Hey! I feel like it's been ages since I've put up a One Piece story. And so, after watching the Marineford Arc again, I had some brotherly feels that I needed to get out.

Please read and review!

Luffy's smile was like the sun.

It had come up the night after Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had drunk the sake and declared themselves brothers. The two older brothers had lied on the floor of the bandits' hut, exhausted, but not yet tired enough to fall asleep. So, while Luffy had drifted off to dreamland, Ace and Sabo had stayed up a while longer, grinning at each other over their new little brother's head.

"You know, Ace," Sabo said, his grin slipping down into more of a fond smile as he looked down at Luffy's peaceful, dreaming face. "I'm not sure if you noticed it yet, but Luffy loves to smile.

Ace snorted and retorted, "Luffy is an idiot who can't take anything seriously."

Sabo's smile grew a little wider at Ace's words, but the blond didn't look up. Instead, he just continued gazing at their younger brother with some sort of reverence that Ace didn't understand. What was going through Sabo's head and why was he looking at Luffy like he was the most precious thing to walk the earth? Yeah, Luffy was their new brother, but Ace found himself wondering how Sabo could attach himself so easily to the kid.

"Luffy may be an idiot, but when he smiles, I feel like I'm looking into the sun," Sabo attempted to explain, probably realizing that Ace wasn't catching on. "I feel warm inside and the world seems so much brighter. When he smiles at me, I feel like I've done something right."

Ace rolled his eyes. "So Luffy likes to smile. Whatever. Just go to sleep, Sabo," he said, fed up with his overemotional brother. He didn't understand what Sabo was trying to tell him, and with how tired he was feeling now, he wasn't sure tonight was the right time to try. "If we stay up any longer we're not going to be able to get up in time to avoid Dadan and her chores."

Sabo shuddered lightly before sending a grin towards his freckled brother, even though Ace could barely see it through the gloom. "Good night, Ace."

"'Night, Sabo."

Ace rolled over and drifted off to sleep, Sabo's words echoing in his ears. Unfortunately, by morning, he had forgotten all about the conversation the night before. He was too busy running away from Dadan's terrifying prospect of cleaning.

Ace didn't think anything about that conversation until the day he was supposed to set off. He hadn't given Sabo's words much thought before. And it was only when he was standing on the shore, just minutes away from heading out to sea, looking into the face of his little brother, did those words come back to haunt him.

Luffy had been putting on a brave face for his big brother, but after living with the kid for seven years, Ace knew Luffy better than Luffy knew himself. There was no getting anything past Ace.

So when Luffy smiled the watery, wavering smile at him, Ace's breath caught in his chest and he immediately swept Luffy up in the tightest hug he could manage, using one hand to hold his little brother's head to his shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Luffy," Ace whispered. "It's time for me to start my own adventure and, while part of me wishes I could take you with me, we both know that a promise is a promise. I'll set off today and in three years, you'll set off to create your own path, have your own adventures. One that will lead you to your dream. And I promise, when we meet again, we'll both be pirates, sailing the seas and living freer than anyone else."

Ace, realizing that Luffy had yet to move in the while that Ace had practically squeezed him to death, let go of his little brother, taking a step back so he could see Luffy's face.

And to Ace's immense relief, Luffy was grinning. It was a grin framed by the boy's fallen tears, sure, but it was a smile that caused Ace's breathing to hitch. His brother's smile was dazzling. It was a smile that he wouldn't get to see for at least three more years, and Ace couldn't help but be reminded of those words from so long ago.

"Luffy may be an idiot, but when he smiles, I feel like I'm looking into the sun. I feel warm inside and the world seems so much brighter. When he smiles at me, I feel like I've done something right."

And that was exactly how Ace felt. It was like looking at the sun as it rose above the horizon, lightening his surroundings and lifting the weight off of his shoulders. He must have done something right. Ace realized then, what it was that Sabo had been trying to tell him.

Luffy made him feel happy.

Because Luffy was the sun.

Because, even when night falls, there's no doubt the sun will rise again, even if it has set for a time. There's no doubt that the sun won't peek out over the horizon again and bring about a new day, a new tomorrow.

And when Luffy smiled at him, when Luffy was really, truly happy, so was Ace.