Heeey guys! Well, first of all, if you aren't up to date with the manga then pls don't read, SPOILER WARNING!

This story is a request from crazzyredhead! It's a 'what if…' story were Ace won't die but someone else instead, let's see if I can surprise you! I liked her story idea so here is the result!

Okay, and just to warn you this story contains character death but prepare for positive surprises! :) Another thing, I didn't describe all the things that happened during the war of Whitebeard vs the Marine, so I shortened a few scenes, sorry for that. Oh, and the title of this story maybe changes later.

I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes! If you spot some then please feel free to tell me! :)

So, crazzyredhead, here's the first chapter for you! :)

Pls enjoy reading! :)

Disclaimer: No no. I don't own One Piece!

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Chapter 1 - The most terrible thing

"AAAAAACE!" Luffy shouted with all of his might. "Just wait for me! I'll save you, no matter what!"

Ace, kneeling on the platform of the scaffold with heavy chains around his hurting wrists, bit his lip. Everyone was here. His nakama, his father and now even Luffy! He felt so bad right now. All these people he held dear were here! He knew many of them would die here. Just the thought made him want to die. And the worst part of it was that the only thing he could do was sit and watch.

"Baka Luffy! Why… why did you come? I don't need you, just go home!" Ace shouted, trying to sound strong even as he heard his own voice sounding very weak.

Luffy's head shot up in the crowd and his expression became unreadable. Ace, despite the fact that he was practically waiting for his own execution, frowned and immediately realized something was quite off. His little brother looked… somewhat broken, but there was still determination shining in his eyes… determination to save his older brother.

"I'm your little brother!" he then shouted as loud as he could. Ace didn't know what to answer, but Luffy continued, "And you are the only one I have!"

What? The only one he had? What about his friends… his nakama? Ace's frown deepened. But then as he saw another strong guy from the marines attack Luffy, he bit his lip and closed his eyes. No. No no no! It didn't matter what Luffy said, the only thing that mattered was that Luffy was here and wanted to rescue him! His little brother was bringing himself into dangerous situations just because of HIM! This was no kindergarten – it was a real battlefield with thousands of really tough fighters who had been trained to only do one thing: kill the enemy without mercy. And Luffy was one of these enemies.

It took Luffy some time, and it had been so close to the time Ace would be executed, but somehow, Luffy managed to reach the scaffold before Whitebeard. It was amazing, Luffy had seemed to be completely exhausted. When the teen collapsed before, Fire Fist Ace had feared for his brother's life. But Luffy had made it in time and now he was here, full of energy and determination. Ace was speechless in disbelief, yet he was relieved. Luffy really had come far! He hadn't thought his little bro would really make it.

But still, the worry about his brother was there although he was the one sitting on the platform. He just couldn't help it. Ace cared for his little brother from the bottom of his heart. He would never forgive himself if Luffy got seriously hurt… or worse.

All of sudden, a huge shadow appeared in front of Luffy as he was about to run up to Ace on the 'street' Inazuma had cut. Shock was written on not only the brothers' faces, but everyone who wanted to save Ace was stunned, looking in horror at the scene before them.

"Gramps!" Luffy yelled, totally surprised. His grandfather was standing in front of him, glaring at his grandson. He looked ready to kill, and Luffy got a real bad feeling. This was his grandfather, gramps for God's sake! The old guy couldn't stop him from rescuing his brother! Sure, gramps was a marine, but still they all were family! He loved Ace as well, didn't he?

"GRAMPS!" Ace's shout rang from the platform, his eyes wide in horror. This couldn't be! If the old fart dared to touch his little brother now… Ace would lose it. But was the old man really serious?

"Strawhat!" Ivankov shouted, knowing Garp too well. He was a very dangerous man indeed, and if there was a fight now, Luffy wouldn't stand a chance!

"It's Garp the Hero!" some of the other pirates yelled, eyes beginning to widen in true horror.

Their grandfather though said nothing and only stood there, his expression was clearly saying 'you-have-to-kill-me-first-to-get-to-Ace.' He made no attempt to move aside for Luffy.

"I've been fighting pirates long before you were even born!" Garp shouted at Luffy. "This is the path the two of you chose! And that's why you are my enemy, Strawhat Luffy!"

The mentioned pirate had a look of horror upon his face but didn't stop. Sure, he knew this wasn't right, but he didn't come this far to rescue his brother only to be stopped by his own grandfather! Luffy couldn't stop, or Ace would die! Right now, that would be the worst thing Luffy could imagine. If Ace died, then he wouldn't have anyone anymore!

The seventeen-year-old ran straight towards Garp, fists clenched all the way. He had to fight him! There was no other way! Luffy quickly went into Gear Second and shot forwards, pictures of his past shining before his inner eye. His grandfather had always hit him, beaten him and done some real bad things to him. With these thoughts in mind, Luffy hit his grandfather right in the face, all his energy in this single blow. It actually worked! Garp flew sideways and down, hitting the floor painfully. He didn't get up. A roar of cheers and yells of shock went through the crowd.

"Garp was defeated!" the pirates shouted wildly around, praying for Luffy and Ace. "Strawhat boy! You can do it!"

Luffy tried as best as he could to ignore what had just happened, as well as the fact that his grandfather hadn't ducked or attacked, and bit his lip. He continued running and reached his brother within a few seconds, relief and happiness taking over.

"Do you really think-" Sengoku started.

"ACE! I've finally made it!" Luffy grinned from ear to ear, quickly pulling out the key he had gotten from Hancock. "Just hold on, I got the key!" A sudden beam of light was shot and directly hit the key before Ace could be freed.

"-I would let you two escape right before my eyes?" the fleet admiral finished.

"Agh! The key!" Luffy gasped. Stupid Kizaru! Why now? He'd almost managed to free his brother!

"Eh? What's wrong Lu-" Ace stated, alarmed by the sudden gasp of his brother, but he shut up as he saw more problems ahead. Uh-oh…

But Luffy couldn't think any further as Sengoku finally made a move. He showed his frightening devil fruit powers and… began to grow! Luffy and Ace gaped at that, no wonder he was called 'The Buddha'!

The other pirates went as pale as a sheet, fearing for the worst. "Holy shit! It's Sengoku!"

Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as he grumbled under his beard, breathing hard from the huge amount of terrible wounds all over his body. "Sengoku…!"

"EEEHH? what the hell is THAT?" a voice shrieked suddenly.

Luffy, identifying the voice's owner immediately, seized his chance. "What are you doing here?" he shouted, "Ah, never mind!" he added and blew into his thumb. "3! Make a wall to protect Ace!" Luffy ordered as he began to look like a huge balloon.

Mr. 3, who had been lying on the platform dressed like a marine for a while now, was way too shocked to protest. He did as he was told, making a strong wax shield for both him and Fire Fist Ace. Thanks to Luffy, Sengoku's strong blow didn't hit the shield directly but instead hit Luffy, who coughed from the impact. Sengoku really was a strong guy!

Due to the forceful blow, the whole platform was destroyed with a loud 'BOOM!' The three young men fell down, Ace still in chains. As the marines now began to fire at the three, the the smoke filled up the air until no one could see them anymore.

"Strawhaaat boy!" Ivankov shouted, concerned. This boy really was something else to pull something off like that! Strawhat had ridiculous ideas, but somehow they always seemed to work out as planned!

"Ace-san! Luffy-kun!" Jinbei yelled as he gasped at the scene before him. Sengoku was a strong man, and in his devil fruit form, he was nearly impossible to beat! He silently prayed for Ace and Luffy to be safe.

Seconds passed, and time seemed to slow down. Everyone who watched held their breaths, waiting anxiously for what would happen next.

"ACCEE!" Luffy's shout rang out over the whole base. A good sign? Seconds passed and everyone present held their breaths, marines, pirates as well as those people who were watching by snail.

The smoke finally cleared, and as soon as it did, all the pirates cheered loudly.

"You never really change, do you...Luffy?" Ace began, holding his brother by his collar, "Never listening to a damn thing I say! Always doing the most stupid things!" Ace was freed, free of his chains already!

"Ace!" Luffy shouted happily, almost crying in joy.

"You did it, Strawhat!" some shouted, still surprised what a small rookie had done. It was a miracle!

"Fire Fist Ace is a free man!" the marines shouted.

Soon after that, the Whitebeards and the marines got definite proof that the two were a true dream team. Having grown up together as brothers, Luffy and Ace understood each other well, even without words. The one ducked and the other kicked, both jumped and threw a blow, fighting like they had never done anything else. The two D. brothers were like controlled fighting machines, neither of them stopping or doubting a move, both knowing their moves and fighting style perfectly… it was almost as if they could read each other's thoughts.

It was a truly amazing brotherly bond the two had, although they weren't brothers by blood – but as they just proved, it didn't matter. For the Whitebeard pirates, it was awesome to watch the two fighting, and Whitebeard himself couldn't help but chuckle.

"The two brats know how to fight… very well then," the Yonkou murmured more to himself that anyone else, seeing as everyone else was more or less stunned by what had happened. They'd got Ace back! Or more rightly, his little brother had managed to rescue him!

"Drat…" Sengoku muttered, teeth clenching as he panted hard. The head of the marines had gone back to his usual size as his devil fruit powers had been draining his energy.

Garp blinked, lifting his head from the ground to see what was going on. He just couldn't have stopped Luffy. It wasn't that he didn't have enough power to fight the rookie. No, it was something else. It was the family bond they shared. No matter that only one was from his bloodline, the two were his family, and probably the only one he had besides Dragon. Garp wouldn't have forgiven himself if he hadn't let Luffy pass. Sengoku would have to accept that.

"Garp-san! Are you all right?" a marine fighter asked in a concerned tone.

The old man ignored him and just watched Luffy and Ace fight. The two really had learned how to fight, he had to admit that. "Ace…" he murmured, trying to hide the fact that he was actually pretty pleased about the recent situation. Ace was freed – the marine vice-admiral had no idea how Luffy had managed to do that (but no wonder, Luffy could be pretty stubborn and really confident), and now the two and the other pirates were practically about to escape. Garp felt very relieved although he could feel the glaring from Sengoku on his back.

Suddenly, the Moby Dick crashed further onto the land, shocking everyone present.

"It's Squardo!" one of the Whitebeards shouted in shock. There on the Moby Dick was Squardo, the guy who'd stabbed their father before. He seemed rather ashamed of what he did, but he also seemed ready to fight and lose his life for the others to escape.

"Squardo! Do you really wanna die here? This is pointless. Stop screwing around, you idiot!" another pirate yelled.

"Of course I want to die here! That's what I deserve after doing this horrible thing to father!" Squardo shouted back.

All of sudden, the ship stopped – stopped by none other than Whitebeard himself. The tall pirate stood there, needing only one arm to stop the ship, the other still having a tight grip around his weapon.

"F-Father!" Squardo shouted desperately.

Whitebeard panted. "Squardo… have you ever thought about what a father would feel if he saw his own son dying right in front of his eyes?" he began, getting almost everyone's attention.

"Don't overestimate yourself… as if that little scratch from you could have seriously injured me… you, me, others… we all have our own life expectancy…" He panted hard, coughing.

"No…" Marco murmured, fearing what would come next.

"We came here to rescue Ace and now that we have what we wanted… now that we succeeded, nothing keeps us here anymore." Whitebeard continued seriously.

"I'll give you… one last order as your captain…" he inhaled deeply. "So listen carefully, Whitebeard pirates!"

"F-Father…!" Ace gasped with wide eyes.

Then Whitebeard shouted: "This is where our path will separate! You all must survive and return to the New World! I am only a relic of history! Just go now!"

To say that the Whitebeard pirates were completely shocked was an understatement. Why? Why did Whitebeard intend to sacrifice himself for his sons? Why couldn't they just flee all together?

But they all knew Whitebeard was deadly serious about what he'd said. It was no use arguing with him. Whitebeard had made a decision. As his crew, as his sons, they had to respect and accept it.

Whitebeard attacked the Marineford with a few strong blows, destroying many buildings by doing so. "Go you idiots!" he roared!

Everyone was trying hard to not look back, focusing on fleeing. A huge battleship was ready and the Whitebeard pirates were racing towards it, praying for their captain.

And in the middle of the crowd suddenly appeared Admiral Akainu, killing a few of the pirates with his horrible magma powers. He knew exactly how to get Ace and stepped forwards, insulting Whitebeard viciously.

Of course, Ace stopped and wouldn't let allow Akainu to talk about his captain, his father, like that. What Ace felt was more than anger. It was rage. And without thinking about it, he suddenly attacked the admiral in spite of his crewmates' shouts at him to stop.

"Ace, don't! We have to run away!" Luffy shouted but it was no good, Ace was blinded by anger.

Akainu defended himself against Ace's attack, forming a huge magma fist.

"Aaaaargh!" Ace screamed as his hand touched the admiral… and got burnt!

Everyone was shocked. "Ace!" they yelled in horror, fearing for the young man's life.

"H-how?" Ace hissed at the admiral, who smirked. "You may be fire, Fire Fist Ace, but I am magma. Magma burns everything!" he explained arrogantly. Ace's eyes widened.

The two of them were shouting at each other, arguing and fighting. Luffy wanted to put a stop at this. He stepped forward to make Ace leave, but suddenly stumbled.

"Luffy-kun! You're at your limits." Jinbei said, sounding concerned. He had a bad feeling about Admiral Akainu wanting to fight Ace.

Luffy panted hard, suddenly feeling as if a huge weight pressed down onto his shoulders to push him onto the ground. Now he felt all the amounts of wounds he'd recieved, feeling deadly exhausted. Everything hurt. Luffy just wanted to pass out right here and there. He got a feeling as if something terrible was about to happen, something that he wanted to avoid. The vivre card he'd gotten from Ace fell down on the ground.

"Oh… Ace's vivre card…" Luffy murmured, bending to pick it up.

Exactly that moment, Akainu turned around while forming another magma fist. " Take a good look now!" he shouted, aiming at Luffy.

"W-wait!" Ace yelled. "Don't! Luffy!"

Luffy froze in his tracks as the huge magma fist neared his body. Suddenly, just when Luffy thought he'd die for sure, Ace was suddenly standing before his little brother, taking the blow.

"…Eh?" Luffy only managed to say in shock, pale as a sheet. This couldn't be! Not Ace! Not his brother! After all, Ace was the only one he had in this world!

Ace gasped and coughed up some blood, feeling nothing but pain. He stumbled forward until he fell but was quickly caught by his brother. Ace's side bled over his skin and clothes. It was too much.

"Ace! Ace, why…?" Luffy was so confused. It all had happened too damn fast! Why hadn't he reacted? Why hadn't he dodged the attack?

"Accee!" his crewmates yelled in pure horror, not wanting to believe what they had just seen.

Luckily, the fist had only hurt Ace's side, but it was really bad. Luffy was trembling all over, cold sweat breaking from every pore as he felt the warm blood of his brother running down his hands.

"Ace! You…!" Luffy stuttered, still completely in shock. The whole world seemed to spin and Luffy wished this all was just a terrible nightmare. He wanted to wake up– this all was too terrible! He didn't want to lose everyone he held dear! Not Ace! Not his precious brother!

But if that wasn't already enough, Akainu, realizing Ace wasn't dead yet, stepped forward to attack again. "Die, Fire Fist Ace and Strawhat Luffy!" he yelled, his dangerous magma fist nearing the brothers. Luffy found he just didn't have the power to move anymore. This was all too much for him.

"NO! STOP IT ALREADY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Someone stop Akainu!" The Whitebeard crew shouted in horror, their faces pale.

Marco shot forward, trying to save the two, but he knew he wouldn't get there in time. Suddenly someone else stood in Akainu's way, blocking his attack with his bare hands.

Marco froze in surprise upon seeing this.

Ace coughed up some more blood, not able to concentrate on what was happening behind his back. But Luffy, although still in shock, saw everything that was happening right before his eyes. And what he saw was so awful he couldn't find words to describe.

There, right before him and Ace, was no one else than Garp himself, protecting his grandsons.

"G-GRAAAMPS!" Luffy shouted as loud as he could. His world was falling apart. First his nakama, then his own precious brother and then Gramps–

It was truly the worst thing Luffy could imagine happening. It hurt so much… it made him want to die.

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I'm really sorry if it was too confusing! Hope you liked it, crazzyredhead and all the others of course, too! Let me know what you think about it ;D

Reviews, pretty pretty please! :DD