So, here's the Marine AU so many of you have been asking about and I'm so excited to finally be writing it! :D Also in case anybody missed out I've finally updated 'Born of Flames'. I also can't believe we've reached over 60 chapters, whoa o.o Never thought my random ideas would get this far xD

Anyway so this isn't too far after the celebration with Marco at becoming a Commander. So hope you all enjoy the chapter!

(Marine AU)

Marco chortled as Bay jabbed Pops with another needle who winced, his sister grabbing the alcohol and drinking it all down herself before tossing the giant tankard away.

"Keep that in your damn arm or next time you won't be leaving your room for a week Pops! I swear every time I visit-"

"There's no need to be so worked up my daughter." Pops grimaced when another needle was stabbed into his arm. "I'm perfectly fine-"

"FINE?! MORON!" Bay snapped, slapping his leg. "Your organs are damaged you fool! A healthy person can say they're fine. You however? That's beyond a sad joke old man."

Marco stopped laughing the moment she whirled round to face him. "And Marco you're meant to be in charge of medical here! I know you had to step back a bit due to being First Mate but still."

Marco replayed all the moments in his mind of when he tried to keep Pops from drinking. It involved kicking tankards out his hand, downing bottle before Pops could, clinging to Pops arms, snarling and hissing and even pecking his face with his beak.

Those were... difficult times...

"Marco! Your pocket's burning!" Haruta yelled.

Marco frowned. His pocket? That's where he kept everyone's (Commanders) vivre cards and nobody was out on a mission right now-

"Ace." Marco hissed, his heart skipping a beat.

He tugged it out and saw the corner burning. They were about fifteen minutes away from the island they knew Ace had been on and had been aiming to go see him since he was so close by. They all missed their baby brother. It had been a month since they last saw him.

Marco met Pops' eyes who nodded, they were dark and angry and Marco ran, bursting into blue flames and taking off. His Phoenix screeching in terror and rage as he tore through the sky.

.::.

The whole town was burning down and the civilians hadn't managed to get away yet. Stainless was fighting off Tiergen, a former Commander in the Marines while Ace tried to absorb the fire. The fire wasn't his own though and trying to command so much of it was draining him.

Tiergen hadn't been happy when Ace became a Commander. He had protested to Sengoku for weeks, him and his men before finally dropping it. Well, dropping it as in taking a huff and becoming a pirate, so he could prove how truly strong he was. The bastard had always been bloodthirsty and had earned his first bounty by murdering an entire town in West Blue before attempting to enslave another town on that very same island.

That island had been a mess by the time Tiergen and his men fled it, retreating from gramps who had been pissed off like no other.

Surprisingly though Tiergen had gotten a lot stronger by being a pirate. Or just more ruthless because it was becoming a difficult fight. He had men everywhere, burning and murdering and their ship full of Marines wasn't overly huge.

Ace managed to open up a pathway for more villagers to escape while cutting down four pirates with his knife. "Go!" Ace yelled, waving the villagers away who scrambled towards safety.

He felt overwhelmed though. The fire was too much and trying to absorb it all was leaving him shaken, as if he had too much energy that he couldn't let out. That was the problem, he couldn't add more flames to the situation, not with so many Marines and civilians running about. Not with the flames being so out of control and not Ace's.

Ace had noticed that the former Ensign who had joined Tiergen was missing. The one with that axe's edge carved from seastone.

That was when that strange sensation tickled him, the one Izo was trying to get him to listen to because it was that observation haki. Saber was pulling some folk out of a shattered window in a house, the doorway blocked by debris but then Ace spotted the figure charging his way through the smoke.

"Saber look out!" Ace yelled, racing his way.

He didn't have enough time to properly block, he managed to force out some haki to harden his chest but it wasn't strong enough and didn't stop the axe from tearing into him. Ace screamed but managed to keep to his feet just as Sranor, the former Ensign, retreated back, avoiding a swing of Ace's dagger.

"Heh, guess I finally got stronger than you, huh Portgas?" Sranor smirked smugly, raising the axe once more.

"Ace!" He could hear Saber crying.

Everything began to grow dark and he felt himself stumble.

.::.

Deuce, the moment he heard Ace scream for Saber to 'look out', began to run his Commander's way. He saw the blow Ace had taken and paled when he saw the chest wound. It was deep and gushing blood.

But he also saw the moment Ace lost all concentration, which was what he had needed to keep such a large, wild fire contained for so long. Deuce cursed.

"SABER GET BACK!" Deuce yelled, throwing himself back just as an explosion of fire erupted and Deuce felt a wave of heat against his back.

That fucking idiot of a pirate! He must have known Ace had been containing all that fire within him. Moron! Deuce threw himself to his feet the moment the heat calmed down and cursed.

Sranor was still alive, burnt something badly, his skin scorching red and blistering. He stumbled to his feet, that damn axe still in hand, staring determinedly at Ace's limp form, bleeding into the ground.

Deuce dived forward, barely blocking the blow. His wrists cracked and Deuce gritted his teeth against the pain and realisation. He couldn't block another blow. His sword had been shattered from just one hit. Deuce couldn't move though, Ace was behind him. Deuce braced himself for the pain but instead familiar blue flames crashed into Sranor, kicking him away into a building, destroying the building instantly.

Marco the Phoenix landed in front of them and Deuce felt his heart stop. His face was perfectly calm but his eyes were burning with pure rage.

Marco turned on his heel and was instantly at Ace's side, pressed a flaming hand to his chest, eyes wild with terror. Ace moaned painfully and tried to shift away but Marco hushed him and tucked him in closer to his chest, the flames smothering Ace's chest.

"I'm taking him yoi." Marco said as their eyes met.

Deuce held on to his wrist before Marco could move, Deuce's arms throbbing at the contact. Marco glare at him but Deuce only shook his head. "Please save him."

The glare softened and Marco nodded. "I will."

With that he transformed into a Phoenix was flew away. Mihar was by his side in an instant and they turned as one when they heard shifting from the debris, Sranor stumbling out, bloody and burn but still going.

Mihar fired multiple bullets into his legs, looking absolutely livid. It was a rare expression and it made Deuce wince just seeing it.

"Oh fuck no. You don't get back up after what you did to Commander Ace!" Mihar snarled.

"Get him!" Dogya yelled.

Instantly what was called 'Ace's group', because they were, Ace had found them and cared about them and saved their lives in his own way, jumped the scumbag. Banshee tore the axe out of Sranor's grasp when he tried to fight back and booted him between the legs just as Saber ran past with a pile of debris, chucking it at Sranor. All of them were trying to get a piece of Sranor who kept trying to fight his way out only to get bombarded by his own axe and everyone else's weapons and shot once more by Mihar for good measure.

Mihar who then merely glanced at Deuce's wrists, grimacing.

"You won't be writing for a while."

Deuce winced at the thought.

.::.

Marco flew straight for the Moby Dick just as it was arriving at the harbour. Marco ignored his siblings as he transformed back on the deck, Ace pale and limp in his arms. He yelled for Bay instead and stormed towards the medical bay, barking at his siblings to move out the way.

Now was not the time to get in the way!

Bay met him at the doorway and they got Ace on a bed and the curtains drawn around him. Bay cursing while Marco kept his flames on Ace's chest.

"The axe nicked his heart. I saw the blade, it looked like seastone." Marco hissed even as Bay barked out orders to the nurses and began to work, feeling for Ace's pulse.

"Shit. It's very weak." Bay scowled. "Keep those flames on his heart. I'll do the rest."

"Right." Marco grimaced and with a struggle he pulled his flames back, pushing them gently towards Ace's heart instead.

His Phoenix wanted to smother Ace in the healing blue flames but Marco couldn't let it. That could overwhelm himself and Ace and Marco didn't want to make Ace suffer anymore than he already was right now.

Ace whimpered and tried to pull away but Marco held him still. "Shh Ace. It's alright. Just let us work yoi."

"How is he still bloody coherent?!" Bay spat before barking at one of the girls. "Get him under! Now!"

Marco nodded in agreement before adding in more. "Heavy sedatives."

"Agreed."

.::.

Thatch watched Haruta chew his nails, a disgusting habit, while he tugged at his own hair nervously. Ace had been covered in blood and blue flames and Marco had stormed right through them, ready to run them over if he had to. Jozu and Vista had forced people out of the way immediately before they went off with Pops to the island.

Thatch wasn't too sure what the island was called but it looked rather charming. Apart from the charred and smoking buildings and the pirate bodies littering the place.

Pops came back with a blood soaked Murakumogiri, looking grimly satisfied as he sat outside the medical bay and waited with the rest of them. The others on duty got ready to set sail, ignoring the protests of the Marines trying to call them back.

They weren't getting Ace back. Oh hell no. Not after this. The kid could protest all he wanted by Thatch was ready to lock him up in the brig after this heart attack! The burning vivre card and Ace being soaked in blood and lying limp in Marco's arms had absolutely terrified him!

"I wonder if I should cook up something for Ace..." Thatch fretted.

"Wait until we hear something." Izo sighed. "He might not be able to handle anything heavy right now."

"Maybe a simple bowl of soup?" Thatch's hands twitched.

He needed to do something. Anything. The wait was killing him! It had been hours already! He wanted to see their baby brother screeching at them for kidnapping him and sinking another Marine ship. Thatch wanted to see Ace running off, trying to escape the affection they wanted to smother him with.

But he most of all just wanted Ace to accept that he was home and that they were his family. To rejoice in the affection and the love instead of hissing at it like a demented cat.