat me, right? Well, let's throw down one more time."

Ace pushed away from Luffy and grinned, bringing one flaming hand up. "Let's go, Luffy!"

The Ace of Hearts

Neither boy knew how long they had been fighting for. Both were breathing heavily, both were bruised and bleeding, and both were grinning as widely as they ever had. To them, there was nothing greater than fighting again.

"You've gotten stronger," Ace commented, wiping away some of the blood trickling from his split lip. "You got some good hits in before I had to start using my Mera Mera no Mi."

Luffy's smile, though it shouldn't have been possible, widened even more. "Of course I did! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Yeah, I guess you are."

After a second, Luffy staggered and fell, collapsing to the ground and causing a small puff of dust to drift up into the air. Ace watched him and then took a step forward, swaying only a little. "I think," he managed, grinning like a fool and not caring in the slightest, "I win this one, Luffy."

Luffy rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky, a matching grin on his face, so reminiscent of his smile when he and Ace had become brothers that Ace felt that same surge of protectiveness wash over him that he always felt when he looked at Luffy.

It wasn't because his brother was weak. Far from it, in fact. Ace knew perfectly well that his brother was strong. Ace had the strangest feeling that Luffy had been holding back something during the fight, but that was his brother's business.

Ace didn't care whether Luffy was stronger than him or not. Luffy was his kid brother, and as his older brother it was Ace's job to keep him safe, but now that he couldn't, it was good that Luffy was stronger. That was how things worked, and Ace had been perfectly willing to give up his life to save Luffy's, just as Luffy had been perfectly willing to give up his life to save Ace's.

"I'll save you even if it kills me!"

"Idiot." Ace kneeled next to Luffy and then hauled him to his feet while standing up straight. "Idiot, idiot, idiot."

"Idiot," Luffy parroted, sticking his tongue out at Ace. Ace lightly bopped him on the head, resulting in Luffy clutching the new bump and groaning in pain.

"Don't call me an idiot, idiot," Ace snapped.

"Idiot! Ow!"

"What did I just tell you? Do you want to get hit or something?"

"Of course not!"

"Then don't say stupid things!"

"You said it first!"

"So?"

The two glared at each other for a minute before their angry expressions cracked and gave way to smiles.

"Damn," Ace said while shaking his head. "For some reason, I can't stop grinning like a fool around you, Luffy."

The younger boy just grinned wider in response before jumping forward and hugging Ace. Ace barely hesitated in putting his arms around his brother again.

"You're my dumbass kid brother," Ace murmured, holding Luffy close and swallowing around the lump in his throat. "And now you're all beat up, too. Hell, you're so clumsy that I bet your crew can't even handle you with all the trouble you get yourself into."

Luffy was shaking, tears running from his eyes, but he sniffled and nodded. "Yeah. But they're strong!"

Ace grinned, wetness in his own eyes threatening to break into tears. "I don't doubt it for a second. You wanted how many? Ten?"

"Yeah! I've got the greatest swordsman, the greatest liar, the greatest navigator, the greatest cook, the greatest doctor, the greatest archeologist, the greatest shipwright, and the greatest musician in the world! They're all incredible!"

"Ah, you're forgetting something, Luffy," Ace said, stepping back and gently placing Luffy's straw hat back on his head. It had fallen to Luffy's back during their fight, much as Ace's orange hat had done. "They've got the greatest captain in the world, too. The future Pirate King. You can't have a better captain for that pirate crew and than that."

"Ace!" Luffy's lip was trembling and he bit it, completely overwhelmed by his emotions at being with his brother again. Ace managed a short, bitter laugh as his own walls broke and he began to cry as well.

"Luffy, you idiot. You made me cry, too." Ace wiped away his tears, swallowing. "Anyway, I need you to—to tell Jinbe thanks, the next time you see him, whenever that is. For everything he's done. Okay? As a message from me."

"I will!" Luffy promised.

The younger boy suddenly clutched Ace's arms with surprising strength. Ace paused, raising one eyebrow. "Luffy?"

"Is this . . . am I gonna see you again, Ace?"

"Hey, what're you saying? Don't ask questions like that."

"Ace."

The eldest brother sighed, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. "I don't know, Luffy. But there is one thing I do know for sure."

"What?" There was unbridled hope in his eyes. Ace grinned, the warmth in his chest finally blossoming and spreading throughout his whole body.

"When we meet again, we'll meet as two legendary pirates!"

A/N And there we go. The closure story I needed to write.

Here's a bit of shameless self-advertising, but you guys should check out my other One Piece stories (all featuring Ace, of course): Brotherly Love and Brotherly Bonds. I like them, so yeah.

Anyway, thank you to everyone that took the time to review. Your feedback was awesome and I'm happy that you guys liked my writing.

Until we meet again,

-RoR

Please review.