Epilogue : Answer


If there was one thing Luffy was annoyed the most, it was when he was interrupted from his sleep.

By his grandfather, Garp, with his Fist of Love.

Arriving in a villa the Galley La Company provided for the Straw Hats unannounced and punching his way through was something only Garp could do. Not even Sanji or Zoro was there to protect Luffy from his heavy punch that was surely coated with Haki. Luffy grew up receiving the fist of his grandfather but he will never be used to it.

After the Straw Hats' shock and Luffy earning a few bumps on his head, Garp sat down and started repairing the wall he himself had destroyed as if nothing happened.

"By the way, Luffy." Garp stopped on hammering and turned to face him. "I heard you met your father."

"Huh? What do you mean by father? I already have a Dad!" Luffy responded in confusion.

"I don't mean that damn Roger, you stupid brat!" Garp nonchalantly yelled. He started picking his nose and grinned. "So he didn't even introduce himself to you. I heard you met him at Loguetown."

Luffy's brows further furrowed. "The only one I met at Loguetown is Sabo."

"Of course that squirt will be with him. He's the damn Chief of Staff of all people!" Garp screamed again, almost throwing the hammer away at his nearby platoon of marines.

"What is Luffy's real father doing at Loguetown...?" Sanji muttered, listening carefully.

"I wonder what he is like..." Nami said, also intrigued.

"The name of your father is Monkey D. Dragon." Garp announced, continuing his work as if it's nothing. "He's a Revolutionary."

Everyone, except for the oblivious Luffy, had their mouths dropped open. There was a heavy silence that was only saved by the loud banging of Garp's hammer. Once the initial shock died down, the Marines outside were all talking about it.

"Hey guys, why is everyone so..."

It only left Luffy even more confused. He looked back on his crew, hoping to find an answer but they were no better.

"Idiot!" Sanji yelled, blue eyes irking in annoyance. "You don't know Dragon!?"

"Your father is an outrageous man!" Nami added in a scream, putting a hand on her lips.

"Dragon... Dragon..." Luffy repeated, whispering to himself, tilting his head. He blinked multiple times before it finally clicked on. "He's the guy who recruited Sabo!"

"Tch," Garp expressed in irritation. "My son got one of my grandsons but it's the wrong one!"

"What's wrong with it? Sabo likes being a Revolutionary!" Luffy defended, gritting his teeth.

"You three brothers can't keep away from trouble! You cause every single whites on my hair!"

"We already told you we don't wanna be Marines!" Luffy continued, not wanting to lose in their screaming match. But his anger slowly turned into a small frown. "Why does my real father matter anyway? Gol D. Roger is the only one who I considered my Dad!"

"Roger... The Pirate King...?"

"That Roger!?"

"T-There's no way!"

"Quiet! All of you!" Garp yelled to his troops, making them flinch and stop talking. "I probably shouldn't have said that. Forget it all!"

Between Garp's booming laughter, everyone could only gulp in fear with all the family secrets flying around.


"Ace is missing...?" Sabo muttered, unsure of what he had heard.

"We haven't heard anything from him. It's been three weeks since we last heard from him." Deuce continued from the other side of the Den Den Mushi. Even though he couldn't see his face, Sabo could still hear the fear and distress in his tone.

"You should have told me sooner." Sabo flopped back on his chair, feeling defeated. Sighing heavily, he calmed himself down. "Sorry, Deuce. I didn't mean to raise my voice."

"It's fine, Sabo." Deuce answered, sympathetically. "I'm sorry, too. I thought the best course of action was to find Ace ourselves and not worry you."

"He has lots of enemies including enemies of our father..." Sabo clicked his tongue, frowning. "Where was Ace last seen...?"

"Banaro Island in Paradise. We're already here and we have some leads."

"You know who it is?" Sabo asked impatiently, tapping on his table.

"Marshall D. Teach. He used to be part of Whitebeard's crew but defected a few months ago. He created his own crew and goes by Blackbeard now." Deuce explained with a heavy breath. "He has a grudge towards Ace. Teach was about to murder Whitebeard's fourth commander over a Devil Fruit but Ace stopped him."

"I'll be there as soon as I ca—"

"Sabo!" Koala screamed as soon as she opened the door to his office. She looked frantic, frowning while clasping hard a newspaper in her hands.

"Koala, please now is not the time to—"

"Look at this!" Koala interrupted, putting the newspaper in front of him. She pointed to the headline of the front cover.

As soon as he saw the front page, Sabo felt his world was crashing down on him. Everything just fully stopped at that brief moment.

PIRATE KING'S SON TO BE EXECUTED AT MARINEFORD


"He asked me to join him and told me his plan to be a Warlord..." Ace told his cellmate in a low tone. He laughed humorlessly. "He planned to capture Monkey D. Luffy not knowing I consider Luffy as a brother."

"Brother?" Jinbe questioned and Ace nodded.

"Brothers by bond," Even in such a dire situation, Ace will always smile whenever he's talking about his brothers. "You know it, Jinbe. Whitebeard's crew also does that."

Ace put up a good fight but it was not enough.

With that one defeat, he found himself locked up in the most secure prison in the world, The Impel Down. He had heard rumors about it and it was much worse than he had ever imagined. If there was hell on earth, this place was definitely it. This prison screamed agony and pain, the last place you'll want to be before death. Ace could handle those physical torture they gave him when he first arrived, what he couldn't handle was the mental one. He wasn't the most mentally stable person out there, being here and worrying about his little brother only worsened that. He felt like screaming, cursing everything especially himself for ending up in such a dire situation.

Ace was supposed to be strong, powerful enough to defeat one traitor. Teach was fiercer than he could ever imagine. Back when the man was still with the Whitebeard's, Ace had mixed feelings about him but he never anticipated him to betray Whitebeard. Teach was only using his father's name to hide and remain anonymous. The time came where he got what he wanted and he immediately betrayed his family without any second thoughts. And that's what Ace despised the most.

In Ace's frail and pale body, purple spots welted that would only deepen as days passed, was noticeable. Untreated cuts and wounds were everywhere and still red in color, fresh. Fighting Blackbeard and being tortured once he arrived at his prison was enough to break his body. He still could move but everytime he did, his body screamed for him to stop.

His body and mind will not give up until he made sure Luffy was safe away from Blackbeard. Ace just hoped that Luffy would have enough time to get away from Water Seven. Blackbeard also suffered as much as Ace during their fight and it will take him a while to recover. The thought of his little brother being captured by that monster, kept Ace awake and fuming with fury.

After days in isolation, they brought in a new prisoner and it was the person Ace least expected. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe. Ace was unsure of the fishman at first but in the end, he found himself talking and answering Jinbe's questions. The fishman carried an aura that made Ace immediately respect him.

"Can I ask you why you're here..." Ace murmured, finally looking straight at the fishman.

Jinbe was silent, almost still. Breathing out, he started speaking. "Whitebeard and Red-haired Shanks made an alliance."

"Alliance? W-What?"

"Against the World Government. They want to rescue you, Ace." Jinbe stated firmly.

"I understand Shanks b-but Whitebeard!? Why would he do that!?" Ace screamed. His body flinched from the sudden movements he made. The shackles wrapped around him made a loud noise, still holding him in place.

"You saved the Fourth Commander, Thatch." Jinbe answered. "Oyaji felt like it's his responsibility. Also, Teach used to be one of his. I am certain Oyaji regrets that it has to be you that suffers."

Ace didn't respond. He could only look at Jinbe with wide eyes. His whole body quivered as his breathing became heavy. He bowed his head down, avoiding eye contact. The heavy feeling of helplessness grew bigger. The voice of self-hatred was back again, never leaving him alone. It whispered, telling him that everything was his fault. It didn't have to end up that way if he was only stronger.

"A war is impending, Ace." Jinbe continued vigorously. The fishman could only stare at the teen sympathetically. "I owe Whitebeard for saving Fishman Island. I do not wish to partake in such insolence."

Ace was silent again, brooding. He bit the inside of his mouth, tasting the familiar blood. Ace knew it ever since he was a child. No matter how cruel it was, it's the truth. Once the government has held him captive, his impending execution will soon come. After all, Ace was only living a borrowed time. All just because he was the son of the Pirate King, as if that's enough reason to kill someone.

In the end, he will die because of the first crime he committed. Being born in the world where everyone seemed to agree that the Pirate King's spawn was a devil that needed to be eradicated.

But he was not afraid of dying. Never was. What worried him was the reaction of his two younger brothers. Sabo and Luffy won't just stand and do nothing.

Ace never wanted them to be hurt. He was their older brother and he was the one who was supposed to protect them from any harm or danger. But now, it was Ace who caused them that. He hated how he couldn't do anything about it.

Feeling defeated, Ace looked up, his emotions were whirling inside.

Don't come, Sabo, Luffy...


Once Luffy was inside the supposed world's most impenetrable prison, he didn't know what to do nor where to go.

He was never the one to think of a plan. In their crew, Robin was the one who was tasked to do that. But his crew was not with him. They were scattered across the world, not knowing anything about the others. As much as Luffy wanted to find and bring them back all together, Ace was more of a pressing problem now. He cannot stand aside and do nothing. Luffy knew he would forever regret not helping his older brother.

After Hancock had helped him, Luffy found himself aimlessly wandering inside. The place was no doubt huge with different precincts full of criminals. Screaming of pain and agony resonated in the area that made Luffy uncomfortable. It's always a bad place whenever you hear screaming.

He was annoyed though. Prisoners kept on stopping him to talk about freeing them. Luffy frowned, he didn't have the time for that and they were bad people. Ace was in his mind above all else.

That changed when Buggy the Clown came into the scene being chased by creatures called Blugori.

"Straw Hat!?" Buggy yelled, looking at Luffy with his head shooting up away from his body.

"Eh, Buggy?" Luffy responded, still running.

And as always, the two pirates didn't get along at all. Just like the prisoners earlier, Buggy thought that Luffy was also there to rescue him. They tried to pick a fight with each other but the Blugoris turned out to be a bigger problem.

Once they realized the Blugoris weren't gonna stop any time soon, Luffy and Buggy teamed up using their Devil Fruit powers to punch their chasing enemies.

"Why are you even here, Straw Hat!?" Buggy screamed after catching his breath.

"I'm here to save Ace."

"What!? You're here to save who!?" Buggy realized something. He put a finger on his lips. "Shh! Quiet."

"I'm not the one who's shouting." Luffy pouted, eyebrows furrowed. "Have you met Ace?"

"Yeah, and unlike you he's a gentleman."

"I thought you disliked him..."

"Your storytelling sucks! Ace had told me everything much clearer!" Buggy growled, clenching his fists. "He visited my boat and we had the flashiest party ever. We became drinking buddies after that and told me about Captain Roger."

"I wanna go to Level Five. That's where Ace is, right?"

"Go by yourself! We ain't friends or somethin'! No way I'm going somewhere dangerous!" Buggy started walking away before noticing something. "That bracelet of yours seems nice..."

Luffy grinned, moving his shoulders for the clown to see. "You think? I'll give it to you if you help me!"

"Then let's go!" Buggy decided in an instant.

He found a new ally.


Sneaking inside Impel Down was harder than Sabo had thought.

He was a spy for three years now. He knew the way in every government establishment, what to say, and what to act like. But Impel Down was far different than that. The officers working here were like no other. They were as ferocious as the prisoners they were keeping inside. But those obstacles never bothered Sabo, his stubbornness fueled his want to save his older brother. Of all the things Ace had pulled over the years, this was definitely the worst one.

Sabo practically abandoned his position in the Revolutionary Army. As much as he valued his responsibilities of being the Chief of Staff, Sabo's love for his stupid older brother was stronger. As soon as he saw the newspaper, he started formulating a plan. He went alone, even if Dragon insisted that he bring some men. But this was a personal matter, not job related.

The thing that slowed Sabo down was the travel time. It took him five days. Five days of anxiety-filled travel as all he did was think of what would happen. Sabo knew Ace's importance in the balance of the world. He heard about the two Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard, teaming up. But Sabo wouldn't allow such a war to occur and as part of being a Revolutionary, stopping wars was their forte. He arrived at his destination and two days remained before Ace's execution.

Now that he was in Impel Down dressed as a watch guard, only one thing caught his attention.

Luffy got in the same day as Sabo did.

Sabo smacked himself in the face. His brothers will always do everything to make him worry. The three of them inside the most inescapable prison in the world. And knowing Luffy and Ace, Sabo was sure they had no plan in mind.

After beating up the guards watching the security cameras, Sabo went on his way on Level One fetching his younger brother before he did something that would cause trouble for them.

It was easy to find Luffy. Just follow the guards and Blugoris beaten up on the floor and you will surely find him. Whenever there's trouble, it was definitely Luffy's doing. Sabo found him immediately together with Buggy the Clown.

"Luffy, you shouldn't be here." Sabo said in a scolding manner as he approached the two.

"Sabo!" Luffy immediately noticed him even with the disguise. He tackled his brother in a hug. "What do you mean I shouldn't be here? You're doing the same!"

"Touché, Lu." Sabo laughed, patting his back.

"Who's that?" Buggy asked.

"Name is Sabo. Lu and Ace's brother."

Buggy snorted. "At least you had a disguise on unlike your idiot brother."

"Let's go and rescue Ace?" Sabo smirked.

"Yes!" Luffy answered optimistically as he let go of his brother from the tight hug.

Sabo stood still for a second. He opened the Black Den Den Mushi in his wristband. Luffy stared at it curiously and Sabo explained what it was for. But before it could pick up any real conversation, a voice startled them from their doings.

"Sabo, is it?" He asked in monotone. The man dressed as if he was not in a prison. He was also holding a glass of wine on his left hand.

Sabo nodded, almost immediately. He recognized the man from the past reports he had read.

"You're Inazuma. Ivankov's right hand man." Sabo said in certainty.

"Iva-san wants to talk to you. I think it's better if we go somewhere safe." Inazuma stated, straight to the point.

"Who's this guy, Sabo?" Luffy asked nicely, pointing at the newcomer.

"An ally." Sabo answered.

"Shall we go?" Inazuma proposed.

"Okay," Luffy nodded in agreement immediately. He looked left and right, trying to find someone. "Eh? Where's Buggy?"

Sabo sighed. "He probably left. C'mon, Lu."

The two brothers followed Inazuma. Sabo knew he could trust him, hearing about them straight from Dragon. It would be the first time Sabo would meet the miraculous healer as the queer was already in prison before he joined. Inazuma very clearly knew the way, stopping every corner whenever there's a surveillance camera pointed in their direction. Once past that, Sabo and Luffy watched in fascination as Inazuma's hand turned into scissors. The queer cut the wall easily revealing a hidden tunnel.

They went inside and ran towards the stairs to go down. Sabo could hear the amazement in Luffy's tone as he questioned Inazuma about his powers. After a few minutes of running, they opened a door revealing a much larger place.

Sabo stepped in and was immediately shocked by the atmosphere inside. Everyone stared at them with uncertainty but Inazuma explained that the two brothers weren't enemies. Sabo groaned slightly realizing that his guard outfit didn't help at all.

"Sabo-kun, am vi correct?" Ivankov implored, staring at the young man. Ivankov stood out amongst the crowd with ease because of his height and violet afro.

"I am," Sabo responded, removing the hat of his decoy costume. He ran a finger in his hair making it more presentable.

"This is Level 5.5, The Newkama Land. A paradise for every prisoner here. Vwe have surveillance everywhere and receive news from the outside world time to time." He eluded, putting his hands on his hips. "Vi know that your Dragon's sucessor, Sabo-boy."

"You know him?" Luffy asked, looking at his brother.

"Vi am Emporio Ivankov. A commander of the Revolutionary Army."

"Oh!" Luffy expressed with a snap. "That's why he knows my real Dad!"

Almost immediately, Sabo turned to look at his younger brother. Every newkama also did the same and the place became filled with silence.

"W-When did yo—" Sabo stuttered, eyes wide as he stared.

Luffy merely laughed at their expression. "Jiichan told me when we met at Water Seven!"

"D-Dad!?" Ivankov shrieked, stepping back and hitting a wall, hard. He stared at Luffy with a new profound interest. The voices started to grow louder as each of them talked and asked questions.

"I can confirm it." Sabo laughed, looking at everyone freaking out. Luffy has a way to surprise everyone. His little brother never knew to hide a secret, nevermind a secret that could have caused him his life.

Ivankov slowly maintained his composure again. "So what are you two doing inside Impel Down? Did Dragon ordered a—"

"No, it's about our brother, Ace." Sabo interrupted. "And before you ask, I, Luffy, and Ace were raised as adoptive brothers. We want to rescue him and this has nothing to do with me being a Revolutionary."

"The Pirate King's son? Now, that's an interesting brotherhood..." Ivankov mused. "Ace-boy still has two days till his execution. Plenty of time for a plan."

"But I wanna rescue Ace now." Luffy frowned, almost whining.

"Wait a minute," Sabo gushed in realization. "You called this Level 5.5. You mean..."

"Level 6, Eternal Hell. That's where they're holding your brother. He must be really important to be at the lowest level."

"Ace's vivre card is pointing down, look." Luffy said, holding the paper in his palm. It was way worse than the last time he saw it.

"I think it'll be better if we go now rather than later." Sabo suggested, seeking Ivankov's approval. "They didn't know that Luffy and I were here yet. I'm listening to the radio communications over my Black Den Den Mushi. They're more focused on Buggy The Clown as of the moment."

"Then let's go!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically, raising his fist in the air.


"Ace... Ace, wake up!"

Ace groaned loudly, his wounds hurting because of the touch. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, probably caused by the fatigue catching up to him over the past days. Opening his eyes groggily, Ace saw the familiar smile he was yearning to see in his dreams.

"You're awake!" Luffy giggled while wriggling his brother's shoulder. He launched himself into Ace, pulling him in a tight embrace.

"Lu-Luffy?" Ace gawked, eyes opened fully. His brother's screaming made his head ache.

"Enjoy your nappy, Acey?" Sabo jested on the other side of the cell. He was busy letting Jinbe be free away from his shackles. "I'm afraid that it needs to be cut short."

"You too...?" Ace blurted in surprise. "Great, now the three of us are inside the most secure prison in the world!"

"Thank you," Jinbe said while standing up. "I can't believe that what Hancock said is true..."

"You met her? I need to thank her later for helping me in!" Luffy grinned.

"The Pirate Empress? How did you..." Sabo stopped midway with a heavy sigh. "The three of us need to talk later."

Ace stood up, grunting under his breath. Luffy stopped his clinging and helped him. "So how do you plan to escape now, huh?"

"I thought you had one in mind?" Sabo responded, raising his eyebrows.

Ace was not amused.

"Just kidding." Sabo shrugged playfully.

"We're gonna go outside and steal a ship!" Luffy answered for him.

"So that's the plan?" Ace smacked his face. "Just go out there, hope they don't spot us, and walk through the door?"

"Yup, sounds good to me." Luffy nodded too happily for Ace's liking.

"Great. Let's go then." Ace rolled his eyes sardonically.

"Can you tell us first what is exactly happening?" Jinbe inquired, crossing his arms.

"There's been a jailbreak caused by Buggy The Clown and a man named Galdino in the upper levels." Sabo explained, putting an arm in his hips. "We should be thankful though. It created a distraction for us."

"Vi'm afraid that that's not the case now, Sabo-boy." Ivankov told from outside the cell. "Vi heard footsteps coming this way."

"Come on, playtime is over. We're going to use the elevator." Sabo said, putting on a serious persona. He pushed them all outside the cell in a hurry.

They were one step closer to freedom till they had trouble with the prison's warden.

"Vwe cannot escape until vwe defeated the top dog." Ivankov said.

"Magellan's Devil Fruit allows him to produce poison. Be careful." Jinbe reminded, putting on a karate stance, readying for an impending fight.

"Lemme handle this." Ace ordered, cracking his knuckles.

"You're in no way and shape for that." Sabo scowled, rolling his eyes. "I'll do it."

"Nu-uh!" Luffy disagreed, running toward Magellan's direction.

Ace watched sideways as Sabo and Luffy both attacked Magellan at the same time with their fist quoted with Haki. Ace also charged in, not wanting to be overshadowed by his brothers. His pride won't allow them to have all the fun for themselves. But before Ace could do any attack, Magellan released his poison in the form of hydras that attacked them in every direction.

"Ow!" Luffy yelled in pain after coming in contact with the poison in his left leg.

"Lu!" Sabo called in a panicked voice. Before he could check his brother, Magellan had also attacked him, which Sabo dodged at the last second.

Ace's flames burst out, finally feeling them again after days of being in a shackle made out of sea stone. The fire spread out, surrounding him.

"Fire Fist!" Ace screamed, doing his famous attack. It hit the warden straight on.

Sabo grabbed his pipe and coated it with Haki. After Ace's attack, it was his turn. He hit Magellan straight to his face. Sabo fell back with a cartwheel.

"Sabo-kun! We should go! There's already a ship waiting for us!"

"Not now, Koala!" Sabo yelled, gritting his teeth. He tightened his hold to his pipe, readying for another attack. "Koala!?"

Sabo looked at his partner who had an angry look on her face, the usual one she gave whenever he did something uncalled for. Sabo blinked, still not believing that she was there.

"When did you—"

"Dragon-san sent me to look after you. No time to explain. We need to run!" Koala screamed back.

Ace turned to look at Sabo after hearing their conversation. Nodding, Ace summoned another fire that went in Magellan's direction. He surrounded him with a hell flame. Huge enough to give them time to escape. Grabbing Luffy, they started running towards the dock together with the other prisoners who also wanted to be free.

Growing up, Ace had the habit to never back down. But after his defeat with Blackbeard, he started contemplating it. Ace had every bit of chance escaping in their fight but he chose not to. He could have escaped and just went to find Luffy to protect him. But his pride didn't allow it back then. He shook the thoughts off. That was not the time for him to regret his decisions.

Once they were on the docks, another problem arose with the Marines outside waiting for them.

"They're all pipsqueaks. We can handle them and steal one of the ships." Sabo said, wiping the sweat off his face.

"Men! Go and steal their ships!" Buggy who was in the front shouted and everyone who was freed by him agreed immediately. Hundreds boarded the ship and started a battle for freedom.

"We don't have to. I already called for a back-up." Koala told them before the brothers could do anything. She looked over the sea. "Oh, they're already here."

"The Revolutionaries are working with pirates now?" Sabo flashed a taunting smirk.

Ace's eyes widened seeing the familiar ship he hadn't seen in over a month. He smiled, torned over happiness and anger on why they were here.

"Come on!" Deuce called out in a hurried tone. He stared straight at Ace with an expression Ace was too familiar with. "You're dead to me later."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Ace smirked, happy just by seeing his crew again.

"We will know. Let's escape first!"

They all boarded the Piece of Spadille. Ace wanted to greet them all but the trouble was far from over. They still need to get away from the place. They set sail immediately. On their back, Buggy and the other prisoners who managed to steal a ship followed them.

"How do you plan to pass through the gates?" Jinbe asked.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jinbe. I already took care of it. That's why the Spade Pirates are able to enter here." Koala answered, smiling.

"I'm glad to see you again, Koala." Jinbe greeted, returning the smile.

Before Koala could reply, a whooshing sound of cannons being fired was within their earshot. The Marines were not easy to give up. Three warships were pursuing them at an alarming rate.

"The Gates of Justice is just around the corner. Vwe can lose them if we're out." Ivankov said.

Ace was busy giving out orders to his crew. He needed to if they wanted to survive. The battle was far from over. His brothers with the help of Jinbe were trying to fight back their pursuers.

The gate was opened when they arrived, allowing them to escape. The water currents carried them to freedom, boosting their gap from their enemies. Once the marine warships were out of sight, Ace could only sigh in relief. He ended up sitting on the floor in exhaustion.

"Ace!" Luffy launched himself towards him, tackling his brother on the wooden floor. "We save you!"

Ace glanced over to see his crew bewildered by Luffy but they didn't say anything. "You did, Luffy."

"And you're the one who's always saying Luffy and I should be careful." Sabo chuckled, leaning towards them.

Ace sat up with Luffy still clinging on him. He put on his casual smile. "All of you guys are idiots but thank you."


Ace felt like a kid again while being bandaged up by Deuce. He remembered Dadan doing the same thing whenever he would come back after a long day of hunting or thieving. Remembering the past put a small smile on his lips. He wondered how Dadan reacted upon hearing his supposed execution, probably not a good one. They had a complicated relationship but they both knew deep down that they cared for each other. Ace knew that she's gonna be relieved knowing that his brothers rescued him.

Ace suppressed a groan from escaping his lips, feeling the sting of antiseptics in contact with his skin. He didn't want to annoy Deuce further by whining over such a small thing. Deuce came from a family of doctors hence his expertise over medicine. The masked man wasn't just the first mate but also the doctor.

Earlier, Deuce practically dragged him away from Luffy and Sabo. Ace wanted to fight back, wanting to spend time with his brothers that he hadn't seen in a while. Sabo threw him his signature annoyed look and Ace followed Deuce's order in defeat. As his wounds got treated, the adrenaline he was feeling earlier started to wear out, body screaming in pain.

"Rest, doctor's orders." Deuce stated firmly after finishing. He pushed him down in his bed.

"Who are you? Sabo? One worry-wart is enough." Ace smirked enticingly, adjusting his pillows.

Deuce rolled his eyes. "Your hat is on the nightstand. It's the first thing we saw when we arrived at Banaro."

"Oh." Ace immediately went to open the drawer. He grabbed his cowboy hat that looked cleaner than the last time he saw it. "Thank you... It's my Dad's memento so this means a lot."

"Master Ace?" Skull knocked before opening the door. "A call from Shanks."

Ace blinked before grabbing the Den Den Mushi. "Hello?"

"Kid, how are you?" Shanks asked from the other side.

"Still alive and kicking." Ace chuckled lightly, not wanting to worry the older pirate.

"That was a close one, too. Where are you headed now?"

"We'll lie low on the sea for a few days. Then we'll go to Sabaody before going back to the New World."

"Is there anything that I can do? Should I send an escort fo—"

"No, it's fine. You'll just raise attention."

"I'll call Shakky and alert her. Rayleigh can help you out with a thing or two."

"Sure…" Ace mumbled, letting out a yawn. "Have you heard from Whitebeard? Jinbe told me about you and him making an alliance..." Ace glanced at Deuce with an unsure look.

"He knows that you're fine. We already pull back our forces." Shanks replied before sighing heavily. "I won't stay calm until I see you, Ace."

"I'll be back, I promise." Ace said, cackling. "Please thank Whitebeard for me. I don't know his number."

"Okay, kid. I'm sure you need rest."

Ace hummed in agreement. "Good night, Shanks."

"See you soon." Shanks hang up.

Ace handed the Den Den Mushi back to Skull. He settled back on his bed and as soon as his head hit the pillows, he fell asleep.


Despite Deuce's never ending protest, Ace couldn't sit still in his room.

He was always on the go. As much as he valued his sleep, it had gotten boring quickly. Besides, it's been three days since he was freed. For Ace, that rest was enough.

He opened the door leading to the deck. It was noon and his hat was thankfully blocking the sun rays. Blinking, his eyes wandered around the ship. Their ship had gone incognito to avoid the eyes of marines and bounty hunters who were still after his head. Sabo and Koala helped, having experience on such things. The Piece of Spadille looked as normal as it could be, passing as a passenger ship. The sails that had their jolly roger were replaced with white sails. Some of his crewmates greeted him, which he returned with much enthusiasm.

Then he set sight on his two brothers sitting on the wooden deck, legs crossed. Between Luffy's merry laugh and Sabo's alluring smile, Ace flashed a grin as he ventured towards them.

"We're arriving at Sabaody in three hours." Ace announced cheerfully. "Shakky called, telling us to meet Rayleigh at Grove 3 where he'll help us sneak across the Red Line."

"Yes!" Luffy cheered up with a grin. "I've got to meet with my crew again! I wonder who's the first one."

"You left them on Sabaody?" Ace probed while sitting between the two.

"No, well there's this bear-guy who has this Devil Fruit power that sent me and my crew somewhere else! And now I don't have any idea on where—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Ace interrupted him, waving a hand. "What do you mean that your crew's not with you!?"

"I better explain it," Sabo intervened with a heavy breath. "Admiral Kizaru went to Sabody after hearing that Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon—"

"He did what!?"

"—Bartholomew Kuma was also there and since he's undercover and is part of the Revolutionary Army, he helped Luffy's crew to escape from Kizaru using his fruit powers."

Ace was silent for a moment, mouth dropped open. "You mean one of the Seven Warlords is a Revolutionary!?"

"Yes, Ace. Feel free to yell that out as if it's not a secret." Sabo rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"And he helped Luffy?"

"He knows who Luffy's father is." Sabo shrugged.

Ace glanced at Luffy with a different expression. Luffy took notice of his staring and immediately gave him a grin. Everywhere his little brother went, trouble was soon to follow. Ace wondered how Luffy could always stay positive and optimistic over such incidents. He wanted to scold him, tell him that what he did of punching a Celestial Dragon was stupid. But then again, Ace would end up as a hypocrite because he himself had thought of it more than once. As long as Luffy was safe, that's all that matters to Ace.

"So Ace, how're you feeling?" Luffy asked, breaking away his deep thoughts.

"Please, Lu. Everyone always asks me that as if you didn't already know the answer." Ace replied with a soft sigh.

"You know, Sabo's just telling me 'bout that time he went to Florian Triangle and saw ghosts! Because I'm pretty sure we saw them, too!" Luffy exaggerated.

Ace glanced at Sabo. "Just what kind of stories are you telling him?"

"One of my tamer stories," Sabo chuckled before pointing. "Is that sake you brought?"

"Yep," Ace grinned, almost forgetting the drink in his hand. He raised the bottle up for his brothers to see. "For old time's sake. This is the last one in the pantry, too."

"Oh, right! This is our first time meeting out in the sea." Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

Ace poured the sake on the three cups laid on the floor. The three brothers grabbed one each, raising it in the air the same way they did on that fateful day ten years ago.

"The three of us live different kinds of lives. Even if that's the case, we still sail in the same sea and watch the same sky. Everything in this world may change but not our brotherhood." Ace spoke a little speech as he stared straightly at his brother's eyes.

Sabo and Luffy smiled brightly, feeling nostalgic about the ceremony.

"For brotherhood?" Ace asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking.

"To brotherhood." Sabo and Luffy said at the same time, toasting their cups.

Ace gulped the sake down in one go. He wiped his lips and breathed out. "That's definitely better than Dadan's."

"We're kids back then. We don't care about the difference in taste." Sabo remarked, putting the cup down.

Ace smiled, removing his hat. He closed his eyes and allowed the sea breeze to cool off his face. His breath was slow and stable. He was at ease for the first time in days.

"What's on your mind now?" Sabo asked in a soft tone.

"Must you always ask me that?" Ace opened his gray eyes in annoyance.

"Well, I'm not just your brother. I'm also some sort of a therapist." Sabo formed a sly smirk in which Luffy laughed.

"Dunno. Just thinking about life, I guess..." Ace answered, looking up in the sky. "It's kinda bizarre to just sit in a prison for days, thinking about your impending end."

"That doesn't sound nice." Luffy said, face souring.

"You know how we live our life without regrets, right? Well, I'm not afraid of dying. But what I'm afraid of is dying with regret." Ace explained in a murmur.

"And what is that if I may ask?" Sabo asked patiently, crossing his arms.

"If I was to die back then, I wouldn't see you guys fulfill your dreams..." Ace continued with a smile. "If I die, who would be the older brother who would remind you not to be idiots?"

"Technically, I'm the one who does that, Ace." Sabo reminded with a small scoff.

Luffy smiled widely, showing his teeth. "Does that mean you're not suicidal anymore?"

"Hey! Who said something about being suicidal, huh!?"

"But you don't want to live either. What's the difference?" Sabo questioned making Ace flinched.

"I wanna live now, okay?" Ace sighed again. "And as much as embarrassing it is for me to say, I wanna live for you two."

Sabo and Luffy shared a look before breaking out a fit of laughter together.

"Great, go and laugh." Ace scowled, rolling his eyes.

"I-It's not like that, Ace..." Sabo paused, breathing was hitch.

"Your face is so serious! You never do that!" Luffy finished, falling hard on the floor, catching his breath.

After a minute of just teasing their older brother, Sabo and Luffy sat up again, composing their postures. Gone was the trace of joking. Their faces just show pure happiness.

"I'm glad you're alive, Ace." Luffy said, hugging him for the nth time that week.

"Thanks for finding a reason to live." Sabo joined in, murmuring in Ace's ear.

Ace allowed himself to be overwhelmed by his brothers. He missed this so much. It was something he kept on craving for years. An embrace that lit up the hearth inside, warming his body and mind.

The answer has always been in front of him but he's been blind by his own insecurities.

"You guys can be annoying..." Ace smiled, heart throbbing with pure happiness. "But you're my greatest treasure."

He finally fulfilled a promise.


He heard her snicker again. Normally, her laughter was soft and delicate, almost mirroring her mesmerizing looks. But that moment, her laughter was all about joy and contentment, a full blown one that made her put her hands in her belly, wanting to contain herself.

"What's funny?" Roger asked, amused by his lover's reaction.

"It took Ace long enough..." Rouge answered, eyes twinkling as she met his dark orbs.

"It's better late than never." Roger reckoned as his lips turned into a proud smirk.

"Our sons turn out to be fine men."

"They are," Roger agreed. "We ought not to be worried about them any longer."

And they remained in a comfortable silence, continuing their watch over their sons.


One unexpected meeting can change your entire life.

fin.


A/N: I will definitely miss writing this fic. It's so much fun and I hope you readers felt the same.

I was contemplating on whether I should write Marineford or not but then I just want the ASL brothers to have a happy ending. They freaking deserved it.

I wrote this as a self-indulgent fanfic. Ace will always be my favorite character because of his tragic nature. All of his problems stem back to being the son of Gol D Roger. He grew up not knowing that his father loved and cared for him. And I'm sure Ace would have liked Roger since he's exactly like Luffy. It's just that their family has a tragic end. I guess that's where the idea of the fic came. Ace deserved to know who Roger was and be proud of his heritage and that's what I incorporated here.

Thank you for all the support till the end, dear readers! (•ᴗ•)