Chapter Text
Ace knows his little brother is a marine, which hadn't exactly been the most pleasant discovery. More than disappointed when Ace found out he was… confused. He tried to overlap the little 14-year-old he had left behind, screaming his head off about becoming the King of Pirates with the man he met in the Alabastian dessert. A boy looking too much like a man, staring down on Ace as if he was scum with such unreserved hatred that Ace had to bite down to keep his demons at bay.
What would happen if Gol D. Roger had a son?
The straw hat was missing, which really should've been Ace's first clue that something wasn't right or maybe, the long white coat itself should've been it. Admittedly though, Ace was fighting that smoke-user trying to apprehend him and was a little distracted. His opponent, who kept in his mouth twice as many cigars as necessary, was good –not as good as him, but certainly not bad for a marine that Ace had never even heard of. His powers were annoying too and distinctive, not a lot of Logias around. Then again, Ace hardly spent a lot of time in Paradise.
"Smoker, what are you doing. " The voice falls so flat it barely seems like a question. More of a reprimand, really, yet the tone is not unkind. His opponent freezes and jumps back, keeping his body towards Ace. "We're supposed to be sneaky. " There is a level of childishness in the voice that immediately resonates with Ace's heart.
"Commodore." The now identified Smoker looks annoyed, and his jute is still raised high over his head as if he's unwilling to stop fighting. Ace keeps a wary eye on it. He'd felt the sea stone as it had come a little too close, and there is no way in hell he wants to be hit by that thing. On the other hand, another marine has just shown up, which is hardly good news for him. Unsurprisingly, most of his attention is drawn to the man emerging from the smoke. He almost can't believe his eyes.
"Luffy!"
The memory of that sweltering afternoon is the one that springs to mind as Ace sees his brother for the first time in over two years. He is both disappointed and glad that it is something infuriating and not bittersweet. Reconciling his memories of Luffy since their last encounter has been... challenging. Now, bound and beaten, there is no mistaking whose side his little brother is on.
All the other cells around him are empty, his hands tied behind his back in sea stone, a longer chain pinned him to the wall. His shoulder is threatening to give out on him, but there's no point in complaining. Ace is banged up and scratched and absolutely exhausted. That bastard Teach... He has barely eaten in days, and the sea stone is giving him the shakes. It had been some problematic weeks for Ace long before the marines offered their hospitality between Thatch's murder and his subsequent hunt (and defeat) at the hands of Teach.
A part of him, that he tries to squash because Luffy is a traitor and Ace definitely does not care about him, twitches in absolute regret when he sees his brother -or more like the stranger that now wears his face. Luffy has changed so much, it kills Ace a little every time he thinks about it. Now, he stands across the bars, wearing black shorts with a blue-colored shirt, flared sleeves. He has sandals and a yellow sash. All generally ordinary Luffy apparel, if more mature than his graphic t-shirts. The only truly remarkable thing about his outfit, and perhaps the most puzzling, is the long white marine coat on his shoulders. It seems to swallow his brother whole. Drowning him in a responsibility, Ace never thought Luffy possessed. The tattoo around his neck is weird too, but Ace is more concerned with more relevant changes. Ace is still not used to seeing him without his straw hat.
"Come to gloat?" Ace would have never thought his little brother to be the type of person who gloats, but he has been wrong about Luffy already. Ace wishes he could sound more hateful and spiteful, but there is just not enough energy for that right now. He does spit at his brother's feet and regrets it immediately when it reminds him of the first time they met. His brother's brows furrow, unamused and undisturbed by the crass display, but something in his eyes shines in recognition.
I don't have bonds with pirates. Leave.
"As per your rights, I'm informing you of the following," Luffy starts sounding bored. Black eyes completely blank and looking over Ace's shoulder rather than at him -as if Luffy couldn't stand the sight of him. Ace can scarcely believe this marine is his –not his brother! He denies. Ace has brothers, people who didn't up and betray him. "You are currently held on a marine vessel, under the charge of Marine Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Luffy. We will travel for a day; our destination is the Marine Prison Impel Down. You will be held on the 6th floor for 10 days, then you will once again be transported to your execution grounds at Marineford."
Maybe, if Ace had been less angry, he would've caught the flicker of hesitation in his brother's voice or the genuine fear hidden in his eyes. Alas, Ace is sleep-deprived, physically and emotionally spent, and feeling completely overwhelmed that a man he once called little brother is going to be delivering him to his death.
"What happened to you?" Ace grinds out. He immediately regrets it, but there's no taking the question back. How can his little brother, how can Luffy be the person carrying Ace to his death? What is wrong with the world?
"Is your situation understood by you?" The marine bearing his brother's face continues, unflinching in the face of Ace's judgment and scrutiny. A part of Ace grieves.
Ace, I'm strong! My punch is as strong as a pistol!
When you drink sake with someone, you become brothers.
"Fuck you." In his brother's face, Ace sees the ghost of a smile, but he turns around too quickly for him to be sure. Ace is left alone to his silence.