Chapter 3

Marco came out of the house, probably alarmed by the sound of voices. "Ace?" he asked.

Ace, who had thrown his arms around Sabo's neck and was sobbing like a child, looked up from Sabo's shoulder, uncaring he was still blubbering. "I-it's Sabo," he managed to bring out.

Marco just nodded and gestured to the house. Ace let go of Sabo to take a deep breath. While Sabo made his way over to Marco with his horse, Ace hastily washed his face in the river and tried to get himself together. After that, he hurried to the house. Marco was busy unsaddling Sabo's horse. Sabo was undoubtedly already inside. When Ace passed Marco, Marco looked up for a second, but Ace didn't dare to make eye contact.

Inside, Sabo was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of stew. Ace sat down next to him and poked his cheek.

Sabo slapped his hand away. "Quit it!" Ace didn't and started to poke at the scar around Sabo's left eye. Again, Sabo batted it away. "Will you knock it off? I'm trying to eat."

"How do I know you're the real Sabo?" Ace asked. "You should be dead." Now that the initial shock had worn off, he could think clear again. Though, if this Sabo was an imposter, would he still be pure-hearted? Better not to risk it.

"Well, I'm not a ghost, as you could just feel for yourself," Sabo said and took another bite. "And the scar is real."

Ace stared long and hard at him. "How did you get it?" he asked eventually.

Sabo looked up from his meal and straight into Ace's eyes. "Because we went into a factory, which we shouldn't have done. It exploded and some rubble hit me in the eye."

"What did Luffy do after the explosion?"

"You mean when he stabbed himself in the cheek to get a scar too?" Sabo slurped casually from his stew.

Ace leaned back in his chair and thought for a while. Sabo hadn't gotten a question wrong yet, but those were events on the same day. Time to spice things up. "What did Luffy do when we found that weird looking bug?"

"He ate it."

"What's my favourite food?" Ace asked right away, trying to catch Sabo off guard.

Sabo looked at him deadpanned. "You eat anything. You'd even eat that bug, only you'd have the decency to cook it first."

That was such a Sabo reply, all doubts disappeared immediately from Ace's mind. He wrapped his arms around Sabo's neck, uncaring that he was still trying to eat. "It's really you!" Then he released him when a thought struck him. "Wait… Does that mean Luffy's still alive as well?" Sabo's grin was answer enough, and Ace had trouble trying to hold back his tears. "What about the rest of the village?" he asked hoarsely. When Sabo didn't reply right away because he was busy chewing, Ace grabbed his shirt and shook him. "Come on, man, talk!"

Marco came inside. He placed a bowl of stew in front of Ace, along with a piece of bread, and offered Sabo seconds, which he gratefully accepted. He took another bite while Ace was threatening to burst with curiosity, but finally, he started to talk.

"After you had left the village, Lu and I wanted to know why so we listened in on a meeting Rayleigh had called together. It didn't take us long to figure out you were the Chosen One."

"Wait," Ace interrupted him indignantly, "that means you knew before I did!"

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" When Ace nodded obediently, Sabo continued, "Rayleigh had anticipated an attack, so he was busy preparing something. I only understood later what. Anyway, Lu and I decided to make our own plan to save the village. On the day of the attack, we drew marks on each other's backs, like the one you have. I'd thought up a neat trick to make the soldiers think we were the Chosen. Lu and I each ran in a different direction, hoping that the soldiers would just come after us. It didn't go according to plan. The village was destroyed anyway, and I was captured." Sabo sighed.

"What about Lu?" Ace's voice was barely above a whisper.

Sabo smirked. "What do you think? It's Luffy. He managed to get away scot-free."

Ace sighed in relief. Sabo's story was a frustrating one, because he wanted to know everyone's side right away. "So what happened then?" he asked impatiently.

"I got dragged to the castle of the Dark Lord, that's what," Sabo said. "The soldiers weren't completely convinced I was the Chosen because… Well, you know Lu's drawings. But hey, no one had ever seen the real mark, and the one on my back did look like a flame from a distance and with a little imagination. Anyway, they took me to the Dark Lord's castle and threw me in prison. I couldn't do the trick again that I had used to convince the soldiers I was the Chosen, so I couldn't fool the Dark Lord."

"How did you get out?" Ace asked, wiggling in his chair from the suspense. It was the first time in his life he had to be reminded to eat.

"Someone from the outside had infiltrated the castle. He is the leader of the Revolutionaries. His name is Dragon." Sabo sounded almost proud.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Suddenly, Ace's eyes widened. "Wait, isn't that–"

"Luffy's dad? Yeah." Sabo grinned. "He managed to smuggle me out and made me part of his team."

"So what about Lu? And the village?" Ace pressed.

Sabo gestured he had to be patient. "I'm getting to that. Mind you, at that point, I thought the village was destroyed, like you. I still had hope Lu was okay, though, so after a couple of years, when I was old enough, I started looking for him. It was then that I encountered Rayleigh."

"He's alive too?" Ace called out in relief, and even Marco's eyes widened slightly. He had taken a seat at the table as well.

Sabo nodded. "Yeah. Well, he didn't recognise me at first, nor did he remember his marriage to Shakky."

Ace looked confused. "But how–" He stopped talking when Sabo raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't understand it either. Once I started telling about Foosha and everything, it all seemed to come back to him. It turned out that he had placed a spell on the village when the soldiers came. It replaced all the villagers with dummies that ran around screaming like the real people, but disappeared once they were buried. It made it seem like the whole village was slaughtered. The real villagers were scattered around the world, but the price for their lives was to lose their memories. It didn't have effect on me or Luffy, because we were outside the perimeter."

"So… You mean, everyone is alive?" Ace asked.

Sabo shrugged. "Everyone who hasn't died in the past ten years for other reasons, yeah. Once Rayleigh had his memory back and explained everything to me, we started looking for others. We found several of them, including Shakky and Gramps."

Ace nodded, fighting his tears once again. He usually didn't cry this much, but the fact that everyone was okay was a little overwhelming. He felt someone touch his hand, but Marco immediately retreated his hand again.

"So what about Lu then?" Ace asked Sabo.

"Eventually, I left Rayleigh to look for him. Rayleigh had assured me you were safe, so I looked for Lu first. I only found him recently."

"What does he look like?"

"Pretty much the same, just taller." Still, Sabo grinned like a proud older brother. "He has come a long way. You should see his friends, Ace. He always had a knack for attracting strange types."

"Do you include yourself in that?" Ace asked teasingly.

"You and me both." Sabo elbowed him in the ribs.

Ace laughed, but soon his face turned serious again. "So, how did you find me?"

Sabo sighed and played with his spoon. "That wasn't easy, I can tell you that. Ray had only given me an approximate of where the village was, and when we got there, there was no one there. Eventually, we ran into Shanks, who showed us the way."

"You met Shanks?" Ace asked, perking up.

"I did. Luffy's taken quite a liking to him. Anyway, he brought us to Moby Dick – which, might I add, was at the spot we had checked at least three times. But when we arrived there, you had already left. It was good to see Thatch and your mom again, though."

Ace could imagine how his mother would have reacted upon seeing Sabo and Luffy, and it included crushing hugs and wet kisses. He was glad he hadn't undergone that ordeal in a while.

Sabo grinned as if he had read Ace's mind. "Yeah, it was that bad. Well, after your mom had given us a lecture or two, they brought us to Whitebeard. He finally told us where you really where, and why."

"So you came here," Ace concluded. "Why don't take Lu, though?"

"You know Lu. He can't focus on something for long. The journey here would have taken twice as long because he'd get distracted. Or hungry. I figured it would be faster to go alone and take you back with me." Sabo looked up from his spoon and into Ace's eyes.

"I can't." Ace looked away. "You said Pops explained why I was here. I need to train."

"I get that, but don't you wanna see Lu? Everyone is going to gather at Moby Dick. Rayleigh, Jinbei, Shanks… Do you really only want to see them when you go to war?" Sabo's eyes pierced into his. "You thought they were all dead, but they aren't. That's no guarantee after the war, though."

Ace nodded. He chanced a glance at Marco, who hadn't said a word the whole conversation. Now, he got up and walked outside. Ace sighed and looked at the table.

Sabo placed a hand on his arm. "Just think about it. Right now, though, I'm beat. I've ridden for like two days straight. Tomorrow I wanna see what you can do."

Ace grinned at him. He looked forward to sparring with Sabo once again, and couldn't help but wonder if Luffy would finally be able to beat him. He hoped not, because if Luffy could do that, the Dark Lord could probably too.

He showed Sabo to the couch and got the mattress out that he slept on himself. However, despite the intense training he had today, he couldn't fall asleep. Too much had happened, and his brain worked overtime. First, he had almost kissed Marco. His cheeks still flushed when he remembered how he had been lying underneath Marco's body, pressed together… And then right after, Sabo waltzed back into his life like he hadn't been absent for ten years. Apparently, no one whom he thought was dead actually was. Even Luffy was still okay.

Ace tossed and turned until he couldn't take it anymore. He still hadn't heard Marco come back inside, so he decided to talk to him. He found him lying in the grass, looking up at the stars. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," Marco said and sat up.

Ace sat down next to me, and they fell silent. Finally, Ace sighed and said with a chuckle, "This wasn't how I'd imagined today to go."

"It's not every day that your best friend comes back from the dead," Marco agreed and smiled, "and brings a whole village with him."

Ace grinned.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Marco asked suddenly.

"I don't know," Ace admitted. "On the one hand, I haven't seen these people for ten years. What's two more months? But on the other… Now that I know they're alive, I really want to see them."

"I understand," Marco said.

"Come with us."

Marco looked up, frowning. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Ace asked. "The Dark Lord won't be looking for you anymore. He knows about me and there is no reason for him to think that the cycle has changed. Besides, I've been safe in Moby Dick for ten years. So you don't have to be afraid."

Marco scoffed. "I don't fear him. I haven't for a long time."

"So, you're afraid of your family?"

Marco froze.

"I know you've been away from home a long time," Ace continued. "Too long, in my opinion. But everyone would be happy to see you."

Marco remained silent.

"You saw Thatch. He thinks you've been away too long as well." Ace placed a hand on Marco's arm. "He loves you. Everyone loves you. I l… need you for my training," his tone softened, "but I care a lot about you too."

Marco looked up.

"You're doing no one a favour by staying here," Ace concluded, "and certainly not yourself." He squeezed Marco's arm. "Please, come with us."

Marco sighed. "I'll think about it."

Ace's lips curled into a smile. "Thank you." He rose. "Are you coming as well?"

"In a bit."

Ace nodded and went inside. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he fell asleep. He didn't even hear Marco coming inside.

The next morning, Sabo made good on his offer and sparred a long time with Ace. He still fought with a pipe, like he had when they were kids, only now the pipe was of a more appropriate length. Marco watched them and gave them some pointers. Ace was happy he didn't seem so down like he had last night anymore.

When he and Sabo took a little break while Marco was preparing lunch, Sabo asked, "Have you decided yet?"

Ace nodded. "I'll come, but only if Marco comes as well." When Sabo gave him an odd look, he looked away. "W-what?"

"What's between you two?"

"Nothing! He just trains me." Yet Ace couldn't look Sabo in the eye. It seemed that, even after ten years, Sabo still knew him too well.

"You like him."

"No, I don't!"

Sabo sighed as if he was talking to a child who was obviously lying. Which he was, in a way. "You're an even worse liar than Lu. Look, I'm not judging you, even if he's a little old."

"I need him to train me. That's all."

Sabo raised his eyebrow. "Why him?"

"So they didn't tell you why I was here?" Ace asked.

Sabo shrugged. "Only that Marco was the best option to train you."

Ace stared at his toes, considering his options. In the end, he decided to tell Sabo everything. "He is the previous Chosen One," he said with a sigh. "Or was, I'm not sure. He doesn't know either."

"Wait, wait. You're saying the previous Chosen is still alive?" Sabo asked disbelievingly. "I'm no expert, but I understood that there was only one, well, Chosen One."

"Me too. Like I said, I don't know why he's still alive, but he is. And I know he needs to be by my side when I fight the Dark Lord."

Sabo hummed and then slapped Ace on the back. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come with us."

"How can you be sure?" Ace asked suspiciously. "I know him better than you do and I'm not even sure."

Sabo rolled his eyes. "Because I've seen the way he looks at your–" Marco came outside carrying here plates and shot Sabo a weird look. Sabo patted Ace on the back. "Just trust me."

Sabo was right. A few days later, Marco announced he would come with them back to Moby Dick. In a moment of excitement, Ace threw his arms around his neck, but when he realised what he was doing, he hastily let go.

When they were ready to leave, Marco turned around and looked at his house.

Ace placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can always come back."

Marco smiled and shook his head. "I have lived here for over twenty years, yet it's never been my home. I'll still miss it, though."

The journey to Moby Dick went faster than Ace had expected. Unlike the on the way there, it didn't rain, nor did they encounter any soldiers of the Dark Lord. Ace still remembered where the attack had happened, though, and he insisted they didn't rest there.

When they arrived at the place where Moby Dick should be, both Sabo and Marco looked at Ace expectantly.

"What are you looking at me for? I've never done the whistle," Ace said indignantly. There had always been someone with him who did it for him, and he didn't accidentally want to do the wrong one. Instead, he put his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Oi guys! It's me!" When nothing happened, he turned to Marco. "Can't you try?"

Marco shrugged. "I haven't been here in twenty years. I don't know if the whistle has changed. It's difficult to convey something like that in a letter."

"Listen," Sabo said suddenly, and they all became quiet.

Someone was singing off key, and it didn't take long before a tramp came walking up to them, swaying from left to right like he had had a drink too many. Ace had seen this before. If someone who didn't know the whistle approached the village, but did seem to know there was a village, someone was sent down to check out if there was anger about. The person going down usually disguised themselves as a drunken tramp, since those were hardly ever seen as threats.

It didn't take Ace long to recognise this particular vagabond, however. "Rakuyo!" he called out. "It's me!"

Rakuyo stopped mid-sentence with his song and turned to Ace. "Ace! So Sabo did find you. I'd expected you to stay away a little longer…" His words died away when he saw the third rider. "Marco?" he asked.

Marco grinned a little awkwardly. "I'm home."

"It's Marco!" Rakuyo suddenly yelled and whistled in his fingers. Ace didn't recognise this particular whistle, but it wouldn't surprise him if it was the 'it's Marco' whistle. In any case, the inhabitants of Moby Dick had never faster appeared. Marco was pulled off his horse in one hug after another.

Ace laughed, but not for long, because a loud "Aaaace!" was all the warning he got before a monkey like creature launched at him. He couldn't be mad when he recognised Luffy, though he was glad he had already dismounted.

"Lu!" he called out, and it took all his restraint not to start sobbing again. He was still a big brother, after all. Instead, he took Luffy's head in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over his hair, like he had done so many times in their youth.

"Ace! That hurts!" Luffy tried to get out of his hold, but Ace was pleased to see he was still stronger. However, when Rouge approached, Ace knew she would make him let go of Luffy to smooch him.

"Mom," he just said before she took him in her arms.

"I'm so glad Sabo found you," she whispered. "Did he tell you? Everyone from the village survived. Rayleigh… He is on his way here with an army." She pressed a kiss on his hair, and he knew she was holding back her tears as well. However, unlike the time they heard about Foosha, these were tears of joy.

After greeting Marco, Izo, Haruta and Thatch made their way over to Ace. The latter placed a hand on Ace's shoulder. "Thanks for getting him to come back."

"I don't think I did much," Ace protested.

Izo snorted. "I think you did. What do you think we've been trying to do all these years? Yet you just spend a week with him and he follows you back here."

"Maybe he just wasn't ready before," Ace suggested.

"I'm sure that's it." Thatch grinned. "Anyway, I'm just glad he's finally home."

The reunion was celebrated appropriately. Marco had gone to Pops first alone, but soon enough, Whitebeard had called for booze. Ace had never seen Marco this happy before, and it almost made him wish that he would have known about him sooner, so he could have taken him back to the village then.

The training didn't stop for Ace, though now he had extra motivation because everyone around him was training. On the other hand, he always had an audience, which was somewhat distracting. Additionally, he had to be careful not to have any lingering touches with Marco, like he may have done when it was just the two of them.

Sabo and Luffy stayed at Rouge's house, as Ace insisted they shared a room like they had done often when they were children. Luffy's friends were divided over the other huts in the village. Ace had to admit that Luffy had indeed a knack for attracting strange types. Amongst his friends were a swordsman with the worst sense of direction Ace had ever seen, a cook with a temper and an archaeologist with a disturbing sense of humour. Those weren't even the strangest. However, as odd as these people might be, Ace had it made his duty as a big brother to check them out and each and every one of them had seemed loyal to death to Luffy. They were all willing to follow him into war, and they would be needed, as they were all amazing fighters in their own right. Several of them had challenged Ace to see how his training was coming along. Besides, Ace could see why Luffy liked them.

Ace still hadn't talked with Marco about the kiss that almost happened, which he figured he should probably do before fighting with the Dark Lord. One night, he couldn't sleep, and it wasn't because Luffy and Sabo were snoring beside him. That usually actually soothed him. He managed to climb out from underneath Sabo's and Luffy's limbs and snuck out of the hut.

Marco had his own hut, built after he had left in case he ever came back. It had been abandoned until now. However, that wasn't where Ace found him. Marco was standing on the ground, looking up at the stars, insofar they weren't obscured by the tree leaves. He turned around when he heard Ace approach, even if Ace's feet barely made a sound on the soft forest ground. Perhaps he just sensed Ace's presence. "What are you doing up?" he asked, his voice soft, and added with a smirk, "Didn't I work you hard enough today?"

"I just couldn't sleep. Believe me, I'm sore." Ace stopped just in front of him and sighed. "I just… There's something I need to talk about with you." When Marco indicated he was listening, Ace scratched the back of his head. He was suddenly feeling a little shy. He cleared his throat and said, "You er… Do you remember the day Sabo arrived at your house?" Marco gave a curt nod, even if it had been a rhetorical question. "Before that, I was trying that wing thing you showed me, and we fell and…" He coughed, but noticed that Marco visibly tensed. He decided to tread carefully. "I think you were going to kiss me then. If I gave an indication that I wanted it," he added hastily when he saw Marco was going to object. Then he sighed again, but looked up to look Marco in the eye. "I did want it, though."

Marco opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. His usually bored looking expression had made place for one of utter shock.

Ace turned away. "I just thought that it would make things more complicated. If I die, I mean." He let out a humourless laugh. "Chances of that happening are pretty good. I mean, I know I'm better prepared than most Chosen, but that's no guarantee, you know. I'm okay with that. If I can just live through today…" He turned again to face Marco, who still hadn't said a word. "I know there are a lot of people who care about me. I just wanted to thank you for that. For loving me."

"Ace…" Marco took his hand.

Ace grinned at him. "I just wanted you to know that you're loved too. And to say… that I love you too."

He had planned to leave it at that, but suddenly, Marco pulled him towards him by his hand, and before Ace knew it, their lips met. Ace was too shocked to act for a moment, but when his brain caught up, he used the nearest tree to pin Marco against. Marco's hands caressed his sides and his back, holding him close. Eventually, they had to pull apart for air. Ace placed his forehead against Marco's and grinned. Marco smirked back, never taking his hands off Ace's hips.

A twig snapped, and Ace whipped around. "Mom!" He paled. Of all people to catch him making out with someone, his mother was the last person whom he wanted that to see. He had thought she had already gone to bed, but it seemed like she just came back from a late night meeting with Pops. Those had become much more frequent now that the war was coming closer.

"Don't mind me, I'm not even here," Rouge said and continued to walk towards their home.

Ace looked at Marco and sighed. "I should go too. Good night."

Marco smiled. "Good night." He pressed a quick kiss on Ace's knuckles and turned to go to his house.

Ace started after him for a moment with a stupid grin on his face, but when Marco turned around one last time, he remembered what he was going to do and after a quick wave, he hastened himself after his mom. He caught up with her right before she entered the hut.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

She turned around. "What on earth for?" When Ace looked at his toes, she smiled and took his hand. "As your mom, I only want you to be happy."

"Yeah, but…" He shuffled his feet and then sighed. He hadn't brought this up before, but the thought had struck him when they came to the village. Perhaps tonight would be a good night to get rid of all doubts. "I never blamed him for dad's death, but… maybe you do."

"Oh, sweetie." She sat down on the edge of the platform where the hut was built on and patted invitingly next to her. Ace got the hint and sat down. For a while, Rouge was silent, but then she finally started to speak. "I've never told you this before, but I've always known that your father wouldn't come back after the war. He was terminally ill, so even if he had, he wouldn't have lived for much longer. He wanted to end things on his own terms. That's just the kind of man he was." Her eyes became moist, but she didn't cry. Ace wrapped an arm around her.

Rouge took a shaky breath. "I knew that he had saved Shanks and many others by being captured, but I'd have never guessed Marco would be among those people. For obvious reasons, of course. He disappeared after the war, and a few months later, you were born with the mark of the Chosen. But if I blamed Marco for Roger's death, then I should blame Shanks as well, and that just doesn't make sense." She smiled at Ace and patted his hand. "I hadn't expected to gain a son-in-law when you were sent away to train, though." Her eyes twinkled teasingly.

Ace pulled his hand back, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Mom!"

"I'm sorry, dear, but it's my job to embarrass you. You should know that by now." She got up and reached out her hand to help Ace up as well. She opened her mouth to say something else, but paused for a second before she did. "I'm proud of you, Ace. And so is your father. I'm sure of it."

Time flew by, and before Ace knew it, the time for the attack on the Dark Lord was almost there. Moby Dick performed as base camp, and almost all groups who would fight in the war gathered there. Rayleigh was the first to arrive, along with several people from Foosha, including Shakky and Jinbei. They were all just as excited to see Ace as the other way around. Rayleigh told him what Sabo had said as well, that he had saved the villagers by erasing their memories and scatter them around the world. "Do you know how hard it is to get someone to marry you a second time?" he asked dramatically, looking at Shakky. "You'd think it would become easier once she got her memory back." He made a face.

From Sabo's group, the Revolutionaries, two other people reported, a woman named Koala, who yelled a lot at Sabo for staying away too long, and a man named Hack. The rest would keep their distance and keep making guerrilla attacks on the Dark Lord's soldiers.

There were several more groups of rebels who had gotten the message about the attack, much more than Ace had expected. As he looked at the encampments, for the first time, he had hope that they may win. The groups might not look like much from the outside, but Ace had learned from the inhabitants of Moby Dick and Luffy's friends that not everything is as it seems. Surprisingly, they were all rather young, around Ace's age. Each group was relatively small in comparison to Pops' people, and they all had a leader, which made meetings rather busy. Ace preferred to let them debate and yell at each other than join in. His task was clear anyway. Fortunately, despite the fact that most groups consisted of outlaws, the leaders all seemed to have respect for Pops.

Shanks was the last to arrive, along with his group. It was only a few days before the attack, and Ace was starting to get nervous. Even if they had many people to fight the soldiers, Ace was still the one who had to beat the Dark Lord, or all would be for naught. Fortunately, Pops had agreed with Ace that Marco should be by his side when he faced the Dark Lord, so that was a small weight off Ace's shoulders. Having Marco with him increased his chances of winning.

Pops called Marco and Ace to him. Shanks and Benn were with him, leaned over a piece of paper, on which a map is drawn.

"This," Shanks said as he tapped on the paper, "is a map of the Dark Lord's castle."

"How did you get that?" Ace asked curiously. He had trouble suppressing a smile when Marco's arm snuck around his waist.

Shanks saw it and raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Benn drew it." As if to emphasise his words, he smacked Benn's behind. Benn seemed annoyed, but didn't say anything about it.

"Oh? Have you been there?" Ace asked. "Sabo said Lu's dad had infiltrated the castle. Had you done that to?"

Benn exchanged a look with Shanks. "Not exactly."

"Benn used to work for the Dark Lord," Shanks explained. "But don't worry, I turned him."

"How?" Ace asked.

Shanks looked very proud. "With the power of my d–"

Benn slapped his hand over Shanks' mouth. "Let's leave some things to the imagination, shall we?" He made a face. "Stop licking my hand!" He pulled it back.

"I've never heard you complain before where I licked." Shanks waggled his eyebrows.

"Can we focus?" Marco asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Alright, alright. Anyway, Benn got me out after Roger died in the last war and he's been with me ever since," Shanks said.

Ace shrugged. "If you trust him, that's good enough for me."

Shanks grabbed at his heart, looking touched.

Benn looked from one to the other. "Anyway," he said slowly and pointed at the map. "When we launch an attack just before the Dark Lord makes his move, he will know what's up and he will expect Ace. What he won't expect is Marco, so he should keep his face hidden until then. We can use the surprise. You could try to enter the castle through the main entrance here," he tapped on the map, "but it will be swarming with guards. The side here is no good either, that's where Roger entered, so he will be expecting that. Best is to climb the north side," he pointed at the moat, "where there is a roaster that brings you right into the castle. Not many guards will know about that."

"You'll go under the cover of night and at dawn, you sneak into the castle. That's when the rest of us attack," Shanks said. "It'll create a diversion, so that when the guards are distracted, you can reach the Dark Lord himself in his throne room." He tapped on a large square in the middle of the castle.

"Won't he be fighting with his soldiers?" Ace asked.

Shanks and Pops exchanged a look. "He hasn't been out of his castle in decades," Pops said. "Marco fought him in his own throne room, and you will too."

Ace nodded. "The only difference will be that after I'm through with him, he won't be able to leave his castle anymore," he said determinedly.

Ace woke up when his shoulder was gently shaken. Oddly enough, he wasn't entangled with all kinds of limbs that didn't belong to him. In fact, when he opened his eyes, he only saw Marco, who had woken him up.

The night before the attack, Ace had dragged Marco to the tent he shared with Sabo and Luffy, because he felt the need to have them close. They had set up the encampment a distance from the castle of the Dark Lord. However, Luffy and Sabo where nowhere to be seen.

Ace sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Where are they?"

"Perhaps they have already taken their positions?" Marco suggested as he got dressed.

Ace kept silent as he sat on the edge of the bed. "They didn't even say goodbye." He paused. "It might be their last chance."

Marco turned around and took Ace's face between his hands. "Then you'll just have to make sure it isn't."

Ace nodded and got dressed as well. Marco helped him with the leather armour. It wasn't exactly comfortable, and Ace couldn't wait until he could take it off again. "Alright, let's go then," he said when they were both dressed, but before he could leave the tent, Marco stopped him and kissed him intensely.

"What was that for?" Ace asked when Marco let go of him, but he had been pleasantly surprised.

Marco shrugged. "It might be my last chance."

"You already made me promise to come back."

"Yes." Marco turned towards the exit, but Ace grabbed his wrist.

"You'd better make that same promise."

Marco looked at him for a second, but when Ace gave him a hard stare, he smiled. "Alright. I'll do my best."

Not completely satisfied, but realising it was the best he would get, Ace followed Marco out of the tent. At the centre of the encampment, they found Pops and Rouge waiting for them.

"Time to go, eh?" Rouge asked and she sighed.

"Yeah, it's still a bit to go and… Why are you wearing armour?" Ace asked suddenly. He had never seen his mother dressed like that, clad in coat of mail and a helmet underneath her arm.

"What did you think I did during the last war?" she retorted. "Knit coats of mail?"

"I don't think that's how it's made," Ace protested.

Rouge smiled and pulled him close. "I'm going to do my bit, like you do yours. I know you can do it, darling. Please be careful." She kissed his hair before letting him go. Then she turned to Marco. "Bring my son back to me, will you?" She pulled him into a hug as well, something Marco obviously hadn't expected. "That means you'd better accompany him. You make him happy, and as long as you keep doing so, I'd like to keep you as my son-in-law."

"Mom!" Ace exclaimed, embarrassed.

A large hand landed on his shoulder, almost causing his knees to buckle. "She's not going to stop embarrassing you, so you better get used to it," Pops said and laughed.

Rouge let go of Marco and nodded. "He's right, you know. Now, come on, it's time to go." She squeezed Marco's cheek.

Ace couldn't decide between wanting the earth to swallow him up or laugh at the unamused face Marco pulled. Still, he followed his mother to the edge of the encampment. "Have you seen Sabo and Luffy?" he asked softly.

"I haven't, dear. But you'll see them again after the war." She kissed his cheek and helped him on the horse that stood ready for him. Next to him, Marco mounted the other and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head so that his face was hidden in the shadows.

"Good luck, sweetie. I'm so proud of you," Rouge whispered.

Ace could see the tears in her eyes and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back," he promised.

She nodded and took a step back as Pops wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ace looked over his shoulder one more time to the camp and then followed Marco towards the castle.

Once they were close enough, they hid the horses in some bushes and snuck towards the castle. Up close, it looked more like a fort. It was built on a cliff, with only one path leading up to it. Ace exchanged a look with Marco and followed him onto the beach. They would have to climb the cliff until they had reached the castle, find the roaster that gave them access without getting caught and all that before the sun rose. They had to be inside at dawn. Marco tied a rope around his waist and Ace tied the other end around his. Marco couldn't climb with his cloak, as it would be in the way, so he had folded it until they would be inside.

The climb was a steep one, but the cliff had enough protrusions to pull themselves up. One wrong move, however, and they would both fall down into the ocean. Ace did not look forward to that. He had never been a strong swimmer.

They climbed in silence. The moon was low in the sky when they finally made it up to the top. This side of the castle wasn't watched as there shouldn't be any entrance. Ace wondered how Benn knew about the roaster. It took a while to find it, but finally they managed to get inside.

They ended up in a small, dark room somewhere in the castle where they could catch their breath. Marco untied the rope, as did Ace, and threw it somewhere in the corner, while Ace looked outside. He could only make out a small part of the battle field, but he saw the banners of Bonney, Kid and Law. Rookies, Shanks had called them with a grin. Apparently, there was more resistance in the younger generation than anyone had expected.

Ace shared the food his mom had packed as they waited until the attack would begin. Ace sat close against Marco, who gently caressed his back.

"When we get back, there are things I want to do with you," Marco muttered in his ear.

Ace looked up. "What kind of things?"

"Nice things." His smirk grew. "Dirty things."

Ace elbowed him in the ribs, but he couldn't suppress a grin. "Then you have another reason to get out of here." He kissed Marco.

Suddenly, loud yelling and running footsteps could be heard outside the room.

"The attack has started," Marco whispered.

Ace nodded and rose as he waited until Marco had put on his cloak. There was no time anymore to be nervous. This was it.

They waited until the footsteps had died down before sneaking out of the room. Marco had taken Benn's map and led them towards the throne room. There were no guards in front of the door, which was odd. Ace wanted to storm in, but Marco grabbed his arm.

"You know you're gonna run right into a trap, right? He is expecting you."

"But he isn't expecting you." Ace grinned at him. "I have to face him, one way or the other. Come on, it's time." He took Marco's hand and kicked the large doors to the throne room open.

There, on the throne in the back of the room, the Dark Lord himself was sitting leisurely, like his army wasn't currently attacked. He was as ugly as Marco had said, yet a lot less impressive. His fat body seemed hardly to fit into the chair, and when he grinned, it became obvious he was missing some teeth. Still, Ace knew he shouldn't underestimate this man. Even if he didn't look the part, he was several centuries old and had the blood of thousands of people on his hands.

"I've been expecting you," the Dark Lord said.

Ace looked from him to the two guards who stood in each side of him, motionless. "I hadn't expected anything less," he replied coolly.

The Dark Lord started to laugh. "You're funnier than most of your predecessors. That doesn't mean I won't squash you like a bug, though."

"Actually, it's gonna be the other way around today." Ace took his fighting stance.

The Dark Lord snorted and sat up. "Do you know how often I've heard variations of that line. And yet, here you are. If one of your predecessors had actually managed to live up to their threats, neither of us would be here. The 'Chosen' always think they are unbeatable. The one before you, what was his name again? Waltzing in here like he owned the place, yet I defeated him in less than a minute!"

"Actually, I think it was a little longer than that." Marco stepped forward and pulled off his hood. "In fact, I gave you a run for your money."

The Dark Lord stared at him, disbelievingly. "But… How…?"

"Surprise!" With a grin, Ace took the opportunity and ran towards the Dark Lord, his fist on fire. He managed two strikes, before the Dark Lord had recovered enough to push him off.

"You're lying! There's always only one Chosen, and I beat them every time! Guards, grab that imposter!"

The guards, who hadn't moved until that point, readied their weapons, but instead of attacking Marco, they jumped the Dark Lord himself with a loud and unmistakable war cry. The Dark Lord caught it just in time and made an almost invisible force field. The two guards were blasted backwards and their helmets rolled into a corner.

Ace's eyes widened. Luffy and Sabo were supposed to fight in the war. "Guys!" he stammered.

Luffy grinned at him. "You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?"

"Dragon gave me some pointers on how to infiltrate," Sabo said as he scrambled to his feet.

Ace laughed at them, but suddenly, Marco exclaimed, "Watch out!" He threw himself on Luffy, both tumbling to the floor. A beam of dark light skimmed the place Luffy had just been standing.

Relieved he was safe, Ace turned his anger towards the Dark Lord. "You'll regret that. You'll regret everything you did to me, to Sabo, to Luffy, to Marco!"

He ran towards the Dark Lord, but suddenly, it felt like his feet were stuck in a marsh. He couldn't run anymore, and darkness surrounded him. Wildly, he looked around him, but the throne room had disappeared, along with Sabo, Luffy, and Marco. Ace wanted to scream, but no sound came. Slowly, it dawned upon him what happened. He was imprisoned in the Dark Lord's darkness.

He looked down, and saw that the darkness was already reaching to his hips. He remembered Marco's description. If he sunk down, all would be lost. He would drown in darkness. Marco had been saved, but that didn't mean Ace would be as well. How could he have thought he was good enough to save the world?

The darkness pulled him down further, and Ace realised he would destroy himself if he kept having negative thoughts. But it was hard to see a silver lining. So many people put their lives on the line for him and so many of them would die because of him. Had because of him. Sabo and Luffy may have survived the attack on the village, but they would die in the Dark Lord's throne room, like Ace himself.

"Ace." Marco's voice ran clearly through his head. "Ace, you need to escape."

Ace wanted to reply, but he suddenly felt so tired. Tired of hiding, tired of fighting, tired of being depended upon. If only he could sleep…

The darkness dragged him further down.

"Ace, I know you can hear me."

Ace opened his eyes.

"I got out of this, and so can you. We need you. We can't fight him without you. Fight this, I know you can."

Ace tried to pull out his arm, but to no avail. "I can't."

"There are people waiting for you, Ace. Your mother, Pops, Thatch, Luffy, Sabo… They all want to see you come back alive. Victorious."

Ace made another attempt, and suddenly, his arm came free.

"I knew you could do it." Ace knew Marco was smiling. "Come to me, I'll lead you to the exit."

A short distance away from Ace, a blue flame appeared. Ace wrestled against the darkness that pulled him down, determined to reach the flame. He reached out and let his own flames intertwine with Marco's.

Suddenly, he woke up on the cold, hard ground of the throne room. Just out of reach, Sabo lay on the ground, unconscious. Luffy was still attacking the Dark Lord, but he was panting and looked like he was ready to collapse. Marco was sitting against the wall, his eyes closed.

Slowly, Ace rose to his feet, though he had to steady himself. He didn't know how long he had been out, but the others had fought his fight for long enough.

"Oi!" he called, catching the Dark Lord's attention. He was obviously surprised that Ace had managed to escape, giving Luffy the chance to clock him in the face.

Sabo groaned and moved. Ace helped him up, never taking his eyes of the Dark Lord.

"I told you I'd end you today," he said.

Sabo ran towards the Dark Lord, his pipe ready, while Ace stormed him from the other side. Luffy jumped to his feet and attacked as well. The Dark Lord tried to defend himself as well as he could, but Ace's rage about all the pain he had felt in his life thanks to this man, the loss he had suffered, even if in the end it had turned out that the Dark Lord hadn't been able to take his friends, it all gave him strength. Having Sabo and Luffy at his side, along with Marco, made him even more determined to win. He had to, for everyone who was fighting outside for him and for peace.

He gathered all the power he had inside him, all the fire that had accompanied him all his life. Sabo grabbed his shoulder and grinned at him, while Luffy did the same. That was all he needed.

When the fire had disappeared, the Dark Lord was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Ace asked.

"There." Sabo pointed to a pile of dust that was lying where the Dark Lord had been standing.

"Well, good," Ace said with a huff.

Luffy threw his arms around his neck. "You did it, Ace!" he cheered.

"I did, didn't I?" Ace grinned like an idiot.

Sabo slapped on his shoulder. "Yeah, you did."

In the corner, Marco moaned softly, and Ace ran hastily towards him.

"Are you okay?"

Marco opened his eyes and smiled, though it obviously took him effort. "I'll be fine."

"You saved me," Ace said softly. "Without you, I wouldn't–" He stopped talking when Marco threw his arms around his neck.

Suddenly, the ground shook with a heavy tremor.

"Ehm, guys? What was that?" Sabo asked.

The doors of the throne room flew open, but instead of soldiers, Shanks and Benn came running inside. "What the hell, guys?" Shanks said. "I figured you'd have cleared out by now."

"What's going on?" Sabo asked.

"We decided to blow up the castle. Roo and Yasopp have already lit the fuse, so we'd better clear out."

"We'll never make it out in time!" Sabo exclaimed, clearly panicking.

"That's why you should have already left!"

Ace eyed the large window behind the throne and looked questioningly at Marco, who nodded. "Come on!" he called.

"Take Sabo and Luffy," Marco said.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Ace asked worriedly. After all, it was a long way down.

"I've got this."

"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Shanks asked deadpanned.

"Go!" Marco yelled at Ace.

"Come on, hold on to me!' Ace said to Sabo and Luffy. Sabo grabbed his shoulders and Luffy Sabo's. Taking a deep breath, Ace used his fire to break the glass, before he jumped out. The trick with the wings had never come naturally to him, but he and Marco had practiced for days. He had to be able to do it, to make larger wings than ever before if they wanted to survive. He heard Sabo and Luffy screaming, but he managed to tune them out and focus on his powers.

Large orange wings made of flames spread from Ace's arms. He heard Luffy yell, and first he thought he had burned him, but then he realised it was from excitement. They were actually flying!

It was only for a second, however, because then the castle exploded. The blast threw them to the ground. Groaning, Ace rolled onto his back to see if everyone was okay. Sabo looked like he was about to faint from exhaustion, but Luffy exclaimed, "Let's do that again!"

"Where's Marco?" Ace asked worriedly.

"Behind you."

Ace whipped around and threw himself on him, kissing him intensely.

A shadow fell over them, and Ace looked up. Luffy's group had gathered around them. The doctor, Chopper, started to check up on everyone.

"What happened to the army?" Ace asked.

Sanji, who helped him up, grinned. "They started fleeing as soon as the Dark Lord was defeated. Imagine how hard they ran after the castle exploded."

"You did SUPER!" Franky said and struck a pose.

Nami was staring up at the remains of the castle. "But what about the treasure?" she asked dismayed. "There had to be a lot of treasure! Where is the treasure?!" She grabbed Shanks' shirt and shook him. "Answer me!"

Shanks just grinned.

Ace slept for two days straight when they arrived back at Moby Dick, but the victory party lasted a week, so he hadn't missed much.

When he exited the hut, he saw Thatch and Izo dancing together. Shanks and his group were toasting and probably more than a little drunk. Luffy was raiding the buffet and Sabo had joined him.

Ace approached Thatch and Izo, who slapped him jovially on the shoulder. "You're up," Thatch said cheerfully. "Well done with the Dark Lord."

"Thanks. Have you seen Marco?" Ace asked.

Izo smirked. "He's waiting for you there." He pointed to where Marco was sitting on a bench, a little away from the party.

"Thanks." Ace walked over to Marco and sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. You?"

"I feel pretty good." Ace grinned. "I just saved the world."

Marco laughed. "You sure did."

Ace's face turned serious. "I can't thank you enough for what you did when I was trapped in the darkness."

"I wasn't about to let you be taken from me so easily." Marco leaned in and kissed Ace.

Someone cleared their throat, and Ace looked up. "Mom!"

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." She hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe. "You should eat something first, though." Ace opened his mouth to protest, but she waved them away. "Go. I'll keep your boyfriend company. He owes me a dance."

Ace exchanged a look with Marco, but knew he wouldn't win this argument. Besides, Luffy was making a lot of headway with the buffet, so he should hurry. As he stuffed his face, he watched amused as Rouge danced with Marco. He couldn't hear what she said to him, but it was either something threatening or embarrassing. Judging from Marco's face, probably the latter.

A large hand was placed on his shoulder, and Ace looked up, his face stuffed with food.

Pops took a swig from the bottle he was carrying. "We're all very proud of you, son," he said.

"Yeah!" Luffy said, and Sabo didn't even bother to try to say something. Instead, he punched Ace's shoulder playfully.

Ace grinned. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without all of you, though. Especially you two." He looked at Sabo and Luffy. To prevent himself from getting too sappy, he rubbed his knuckles over both their heads, receiving loud protests.

Pops laughed. "Well, enjoy your party." He walked off.

"Pops?"

He turned around.

"What happens now?"

"Now?" Pops scratched his head. "Now, we enter a time of uncertainty. There is a power vacuum, but that will be filled soon enough."

"By another Dark Lord?"

Pops laughed. "We won't allow that." He ruffled Ace's hair, and now it was his turn to protest. Sabo and Luffy pointed out his embarrassment smugly.

"Oh yeah?" Ace snatched the chicken leg that Luffy had somehow forgotten he was holding.

"Give that back!" Luffy dove on top of him and tried to get the meat back. Sabo joined in and together they rolled over the forest ground.

As they were wrestling – it wasn't even about the meat anymore, Luffy had eaten that while fighting – Ace realised he had never been as happy as he was now. It was only now that it dawned upon him that his fate as the Chosen had always weighed him down. Now, since the Dark Lord was no more, Ace was free to choose his own path in life, and that fact, to be free, was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

That didn't mean he wasn't grateful for being the Chosen. He had made a lot of friends because of it, who were now celebrating his victory with him, and it had given him Marco. With a smirk, he remembered that Marco still had a promise to fulfil. For now, though, Ace was happy being amongst his friends and family, his sworn brothers by his side, like they should.

Right there and then, Ace decided he wanted to travel the world with them, maybe help some people along the way. Ace had only seen small bits when he had travelled from Foosha to Moby Dick, when he had run away and when he travelled to and from Marco. There was so much more to be seen, and Sabo and Luffy had to show that to him. And Marco had to come too.

Content with that thought, he took Luffy into a headlock as he sat on Sabo's chest, pinning him down. After all, as a big brother, it was only right that he could still beat them.

END