Chapter Text
Shanks can see Marineford. He's worried by the ice, but he catches a group of fishmen breaking it apart, readying for a retreat. He cannot believe they're going to make it and looks once more at Nami, impressed. The young woman is exhausted, she's been standing at the helm for almost 24 hours straight but she's somehow done it. No one can take the miracle she's just made away from her, and in her grin, Shanks can tell she knows it.
Zoro moves and Shanks catches on quickly as the swordman materilizes at the front of the ship, swords out and colored the darkest of blacks. From afar, the obliteration of parts of the plaza and the ice is beautiful and seems to occur in slow motion. Shanks feels confident Zoro's got it covered, and blinks, opening his eyes to see Luffy's crew member block a strike from the Greatest Swordsman in the World. The skies split above them. The younger man turns to Shanks -who has moved to the front of the ship on instinct, but does not put his swords away.
"Hawk Eyes knows we're here." Shanks is about to tell him that the sword slash had been a dead giveaway when Chopper comes running, the little's reindeers eyes are wide in fear.
"Akainu just intercepted Luffy and Ace."
Luffy is barely conscious in Ace's arms. There's a burn going around his throat where the heating of the collar melted the skin. There's blood everywhere on his face down to his neck, his hands are a mess and yet, when his eyes finally focus on Ace, he smiles. It's a small thing, fragile in the ways that Luffy has never been, even as a child.
"Ace..." He whispers, and his voice is almost gone, hoarse from the yelling earlier. "You came for me..." Ace heart's breaks in a million pieces all over again. He remembers Nami's eyes, asking him for help, almost begging, as if Ace might say no... How could he let this happen? His heart thrums inside his chest, chanting without mercy your fault, your fault, your fault...
"Idiot!" He yells, trying to keep his own tears at bay. "You're my little brother! I'm supposed to always be taking care of you."
"Shishishishi." Luffy's laughter is breathy and Ace worries he's missing something, a hand lands on his shoulders and Ace almost sets it on fire. Law is standing behind him, Coby as well. Various of their allies, pirates and bikers, have built a ring around them.
"I need to check his injuries." A part of Ace, an irattional part, doesn't want anyone touching Luffy; but relucatantly, he agrees. Standing guard over them, throwing fireballs to anyone trying to get passed through the security ring. Already, as Law kneels, Luffy is looking more alert.
"Traffy!" He whispers delighted, Ace catches the small smile the former Warlord gives his brother and is once again blown away by Luffy's sheer charismatic ability of charming anybody he meets. Hadn't he ripped out this guy's arm once?
"Luffy-ya." The surgeon acknowledges. "Room."
Ace watches as Law removes another small contraption from Luffy's chest, though he could've done without the vivid image of his little brother's insides. Immediately, Luffy's breathe evens out.
"He needs to take it easy, but that's just the doctor in me." Law informs them. "He's physically fine, exhausted and malnourished, but in no immediate danger." With that Law stumbles, Coby is quickly there to catch him.
"I need to get back on the ship." He says through gritted teeth, Coby nods. The pink-haired marine searches Ace's gaze, passing on a burden of responsibility. Coby looks down at Luffy, bring him home.
"I'll make sure you get there." He tells Law outloud. Ace pulls out a den-den mushi as the pair leave, giving Luffy a couple more minutes to breathe.
"I have Luffy, we'll start moving back to the ship." Cheers ring true throughout the battlefield, Luffy is sitting up, already pumping up to go. He smiles at Ace and the adrenaline spikes between them. Ace doesn't need Coby to tell him, he is bringing his little brother home.
"Roger that." Robin answer him.
They run. Ducking under swords, going right through the downpour of bullets, Ace never strays from Luffy's side. For a moment, it's ten years ago and they're running in a forest, either away from something or in search for something depending on the day. There was always running.
Luffy's steps are wary, but his figure is steamrolling across the battlefield, unstoppable and he's always been like that, hasn't he? Even without the strenght to back it up, before there was haki, or marine training or even a crew of friends... Luffy has always been like a force of nature in Ace's life, dragging him along through the storm towards the other side. Ace covers his little brother's back and thinks that it's a back he'll follow to hell and back, present situation included.
In his chest, as their allies move around them, helping the bigger fighters stay away from Luffy's way, Ace feels the doors on his emotions wobble but he cannot stop here, no matter how much he wants to hold Luffy close and make sure he's truly real and safe. To apologize to his little brother, because Ace should've know better no matter what anybody says.
Luffy stops for a moment, leg extending forward and swiping plenty of marines off their feet. Some Ace has noted, stop their movements when they see who's passing them by. Luffy's strong, Ace knows, but it's impossible to miss how much fighting Ace had done towards the platform and how little he's doing now. In comparison, it's almost like... Ace stares for a minute because there's just no way. It seems almost like, like the army is parting for them. In the middle of it all, an oblivious Luffy is putting down any marine that's not getting out of his way fast enough, but too many suddenly turn around to fighitng away from Luffy when they see the younger man.
So distracted is he by this epiphany that Ace doesn't notice someone rushing to push him to the ground, a bullet wheezes past his head. The man is blonde, long haired, and has dark shades on his face. His clothes are odd and because of them it takes Ace a minute to realize it's a marine. The man looks wary, shades askew, and looking around as if worried. Ace scrambles to get out from under him, fists sparking but the man doesn't pay him any mind. Once he realizes that no one's focused on them he looks at Ace.
"You make sure Luffy makes it home." And just like that, he's gone, ponytail swishing behind him as he's swallowed by thrums of combatants.
Ace sees Luffy ahead on him, still rushing towards the pirates' side of the battlefield. Looking around, Ace's gaze settles on Pops across the battlefield. His captain is badly wounded, and Ace is almost about to rush through, but he can also hear Pops orders.
Retreat.
Ace loves him, fiercely. His pops has given him friends and family and home, things Ace thought were completely out of reach for someone like him. He's gone to war over Ace's most precious person. Whitebeard had been honest about his expectations of this battle when Ace and him talked at Sabaondy. In his heart Ace doesn't agree, Whitebeard is the strongest man in the world, Ace knows he's going to be okay, he will be.
Ace doesn't like taking cues from marines but the man is right, Ace needs to make sure Luffy makes it home.
"They grab the brat and leave, all pirates are the same cowardly scum." The voice stops Ace dead in his tracks, and he turns around to face Admiral Akainu. The man is looking at Ace with utmost disdain. The spite in his glare is one Ace knows well.
What would happen... if Gol D. Roger had a son?
"Take that back!" Ace knows he shouldn't bother, they've won. The thing is, Luffy's blood-curling screams are still ringing in his ears and a part of him struggles to have faith Pops is going to make it back with them... He's not going to let a piece of shit like Akainu insult them too.
"Ace, don't!" Distantly he can hear Luffy, who must've finally noticed a lack of big brother at his back, but Ace's entire focus is on the Admiral before him.
"It's your fault, you know?" The admiral's eyes take on a dangerous glint. "He could've been great." There's no question who they're discussing. Ace knows that this man was once his brother's teacher. "You would have spared your brother a lot of pain, Gol D. Ace, if your filthy blood had ended with your father like it should have." Their fists clash, and for a moment it's even... then, Ace is flying trough the air, landing face-down on the asphalt. He knows then he's made a mistake. He struggles to stand, hurt and surprised and already feeling the heat as the admiral readies a punch to end him. Ace raises his head in time to see a figure shoot right pass him, blurring in between the two burning men, steam rising from pinkened skin.
Luffy!
His brother screams.