By: Selim
Summary: Drabbles about Ace in relation to Luffy. Because even brothers need to have attention.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece.
Pairings: Vary by chapter.
Watching From Afar
Summary On White Beard's ship, Ace keeps mementos of Luffy.
Pairings: None.
Even after dozing off twenty times that day, Ace was tired when his afternoon shift was over. So, under the stars half of his division trudged towards their beds while the second half moved out for their shift. "Commander." Some greeting him with a sharp nod. He returned it as he opened his door. The ship was large and his division consisted of three bedrooms. Each room occupied seven people that had the living space big enough for a few things. It wasn't much, sort of like a cubby.
Ace's 'room' was very lived in. Flooding the wall was important pictures, articles, and toys he'd collected growing up. His clothes were neatly folded under the bed. Anything that could be carried was stored into a bag. Last, his boots were tucked at the edge of the bed. Neat and tidy. Just like his personality. Laying back against his feather pillow, he closed his eyes to fall asleep.
"Commander Ace." A soft voice whispered over the sleeping area.
Ace tilted his head to the side towards one of his subordinates. Ito was a little man that had recently joined the crew. Still not with enough trust, he'd been placed under Ace's command to prove his worth. So far he'd been very trustful and worth it. "Yea?" He mumbled, his eyes closed. On the ceiling above his head was a wanted sign, the most recent of his favorite pirate. Not for protection or anything, but something to smile about when he woke up in the morning.
"Who is that on your wall?" Ito pointed towards the numerous pictures.
Ace glanced over his shoulder at the picture being directed at. It was hard since they were all of the same person. "A very good friend of mine." Ace whispered.
Ito sat up in bed and walked over to Ace's bunk to get a good look at it, the wanted signs, and the articles. "You're interested in Monkey D. Luffy? Wait. Friends with him?"
Ace pulled himself up. The other men in the room were approaching fast to see what new information their commander was going to give about himself. It was rare that Ace ever spoke about his life before joining the White Beard Crew. All they knew was that he came from the East Blue, built his own bounty fast, and had ate the mera mera fruit. "He's a very important friend."
"'Lowlife pirate defeats marine tyrant'...seems dangerous to me." Ito whispered, before tensing in fear he might have said something wrong.
Another pirate in the back laughed. "It's just a new guy. He won't last long."
"It's just luck he made it this far."
Reaching towards his bag, Ace took out a picture he always carried with him. It was small and rigid, partly burned due to staying on his back during battle. There were two people in the picture, a small boy no older than three and a baby. The child was smiling wide eyed at the camera, little freckles splashed across his nose and rosy cheeks as he tried getting closer without dropping the baby in his arms. Me. Ace let his attention fall to the smallest on the picture. "You're right, it is luck that got him all the way here. Luck has always been on his side, ever since I can remember." He handed the picture to Ito, the only man to ever ask about his pictures ever since Ace had joined the crew. "Luffy is my baby brother. I like to keep up with what he's doing. We didn't get to take many pictures growing up, since having a camera was a luxury." He took the picture back, letting his fingers smoothly touch the surface around the baby. Eyes closed in sleep, fuzzy black hair covered by a red blanket. Luffy was innocent and lucky.
Ito stared over the wanted posters, one by one. All of Luffy. "I understand." He whispered.
"I'm figuring his strength as he goes. I want him to be strong when I challenge him. As well, as a big brother, I have to make sure he doesn't die. If he does, I have to find the person;s ass to kick!" A wide smile took over his face. He could feel his eyes droop, demanding to go to sleep.
"Eh?" Ito frowned, returning to his bed. "But he's not part of your nakama, it's not your responsibility to seek vengeance."
"True," Ace laid back, "true. But family is stronger than nakama. He'll always be my brother before my enemy and big brothers have to protect their precious treasure." Sliding the baby picture back in his bag, Ace let sweet bliss fall upon him.