Archive of Our Own

Marco knew something had changed when he woke up and didn’t feel his knees creak. 

He sits up quickly, stumbling to his feet. He looked around wide-eyed, seeing it was the same room he had in his memories. Marco blinked, and his eyes caught on the mirror in the room. His eyes widened even more, seeing the reflection. 

Marco looked to be twenty years younger, a young twenty-something-year-old with the blonde tuft of hair he had at the time. He ambled to the mirror leaning in, mind confused but touched his face, feeling the sensation, and pinched himself. Hard. 

A rush of blue regenerative flames appeared at the red spot, and the pain made Marco believe it was all real. 

Marco looked blankly into the mirror.

Damn, he really did have a baby face. 

His eyes were wide, and there were no marks on his skin. Marco didn’t even have his scruff of a beard he tried so hard to grow out. Marco flicked his eyes, looking down at his chest. He touched his sternum, seeing no blue mark of his allegiance. He got his tattoo after he was promoted from a Cabin Boy to a crewmember, and it had been with him for decades. It was disconcerting to see it gone. 

He looked around the room, seeing knick knacks were gone and some he had forever still in the room.

It was his cabin.

In the Moby Dick. 

This shouldn’t be possible, because the Moby was destroyed and sunk in the harbor of Marineford. 

Marco’s lungs stuttered, hope blossoming in his chest. He looked back at the mirror, and Marco could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, only to be washed away by his flames.

His hands were shaking, but Marco gritted his teeth and excited the cabin, walking briskly through the ship, then switching to a sprint. 

He had to know. He had to.

If Marco was here and young…

Marco burst into Pops’ old cabin, not even knocking when he slammed the door open. He stared and then gently closed the door. Marco felt the tears escape his eyes, back meeting the wood walls. He slid down to the floor, putting a hand over his mouth. He held a sob in his throat, watching the person he missed so much breathe.  

Marco saw the blonde hair slowly transforming into white, the gigantic frame slumbering in the equally large bed. 

Marco put his head into his chest, tears wetting his shirt. He quietly sobbed, a smile on his face.

He didn’t care how this could have happened or if it was real. He could see his father again, alive, and that was something Marco would have given anything for. 

“Son?”

Marco snapped his head up to see Pops awake, looking at him with concern. He frowned, but Marco was faster. Marco slammed into his father’s chest, using his wings to give him lift. Marco gritted his teeth and audibly cried.

“Pops!!”

A large hand came to his back, and Marco let go. Everything that happened to Pops, to the crew, to  Ace, and all the emotions that came with it unraveled in his father’s hold. He clutched onto his father’s coat, feeling the cloth under his fingers, and didn't let go. He finally had his father back, and it would never happen again.

He swore it. 

In his father’s hold, he felt like how he looked. A young man who only wanted his father’s comfort. 

Marco never knew how much he missed it. 

“Marco.”     

Marco sniffed, looking up to see Pops with a frown. Marco opened his mouth to make some sort of excuse because time travel was not something people generally believed, even Pops, when Pops spoke first. 

Pops touched his chest, and Marco vividly remembered the spot of one of Akainu’s fists was embedded in his father’s chest. Pops frowned and grabbed his hair, gazing at it to see the blonde transitioning to white, and back at Marco, who had red bloodshot eyes. 

“I remember dying in Marineford. How is this possible?”

Marco widened his eyes and made sure to not let more tears escape. There was a short moment where he thought he was the only one who remembered, so to find out Pops remembered was a blessing.  

Marco spoke, even though it was more difficult to talk without hiccuping. 

“I don’t know-yoi. I woke up and was like this, but it feels too real to be an illusion. And… You’re alive-yoi.”

Marco bowed his head, trying to disguise his expression. Marco already broke down on Pops once today, he didn’t need to do it a second time. Marco felt a pat on his head, making his chest tighter. 

“I am proud of you, Marco. It seems you went through a lot when I was gone.”

Marco bowed his head more, tears in his eyes. He didn't want his father to see the guilt in his eyes. He shouldn't be proud of Marco. Marco essentially put the nails in the crew's coffin, causing more damage to his already weakened family. Marco was a horrible captain when it lasted, even with how short his reign was. 

Marco was the reason the crew split up in the first place. 

Before Marco could say anymore, the cabin door burst open again. Marco saw Izou, looking younger, kimono in disarray and hair in a messy bun, breathing heavily. Izou saw Pops and Marco and like Marco, started to tear up. Marco heaved in a deep breath, trying not to cry again. 

“Izou.” 

Marco swallowed the lump in his throat, jumping off Pops’ bed and walking to Izou. 

Marco crushed Izou into a bear hug, making Izou lose his breath. Marco knocked heads with Izou, chuckling weakly.

“It’s good to see you again, Izou-yoi.” 

Izou grinned, and Marco could see the wetness in his eyes. 

“It’s… good to see you too, Marco.”

Marco realized he had a death grip on his dead brother, who was alive again, and turned to Pops. Pops’ face fell, probably figuring out why Marco reacted like that, but he smiled again at his son. Izou brightened and rushed to their father. 

“Pops, I…”

“No need to say anything, son.”

Izou whipped his eyes with his sleeves, blocking his eyes. Marco could see the tears go down his chin. 

Marco grinned, warm feelings erupting in his chest. He looked at Izou, then realized this was going to get more complicated, as evidenced by the door opening again. Marco turned around to see the young forms of Vista, Jozu, Rakyou, and Atmos. 

They were tearing up, and Marco beamed. 

They all remembered. 

After all of them calmed down and sniffling was still heard around the room, Marco decided it was best to get the conversation going. He looked at his hands, still calloused but younger than what he woke up to yesterday. He looked up, seeing his siblings. 

“Does anyone know how this is possible-yoi?”

The younger commanders, who were older than how they looked, looked around and saw no one had any idea. Rakyou shrugged and spoke.

“I was sailing to an island when I passed out for some reason. I woke up here.”

Marco put his hand on his chin, thinking. 

Marco was flying back to Sphinx after a supply run. Marco could remember flying above the waves of the Grandline, but after that, nothing. Marco scrunched up his face, trying to think if anything was off. Now that he was trying to remember, he was flying through a mist spot. Marco just thought it was a low-hanging cloud. He did think it was odd, but it was the Grandline. It was weird all the time. 

“Well, I don’t think it matters.”

Marco looked at Vista, who was putting his swords on his lap. They were all sitting on Pops’ bed, seeing it was the most comfortable sitting place in his cabin. And the selfish reason for wanting to stay by their father’s side, even for one more second. They all knew how it felt to be without him, and they never wanted to feel that pain again. 

Vista looked up, and Marco felt weird seeing his face without his mustache. Vista looked at Pops and then back at all of his siblings.

“We’re back, no one’s dead, and we’re all back together again. I don’t need to know why. It’s happened, and I don’t want to dwell on the what-ifs.”

Marco saw his siblings agree with the sentiment, Vista saying what they wanted to say. Marco felt the same because no matter how this occurred, he was back with his father again. 

There was a bout of silence, all of them thinking. Izou spoke up after the silence, breaking it.

“Then what are we going to do? We don’t have everyone yet. Do they even remember?”

“I know Whitey Bay doesn’t. She was looking at me weirdly when I was running here.”

Atmos spoke up, and Rakyou nodded in agreement.

“So maybe only the Commanders time traveled, plus Pops. But we can’t know that until we meet our siblings who haven’t joined yet.”

Marco chewed on that, then agreed. It didn’t seem like the regular crew members time traveled with them or their allies. Or maybe it was the circumstance that only when the future commanders joined the crew that their memories would come back. There were too many questions to consider. 

“But if we are in the past… Aren’t Thatch and Ace alive?”

Izou looked at the covers, dark hope on his face. Marco’s heart thumped in his chest. He didn’t dare hope, but once Izou said it, it wouldn’t leave his head. 

Marco looked at the calendar in Pops’ cabin, seeing the date. Marco did some mental math and concluded they were twenty-two years in the past, twenty for Pops. Marco arrived at a conclusion when Rakyou spoke.

“... They are.”

Marco saw the light in some of his siblings' eyes brighten, thinking about the brothers they failed to save two years ago. Pops grinned, relief in his aged eyes. Marco chuckled, slumping, relief feeling his body. 

He remembered the two, always happy, but their blood stained those memories. Thatch stabbed in the back, and Ace lay on that cobbled stone. 

“Then it’s decided, we are gathering my wayward family.”

Marco grinned, looking forward to seeing his brothers. Especially Thatch and Ace. His brothers brightened, and conversation flowed throughout the room, laughter relaxing the mood. Marco relaxed, and exhaustion he didn’t know he had hit him. He was going to start dozing off when Izou spoke.

“If we are going to go find the other Commanders… Can’t we get Ace first?”

Marco looked at Izou, who looked to be in pain. He was clenching his fists, anger on his face. He looked up to Marco and Pops, determination growing in his eyes.

“We can raise him, raise him to care for himself, to make sure he knows he is loved.”

Izou looked down, gritting his teeth.

“We all saw how he was in Marineford. He didn’t believe he was worth saving. If we can raise him, he won’t ever feel like that. Ace won’t ever feel like he wasn’t loved.”

Marco knew what Izou was talking about. Ace always had a problem with understanding they cared about him, always brushing off their concern and care. It was frustrating that Ace couldn’t see what they saw. That he was a young man who needed a family. 

Marco remembered some of his last words, barely in earshot when Ace spoke softly into Strawhat’s ear while his brother held him up in his trembling arms. That Ace finally understood he deserved to live, and he was happy.   

It made Marco want to rage and scream, knowing he finally understood when his lifeblood seeped into the ground, and his heart started to fail. Marco didn’t want Ace to understand while he was dying, knowing he would never see them again while alive. It came too late, and Marco had to watch his brother die with a smile on his face. 

Marco felt the pull to raise Ace, to see the brother grow up happy, but Marco glanced at the calendar.

“Ace wouldn’t even be six months old right now.”

Izou nodded, a smile on his face. He was glowing at the idea he proposed.

“We can take him and raise him on the Moby Dick. We can keep him safe and make sure nothing happens to him. Perfect plan!”

His brothers started to agree, and the excitement started to infect everyone in the room. Even Pops, who was laughing at the idea, eyes sparkling at the thought of actually raising a son. But Marco kept looking at the calendar. Marco remembered everything Ace said in the past, or maybe it was the future. 

That train of thought gave him a headache, so he stopped. 

“Strawhat hasn’t been born yet.”

His brothers looked at him like he was out of his mind. Marco gathered his thoughts and spoke.

“You guys know how much Ace loves his brother. He died for him, so if we take him for ourselves, Ace may never meet him for twenty years. And when they could meet, they could be enemies. I don’t think I can take Ace, knowing we would deprive him of knowing his brother.”

Maroc hated to see it, but the excitement of his brothers died down, knowing Marco was correct. Ace talked more about his brother than himself, so they always knew how much Ace loved Luffy. So to take that love away from him, who Marco knew Ace treasured more than himself, was something they wouldn’t, couldn’t, do. 

“Simple, we take Strawhat too.”

Atmos looked especially proud of that idea, while Marco only pinched his nose.

“Don’t you remember Ace’s stories? He may not have given us a lot of information, but he did say he didn’t always know Strawhat. We don’t know when they meet, so we can’t just go get Ace and find out it was the wrong time-yoi.”

Pops was frowning, and Marco was cursing Ace’s revulsion about talking to them about his past. It was like pulling teeth if it wasn’t about Luffy. They only knew about his birthday, not from Ace, but from his former first mate. It was like Ace was allergic to anything that meant his past. 

“We can’t just give up ‘till Ace sets sail. That’s in eighteen years, and I don’t want to wait that long.”

Marco agreed, aligning with everyone else. An old memory came to mind, the night coming to the front of his thoughts. Marco then straightened and spoke, hesitance in his voice.

“I promised Ace I would never talk about this... but there is one date I know Ace had a brother in Strawhat. He was drunk, and I don’t even think Ace remembered he told me about it. He was pretty drunk-yoi.”  

Marco tapped his finger on the wooden bedframe and sighed. He looked into his father’s eyes and grinned sadly.

“Did you know that Ace had another brother aside from Strawhat-yoi?”   

Marco was sitting on the crow’s nest ledge, a beer bottle in his hand. He was on watch duty while the party went on below him. 

He sipped it, a slight grin on his face. 

His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps climbing up the ladder, albeit shakily, and Marco saw Ace’s freckled face appear over the ledge. He stumbled into the crow's nest, and Marco smelt the alcohol off Ace. He was drunk, and it concerned Marco how Ace climbed that rackety rope ladder drunk. 

“Yo, Marco! Why are you hidin’ up here?”

Ace sat at his side, drinking from the bottle Marco saw him take out of his pocket. Marco scoffed at that.

“I’m not hiding, just doing my duties-yoi.”

Ace pouted, scrunching up his young face. Sometimes Marco couldn’t believe how young Ace was. He was barely eighteen, already a Commander, and had the power to back it up. He had the potential to be one of the best on these seas, and Marco wanted to see it flourish. 

“Loosen up, Marco. It’s a party!! Have fun~.”

Ace shook Marco on the shoulder, and Marco only smirked into his drink. Ace pouted some more, seeing his actions weren’t working. He muttered some stuff under his breath, and Marco had a feeling he was not saying nice things about him. 

Marco smirked at the grey-eyed pirate, who only scowled at him.

Ace didn’t say anything more, creating a comfortable silence between them. They looked down at the party, and Marco saw Thatch almost go overboard, only for Haruta to drag him back and the laughs that followed. 

Marco stopped glancing at the deck when he saw Ace out of the corner of his eyes, start to frown. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

“Hey, Marco, what’s the date?”

Marco raised an eyebrow, but answered, “It’s September 10th-yoi.”

Ace nodded, looking at his drink. He heaved in a deep breath, and Marco saw something he had never seen in Ace before. Grief and regret. Ace frantically rubbed his face and stuttered out a breath.

“Damn, I missed it.”

Ace laughed self-deprecatingly, and there was a smile on his face, but it was mocking.

“Should have guessed pirates had a shitty awareness of time.”

Ace put his head in his hands, alcohol forgotten. Marco frowned, gently taking the drink and putting it on the crows' nest boards. Marco looked at his brother, who was covering his face and not looking at anything. 

“What did you miss?”

Ace glanced at him through his fingers and sighed. He leaned back, arms steadying him on the ledge. He looked up at the sky and seemed to remember something. 

“An anniversary. God, it’s been eight years now? Time flies.”

Ace huffed out a breath and looked at Marco. He was searching for something in Marco’s eyes and seemed to have found it when he looked away again.

“You promise to not talk about it?”

Marco frowned but nodded. Ace seemed like he needed someone to talk to. And Marco was honored to be trusted like that. He knew Ace hated talking, so Marco would take whatever he could get. 

“I had another brother, ya’ know? He was the responsible one and damn good with a pipe. He was my first friend, and I could always trust my back to him.”

Ace went silent, looking up at the sky. Marco followed his gaze, looking at the wide open sky. 

“What happened to him?”

Ace reached out to the sky, then allowed his hand to fall into his lap. 

“Dead. Blown sky high, probably scattered into the winds in a bloody mist. Since no one could find his body.”

“Damn.”

Marco would say how he was sorry, but he also knew that reaction could get him punched. Marco didn’t know Ace’s departed brother, and he was long dead from Ace’s words earlier. He had no room to say his condolences. 

Ace nodded, making grabby hands to his cup. Marco wanted to keep the alcohol away from Ace but knew it wouldn’t make Ace’s mental state better. Right now Ace wanted to talk, and Marco didn’t want him to stop for a drink. 

Ace received the drink and chugged it. He wiped his mouth, some of the liquid escaping his mouth. 

“Damn is right.”

Ace went silent, chewing on his words. His eyes held a weight no one of his age should have.  

“I never grieved on his death day. It didn’t feel right, but Luffy always called me stupid because of it. He said some bullshit about making him his favorite food as if he could eat it. I never made him stop, though. Luffy always showed his love with actions, so that’s what he did.”

Marco spoke when Ace stopped to stare at the sea. 

“What did you do? To grieve.”

Ace didn’t look at him, fiddling with the cup.

“I didn’t. I ignored it until I couldn’t anymore. Isn’t that shitty? Couldn’t even grieve my brother correctly.”

He chuckled, but Marco heard the dark intonations in the sound. Before Marco opened his mouth, Ace spoke in a rush.

“I grieved in my convoluted way, but not on the day he died, but on the anniversary of my first and last regret. The day I couldn’t protect my brother from people who would hurt him.”

Marco sighed and spoke.

“And when was that?”

“September 6th, eight years ago.”      

“Of course, Sabo was alive, but Ace didn’t know that.”

Marco ruffled his hair, sadness in his soul. He remembered meeting Ace’s supposedly dead brother at his grave, an adult with a vivid scar and a pipe on his back. Marco noticed the regret and grief in Sabo’s eyes, and Marco remembered Ace’s eyes, the two sets were the same.

Marco shook his head and got back on track.

“Ace and Strawhat thought their brother was dead, and Ace called the day he last saw Sabo the day he regretted the most-yoi. Luckily, when Ace was drunk, he told me that date.”

“September 6th, ten years from now. That’s when we can meet Ace again.”  

On a dark night, a no-name Whitebeard was found drifting onto a beach in the New World. The only way the people who found the body was sure he was a Whitebeard was the mark slashed on the body's clothing. It seemed the man was drowned, water was found in the man's lungs. It was like the man was held underwater for a significant amount of time, evidenced by the bruising on the man’s neck. It looked like talons and strong hands held the man under the sea’s surface. 

The citizens on that island burned the body, not wanting to spark the fury of Whitebeard, to make sure they wouldn’t be seen as the killer. 

The black-bearded man burned, and only bones existed, but even the bones were buried where no one would find them.

There was not even a gravestone, for the citizens had no name to write on the stone. 

The Whitebeard was buried in a shallow grave and left the world with nothing to his name.    

The Whitebeards had a mission. 

Even if they can’t get Ace in the East Blue, they could get their missing Commanders, and would not rest until they had all their family at their side again. They already lived through a period of time where the family split up.

Never again. 

The first one to come back onto the Moby was Namur. 

He swam up to the Moby Dick without any lookouts spotting him, and jumped onto the ship, creating chaos at his appearance. He looked up with teary eyes, and Marco knew he also had his memories of the future. 

“I wish to join your crew, Captain Whitebeard.”

Pops laughed, and Marco saw the relief in his father’s eyes at Namur’s arrival.

“It’s good to have another son on this ship.”

Namur beamed, and Marco grinned. 

One of his worries was put to rest, and he was lighter for it. It looked like every Commander had memories of the future because they would have met Namur in two years at Fishman island. 

It looks like the future will change.

The Commanders that arrived came in this order, Haruta, Blamenco, Blenheim, Curiel, Kingdew, Jiru, and Fossa. 

The ship was more lively since the crew got more siblings to call their own. Marco knew this would change the future, most of the Commanders would have joined in the coming years, and he couldn't wait to see how this changed the crew. He knew it would be a good change. 

They were partying on an island they used to call one of their territories, but Pops hadn’t claimed it yet, so they were using it as a pit stop at the moment. 

Marco was watching the scene, all of the Commanders and future Commanders were sitting and laughing around a campfire, drinking and having a merry time. He also watched Pops drink less than usual, and Marco smiled a little into his cup.

After they came back, Pops made a vow to them to stop drinking as much, trying to cut down his dependency on the substance. He realized in the final battle that he was too sick to fight with all his might and that drinking himself to an early death wouldn’t protect his family, only to cause their sadness. Pops wanted to gather more strength so that when he was older, he wouldn’t be as sick as he would have been. 

Of course, in the future, they would catch his illness quicker and get him better care, hopefully curing him of the sickness they lost all hope of ever curing.     

Marco was proud of his father, and another one of his worries was being let go. He tried to make Pops see the errors of his ways in the original timeline, but he was never able to talk his father out of drinking every day and with an amount that would kill multiple people. Now he was barely drinking, only drinking if a party going on. 

Marco grinned into his drink, chuckling to himself. 

If his past self could see this, he was pretty sure he would faint. 

“Hey, can I join you guys?”

Marco tensed, face dropping into shock. He looked back slowly, eyes widening. He saw the pompadour and a scar over the person's left eye. The teenager grinned, and Marco saw the same smile in his mind, older and more experienced. 

Marco whispered his name.

“Thatch-yoi.”

Thatch’s grin grew wider, and relief was on his face.

“Hey Marco, this is weird, isn’t it?”

 Marco didn’t have time to stand up when the rest of the Commanders looked at Thatch, realizing who was standing there and rushed him. Haruta tackled him while Jiru took out his legs. Thatch fell over with an oomph.  

“Thatch!!!”

Thatch was laughing while getting strangled by his siblings, and Marco had tears in his eyes watching the sight. He covered his eyes and laughed at the night sky. 

His best friend was back.   

Thatch sat up, trying to recuperate from the dogpile. He shook his head and grinned at Pops, who was grinning with no small amount of glee in his eyes. 

“You guys have no idea how surprised I was when I woke up in the Grandline twenty years in the past. Just one moment, and I was here in my teenage body.”

Marco's smile got more strained, and Thatch didn’t miss it from his spot around the campfire. He looked at Marco and then looked around to see the dark faces of the Commanders. He looked at Pops, who smiled sadly at Thatch. Haruta spoke next to Thatch, hesitance in his voice. 

“Hey Thatch… what do you remember before you woke up?”

Thatch hummed, eyes crossed, trying to remember the memories. Marco clenched his hand around his mug, on the precipice of shattering. 

“I was preparing some snacks for the night shift, and everything went dark. Then I woke up in my shitty apartment I used in the past.”

Thatch looked around more, seeing the darkening faces of his family. He tilted his head, confused. 

“Why, what happened?”

Marco met Thatch’s gaze, and he could probably see the grief in his eyes. His face fell. 

“I died, didn’t I?”

With the appearance of Thatch, their family was almost complete.

But the absence only made it more distinguishable.

Marco gazed at the empty seat of the Second Divisions' Commander. All the other seats were full, making the absence more apparent. 

Marco missed his brother, and the only thing that made it possible to shoulder the absence was that Ace was alive in the East Blue, growing up. 

They only had to wait a few more years, and then they would have their brother back.  

Marco swore it.  

Ace always had dreams he could never remember. 

He always woke up from a night’s sleep knowing something was missing, but he could never figure out what. He felt like he should be holding something, someone, and then if he let go, it would hurt. 

That he had someone waiting for him. 

But he could never remember.

Ace went to the Gray Terminal, to bars, to High Town, and he always felt like he did it before. Some days he would be hit with feelings that had no reason to be there, some feelings he didn’t even know how to classify. The older he got, the less he got those feelings, but it always made him feel unsettled.    

When he met Sabo in the Gray Terminal, he was hit with so many emotions he froze for a moment. It passed with time, and when Sabo asked if they could be friends, Ace would have usually said fuck no, but for some odd reason, he said sure. 

Something in him was calling out that he should be by Sabo’s side, and Ace couldn’t fight it. The feeling subsided the longer he and Sabo got along, so it was standard that he forgot the feelings in the first place. 

Then Luffy came with Gramps.

Ace stared at the kid, something in his chest warming at the sight of the hatted kid. 

Ace didn’t even know what Gramps was saying, too much in his head, but he did hear that Luffy was his little brother.

His chest screamed that it was true. That it was right. That Ace was exactly where he needed to be. 

Ace ignored it. 

The little brat followed him around, and Ace was annoyed some much that he almost kicked Luffy off a cliff. But he didn’t because the same feelings in his chest made him stop. This feeling came out a lot with Luffy, and Ace didn’t know why. 

Then Luffy managed to track Ace down, and he met Sabo. He found their treasure stash. 

Ace looked down at the boy tied against a tree, frowning. 

He squatted and met Luffy’s eyes, squinting his eyes. 

“We’ll let you go if you promise not to tell anyone about this.”

Luffy nodded frantically with tears in his eyes. Sabo gapped behind him, looking at Ace with confusion. 

He knew just how out of character this was. Ace didn’t know why he made Luffy promise because he didn’t know Luffy, but something told him Luffy would never break a promise.  

That was evidenced by how he found Luffy strung up in Prochemy’s shack, blood on his face and tiny body. 

Ace was furious, rage coming deep from his very soul. The way the shack burned made something grin in his chest. Fire always comforted him, something about the red-hot flames made him feel like it would never harm him. That feeling caused a lot of burns on his hands when he was a toddler, but Ace never gained a healthy fear of fire. 

After the incident, Sabo seeing that Luffy could be trusted, they all got closer. Ace proposed they become brothers, and the two agreed with excited grins. 

When the brothers clinked sake cups and drank, Ace felt something click in his chest, and everything got a bit better. 

He still didn’t know if he should have been born, knowing who his father was. He still was furious that he was the son of the devil, the most hated man in the world.

He still didn’t know if he should live, but Ace knew that becoming brothers with Luffy and Sabo was one of the best things he would ever do.  

And when Sabo’s shitty fucking father cornered them, grabbing Ace and Luffy so they couldn’t fight, something in his chest screamed. That Ace should fight with all his might. Use anything to get Sabo because something was about to happen, and Ace would regret it. 

Ace kicked. He screamed. He bit, but Sabo was turning his back, and Ace gritted his teeth. He scratched the men holding him back because Ace was kicking up too much of a fuss to hold back with only one guy. 

“Let go of me, you fuckers!!! Sabo, don’t go!!!”

Something rose inside of him, and Ace wouldn’t be able to hold it back for much longer.

“Let go!!!” 

“Now, what's happening here?”

A loud rumbling voice washed over Ace, and his eyes widened. He looked up to see a gigantic man with a weapon stare at Outlook, disguised fury in his eyes. 

The huge man made Ace feel safe, and that only freaked Ace out more. 

Marco looked at the small no-name pirate crew holding back Strawhat and Ace, but he was more focused on the two boys. Strawhat had his straw hat, but it was too big for his tiny head, kicking his feet while being held down by grown men. 

Ace, though, Ace was being held back by three men, who were sporting their own blood from scratches and bit marks on their arms, along with blooming black eyes. Good to see Ace was Ace no matter the age. He was tiny, barely tall enough to reach Marco’s waist, head bare, no hat in sight. He had a bandaid on his nose and a bandage on his forehead freckles prominent on his paler face. 

He was so tiny. 

Marco knew Ace was younger than before, obviously, but it wasn’t hammered into his head until now. 

Marco focused on his father, who was furious, but only people who knew him would know it. These men were threatening one of his sons and his brothers. No way would Pops be anything but angry at this sight.  

Ace looked up and started at Pops, eyes wide in surprise and apprehension, like the sight of Pops was worthy of pure confusion. 

Ace’s eyes went through many stages of emotions, but Marco didn’t see recognition. Marco’s heart fell into his stomach but accepted it all the same. They knew there was a chance that Ace wouldn't recognize them. He was only a few months old when their past selves came back, and people didn’t remember what happened when they were babies. 

They knew that even if Ace received his memories when he was a baby, he might not be able to access the memories when grown up.

Looks like that was true, with the way Ace was reacting. 

The older nobleman, who looked quite annoying, scowled heavily, not knowing who they were. Marco spotted the young form of Sabo, missing teeth and shorter blonde hair than Marco remembered his older version with. He looked panicked, shooting looks of concern toward Ace and Luffy. Marco’s face hardened, remembering Ace’s words, that Sabo was taken from them. It looked like the noble, who barely looked anything like Sabo, was his birth father. Ace and Luffy were probably being held hostage to make Sabo go with the man. 

He glared at the man, not knowing he gained the ire of their crew. 

It was a death sentence.

“Move on your way. This is high noble business.”

He glared at Pops with self-confidence, like they would do nothing to the man. Marco smirked darkly. He didn’t know who he was talking to. Pops loomed over the noble and the pirate crew, making the men in the area look apprehensive. 

“I will not. You are threatening children, and that goes against my principles.”

Pops let some of his haki leak out, causing the atmosphere weighs on their heads. He even spotted some of the pirates stumble, and Marco knew this was the East Blue, but that was embarrassing.   

“Now, let go of the children, or you will earn my wrath.”

The noble huffed, fury in his face. He looked unused to having people say no to him. He started to get angrier, blood rushing to his face.

“Do you know who I am? If you don’t, I can tell you can give you the death sentence, and no one will disobey me.”

Marco coughed, snickers in his throat transforming into full-blown laughter. He slapped his legs, bowing over with the force of his laughter. Marco whipped tears away from his eyes, laughs still in his throat. The noble looked at him like he had a screw loose. 

“Oh, that’s good. God, we should visit the East Blue more often. These guys are hilarious-yoi.”

Pops smirked at Marco’s words but grinned at the noble with all the confidence a pirate of his caliber had. 

Which was a lot. 

“That is true, Marco. It is odd to see citizens who have no idea of my crew. Little noble, the real question is, who am I?”

Pops straightened up, Devil Fruit power on his weapon, and struck down a small earthquake away from any life. The ground split apart, the dumpsite shaking from the power Pops held, a chasm opening up where he struck. The men stumbled and fell over, and the only reason the noble was still standing was from the shock. Pops grinned darkly at the noble.

“My name is Edward Newgate, the Captain of the strongest pirate crew in the world. And if you don’t want your precious city to be destroyed by nightfall, you let those boys go  right now .”

The pirates let go of the boys without their employer's input and ran away from Pops, which was honestly the correct response. The noble fell on his backside and scrambled away from Pops with fear on his face. He stood up, stumbled away from them, and ran to the city in the distance. 

Marco saw the boys look at the retreating figure, then at them. Strawhat had childish awe on his face while Sabo was shellshocked, more with surprise that his father retreated than the actual power of Pops. Ace looked at them with something Marco couldn't figure out, but it wasn’t fear, which was good. 

Didn’t want to scare off his sibling too fast.

“Wow!! That’s so cool, old man!!” 

Strawhat’s, or Luffy's, because Marco should probably use his name and not epithet since he didn’t have that yet, his eyes were sparkling. Fuck, if Ace was tiny, Luffy was a toddler. He held onto his hat so it wouldn’t blow away, and was smaller than even Ace. Luffy was always shorter than the majority of his opponents. But when he was a child, he was a bonafide munchkin.

Pops grinned, chuckling at the small child's words. Pops may have not adopted Luffy in the future, or past(that was still confusing no matter how much time passed), but Luffy certainly made an impression on his father.  

Pops kneeled down, making his large stature less intimidating. Marco came out of his father's shadow, standing confidently at his side. They were the only ones to come since they didn't want to overwhelm the brats. Most didn’t appreciate meeting the entire Whitebeard crew at one time, especially the Commanders. 

Most of their enemies figured out that when one fights one Commander, they fight all of them. And no one wants to be chased by the elites of the Whitebeard Pirates. That was true in his original timeline, but it was doubly so now. They were protective of the others, knowing just how precious their siblings were. 

Death would always take them in the end, but by god, would they make sure none of the family would die of unnatural causes. 

One of the main reasons was in front of him, the tiny version of Ace stared at them, making sure Luffy didn’t get ahead of them. He grabbed Sabo and pulled his brother behind him, guarding them against the two. Luffy was pouting, and Sabo was still shaking off the shock, not disagreeing with Ace.

Ace had a face full of protective fury, and it had been so long since Marco had seen it that he felt like he would break down if he didn’t take control of himself. He was a veteran of masking his emotions, so he still had an unworried smirk on his face when he really wanted to rush Ace and hug his little lungs out.

His brother was right there, but Ace didn’t know them, so Marco had to be patient. They would get Ace to trust them again, and it didn’t matter how long it took. 

“Who the fuck are you guys?”

Ace narrowed his eyes while Marco saw Sabo sigh in exasperation. Luffy was vibrating, and Pops chuckled again. 

“Edward Newgate, but most people know me by the name of Whitebeard. This is my son, Marco, my First Mate.”

Marco stepped forward, and three sets of eyes flashed toward him. Sabo was appraising him, while Luffy tilted his head, curious. Ace glanced at him but then glared back at Pops, sensing he was the bigger threat. 

“Then what do you guys want?”

Pops shifted, and Marco sensed that he was a little nervous. 

“Nothing, just wanted to make sure you three brats don’t get hurt. It didn’t look to be a safe situation. And I dislike men who hurt children.”

Marco had to give his father that one. If he heard about a child abuser... well, they were never heard again. Pops saw children as a gift, ones that should have never been hurt in the first place. That mentally transferred to the rest of the crew, most of them having something in their past they would never push on another child. And it was well-known in the Grandline as well. Hurting a child in front of a Whitebeard was a death sentence. The noble was lucky they cared more about Ace and his brothers than destroying his precious city. They might do it for shits and giggles, with a side of petty revenge. 

Ace was still glaring, but relaxed minutely, allowing Luffy to move past his arms. Ace gapped and tried to grab Luffy back, but Luffy only dodged his grasp. Luffy skidded to a stop in front of Pops and grinned.

“Hi!! I am Monkey D. Luffy, and I am going to be the King of the Pirates!! You seem cool!!”

Marco scoffed in his throat, seeing that has always been the same. Pops grinned and seemed amused at the introduction. They both had heard that before. Pops patted Luffy's head and laughed loudly.

“That is quite a goal there, brat. It will be a difficult journey for one so young.”

Luffy puffed up his chest and grinned. His eyes glittered, looking up at Pops with some amount of glee.

“You didn’t say I couldn’t do it. The only ones who didn’t were Sabo, Ace, Shanks, and his crew.”

He put his hands on his cheeks and laughed gleefully. Ace rushed to Luffy, hissing something in his ear that made Luffy pout. Sabo came to the other side of Luffy, watching them out of the corner of his eyes, even though they were closer to them than earlier.

Sabo stood towards them and tipped his hat, speaking with intelligence in his eyes.

“Hello, Captain Whitebeard and Mr. Marco. I am wondering why you are on Dawn. It is a backwater kingdom.”

Marco saw the intelligence in Sabo’s eyes, and Marco knew Sabo was gauging them. Marco grinned and waved.

“No Mr. for me, makes me feel old. Our crew is here for a vacation. We wanted to see the place Shanks had so many good words for.”

There it was, the interest from Luffy. His face lit up, joy and excitement almost blinding Marco. His words also got the interest of Ace and Sabo, Sabo was surprised because of that answer.  

The crew agreed on their alibi when they figured Ace might not remember them. Shanks is friendly enough with them to talk about Dawn, but was only true for Marco in the future when he hitched a ride with them after Wano. And they knew Ace would be less suspicious if his brother’s savior told them about this island. Maybe. 

“You know Shanks?!!” 

Luffy was glowing, and Ace looked at his brother with annoyance. Marco chuckled while his father answered with no small amount of glee. 

“Knew that brat since he was a wee lad. He was always a handful, especially when his late Captain let him and the other cabin boy do whatever they wanted.”

Marco nodded tiredly, he remembered. Shanks would always bother him, trying to get him to join his nonexistent pirate crew. He was still trying to get Marco to join his crew, and it was always annoying when Shanks visited for a drink. 

“Shanks was a Cabin Boy!!? He told me that kids didn’t belong on a pirate ship!!!”

Pops burst out laughing, finding Luffy’s aggravation amusing. Marco chuckled a little at that, seeing Luffy look so annoyed. It was like watching a puppy get mad at its tail. It was adorable.

Marco watched Luffy for a bit, then focused on the other two brothers. Sabo was smirking, but Marco did see the way he was clasping his pipe subtly, still not trusting them. Ace looked at Pops and him with unreadable eyes, frowning harder the longer he stared. It was like he couldn't figure them out and only got more confused the longer he thought about it.    

“That’s a bit hypocritical with him since he was raised on a pirate ship. I remember when I first saw him, and I wondered why this small child was on this pirate ship. I did yell at his captain, but he only laughed me off, that bastard.”

Pops’ eyebrow twitched at the memory, and Marco had to stop himself from laughing. He covered his mouth to muffle his snicker, but Pops heard, only raising an eyebrow at his reaction. Marco stopped laughing and smirked. 

“Well, enough of that-yoi.”

He looked at the boys, making Ace bristle. Good to see that Ace didn't change that much. Maybe he shouldn't say that was a good thing considering everything. Marco still wanted to rush to Ace, make sure he was alright, and make sure his heart was beating. It had been over twelve years for Marco since he last saw Ace alive, and being this near to Ace was making him go crazy. 

He still saw Ace’s dead body in his nightmares. The knowledge that he was still alive didn’t make the trauma go away that easily. And Ace was finally in front of him again, but Marco couldn't do anything until Ace trusted them. 

And that would be a fighting battle. 

“Hey, brats, where is your home? We’ll make sure you guys get home safe, and maybe patch you boys up.”

Marco looked at the scrapes on their arms and legs, seeing some of them were bleeding. Ace huffed and opened his mouth to probably say no when Luffy interrupted, making Ace glare at his little brother. 

“It’s in the forest!! It’s our secret base, so you can’t tell anyone!!”

Luffy put his finger on his mouth in a shushing motion, and Marco had to love his childish naivety. Ace and Sabo punched Luffy in the back of the head, only causing Luffy to rock forward. Ace scowled while Sabo sighed.

“You don’t say that to people you just met, Luffy.”

Luffy pouted at his brothers and waved his tiny arms.

“They know Shanks, and they made the mean guys go away. They seem to be nice!!”

Sabo pinched his nose, and Ace crossed his arms angrily. Ace scoffed, looking down. He turned abruptly, causing Sabo and Luffy to look at him with surprise. Ace looked back at Marco and Pops, scowling. 

“What, are you guys just going to stand there?”

Pops straightened up, only for Ace to glare harder at him. Ace pointed at both of them, suspicion on his face.

“I don’t trust you guys, so don’t try anything funny. I will kill you guys in your sleep if you do.”

Ace humphed and started to walk to the forest-covered mountain. Marco nodded, serious, but in his mind, he was doing cartwheels. That was Ace alright, and Marco remembered his first hundred days on the Moby, him doing exactly that but failing to do so. 

Ah, good times. 

Ace felt like he could trust them, and it was freaking him the fuck out. 

Ace walked to the treehouse, brothers at his side. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hunching over and scowling. The two pirates were following them, looking around his home forest with curiosity, especially when they saw the animals. 

Ace ignored them and the feelings that arrived at their appearance, walking to their treehouse.  

When he finally got there, he turned to the old man, who certainly wouldn't be able to get up the ladder. He pointed to him, back to the ladder. 

“You are too big to get into our treehouse.”

The old man, whose name was Whitebeard, grinned good-naturedly. He waved off Ace with no annoyance, making Ace bristle more. No adult reacted to him like that, and it made Ace feel like something wasn’t right. Ace made sure to act like a little shit to make adults get angry at him, and it was weird when this one didn’t get annoyed. 

It was so weird. The feelings didn’t help. Ace shoved them down, huffing and climbing to get into the treehouse. Ace felt his brothers follow him, making sure they had each other’s back. No matter how much Luffy liked these guys, Sabo and Ace weren’t stupid. They could be bad guys all the same. 

They got into the treehouse, and Ace looked down the hole they climbed through to see the old man sitting on the tree below them, weapon on his shoulder. Marco, the pineapple head, looked up, and Ace’s eyes widened. 

His arms transformed into blue flames and his legs became flaming talons. He flew up, and within five seconds, he was hovering outside the treehouse, transforming back to normal, grabbing the railing, and pulling himself into the treehouse. Marco smirked, and Ace noticed his mouth was still open too far too wide to be normal. He snapped his mouth shut, hearing his teeth click together.   

“That was so cool!! Do you have a Devil Fruit like me?”

Luffy grinned widely, and Marco chuckled, sitting on the railing. 

“Yeah, my fruit is called the Tori-Tori no Mi, Model Phoenix. It’s a mythical zoan-yoi.” 

Luffy tilted his head, still smiling, “Mine is the Gumo-Gumo no Mi. I am a rubber man.”

Luffy pulled his cheek, and it snapped back quickly while Marco chuckled.

“I can see that-yoi. Certainly not the weirdest I had seen.”

Luffy opened his mouth, and Marco stopped him with a well-meaning grin that made Ace feel more of those emotions. 

“Before you ask, let's patch you brats up. You can ask me after.”

Luffy pouted, cheeks puffed out a like a squirrel, making Ace feel like he had to poke them. Sabo did this before Ace had the chance, making Luffy look scandalized. Ace burst out laughing and was joined by the low chuckling of the blonde pirate. Ace stopped laughing, feeling weird at laughing with the pirate. He put his mind off it when he got the first aid kit he stole from High Town a few weeks ago. He set it down, and Marco grabbed it with a raised eyebrow. He opened it and whistled with appreciation. 

“This is the good stuff-yoi. Who’s first?”

Ace glared at him with distrust, and Marco raised his hands in surrender. He didn’t seem intimidated by Ace’s stare, which was a disappointment for the ten-year-old. He worked hard on that stare. It made the people in the Gray Terminal leave him alone, and it was quite good at its job. 

“I am one of the doctors on our ship. I like to think I am a good one too. Come one, I won’t hurt you, boys. I swear on my flag.”

He used his thumb to cross his chest, which Ace noticed was a symbol. Must be their pirate mark. Ace huffed and sat in front of the man, who only smiled warmly down at him. Ace knew that a pirate flag was the pride of pirates, so to swear on meant everything. It was like Ace swearing on his brother’s names. You didn’t do that unless you were serious. 

Ace sat still, even though he flinched a couple of times when Marco cleaned his wounds. He watched Marco focus on the wounds, hands gentle, not hurting Ace at all, even while bandaging the wounds.

The feelings Ace had rose again, and this time it wasn’t going away. There were many feelings he felt when he met Sabo and Luffy, but there was always one that was almost always present. That feelings and a few others came full force when he saw Marco bandage his wounds, but this time he realized what it was. 

It was trust. 

He instinctively trusted this man and his captain as much as his brothers. 

And that unnerved Ace more than anything else. 

Why would he trust two pirates he just met that had the power to destroy everything, so why did he trust them so much? It was causing Ace to question everything because they gave him no reason to trust them. Ace swore in mind right then, that he would figure it out. 

No matter what. 

“How long are you and your crew staying on Dawn?”

Marco looked at Ace, who glared at him with agitation. He was twitchy, fingers flicking at his side, grey eyes looking into Marco’s eyes. Marco faux relaxed, leaning back on the wood of the treehouse. 

Marco asked how this place was built, knowing how hard it was to construct anything in this environment, and imagine Marco’s shock when he heard the brothers did. It was well-made and big enough to house a family, but it was more than big enough for three brats. It also had a great view. But that made Marco have more questions. Where were the adults that took care of the boys? He saw the predators on this island coming here, so he knew it was not an easy place to live, so it was not safe to have the brothers live here by themselves. Marco heard from Ace that he had guardians, so where were they?

“Probably for a few months-yoi.”

That was a lie. 

It was when Ace trusted them was when they would leave. He only said a couple of months because that was how long it took Ace to trust them originally, so it was safe to say they would stay awhile. It could take longer or shorter, but who knows? It was up in the air, and the Whitebeards had plenty of time on their hands. They fixed up any problems they felt were harmful to the crew years before they left for the East Blue, so they could get Ace without distractions. 

They waited ten years for Ace to join them again, and they would allow nothing to get in their way. 

Not after how much they went through to get here. 

“Hmph, there is not much around here to do, so you might be bored.”

Marco smirked at Ace’s words and the meaning behind them. He chuckled to himself, making the brothers look at him weirdly.

“Don’t worry about it. We can make our own fun.”

Marco let go of a breath when he got out of the eyesight of the brothers, shoulders relaxing. It was hard to mask his true feelings for that long, and he started to smile brightly, tears in his eyes. He whipped his eyes, heart thumping in his chest. He heard the loud footsteps of his father, and he smiled at the man.

“It’s Ace. He’s alright-yoi.”

Marco put his hand over his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, but he was overjoyed. The loss was gone, grief replaced by happiness and relief. The last of his worries evaporated, and his breath hitched. Pops wrapped him in a hug, and Marco allowed the tears to stream down his face. 

Ace was alive and happy with his brothers, and Marco didn't care how long it took, he was happy it happened. 

It gave Marco hope for the future. A future that would not take his family like before, but one where they would flourish. 

“We can’t overwhelm them. Ace is twitchy enough as is-yoi.”

“That doesn't mean we can’t meet then, just that we need to go in small batches.”

Marco sighed at Thatch's words, and when he saw that, he and Haruta high-fived each other. They were excited to see Ace again, even if he didn’t remember them. Those two were always close to the young pirate, so it made sense that they wanted to see him as fast as they could. All the other Commanders wanted to as well since it had been ten years for some of them. 

“Calm down, my sons. You will all meet him soon.”

Pops' words calmed all of them, and Marco nodded his head. He put his hands on the table and glared at his siblings, cowering because they knew what that look meant. 

“Now, rules for this island. Rule number one, don’t be stupid. Yes, I am looking at you, Thatch-yoi.” 

“That’s slander, and you know it!!”

“Rule number two is that “better to ask forgiveness, not permission” is not something you can say after you guys destroy shit-yoi.”

“I know you heard me, you bastard!!”

Ace scowled down at the pirates who were waving at his brothers and him below the treehouse. 

Ace was annoyed, seeing the pirates who made a mission to befriend them. It had been three days since they met the old man and the pineapple, and every day there were new faces below their treehouse. Luffy was over the moon, excited to make friends with more pirates. Sabo was suspicious but started to relax at their appearance.

Ace still instinctively trusted these guys, but he made sure to not think about it. No way would he trust people he just met. His brothers were the exception to the rules because they were his brothers, but these pirates were too weird to trust. 

No pirate would go out of their way to befriend three random kids in a forest. Pirates should be going to the bars and partying, not walking in a deadly forest, not even hunting. 

Ace didn't understand these pirates. 

He glared down at the pirates, who only laughed at his expression. His eyebrow twitched and moved his head back into the treehouse. No matter how much his instincts called out to trust these guys, he wouldn't give in that easily. 

And even if he did, no one would react like this once they found out he was Gold Roger’s son. Ace would not put himself in a spot where they would only curse his existence like all the others. His brothers excepted him, and that was all he needed. 

Anything else was pushing it, and Ace would hate for his life to change for something so stupid. 

He and his brothers were hunting good into the night, while he looked back and scowled at the pineapple, who was following him. 

Marco waved with a smile on his face, and Ace glared. He humphed and turned back to carrying the alligator to their treehouse to cook. He ignored the presence of the pirate, still not sure why he was following them. They may be kids, but they could take care of themselves, and Marco didn’t have to watch over them. Even though Ace had no idea why he was watching over them in the first place. 

“Why is there light coming from the Terminal?”

Ace looked forward at Sabo’s words, eyes widening at the bright light in the directions they were going. The light flickered, and Ace knew those kinds of lights. It was when something was on fire, and it was big. 

The brothers set down the alligator in a rush and ran to the forest edge. Ace jumped in the trees, swinging from one to the other. Luffy was on the ground, using his agility to jump over tree roots and animals. Sabo was swinging with him, both of them having lived in the forest longer than Luffy. Ace knew Luffy would get used to traveling in trees soon, but it hadn’t happened yet. 

Ace and Sabo made it to the forest edge, frozen at the sight. Ace’s eyes were wide, and the air froze in his lungs. He was frozen watching the Grey Terminal burn, flames dozens of feet in the air, and he could feel the heat from here. 

Ace heard the screams of pain from the regulars of the Grey Terminal, and dread and fear started to consume him. 

Ace felt Luffy behind him and snapped his body, blocking the sight from his little brother. He cupped Luffy’s head into his chest, making sure he didn’t see the place he spent so much of their time together burn to the ground. Ace and Sabo watched the Grey terminal burn, and Ace didn’t even notice Marco's presence until he was shepherding the boys away from the sight, face set in a grimace. Marco blocked the scene and picked up the brothers in his arms. Ace would have usually thrown a fit, but Ace still saw the bright flames in his mind. He ducked his head and hugged Luffy. 

The only thing Ace could think of was that he was thankful he and his brothers weren’t in the flames. 

Maybe that made Ace a horrible person, but his brothers were more important to him than people he barely knew. But it sucked all the same. 

Marco watched the boys sleep, not peacefully, but slept all the same. Marco took them to the Moby hidden behind some cliffs, knowing they would be safe there. The brothers watched and observed him take them here, but maybe because of what they just saw, they didn’t fight his decision. Pops looked at him with questions in his eyes, but Marco shook his head, mentally telling him he would explain later.  

He set them down on some blankets on the deck, knowing they would only panic more if he put them in a room where they didn’t have any idea where they were. 

Marco sat on Pops' chair handle, thinking. 

He saw the fire, the fire that blanketed the dumpsite that was a good few miles long. He knew that was no accident, it was on purpose. But he also felt the absence of any death from the fire. He did hear the pain-filled screams, though, so maybe people had died after he left with the brothers. People may give him grief that he left without helping any of the people in the fire, but the brothers were more important than faceless people. 

Marco looked at the young face of Ace, holding Luffy in his sleep. Sabo was curled around Ace, unconsciously seeking his brothers' presence. Ace looked younger than he was sleeping, with no scowl or glares coming his way. It made him look his age. 

Marco looked in the direction of the fire, only seeing smoke and ashes in the air. He glanced at Ace out of the corner of his eye and remembered what Ace told him years ago.

That he didn’t really have a good relationship with fire until he got his Devil Fruit. That fire wasn’t so bad when he could control it.  

Marco sighed and ruffled his blonde hair. 

Guess Marco knew where that came from now. He wondered if originally the brothers were in the fire and not in the forest. Guess he would never know with the one person he could ask no longer had those memories. If that did happen, Marco was glad Ace didn’t have those memories. It would only cause him more pain. 

“They are so tiny.” 

Thatch came to his side, looking at the brothers with a slight smirk. Marco smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, they are-yoi.”

“I just want to bundle them up and keep them safe. Look at them, they look so innocent.”

Marco put his chin on his hand and smirked.

“I wouldn’t say innocent-yoi.”

Thatch scoffed and grinned, shrugging his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at the cuddle pile on a nest of blankets Marco set up and then looked at Marco.

“Sure, but your Mother Hen instincts are coming out again.”

Marco swatted the back of Thatch’s head, his sibling rubbing the back of his head for the heck of it, not because it hurt. 

“I am not a Mother Hen-yoi.”

“Sure you’re not. I would never make that assumption.” 

“Gurararararararararara!!”

Marco glared at his father, who only ignored Marco. Marco shook his head, knowing Pops wouldn’t stop no matter what Marco said. 

The crew looked at them, some of the Commanders coming out to see what was going on. They saw the three boys sleeping and made sure they were more quiet than usual because they knew what Pops’ goal was if they brought boys onto the Moby. Pops had an interest in adopting the boys. And no one wanted these boys to wake from their slumber. 

Marco huffed and looked at the forest. He could have taken them back to their treehouse knowing it was safe enough, but Marco wanted to make sure they wouldn't be hurt. The Moby was the safest place on or near the island, solely for the fact they were there to guard the boys. 

Marco watched the surroundings for hours, well into the night, on high alert. He didn’t want to cut corners, and his haki was on full display. And that was why he felt the presence of someone coming from the sky. He snapped his head up, eyes narrowing at the cloaked figure. 

The cloaked figure landed on the Moby. Marco stood, preparing for anything. The cloaked figure took off their hood, and Marco saw the black hair of Monkey D. Dragon. The leader of the Revolutionary Army. The father of Luffy. 

Dragon looked at them, appraising them with hard eyes in a stoic face. He glanced to the side, spotting Luffy, eyes hardening. Marco took that as a sign that Dragon did care for his son, even if it was argued about in the future. Marco knew that Luffy had never met his father before. It looks like he did care. 

“Dragon. This is a surprise.”

Dragon stayed silent, observing the ship with sharp eyes. He looked at Pops with unreadable eyes. Marco didn’t relax, but he finally understood how Sabo met the leader originally. Dragon was in the area, so they must have gotten in touch at some point, and Dragon saw potential in the kid. 

“Why is a pirate of your caliber in the East Blue?”

Pops chuckled darkly, making Dragon aware of how close he was to getting kicked off the Moby with force. The Commanders started appearing, not surrounding the man, but clear that they were ready to fight at the drop of the hat. Thatch had his hands on his twin swords, and Jozu’s fist started to convert into diamonds. Izou had a hand in his kimono, a hand around a pistol. Marco’s flames were appearing on his shoulders, not yet down his arms and legs. 

“Vacation. I heard from an acquaintance that this island is a good place to stop for a drink.”

“Hm.”

Dragon looked around, not quite believing Pops' words. His eyes stayed a few seconds longer on the brothers and then back at Pops. He stared at the man for a few more moments, the tension racketing higher. The tension melted when Dragon turned around, wind gathering at his feet. Marco didn’t know what his Devil Fruit was, but he knew it was powerful. 

“Take care of him.”

Dragon disappeared as fast as he came, and the Whitebeards relaxed at his exit. Marco stared at the distance, knowing Dragon came from that way. 

“Does that count as permission?”

Thatch nodded, knowing who the man was to Luffy and his brothers. They had to inform him of many things after his death, so a good majority of it shocked Thatch. Including the fact, Luffy will be an Emperor after he defeats Kaido. It was kind of hilarious to see the reactions in person. 

Pops laughed for hours after Marco gave that news.

“I think so?”  

Ace woke up near his brothers, but in a place he didn’t recognize. He sat up quickly, looking around. They were on a big ship, pirates walking by them to do ship chores. He glared around him when a plate of food was placed in front of him. Ace looked up, glaring at the pompadour man, who only grinned at his reaction.

“Food for growing kids.”

“Not a kid.”

“Hate to break it to ya, kid, but you are. Practically a toddler.”

Ace jerked to the guy, hands into fists to punch the guy when Sabo pulled him back. Sabo put his arms under his armpits and hands clasped behind his head, making Ace unable to go forward. The guy was still smirking. 

“C’mon Sabo, le’ me at him. I can take ‘em.”

The guy laughed loudly and grinned at Ace. He poked Ace’s nose, making Ace’s fury rise higher. 

“You’re a spitfire, aren’t cha?”

Ace glared at the guy, who made those weird feelings arise within him again, but it was more than usual. Ace ignored it once again. 

“I’ll tell you what I am, you-hmph!!”

Sabo put one of his hands over his mouth, causing Ace to lick his hand. Sabo didn’t move his hand, the bastard. 

“Sorry about my brother.”

The guy waved off Sabo, only smiling at Ace.

“It’s fine. I heard from the pigeon the pipsqueak had a temper. The names Thatch by the way.”

He held out his hand, and Ace would have said some not-nice things if Sabo  would take his hand off his mouth .  

“What did I say about calling me a pigeon-yoi?”

Ace saw the pineapple, Marco, come up behind Thatch with his hands on his hips, eyebrow raised. Thatch turned back to him and had a shit-eating grin.

“To not.”

“Then why do you not stop-yoi?”

Marco sighed, and Thatch’s grin grew wider.

“Because you react like this.”

Marco looked at Thatch with done eyes and shook his head. He looked at them, and gestured for the food Ace was making an effort to not look at. 

“It’s been a long night. Have some food.”

“Food!!”

Ace flinched, not even aware that Luffy was awake. He rushed to the plater of food and immediately started to stuff his face. Luffy made happy noises that Ace recognized as ones where he liked the food immensely. Meaning the food was mouthwatering good. Sabo realized that as well, and let go of Ace to reach for some food. Ace looked at his brothers, who were eating, a frown on his face.

He sat by their side, not yet reaching for the food, still suspicious of the pirates. Thatch sat next to him with a smile Ace couldn’t figure out, giving him the side eye. 

“I made the food myself. I assure you I wouldn’t poison my food. It would be a mark on my perfect record. And food should never be wasted on the seas. It’s precious.”

Ace looked at the man, and Ace did notice he was wearing a chef outfit with swords at his sides. He glared at the man, and Thatch didn’t even flinch at his glare. He scowled, not liking how no one on this crew reacted to his scowl. 

Ace frowned but slowly grabbed a loaf of bread. He passed it hand to hand, appraising it, making sure nothing was different. He frowned harder, breaking it in two. He sniffed it, and Ace didn't smell anything off about it. He looked at it for a second, then took a bite. He chewed it and swallowed. 

It was good bread. 

He glanced at Thatch, who was smiling softly at him. He would bristle at the look, but something told him that wasn’t needed. Ace hated those feelings. It messed with his mind too much for it to be natural. 

Ace ate the bread with more speed, and before he knew it, he was eating at the same pace as his brothers. He only stopped when he thought his belly would burst, falling back on the wood boards with a full stomach. A satisfied smile came to his face unwillingly and started to relax a smidgen before he remembered where he was. He sat up and looked around, making sure none would harm his brothers. 

All the pirates were going on with their day, but whenever they saw the brothers, they would have secretive smiles on their faces. It made Ace’s hackles rise. 

“Gurararararararararara! It’s nice to see you brats have a healthy appetite.”

Ace's eyes snapped to the captain of the ship, Whitebeard, sitting on a big chair at one of the masts. He was smiling with glee, a gigantic cup of coffee in his hand. He grinned at the brothers and laughed some more.

“Even young D.’s have big appetites, I should have known.”

Ace frowned at that. Luffy looked at the mustache man with curiosity, and Sabo only looked confused. 

“D.’s?”

Thatch grinned at that, Marco sitting next to them on the railing. Ace thought maybe it was a bird thing. 

“Yeah, the Clan of D. You two,” pointed at Ace and Luffy, “Are part of the clan. Most people with a D. in their name that sails in the Grandline are famous, or infamous, with how you look at it. I think the only one who knows what the initial means on this ship is Pops, but he’s secretive and won’t tell us. The spoilsport.”

The captain laughed again, “It would take the fun out of it!”

“Just tell us, old man!! We’re waiting!”

The old man smiled with glee in his eyes, “You will find out sooner or later.”

Thatch threw up his arms, and groans were heard over the deck. Thatch looked defeated, and Ace had to stifle a snicker, finding his expression funny. Thatch must have heard something when he pointed at him.

“Don’t laugh at me, kiddo. We have been asking Pops for decades now, and he is still as tightlipped as before.”

Ace shrugged and smirked.

“That sounds like a you problem.”

“Oh, this little shit, get over here!!”

Ace jumped up and snickered, running away from the pissed-off chef. Ace didn’t know he was laughing until his brothers joined in, and even when he noticed, he didn’t stop. Something in his chest clicked together, and he felt whole.  

Marco looked over the boys while they ran and jumped to their treehouse. They spent a good amount of time on the Moby Dick, but Marco could tell Ace was getting more overwhelmed by the presence of the pirates. He thought it was best to take them home before Ace erupted. 

They made sure to keep the boys away from anything that would harm them, and that included the Celestial Dragon that visited the past few days. No way would they allow one of those scum anywhere near their family. If the Whitebeards didn't have something to protect, that Dragon wouldn't have lived. 

They were walking in the forest when three figures rushed out of the woods. Marco was ready to block them from the brothers, not sure if they were enemies when Marco saw the red bead necklace on one of the people. That gave him enough of a pause for them to get close.

“You brats!! Where were you?!!”

The lead figure was a woman with an axe on her back and hair pulled back. She looked to be forty years old with curly hair. The other two figures were at her side, one has tall as her, and the other was short enough to barely reach her waist. They had swords at their sides, and Marco realized they were bandits. 

Ace scowled at their entrance, and Luffy looked at them with a whistle. Sabo grinned at their reaction.

“It’s the old hag.”

The lady glared at Sabo, “Don’t call me a hag, you brat!! I am asking you a question!!”

Ace shrugged and started to walk away from the three. His face was set in annoyance, and Marco saw the woman’s eyebrow twitch.

“Don’t have to tell you anything, shitty hag.”

Luffy laughed at Ace’s words, and the woman looked more annoyed by the second. The other two bandits tried to calm down the woman.

“Boss Dadan, they're okay. We can go back now.”

The woman, Dadan huffed and was still annoyed, then looked at Marco. She glared at him, eyes searching for something. Marco looked between Ace and Dadan and sensed the relationship between the two. Looks like he found the person who raised Ace. Ace may not feel it, or any of the brothers, but Dadan was radiating protective instincts. She felt like a bear mom who would do anything for her cubs. Marco slowly grinned. Glad to see even if they hadn’t come, they would have someone looking after the brother’s backs. 

“I don’t care who you are, but if you harm these boys, I will kill you and feed you to the seaking of the coast.”

Marco nodded, a smirk still on his face.

“I’ll keep that in mind-yoi.”

“You fucking better.”

Dadan huffed again and turned away from them, walking through the forest. The other two bandits waved back to the boys, and only Luffy returned the gesture. Ace put his hands in his pockets and walked to their treehouse, and Marco looked at Ace. He had a slight blush on his face, and it made Marco grin wider. Oh, so he wasn’t used to any sort of vocal intimacy. No wonder he was so shifty with compliments in the past. 

They would have to fix that. 

Marco got them to their treehouse, safe from harm, and then left, seeing his job was done. From what Marco saw, this forest was dangerous for young children, even adults. There was no way Marco would allow them to be hurt by things he could protect them from. Whenever an animal came to attack them, Marco would focus his Conqueror’s haki on it, making the animal aware of how stupid it would be. That it was suicide. 

Marco left whistling, glad the brothers started to trust them even a little more than yesterday. They would have Ace on the Moby soon enough, no need to rush things. 

It had been a few months since the Whitebeards docked on Dawn, that Ace finally asked his question. Ace started to fully trust these pirates, his instincts that screamed to trust them merging with Ace’s fondness for them, making them indistinguishable. It freaked him out, and every day he questioned why he was doing this. Why would he trust these pirates so fast?

“How would you feel if the Pirate King had a son?”

Ace stared into the old man's eyes and made sure to keep an eye on the pineapple. There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes before it was masked quickly, lidded eyes back to normal. There was a noise of shock from Sabo and confusion from Luffy. Ace kept his eye on the old man, who chewed on his question.

“I would give him my sympathy because I could barely stand the man for longer than three hours. I feel annoyed just thinking about that bastard. He was a man-child in the form of a grown-ass man. He spiked my alcohol once, and I haven’t forgiven him to even today. It was my favorite brand.” 

The old man scowled and shook his hand up to the sky.

“Here that, Roger! I haven’t forgiven you, you son of a sea witch!!”

Ace blinked, opened his mouth, then closed it. Ace stared at the old man, who still had his scowl, cursing his biological father. 

“You… knew him.”

The old man looked at Ace, a sparkle in his eyes that Ace couldn’t figure out. 

“‘Course I knew him. He was my rival, after all. He was the only one who could fight me one on one.”

Ace stood stock still, shocked at the full disclosure the old man spoke in. He heard Whitebeard talk about his rival, the Commanders putting their two cents into the conversation. Ace connected the dots, that the person they were talking about was Roger, his father. 

When Ace asked about the old man's rival, the Commanders said his rival was A. Annoying, B. Strong, C. Good at taking a shot, D. “Wouldn’t know his right hand from his left and then fucking everything up because he got lost”. 

Ace looked at the man with new eyes. Ace never really thought about the power he first saw the old man use, but with this new information, he realized that if Roger was the old man’s rival, his father was a truly powerful person. And then the oncoming realization that these guys knew Roger, personally. 

The only one who knew Roger was Gramps, and he didn’t say anything about him.

Ace grabbed his brothers and dragged them off the ship, not caring about their refusals. Luffy was going on about hearing stories about the Pirate King, and Sabo was looking at him with concern. Ace’s face was still stone solid, but cracks appeared on the surface. 

That reaction was not one Ace was expecting. He was expecting the crew to say how much they hated Roger, to curse Ace’s existence. But they didn’t.

It was making Ace’s brain hurt. 

“Do you think we passed his test-yoi?” 

Pops laughed at the retreating figures of the young boys. His eyes were soft, showing just how much he wanted to give his son a hug. They all saw the confusion and how Ace couldn’t believe why they reacted like that. It made Marco rage that Ace was so used to the hate that he was shocked speechless from a modicum of kindness.

“I think we did, son.”   

Ace curled into a ball, staring down at the treehouse floor, haven’t spoken in the past couple of hours since he asked his question. Ace tightened his arms, grounding himself. He put his head in his legs, at war with himself. Sabo sat at his side, not saying anything. He always knew he didn’t deserve to be born, but this pirate crew and his brothers were saying differently. He didn’t know who was right or wrong, and Ace was breaking at the seams.

His breath stuttered, tears in his eyes. 

Ace still didn’t know if he should have been born, but he remembered Gramps' words. That he should figure it out himself while living. 

Maybe… he didn’t need to know right now.

And maybe… that would be enough.

Marco raised an eyebrow, seeing the little forms of the ASL brothers, as they liked to be called, jump onto the deck of the Moby Dick. The crew found their presence standard after their now frequent visits. They liked the explore the ship, and they let them have free reign. Except for the kitchen, because Thatch complained they ate all the food, they were banned from the kitchen, but it was only in words because they still stole the food.  

They looked panicked and rushed up the ladder to one of the crows' nests. Ace poked his head over the ledge and yelled something to them.

“He’s coming, so get ready! He’s fucking crazy!” 

Marco was curious about that because not many made the brothers hide out of fear. He saw them stare down grown men and dare them to fight them with no fear.

Marco’s curiosity was satisfied, exasperation appearing in his very soul  when the man rushed onto their deck, annoyance on his face.

Garp the Fist. The brothers' grandfather.  

He scowled at their presence, looking more and more annoyed. He scrunched his nose at Pops' confident smirk.

“Goddamnit. Do you know how much paperwork you just caused me?”

Pops chuckled, but Marco felt the tension rise on the ship. 

“Would you even do the paperwork, Garp?”

Garp glared at his father, “That’s not the point, Eddie. Now, where are those brats?”

Marco shrugged, a smirk on his lips showing Garp he knew  exactly  what he was doing.

“What brats? I don’t see any here.” 

Garp sighed heavily, giving Marco a good glare. Marco stood tall with a grin. 

“I miss the time when you were scared of me, birdie.”

Marco didn’t let the nickname make him react, the smile glued to his face. Garp huffed, looking around to see he was not wanted, not like he cared. He met Pops' eyes once more, gave his best stare, and pointed at Pops.

“No kidnapping my grandsons.” 

Garp jumped off the ship, and Marco relaxed with a breath. Garp may not be as powerful as he once was, but he was still a difficult opponent to face.

After a few moments, the boys slid down the ladder and smiled their brightest smiles. Sabo chirped, a toothy grin showing his missing teeth. 

“Thanks, old man!! I thought we were going to die.” 

Ace and Luffy nodded, fear on their faces. They were quickly distracted by Thatch's food, unable to hear his and Pops' conversation. Marco looked out to the forest and then grinned at Pops.

“We’re kidnapping Garp’s grandsons, aren’t we.”

Pops laughed, and that was all Marco needed as confirmation. It wasn’t even stated as a question. That was the goal from the start because there was no way they would leave this island without Ace.

Ace woke up from another forgotten dream, sweat on his face.

But this time he remembered a small portion, only a few sounds, and images. But one of those images was the smiling face of the old man, older and gray. He had a sake cup, and dream Ace clinked it with his own. Ace knew they were just dreams, but this was the first time he ever remembered even a moment of them.  

Ace whipped the sweat away from his face, going to the windows of the treehouse. He looked out to the sky, seeing the stars. He moved and got out of the treehouse, sitting on top of the treehouse, arms on his knees. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Sabo sat at his side, and Ace stayed silent for a moment. He never wished to talk to Sabo about this, since he thought it didn’t matter, but with the Whitebeards coming here, he felt like all the feelings he always had been getting out of control.

He didn’t know what to do. 

He always ignored them, only in certain situations would he listen to his instincts, like befriending Sabo and Luffy. He never thought he would listen to them again, but he wanted to trust these guys. Something about them made him feel like he was coming home. 

Ace never felt that, feeling that he belonged somewhere so strongly, that he wanted to stay there forever. Ace looked to Sabo, who was patiently waiting, twirling his pipe in the air.  

“I always had feelings about people. Like when I first met you, I felt like I could trust you even though I didn’t know you. I felt the same with Luffy. Then when they came, I felt the same. Everything inside me told me to trust these guys. I have no idea why.” 

Ace hunched over further, trying to hide from Sabo’s gaze. He blinked for a few moments, then nodded.

“That makes sense. You would usually never trust someone that fast, especially not immediately taking them here. But from what I saw, those feelings are never wrong. They haven’t hurt us, actually, they are really nice. I never thought adults could be so nice.”

“I know, right?”

He felt relief that Sabo got it, but it didn’t solve the main issue. 

“I think you should talk to them.”

Ace looked at Sabo disbelievingly, and he only shrugged. He looked in the direction the ship was docked and looked back at Ace.

“If you want answers, go to the source.”

“That’s fucking stupid.”

“Why do I fucking trust you guys?”

Marco looked at Ace with shock. The brothers sneakily barged into the Commander's meeting, and Ace glared at them, brothers behind him. Luffy was confused, while Sabo was curious. 

Ace stomped forward, agitation on his face, and glared around the room. He saw Izou look at Ace with stoic eyes, but Marco saw the warring emotions. Thatch was clenching his swords with too much force to be safe. Jozu blinked but gritted his teeth subtly. Haruta fiddled with his notebook, and Vista twirled his mustache nervously. Rakyou had his weapon in his lap, cleaning it with more fervor. The rest of the Commanders were doing something to keep their minds off this, while Pops settled his cup of water down on the table. 

“What do you mean by that, brat?”

Ace growled in frustration and tapped his foot angrily. He almost looked like he would tear his hair out in his agitation.  

“I mean why do I trust you guys so much? Why do I feel like I should stay on this ship because it’s home? Why do I feel like this happened before, and I don’t remember? Why did I trust you guys the moment I saw you? Why?”

Ace seemed like a moment away from a panic attack, emotions too strong for his little body. Sabo was at his side, trying to calm Ace down, same with Luffy, who looked at his brother with concern. Luffy was patting Ace, not knowing why he was acting like this. 

Ace stared at the pirates with desperation and it shook Marco to his core. Ace looked like he was falling apart, and only his brothers held him together. Marco shared a glance with his family, and all were in agreement. They always said they wouldn’t mention it unless Ace asked, and he did. Pops was almost to his feet when Marco put his hand up to stop him. He knew that wouldn’t stop Pops, but Pops respected his opinion. Ace stared at Marco while he stood up and made his way to Ace. 

Marco came to Ace, kneeled down, and put his hands on Ace’s shoulders to ground him. Ace stared into Marco’s eyes, and Marco made sure they started there. 

“Ace, I want you to look at me. Really look at me. I want to say right now that what I say after this is the truth. I would never lie about this to you. You understand me-yoi?”

Ace took a second, then nodded. Marco took a deep breath and opened his mouth. 

“You boys may not know this, but the Grandline is filled with things that no scientist or philosopher could explain. Our crew had sailed those seas for decades, and we still get surprised every so often. No one knows what might happen on those seas-yoi.”

Marco made sure what he was saying got through to Ace. Marco stared, making him nod that he understood. Marco licked his lips, throat drying up, heart beating in his chest. He felt like he wasn’t getting enough air in his lungs, but he shouldered on.   

“I woke up one day knowing something was different. When I did, I realized why. The Commanders and Pops, me included, all had memories of the next twenty years. It was like I went back into my past self, twenty-two years in the past. One day I was flying in the Grandline, the next I woke up in my cabin in the Moby Dick.”

Ace opened his mouth, and Marco interrupted him. 

“I know it sounds crazy. It is. It took me months to adjust. Kept tripping over my damn feet, but it made me believe this was the past.”

Ace frowned, still not quite believing Marco, but he allowed it. It was a crazy tale. Ace looked around the table, seeing the honesty in everyone’s eyes. Ace looked back to Marco, confusion on his face.

“Then what does that have to do with me?”

Marco gave a small smile, taking his hands off Ace’s shoulder, and letting them rest on his raised knee.  

“Since it was twenty-something years in the past, not everyone joined the crew yet, so we had to go get them. And we found something out, that even if the Commanders weren’t on the Moby Dick, we all woke up in the past on the same day. It helped gather the crew, which was way easier than before.”

Ace still looked confused, and Marco inwardly sighed, his heart beating out of his chest. This could go majorly wrong, but it had to be said. 

“I said all the Commanders. What would happen to a Commander who returned to the past, returning to a state of a baby?”

Ace’s eyes went wide, and Sabo made a noise of surprise. Marco gave a warm smile to Ace, but it was edged in sadness.

“That happened. Because our youngest was only twenty-something years old when we all returned to the past. His name was Portgas D. “Fire Fist” Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.” 

Marco let a finger rest on Ace’s chest, Ace too shocked to swat it away. Marco tilted his head, his smile trying to make Ace calmer.

“And that’s you, Ace-yoi.” 

Ace’s face went through many emotions but landed on disbelief. Marco could tell Ace needed more information to believe him. Marco sighed and smiled.

“Your future pirate crew is named the Spade Pirates, something you had thought of since you were a kid. You were born in the South Blue to one Portgas D. Rouge, who held you in her womb for twenty months. You hate traitors and love meat, especially wild meat. Could never stand still if there was an island to explore and would give me so many headaches when you got chased off the said islands.”

Marco put a hand on Ace’s head, ruffling his black wavy hair. Ace looked up, eyes wide, freckles prominent on his no longer tanned skin. Or not yet tanned skin. Marco could see the conflict in his eyes, not sure if Marco was telling the truth or not, but Marco saw his words get through to him. But it would only take a few more words, but Marco knew his next words would make or break this. 

“We know who your father is, and we don’t care-yoi.”

Ace narrowed his eyes, rage in his eyes that were oh so familiar. Marco smiled sadly, sad that Ace always had to react with anger to the word father. Marco put more pressure on his head, to make Ace focus on him. Marco leaned down and grinned.

“We never cared, only seeing our brother who wanted a family. And it took everything we had to not raise you ourselves, so you won't hate yourself so-yoi.”

Ace’s face froze, and Marco wasn’t sure if he broke the child or not. Ace looked into Marco’s eyes, searching for anything and everything. 

“Even if I believed you, why didn’t you? Raise me?”

Ace spoke after a tension-filled silence, Ace gathering his words. 

Ace’s eyes were conflicted, warring with himself, and Marco took his head off Ace’s small head. Marco pointed his index and middle finger at Sabo and Luffy, looking out of their depth. Sabo blinked at the center of attention, while Luffy had no thoughts behind those eyes. Marco swore he saw steam come out of his ears. 

“They are the reason. Ace, the one thing you always told us was how much you loved your brothers. No matter how much we wanted to keep you for ourselves, we couldn’t take you away from your brothers-yoi.”

Marco heard Ace breathe stutter, surprise on his face, and bowed his head. Marco scooted closer, making Ace look at him again. He had tears in his eyes and was trying to whip them away aggressively, probably not wanting to look weak. Marco scoffed inwardly. Tears didn’t make anyone weak, and crying was certainly not one to belittle. They all cried, it was part of life.

“... Why now?”

Marco heard the quiet voice, high pitched, and sounded like a child in need. In pain. Marco saw Ace bowing his head again, but he held out a hand and tilted Ace’s face up to face him. He saw the tears streaming down his face, eyes screaming for anything. Marco’s hands were gentle, and he grinned with as much love as he could put into his smile. 

“Because we only knew one date that was confirmed that you boys all knew each other-yoi. You weren’t much of a talker about your past, so we could only go off stories you mentioned in passing. And… we waited long enough.”

Marco grinned, happiness radiating off him. Ace froze, mind in shambles.

“We're family, and no one gets left behind. Not even brats who don't remember being family.” 

Ace sniffled, tears coming out of his eyes in large volumes. Ace covered his face with an arm, trying to block his face, but Marco could still see the tear tracks. Marco scooted ever so closer and opened his arms slowly. Ace glanced at him, eyes filling with some understanding but was still trying to categorize what he just learned. Ace inched forward, but didn’t move until Sabo pushed Ace forward. Ace stumbled forward, looking back to Sabo, who only nodded with a tooth-filled grin. Luffy was smiling, laughing in his throat.      

Ace looked forward to Marco and bit his lip. He rushed the distance between, and Marco was hit with the full force of a ten-year-old D. Marco hugged the boy, crying into his chest, chest heaving from the sobs. He was clutching Marco’s shirt with his tiny hands, and Marco hugged him back, a hand cupping his head into his chest. Ace cried louder, and Marco relaxed with Ace within arm's reach. 

A few tears escaped his eyes, bowing over Ace, keeping him safe in his hold. Sobs threatened to leave his chest but held it in. Marco tightened his hug and took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions back under control.

Ace was finally back, and Marco would trade this for nothing. 

Ace was back, and they wouldn’t let him go again. He was one of them, and that would always be true, no matter the universe. Ace cried into Marco’s chest, and grinned, the smile edged in salty water. 

Ace was Ace, and they had their family back and whole once more. 

“Come on, kiddos!! We’re going!!!”

Ace woke up to the knock on their treehouse, scrambling to see Thatch being carried by Marco in fiery talons. He gapped, hands on their railings. 

“The fuck? What are you guys doing?”

Thatch touched down on their treehouse and entered it from the roof hatch. Sabo woke up and came to Ace’s side, pipe on his shoulder. Luffy was rubbing his eyes with a yawn. He was sleep-mumbling, squinting at the two pirates. Thatch grinned and came to them. And with a movement Ace didn’t couldn't even see, they were being carried in Thatch’s arms. Ace growled up at Thatch, who only smirked at him. 

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Ace didn’t fight, learning his lesson when he discovered he couldn’t get out of the pirates' holds. Which was aggravating but made sense. Not like Ace liked that discovery. 

Sabo had his investigative eyes on, and Luffy only looked excited. Ace didn’t know for what, but whenever Luffy had that face, it would certainly get more exciting. 

Thatch walked over to the open window, letting his legs hang. Marco came over the treehouse and grabbed Thatch by the shoulders, not moving the brothers' positions. Marco looked down at them, arms transformed into his wings. Marco grinned, blue eyes alight.

“We already said, we’re going. We don’t leave family behind. I thought we already told you that-yoi.”

Ace looked at Marco, thinking he was kidding. He wasn’t. Marco started to fly, the movement moving his stomach in his belly. He cursed, and Thatch laughed in response. 

Ace cursed at him instead, and he only laughed harder. 

Ace looked past the wind and saw the Moby Dick in the distance, already sailing in the water. The closer they got to the ship, he heard cheers and shouts, yelling they were happy to see them. He heard the loud laugh of the old man, and Ace saw the Commanders wave at them.

Ace’s eyes misted over. He sniffled, his instincts crying out to him that this was correct. 

“We won’t take a no for an answer. Get ready to deal with us 24/7-yoi.”

Ace grinned, tears in the corner of his eyes. The happy faces of the pirates and the laughter of his brothers hammered everything into his chest. Ace laughed, giddy, and for once in his life, didn’t question if he should live or not. He was exactly where he needed to be. 

He was home.