Chapter 16

"Must I do everything, dear brother of mine?"

Ace blinked, seeing the gray bar stretching across his vision. He switched his gaze to the owner of the pipe, a person that had very familiar blond hair. "Sabo?"

"Of course." Sabo lowered his weapon and Ace saw that a section of it was smoking, a bullet wedged deeply into the metal. "Blackbeard," Sabo greeted coldly.

"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard's laugh was as hearty as ever despite the increasing danger of his situation. "And who are you? You're a little late to join the party!"

"Haven't you ever heard the term 'fashionably late'?" Sabo whipped his pipe in a circle to clear the air of the remnants of Ace's fire and then pointed the tip at Blackbeard. "I'll be taking that ugly head of yours."

Ace grinned, his shock at Sabo's abrupt entrance fading. "Not if I get it first. Luffy!"

"Yeah!"

The youngest brother lashed out with his feet, catching Blackbeard in the ankle and causing the larger man to stagger back. The kick wasn't as strong as usual, but it was enough to throw Blackbeard off balance. Ace and Sabo darted forward, no verbal communication necessary as Ace went high and Sabo went low.

Flames burst to life around Ace's fist, the heat warping the air. Blackbeard pointed his gun straight at Ace again but Sabo's pipe knocked the weapon out of his hand, probably breaking a few fingers in the process. Ace's expression turned feral as he slammed his fist into Blackbeard's cheek, pouring all the protective fury he could muster into that single blow. At the same time, Sabo followed through with his pipe's swing, burying the weapon just below the Sea Stone plate over Blackbeard's stomach.

Blackbeard went flying. His feet left the ground and he didn't stop until he hit the ground several yards away, and even then he flipped and skidded for another few yards.

Ace shook out his fist, wincing as the broken fingers moved. "Left probably would've been better," he muttered. Then again, he had his dagger in his left hand.

"Luffy, don't move," Sabo said as he crouched over their youngest brother.

"How's it look?" Ace asked while keeping an eye on Blackbeard. Sabo was quiet for a few seconds.

"Looks like he got shot and slashed. Bleeding's heavy - I can't see how bad the wounds are."

"I got slashed earlier," Luffy said, wincing as Sabo prodded around the wound.

"At least it looks like it avoided anything vital," Sabo muttered. "Still, the blood loss is going to be a problem very soon. Penguin, we need Law or another medical personnel up here immediately."

"You got it."

"Ngh."

"Blackbeard's moving," Ace called.

"One second. I'm just going to slow the bleeding." Ace heard the sound of tearing fabric. "Here, Luffy. Press down over the wound. Yeah, like that. Perfect."

A moment later, Sabo was at Ace's side, one of his sleeves missing.

The two watched as Blackbeard flipped himself over with a grunt and many unnecessary theatrics. "I'm taking him back," Ace said.

"The revolutionaries want to have a word with him," Sabo replied. Ace shook his head.

"I can acknowledge that, but he betrayed us. He has to and will pay for his crimes against my family."

Sabo glanced at Ace and then sighed. "Very well. I can tell Dragon that you Whitebeards were...insistent."

Ace grinned. "Thanks."

"Now, Blackbeard, I believe I have a few debts to repay." Sabo walked forward, his pipe thudding against the ground in time with his steps. Blackbeard's confident expression was nowhere to be found; Ace felt a surge of vindictive pleasure at the fear in his eyes.

Sabo's pipe caught Blackbeard hard across the face, snapping the man's head to one side with so much force that, for just a moment, Ace thought that Sabo had snapped his neck. But no, Blackbeard was panting, holding his neck in pain.

"He's annoyingly durable," Sabo commented. Ace nodded while he sheathed his dagger.

"Can I borrow your pipe?"

"My pipe? Sure."

Ace tested it, raising an eyebrow at the heft while arranging his hands so that his broken fingers would take the least of the strain. "It's heavier than some."

"Lighter than others. I almost went with a Sea Stone type."

"I'm happy you didn't."

"W-wait, Ace," Blackbeard said, backing up slightly. He probably would've gotten to his feet, but Ace could see bruises on his ankle from Luffy's kicks and he wouldn't be fast enough no matter what he did. "You can think about this a little longer, can't you?"

"I can," Ace acknowledged, getting within range of Blackbeard. He brought the pipe back, the muscles in his arms and core tension in preparation. "But I'll come to the same answer."

Blackbeard tried to scramble away in the direction of his guns, but he was far too slow. With a wordless roar, Ace swung Sabo's pipe for all he was worth.

It cracked against the Sea Stone plate on Blackbeard's stomach. For that split second, Blackbeard's expression turned smug, but Ace didn't lose his concentration for even a moment. With a resounding crunch, the plate shattered, the pieces spilling out from under Blackbeard's shirt. The man himself had gone white. Some of the pieces came out coated in blood from where they had dug into Blackbeard's stomach.

Ace stepped back, tossing the pipe back to Sabo. "Luffy."

The youngest brother, who had staggered over despite his wounds, stepped forward. He wound up his arm while his skin took on a pinkish tint. Blackbeard's eyes widened, but he couldn't do anything to avoid the hit; Ace's swing had stunned him.

Luffy let out a cry much like Ace's as he buried his fist in Blackbeard's damaged abdomen. The traitor coughed up blood, his eyes rolling up into his head as he slumped. Luffy's arm snapped back into place and then Luffy began to fall, his knees buckling beneath his weight.

But Ace and Sabo were there to catch him.

"Only a handful of deaths on top of at least thirty casualties...not bad, all things considered," Sabo said, leaning back into his couch cushions. "Of course, the police presence is going to be increased for the next few weeks."

"They'll forget all about this crap by winter," Ace said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Sabo rolled his eyes.

"You attacked police headquarters, Ace. They're not going to forget about it that quickly."

"In this city? Yes, they will."

A knock on the door barely gave the two brothers any time to react before Luffy barrelled into the apartment. "Sabo! Guess what!"

Sabo glanced at Ace and then at Luffy, who looked vaguely as though he had tried to have a boxing match with a leafblower. "Er...what?"

"Franky finished his motorcycle! It's so cool!"

"Is that why you look like you got thrown out of an airplane?" Ace asked with a grin. Luffy nodded.

"He drove me around in it. It was SUUUUUPEEEER cool!"

"You were careful, right?" Ace asked, eyeing Luffy's middle. The younger boy nodded.

"'Course! Chopper wouldn't let me do any of the dangerous stuff."

Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair. "Of course not, because he's actually responsible."

"He's younger than Luffy," Ace mumbled, but he had learned respect for the young doctor. After the fight at both Impel Down and headquarters, Chopper had been one of the most valuable doctors treating the wounded.

Sabo glanced at the windows. "Looks like it's gonna rain soon. Luffy, Ace, you guys'd better head back to your place. Don't want to get stuck here."

Ace and Luffy exchanged a look, and then both grinned impishly. Ace took the lead.

"Unfortunately, Sabo, I don't think Luffy is up for walking all the way back. And I can't carry him because of my hand." Ace waved the broken fingers in the air. "See?"

Sabo's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to stay here?"

Ace looked affronted and walked over to Luffy, pulling him into a one-armed embrace while Luffy mirrored his expression. "Sabo, we would never impose on your hospitality like that. Just who do you think we are?"

"My brothers," Sabo said, "who would do exactly that."

Ace and Luffy grinned. "Mean."

"You're the ones that are mooching free lodgings off me!" A lightbulb seemed to go off over Sabo's head and he smiled, but his smile wasn't out of happiness. "I'm going to charge you rent."

Ace's affronted expression went straight to offended. "Sabo! I'm your brother!" He presented Luffy. "And look at him! Could you really make him pay for rent? Look at that face." Ace reached forward and stretched out Luffy's grin. "See?"

Sabo sighed. "You're shameless, Ace."

Luffy's face snapped back to its normal proportions and Ace rested his arm on Luffy's head. "Have I ever claimed to be anything else?" Luffy ducked out from under Ace, causing the older man to stumble.

Sabo just shook his head with a fond smile. Then he stiffened. "I don't have enough food to feed all of us."

"I'll call Thatch," Ace offered. "The guy's like a mother hen when it comes to me eating right. I swear the guy has a heart attack if I mention missing a meal."

"You miss meals?" Luffy asked, his eyes wide. Ace laughed.

"Of course not! I tell him that just to see his reaction. It's funny every time. 'Course, he's going to ask for something in return...let's see. Sabo, do you have anything Thatch might like?"

"I don't think so. Wait - he's the chef of your gang, right?"

"Right."

"I can put him in contact with a gang that specifically smuggles rare spices. The kind that aren't often found here."

"Perfect," Ace declared. "He'd love that."

"Hey, Ace," Luffy said.

"Yeah?"

"Did you get it?"

Ace blinked, for a moment not understanding. Then he grinned and began unbuttoning his shirt. Both Luffy and Sabo circled around to Ace's back, watching as Ace's shirt fell to the floor.

There, spanning nearly the entirety of his back, sat the mark of the Whitebeard gang.

Sabo whistled lowly in appreciation of the tattoo. "I don't think we have to worry about you losing your memory again."

Luffy laughed and slapped Ace on the back. "It looks awesome!"

"Ow!" Ace playfully batted Luffy's hand away. "It's still healing, dumbass!"

"Sabo, Ace is being mean."

"How dare you do that to our little brother," Sabo said while he stepped in front of Luffy. Ace groaned.

"The whole world's against me, huh?"

Sabo grinned. "Oh, please. We're with you one hundred percent."

Ace slung his arms around both of them and pulled them close. All three shared grins. "You're both assholes," Ace declared. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Oh, hush. You're the biggest asshole out of all of us," Sabo replied.

"Shishishi! You two are funny!"

Ace took a deep breath. His stomach was abuzz with nerves and he couldn't decide whether he should wear his hat or not. Eventually, he decided to just go without his hat, but the resolution of that issue didn't calm him whatsoever.

"Screw it," Ace muttered to himself. He turned to the door, ignoring the poorly-disguised amused looks from his fellow gang members. They knew what this meeting was about, but Ace didn't. He honestly had no idea why Marco would call him to the commander meeting room, and Ace was half-worried that it was about the stunt he'd pulled over a month ago at police headquarters.

Ace pushed open the door and stepped through, ready for anything -

Anything except the chorus of, "Congratulations!"

"What the-" Ace cut himself off, looking around in shock. He could see Thatch, Marco, Izo, Pops, Izo; all the commanders were there, and the room was strung up with multicolored decorations.

"Ace, buddy!" Thatch declared, dragging Ace farther into the room. "What's with the look? Cat got your tongue?"

"I don't - I don't know what this is about," Ace stammered out. Thatch grinned and turned to the rest of the people in the room.

"Did you sorry lot here that? He doesn't know!"

A chorus of laughter greeted Thatch's statement and Ace's confusion grew.

"Thatch, I still don't -"

Marco stepped forward and shoved a drink into Ace's hand. "Ace, you're being promoted to Second Division Commander."

Ace froze, shock rendering his mind blank. "I'm what?"

"Congratulations, fellow commander," Thatch said, shaking Ace a little to wake him up. "How do you feel?"

Second Division Commander?

"Why?" Ace whispered.

Marco clapped Ace on the back. "Because we want you to be."

A tentative smile appeared on Ace's face. He looked around, feeling something indescribably warm fill him from the tips of his toes all the way to the top of his head at the sight of all his brothers, sisters, and father smiling at him. And, for the first time, Ace could identify exactly what that feeling was.

It was a sense of belonging. A knowledge that he was right where he was meant to be.

"Well?" Thatch asked. "You gonna answer my question?"

"I feel pretty great, Thatch." Ace's smile turned into a full-blown grin as he reached for the nearby meat platter. Then he amended that statement upon tasting the food. "Really great, actually. Really, really great."

END

Please review.