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kilannad · 10 months

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As the Stars Burn On Chapter 36

Masterlist. Ao3.

The Secret Island

Lucy honestly expected the island to be right next to them; the fog was too thick for Merry to see very far. Instead, as the crew piled out of the galley, newest crewmate in tow, they saw something utterly impossible; the sun. Much like Enies Lobby, the sky above the island was lit with perfect, unending sunlight, made even more strange by the fact that the fog twisted and turned all around it, seemingly just barely kept at bay. A beacon in the dead sea, the island sat unmolested among the cursed air.

It made ice crawl down Lucy's spine.

"What's that?" Lily called, before taking off. He came back up lugging a barrel, the buoys attached brightly colored things at odds with the locale.

Smashing it open revealed a glass bottle with a letter inside, which Nami dutifully pulled out and read. "'If you're a pirate among pirates among pirates, welcome to Omatsuri Island! Our luxury spas are beat only by our fine cuisine and legendary entertainment. Come enjoy the finest vacation spot the Grandline boasts!'"

"It's a trap," most of the crew deadpanned.

"Yohoho! I had no idea there was another island in the Triangle."

"There shouldn't be," Lucy insisted. "This whole thing stinks."

"Nami," Luffy called. "Read that first part again."

"Eh? Uh, 'If you're a pirate among pirates among pirates-'"

"Yosh! I've decided. We're going."

"Dare I ask why, oh fearless leader?" Laxus said.

"Because we're pirates. Duh."

"That's an awful reason!"

Nami groaned, staring at her wrist. "It sucks but I think he wins this one."

"Don't say it," Lucy begged.

"That's where our log is pointing, so that's where we're going."

☉

The island was a lush jungle; tangled greenery stretching from shore to the far reaching distance, a single mountain piercing the foliage to stretch straight into the clouds. From where they anchored, no one and nothing was immediately obvious.

"I don't like it," Gajeel announced. Laxus, similarly, held himself tense. "Something about this place smells wrong."

"The sound is off," Laxus agreed.

"How?"

"I don't know. It just...is."

"That's comforting," Lucy muttered. She took a few steps forward, scanning the deep green and tangled brown of the flora. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through a few leaves. They were wet with condensation, soft with life. Something tugged at her, and she couldn't help but take a few steps forward.

"Bunny." Pausing, she turned to find Gajeel offering his hand, still standing on the sandy shore. "Don't go far from the group."

"Right. Sorry." Despite her intentions, she couldn't quite pull herself back out of the forest. She wanted-

"Yosh!" Luffy yelled, taking off through the trees, the rest of the crew left to scramble after him. Whatever thought she had vanished, replaced with exasperation. "Let's go explore."

"Yohoho! Our captain is quite the lively man, isn't he?"

"You have no idea."

With little other choice, the crew began the trek into the forest. The wind blew hot, getting tangled up in the shade until Lucy couldn't quite figure out what temperature she was meant to be feeling. Vines and roots grabbed at them, leaves and branches poking at her hair until she felt like she was a mess and desperately wanted a bath. At least there were no bugs biting at her.

"I thought this was meant to be a resort," Nami complained. She smacked a particularly clingy vine away. "I wanted a spa treatment."

"Stop whining," Zoro muttered.

"Watch how you talk to her," Sanji snapped.

"You want to go, dart-brow?!"

"Enough." Laxus snapped his teeth at them, lightning sparking across his shoulders. "Stop acting like children."

"Always so immature," Lucy breathed. Ahead, Luffy stumbled into a clearing and she struggled to catch up. Abruptly, the trees opened to another shoreline, the sandy beach dragging her in as she tried to stop, eyes wide. On their right, the ocean stretched out, bright and blue all the way until the visible edge where the Florian fog was held at bay; to their left, a castle towered over the island. Stone and marble were carved and built into a massive, three towered stronghold, with large, arching windows, many stained vivid colors. Even over the massive stone wall that kept its perimeter, Lucy could make out colorful houses and just the edges of twisting streets and alleys.

"So much for this island being empty," Robin noted.

Two wooden gates set in the front of the wall swung open, music suddenly blaring out from all directions. Usopp jumped, hiding behind Sanji only to get kicked back into the open. At the front of the procession, an elephant trudged out, decorated in jewels and bright fabrics, two figures standing on the palanquin attached to its back. One was a tall, older man, with dark hair and beard, with a brightly colored flower sitting on his shoulder, dancing along to the music. The other was smaller, a young boy with shaggy blonde hair falling around his face, brown eyes just peeking out as he stared at Lucy. She smiled and waved, trying to put him at ease; it couldn't be comforting, to have a bunch of strangers show up. Even if this was supposed to be a resort.

"Welcome pirates!" the tall man boomed. A crowd of people, most in their early twenties with a few notable exceptions, clattered out behind the elephant. "I am Baron Omatsuri and you've landed on my island."

"Is it true this is a resort?" Nami asked.

"With delicious cuisine?!" Chopper added.

"Oh yes," Omatsuri assured. "But before we can get to that, you must first do one thing to gain access." He waved to his right, where the little boy stood. "This is my son Shŭ. He'll be your judge." The baron smiled, tilting his head to the side. On his shoulder, the little yellow and pink flower chirped, 'judgment! judgment!'.

"What, like a competition?" Gajeel scoffed. "Bring it on."

"Ne, Flower Uncle, can we hurry? I'm hungry."

Omatsuri's jaw twitched, but Shŭ did a flip off the elephant, landing with a little dance. Lucy guessed he was about ten or maybe eleven. "Before you can access the island, you must first go through the Ordeal of Hell!"

"Of course it's a trap," the crew groaned.

"Shishishi, that's okay."

"Damnit Luffy," Nami lunged for his throat. "How do you always get us into these messes?!"

"What does it matter?" he gasped out. "I trust you all to win."

"Yohoho! Truly, a captain that knows how to sweet talk his crew."

"Pay attention!" Shŭ snapped, stomping his foot. With a groan and a shift, the ground beneath them moved. Sand fell away, a wooden platform rising up as the ocean rushed in. Lucy fell straight into Zoro, who barely kept to his feet. Trees and ground moved away, parts of the city falling apart to make room, until they were standing on a round wooden platform with a single, thin wooden walkway leading to the announcers room where Omatsuri and Shŭ were standing. The little boy grinned wide at all of them, a huge sign lifting up behind him seemingly from nowhere. "The first Ordeal is Goldfish Catching!"

"Goldfish catching?"

"Muchigoro!" Omatsuri called. "You will compete on my behalf."

"Gladly, Baron!"

A thick set, lengthy fellow with brown skin and thick lips came skittering down the walkway. From nowhere, a set of bleachers rose up, filled to the brim with various fans all screaming Muchigoro's name.

Gajeel glared up at them all, lips pursed. "Night Light, is there something off about them to you?"

"Yeah." Lightning sparked, his gold eyes narrowed. "Can't quite figure out what, though."

From the center of the platform, a small glass tub rose, filled with various brightly colored goldfish swimming in the clear water. On the edge, a paper scoop was settled.

"The rules are simply," Shŭ explained. "You have three minutes. The person to catch the biggest goldfish wins."

"I'd be careful," Omatsuri taunted. "These paper nets break easily in water."

"Don't worry," Usopp promised. "I'm a master Goldfish Catcher."

"Master?!" Muchigoro gasped.

"Master!" Chopper cheered.

"Yes, master," Usopp confirmed.

"I hope he's lying," Muchigoro muttered.

"Usopp would never lie," Chopper denied.

"I'm lying," Usopp confessed easily.

"Eh?!"

"In three!" Shŭ announced. "Two! One! Begin!" On a clock tower behind him, a timer began.

For a long, drawn out second, Usopp and Muchigoro glared each other down, Usopp smirking confidently all the while.

"Don't worry." Lucy jumped at the sudden noise, finding Shŭ standing at her side, hand gently looped around her knee. His fingers were strangely cool and she wondered if he had poor circulation. When he looked up at her, his eyes settled unerringly on her, so wide she could count the flecks of gold in the brown. "You won't get hurt."

"Why would I-?"

She didn't finish. Muchigoro grinned and with a roar of water, something huge jumped from the ocean. Lucy could do nothing but gape as the biggest fish she had ever seen flipped through the air; it was large enough to swallow Sunny whole in a single bite. It had to be a seaking of some kind, there was simply no other explanation. It had metal armor covering its back, huge, spiked teeth, and wide multi-colored eyes. When it landed, a tsunami worth of water washed over the platform, knocking most of them off their feet--Lucy, weirdly, stayed perfectly dry.

"What is that?!"

"That's Rosario," Muchigoro gloated. "My pet."

"How the hell do we catch that?" Nami demanded. Two huge buckets bobbed to the surface of the ocean, one yellow, the other pink.

"With this," Muchigoro grinned, pulling out a massive version of the paper net. He whistled, Rosario jumped up, huge body blocking out the sun as she came falling down.

"Oh, I see," Robin said. "There were never any rules to begin with. How quaint."

With an impossible heave, Muchigoro sent Rosario flying towards his bright pink bucket. In a flash of flower petals, hands spread from around the edges, linking up to form a giant net; Robin tossed Rosario back out and into the air before she could truly land.

"Eh?!"

"I got it!" Zoro drew Wado, steel flashing in the air. From nowhere, a gust of wind blew down sharply, sending him sprawling against the dock.

"No weapons!" Shŭ snapped, face twisting in anger. Lucy startled at the sudden vehemence. Franky, who'd been aiming his arm cannon, cursed at him thoroughly.

Sanji launched up, kicking Rosario into the air, lining her up perfectly. From the side, Pantherlily, carrying Gajeel, smashed right between the armor plates. She flopped, falling down into the bucket with another humongous splash of water.

The timer dinged.

On the Baron's shoulder, the flower bobbed up and down. "Game over, game over!"

Once more all smiles and sweet eyes, Shŭ clapped his hands. In the stands, the people cried out in despair. "Victory to the Straw Hats!"

"Yosh! I knew you guys could do it."

"Talk about a nutso island. Nami dear, did you see how I kicked that fish for you?!"

"You did good, Sanji."

"Enough!" They paused their celebration, eyes drawn to Baron Omatsuri. His face was twisted into a nasty snarl, eyes dark where he stared at all of them. Hopping up next to him, too quick for Lucy to see how he moved, Shŭ cleared his throat. Omatsuri settled, pasting a tight smile across his face. "You'll now complete the second Ordeal."

"Not a chance," Laxus declared.

"Don't be a sore loser," Usopp said. "We won, so let us stay at the resort."

"You'll do the next Ordeal!"

"What bullshit," Gajeel complained. "I say we get out of here."

"Shishishi it could be-"

"Absolutely not," Nami snapped, dragging Luffy by the ear. The crew started to head out, unmolested by Baron or his people as they returned to the forest. Lucy lingered, eyes catching on the little boy. He was already watching her, hair flopping into his eyes.

Laxus caught Lucy's wrist, tugging her along. "Don't get left behind, Blondie."

Irritation spiked, but she soothed it away with a deep breath. It'd been a while since Laxus had called her that, but she figured he was probably stressed. The island was weird. Something about it had her on edge; she couldn't imagine what it was doing to Laxus's heightened senses.

With Nami leading the way, she figured they had ten minutes before they were on Sunny and waiting for the log to reset. It'd probably ease everyone to be at home.

"This forest is SUPER weird," Franky muttered. He slapped away another branch, only for it to come snapping back into Brook's face.

"Hey! Watch it."

"Sorry, skeleton bro."

Lily twisted to the side, launching himself off Gajeel and into the trees. When Lucy followed, they all found a picnic blanket set up, with an empty basket of food.

"So there are other guests on the island," Laxus concluded.

"That makes this a little less creepy," Lily figured.

"Yeah but...where are they?"

No one had an answer to that.

They went tumbling through the forest for another ten minutes. Fifteen. By the time they hit twenty, Nami was visibly furious, eyes twitching.

"I thought you were the navigator," Robin asked.

"Watch it," Nami snapped, scanning the map that had accompanied the letter. "I'll get us out, don't worry."

"Where even are we?" Usopp demanded.

"Nami," Luffy whined. "Let's go back."

"No!" She took another twist through the trees, muttering under her breath. "Have I ever gotten us lost?"

"Yeah," Zoro pointed out. "Today."

"Watch it, marimo."

"You want to go, perv?!"

"Nami," Luffy snapped.

"Shut up!"

"While I understand the stress," Lily soothed. "Let's all take a deep breath. Look, we're almost out."

Indeed, through the tangle of leaves, they could just make out pieces of red. They picked up speed, all eager to get away from this place. Pushing through, they all stumbled into a clearing. Instead of Sunny, or indeed any length of beach, they found a huge stage with a red curtain settled in the middle of the jungle. Baron Omatsuri flung his arms out in greeting, smiling wide.

"Welcome to the second Ordeal!"

"Absolutely not," Nami snapped. "We're leaving this island. You and your Ordeals can drown in a seaking."

"Really?" Shŭ asked. Lucy hadn't even seen him appear. "Then why haven't you gone back to the beach yet?"

"Listen you little brat-"

"I want to do the Ordeal!" Luffy cut in, bouncing forward. Nami slammed her hand out, punching him into the ground where his head got stuck. With a sigh, Lily followed the panicking Chopper over to help him out.

"I don't suppose you can tell us what the Ordeal is?" Brook asked politely.

"Brother, you are SUPER not matching the vibes."

Striking a pose, Omatsuri announced, "The second Ordeal of Hell is...Ring Toss!"

From behind him, the curtains opened, revealing glowing light spelling it out and four podiums on each of which was a gediatric looking three seconds away from keeling over.

"You're joking," Lucy complained.

"I like the lights," Franky murmured. "I wonder how they're doing it."

"Each group will have two teams on boats," Shŭ explained. "With two players on each boat. The first group to have ensnared the entirety of the other group in rings, wins! Now, for Baron Omatsuri's team; the four wise men!"

"They're just a bunch of old geezers," Nami pointed out, scoffing. "This isn't even a competition."

"Kerojii!" Omatsuri exclaimed. "The leader."

"From our point of view, you're a bunch of snotty kids."

"Snotty?! Watch what you say to me."

"Keroshot! The main striker."

"She's angry. The girl has a short temper and lacks maturity."

"Well pardon me for having a personality!"

"Kerodeek! The repairman."

"My, my, I'm quite tired. Can I go to sleep?"

"Don't go to sleep! You're the ones making us do this."

"Keroko! The youngest and only female."

"You're quite arrogant for only being a little younger than us."

"A little?! You mean a lot. I'm a lot younger than you."

"And now, for the Straw Hat's team!" Shŭ announced. The buried form of Luffy wiggled and called out, but it was already too late.

"I'm going to bury you in the Locker," Nami swore.

"If Nami dear is participating, then I'd love to~" Sanji cooed.

Zoro scoffed, earning an immediate glare. "If we want to win, we should put someone competent on the team."

"What's that supposed to mean, grassbrain?"

"You'd know what it means if you were any smarter."

"Guys," Usopp tried. "Can we calm down? What is up with you?"

"Shut it!"

"And we've lost them." Lucy buried her face in her hands, trying to think calming thoughts. They'd all been a little stressed from being in the Triangle for ages, no sun to mark the days, yet she hadn't expected them to dissolve so quickly into bickering children.

A hand grabbed her leg, tugging gently. She looked down to find Shŭ had once again attached himself to her side. "While your team is competing, the rest of you are welcome to relax at the spa."

"Oh. Thank you. That's very sweet."

She began gathering up the crew, pulling Gajeel away from where he was staring at the wisemen. Franky waved her off when she called for him.

"Nah, go on ahead. I want to take a look at this setup they have for the lights."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me, sister. I'll get one of the Baron's men to lead me to the spa when I'm done."

"Alright. Suit yourself."

☉

The spa and the beating heart of the resort was the castle. Besides being where--she assumed--the Baron lived, it also had a lovely pool, plenty of spacious rooms, and a bar that they were given free reign over. When Zoro got out of the race, Lucy was sure he'd head there first; Brook went to beg some milk off them.

"I think 'm gonna take a nap," Gajeel decided. He tipped his head toward Lucy and Laxus, who were both taking in the wide, arching ceilings. "You two joining?"

While a nap--and the likely sex to follow--did sound nice, Lucy shook her head. There was still an itch under her skin, something she couldn't quite place calling to her. "I'm gonna explore for a little."

"Alright," Laxus agreed. He was frowning again, staring at where Omatsuri and his assistants (?) had disappeared after announcing dinner at seven. Shaking himself, he took a step back. "I think I'm going to go get Franky."

"He seemed excited to mess around," Gajeel pointed out.

"Yeah. But I got a bad feeling."

"Keep an eye out for Chopper and Lily, would you? They said they were going exploring."

"Sure."

With that settled, the crew split up.

☉

Franky slid a crowbar under a plank of wood, jacking it open. With an excited rumble, he wedged himself into the back of the stage, finally getting a chance to see the setup.

All he found was a hollow crawlspace. There was absolutely nothing that indicated how the lights, or the moving stage, or anything else he'd seen on the island, could've been done.

Behind him, he caught the whisper of someone moving through the trees, and a whistle of air.

☉

Robin hummed, eyeing the retreating form of Omatsuri. She'd been quietly taking stock of the island since they'd landed, unwilling to share her suspicions just yet. Something about it all made her uneasy, though she seemed to be the only one. Not surprising, considering the rather blessed upbringings of her crewmates; they had little idea how to live with paranoia as a partner.

Muchigoro waddled up to her, carrying a tray of drinks. She gladly accepted one, though ensured she didn't actually drink. She trusted nothing that came from this place.

"The laws of this island say I have to serve you now that I've lost," Muchigoro told her.

"Is that so? Well, then why don't you sit and have a drink with me?"

"Oh I couldn't-"

"I thought you had to serve me."

He grimaced, but obediently sat and took one of the drinks.

"Tell me, Muchigoro. Are there any flowers on this island?"

"Flowers?"

"Yes. While walking through the jungle, I realized there were none to be seen. But Baron has one on his shoulder. Where did he get it?"

"Flowers..."

☉

Luffy turned around, eyes catching on all the vast architecture. It made him feel small, like he was back in Goa. Something tapped his head. If Sabo were here--he stopped the thought. Even all these years later, it still hurt to think of his lost brother. Ace had banned them from talking about him years ago, which made sense. It wouldn't help anyone to keep hurting themselves and Sabo would've hated to hear that they'd been in pain because of him.

Something hit his head. Luffy looked around, searching for the source. There wasn't anyone else present-

Something significantly bigger hit his head.

"Oi! Stop that." Narrowing his eyes, he spun around slowly. From behind him, he just barely made out the sound of someone breathing a little hard. Quick as a whip, he twisted, catching sight of a little old man holding a small boulder. Short, with a sand colored hat and a tiny mustache under his nose, the old man eeped, dropped the rock, and took off running.

Needless to say, Luffy followed.

Chasing him through the halls, up the stairs, around and around, Luffy cursed the man's spryness; it was worse than chasing old man Woop Slap. Luffy wasn't even planning to hurt him, he just wanted to know why he'd thrown rocks at him.

They ended up in a big open room with a shallow pool in the center, Mustache Pops on the opposite side from Luffy. For a little bit, mirroring each other inch by inch, it seemed they'd reached an impasse. Luffy had no idea how to grab him without it becoming another wild chase.

Abruptly, Mustache Pops stood up, sticking his finger under his nose. "Heh. You're a pretty fast kid. What do you say to becoming my nakama?"

Luffy didn't bother to contain his opinion on that. He was the captain; he decided who his nakama was. On the bright side, his Devil Fruit meant he could make really funny faces when people said dumb things.

Oh, right. He was rubber.

Stretching his arm out, Luffy grabbed hold of the old man and dragged him through the water and up to him. Flailing, the old man struggled to get away, but he was really weak so it didn't mean much.

"Okay, okay! Hold on!"

"Why would I be your nakama? I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

Startled, the man stared for a minute before rapidly shaking his head. "That's not important right now. Look, my name is Brief, Captain of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates."

It was a dumb name, but Luffy could respect a captain, even if it was a weak one. He let Brief go.

"Thank you. Look, you need to be careful."

"Eh? Why?"

"Beware Baron Omatsuri and his son. They aren't what they seem."

Somewhere back the way he came, a bell rang for dinner. Luffy turned to track the sound; when he looked back to ask Brief a question, the old man was already gone.

☉

Lucy heard the bell for dinner and realized the second ordeal must have finished by now. She had no doubt that her crew had won; after Enies, ring toss seemed like nothing. It did surprise her though; she could've sworn it'd been early afternoon just an hour ago, yet when she looked out the window, the sun had already set, tiki torches lighting up the plaza. She blamed her losing track of time on the castle.

It was fascinating, for more reasons than she could really articulate. On one hand, the building itself was beautiful, with detailed sunken reliefs, liberal use of pylons and hypostyle halls. It was very reminiscent of some of the ancient architecture she had studied back in Earthland. Honestly, she was constantly reminded of the parallels between Terra and Earthland and she didn't know what to do with it. Maybe she should talk with Robin about it.

Beside the simple things, she also couldn't help but be drawn in by how empty it all was. While there was no dust to indicate disuse, it had dozens and dozens of rooms that seemed empty. Bedrooms without any personal touches, dance halls that weren't set up for any parties, on and on the list went. Like it was all some big prop--just a very detailed one. The whole thing had an energy to it, something drawing her close that she couldn't pinpoint; or maybe she was still sensing the Florian Triangle. Either way, she didn't really want to stop exploring, but the crew would likely worry if she didn't rejoin them soon.

As Lucy started retracing her steps, she must have taken a wrong turn, ending in a corridor she hadn't seen yet. Two big doors had gallery etched into their faces, and her curiosity got the better of her. Gajeel or Laxus could track her down easily enough if they got worried.

The gallery was a huge, long cavern of a room with a post-and-lintel system stretching down its length, making it seem like she was walking down the ribcage of some great beast. The walls were a simple gray, the artwork standing on its own, each with lights above and below keeping them lit. Paintings and mosaics and charcoal sketches; more art than she had ever seen in one place, all breathtaking. Achingly, it reminded her of Earthland.

There, the twisting body of a dragon, pieces of colored glass giving the impression of movement as the light flickered along it.

Down the hall, a black and white constellation map of the stars.

A deep, horrifying painting of blacks and red depicting a demon towering over a burning town.

Down the hall she walked, each piece of art reminding her of home. For all that she loved the Straw Hats dearly and completely, she could not help but mourn her past. It'd been well over a year since she had come to Terra; were they still looking for her? Did they worry that she'd died on her mission? Tears pricked at her eyes, and she paused at the end of the hall, wiping them away. She had to get control of herself; they were doing everything they could to get home, and until she had gathered all the Stone Keys she would just have to keep moving forward.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up, ready to go hunt down her crew. Whatever had drawn her here didn't matter; they needed to check the logpose and head out as soon as they could.

She froze, staring at the final painting standing in pride of place, the only piece against the back wall. Later, she would realize it was the only one with a name.

A portrait of a face she'd never seen yet was so heart wrenchingly familiar. And below, a plaque declared the painting the Cassiopeia.

#as the stars burn on #one piece fanfic #fairy tail fanfic #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #gajeel redfox #laxus x lucy x gajeel

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sanjuno · 6 years

Note

For self-indulgently tropey ideas - Time travel in either direction, big Ace meets little Ace? Could be in TWFF (in which case depending on the timeline, little Ace and Luffy might even be the same age) or in canonverse or some other happy AU. I'll be Pi Anon!

(Ideas of March Prompt Fill 10/15)

Fire burns. Fire is stubborn about clinging to life, lurking in sparks and embers until a touch of wind sends it blazing up again. There is fire in the earth, warming the roots of the trees. There is fire under the waves, escaping in bubbles of steam. There is fire in the sky, in the sun’s rays and the lightning carried by the clouds.

There is fire in a human heart.

The body of Portgas D Ace burned. Not on a pyre or a funeral barge, but on the deck beside the body of his chosen father. Marco doubled over with the force of his sobs, cursing Akainu and the Marines and understanding to the depths of his soul the rage that drove some Morganeers to inhuman malice.

Marco’s brother would never have a proper sendoff. All that was left of Ace, by the time they got the the island where fallen Whitebeard Pirates were laid to rest, was his hat and his knife. They only had even that much because Ace had been stripped of his things before the execution.

So Marco wept, and Ace burned.

/…/

Grey Terminal burned.

Ace woke up with a roar, voiceless and agonized. Explosions drove the flames higher as caches of blackpowder and oil were consumed by the blaze that covered the shanty town.

Another scream, high and thin and desperate. The air rippled, discoloured by pressure as that scream drilled rage and denial into every mind within hearing distance. The flames hung frozen as the world paused, bowing down to the Will of a Conqueror.

Ace was the fire consuming the dump where he had grown up, still reeling from the blow that had killed him. Ace was desperately fighting to keep his little brother alive as a man who was older and stronger was determined to kill them.

This nightmare again. The reason why Ace had worked so hard to master his fire powers. The day he had lost Sabo, the day he had almost lost Luffy. This nightmare that would never let Ace go. The only reason Luffy had lived back then was because Dadan…

… Where was Dadan?

The fire swirled in confusion, drawing back from the paths the people of Grey Terminal were using to try and escape. The guards waiting outside the fire to kill the fleeing ‘vermin’ raised their guns as the first figures escaped from the flames. Those guns exploded in their hands as the fire lashed out, daggers of flame cutting through the barrels and searing into their flesh.

Strangers in cloaks stepped up and started leading the escaping people away. Ace’s attention flickered over a tall man with facial tattoos who seemed to be in charge of the evacuation. Familiar not familiar who was he?

Not important. Where was Dadan?

There was fire in the trees, in the forest on the Mountains, set by more of the hired soldiers from High Town as the tried to burn out the Bandit nest. Dadan was up there with her men, frantic and fighting with a savagery Ace had only seen once before. Machete in one hand, wood axe in another, Curly Dadan killed a man with every swing. My boys where are my boys they’re supposed to be home soon no I won’t let you where are my boys I won’t let you touch them won’t let you take them no no no ACE! LUFFY!

No. Wait, that was… that was wrong! The bandit camp was safe! Dadan was supposed to be here, in Grey Terminal! Ace needed Dadan’s help to save Luffy!

Don’t touch my brother! LUFFY!

Reeling in confusion, Ace screamed, chest burning with pain and rage and heartbreak. Sabo had died in this fire. Ace refused to let it take Luffy too!

When Ace was a skinny, malnourished, touch starved ten year old, Bluejam had been a monster. As an adult with three years on the Grand Line under his belt, Bluejam was nothing.

“KEEP YOUR FLITHY HANDS OFF!” The other pirate’s face caved in with a wet crack as Ace formed out of the flames, blood sizzling as it hit the heated stone under his feet. Bluejam went down hard, and Ace stomped down hard on Bluejam’s neck to make sure he would stay down. “Don’t ever, touch my little brother.”

Chest heaving, Ace spat to the side, ignoring the way the spittle was mostly blood and sparks. He was pulling on the fire around him, drawing it into himself at the same pace he might eat after starving for awhile. It was all backwards. Ace had made flames from his body before, but he had never turned it around to make his body out of normal fire. Still, he kept doing it, because it was saving his life. The organs and bone destroyed by Akainu’s blow were being repaired, flesh and blood filling in faster than he was loosing them. Give it another five minutes and Ace would be able to live without needing a fire the size of an entire city as makeshift life support. Another ten minutes and Ace would be entirely healed.

“… brother?” The tiny voice behind him was rough from screaming and smoke inhalation. Ace spun, and stared into grey eyes that were far too familiar for comfort. Too old for the young face they were part of, tired and worn down after a too-short lifetime of being told they were a monster who deserved death. Skinny arms, scraped raw and covered in burns, winched tight around their little brother’s too-limp body.

There was blood on Luffy’s face.

Breath hitching, eyes burning with tears, Ace swallowed hard and carefully knelt down by the past versions of himself and his baby brother. “Hey. You’re Ace, right?”

“Who are you?” The smaller Ace growled, pulling Luffy closer and shoving back with his heels to try and put more space between them. “You came out of the fire! Why do you look like me? Who are you?”

“Hey… little brother, it’s okay.” The choice was an easy one to make. There was no telling how this had happened, but Ace was not going to waste his second chance. “The name’s Portgas D Riot. And I’m your big brother.”

“… what?” The boy looked shocked, but his grip on Luffy never loosened. “Why are you here now?”

“It took me this long to find you. I was only eleven when you were born.” Formerly-Ace-now-Riot shook his head and sighed, not wanting to grab Ace when he knew how badly the kid would take being touched by a stranger, but they needed to get out of the blaze. Even if Riot could keep the fire from burning them, Ace and Luffy still needed to be able to breathe, and the heat was dangerous to such small bodies. “Please, Ace, I’ll explain everything later, but we have to go. I need to get you and… and our little brother somewhere safe.”

Ace swallowed, the movement harsh and dry. Grey eyes flickered down to Luffy and then back up to Riot, clearly suspicious but also clearly desperate. “… promise you won’t hurt Luffy?”

“I swear Ace. I swear on our mother’s grave, I won’t let either of you get hurt.” Riot held out his hands, praying that it would be enough because he was not risking Haki on kids this young. “Please.”

“… okay.” Ace leaned forward, eyes closed as his exhaustion and the stress caught up to him all at once. Riot moved without hesitation, scooping the kids up into his arms in a tangle and racing for the nearest exit into the woods.

“Hang on, little brother.” Riot sucked in flame as he ran, building up his reserves in anticipation of the next few days. “Big brother’s here now. I’ve got you.”

/…/

The day after the fire was mostly taken up by arguments between Riot and Ace. Luffy just watched them go at it, head swivelling and eyes wide as he looked from his-Ace to and even bigger Ace who was actually Riot. It took some careful editing of the truth, but Ace eventually believed that Riot was his older brother. Luffy required no convincing after the first hug. Riot knew that he was going to take care of Ace and Luffy in order to give them the happy childhood Riot had always wanted more of for himself. Mostly this involved hugging Luffy whenever he did or said something cute, and making exaggerated sad faces at Ace when Riot’s miniature-dopplganger refused cuddles.

Two days after the fire, Riot allowed the kids to convince him to stay at their treehouse while they went to check on the bandits. Riot knew what was going to happen, what they were going to learn when they got there, but there was nothing kind about hiding the truth from them. Riot knew how much it hurt to lose a brother, and the age you were when it happened did nothing to soften the blow. All Riot could do was be there when the boys came back.

So he was there.

Riot was there when Luffy stumbled out of the bushes, sobbing to hard to see and clutching Ace’s hand in a death grip as the other boy pulled him forward. Riot was there when Ace never broke stride, barrelling into Riot’s chest at full speed. Riot’s arms closed around both boys, Ace’s back shaking as he ground his forehead into Riot’s collarbone. “… Ace?”

“… Sabo’s… my brother… Sabo’s dead.” Voice cracking around the truth, Ace sobbed. Once, a harsh, guttural noise, and then he howled. The same raging storm of grief and agony that Riot remembered suffering through while tied to a tree. Luffy’s tears turned into wailing, and both boys clung to Riot with all their strength.

“I’m here. Ace, Luffy, I’m here.” He could remember losing Sabo as a child, and Thatch as an adult. Riot grit his teeth against old pain, his tears silent as he held his little brothers close and let them grieve. They needed this, and they needed to feel safe enough for this. Riot could give them this much.

/…/

A week after the fire, after the worst of the storm of grief had passed, Ace looked up at Riot and asked the question that would change everything. “Do we need to stay here?”

“Eh?” Riot looked up from where he was butchering their fourth alligator of the day, to look at his little brother. “What do you mean?”

“You must’ve had a life before coming here. You know what’s out there. You said you’ve been to the Grand Line.” Ace always sounded like he was accusing Riot of something when they talked. It was one of the most adorable things Riot had even seen. Seas and shells, no wonder Pops had done nothing but laugh when he was recruited. It was the cutest fucking thing when that little freckled face scowled at him. Riot tamped down on the urge to giggle and just raised a brow at his brother. Ace huffed and crossed his arms. “You can’t really want to stay here.”

“You… want to leave Dawn Island.” Riot put down his knife and sat back on his heels to consider the new concept. It had never occurred to him that he could take Ace and Luffy away from their home island before they turned seventeen. “What about you, Luffy? What do you want?”

“… Wanna be a pirate. Wanna be free.” Luffy rocked a little on the stump he was seated on, clapping his feet together and staring at his toes. “I’ll miss Makino, but I hate bandits and Sabo…”

“Fucking Celestial Dragons.” Riot spat to one side, going back to preparing their meat with a vengeance. “Only thing on the seas worse than the shitty fucking Marines is them and their gods damned slavers…”

Ace blinked like Riot had said something new, and then grinned. Dark and sly and far too evil for his tiny body. “Shitty gramps will probably arrest you if he finds out you’re here.”

Freezing under the surge of sheer existential dread, Riot could feel every muscle in his body lock up. Oh shit no he had forgotten about Garp.

“Pack your bags!” The boys cheered and Riot knew the rictus on his face was probably communicating exactly how pants shiningly terrified he was over the idea of Garp the Fist finding out Riot was going to steal his grandsons. “We need to leave right now.”

Fuck, okay. Maybe not right now right now, since according to his memory they still had something like four weeks until Garp actually showed up to check on them, but as soon as possible was the goal.

/…/

He hated having to do it, but it was necessary. The only good news was that the scars left on his back and chest had left the Whitebeard jolly roger an unrecognizable twisted smear. Even if the likelihood of an East Blue back ally ink shop knowing Whitebeard’s flag was a slim chance, Riot knew it was a good thing that the jolly roger was gone. Riot was simply not going to risk someone noticing the wrecked tattoo and trying to puzzle it out. It would put his little brothers in danger.

So even though it broke something inside him, Riot had a new tattoo layered over the old one. It extended further than the jolly roger had, covering the scars and working with the remains of the Riot’s old allegiance. It was impossible to leave the past behind entirely though, so he picked the phoenix image knowing full well what it meant to him. The firebird covered most of his back, curling around his ribs on a field of hibiscus flowers and ocean waves to taper down his stomach.

The finished product was art and Riot cheerfully and with great relief took immense pleasure in forgoing any and all shirts for the rest of their journey.

/…/

Two years later, Riot was the Captain of a Pirate Crew again and he was still not entirely sure how. He was sure, however, that he had given Ace and Luffy some really interesting views on how to recruit their own future crews. Which Riot had decided would still happen even if he had to drop the little shits off on Dawn Island himself the day they each turned seventeen.

So there. Casualty could suck salt.

/…/

“Hi!” Pirate Bars are not usually a place where on encountered children. Pirate Bars in the New World are absolutely the last place people should allow their children to hang out. Marco blinked at his tankard and wondered if it had been spiked with seastone powder. The Phoenix looked down into wide dark eyes all but shining with excited curiosity. “You’re that bluebird Niichan has a crush on!”

Thatch spat out his drink, choking on his giggles as the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates seated nearby started hooting with amusement. Marco was going to make all of these idiots pay for witnessing this. He was the First Devision Commander, he had the power.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here, yoi.” Marco told the kid, hoping he would just take the hint and go away so he could start the bar fight his brothers were sorely asking for.

The kid blinked in innocent incomprehension, and the door to the bar crashed open. “Portgas D Luffy!”

“Oops.” The kid looked like he was contemplating hiding behind Marco’s chair when a strong hand clamped down on the back of his vest and lifted him straight off the floor without any apparent effort. “Hi Niichan!”

“Luffy, what have I told you about speaking with other pirate crews?” The long-suffering tone was at odds with the colourful body tattoo and the aggressively orange hat. Marco was still trying to find his brain, because his libido had taken one look at the artistically tattooed musculature on shameless display and punted his higher thought process out of the way to wolf whistle aggressively. Marco would break his own rule about not sleeping with fans more often if they all looked like this. Silver-grey eyes turned to Marco as the dangling boy giggled, and the man sighed. “Hey, sorry about him bothering you. The little shit’s too friendly for his own good sometimes.”

“He was no trouble, yoi.” Marco was impressed with himself, he had never dealt well with speaking to people who attracted him. As long as he kept his eyes up he should fine… oh no he had freckles they were adorable. Shifting in his chair, Marco leaned back and nodded at the kid. “Might want to keep a better eye on him though. Kids can get into bad trouble out here.”

“This little shit can take care of himself.” The man was still holding his little brother off the floor with one hand. “It’s the bar I was worried about.”

“Aw, Niichan.” The kid pouted, crossing his arms. “I just wanted to meet the bluebird! Does he really look like the one on your back.”

“How the hell should I know? Not like I’ve ever seen his zoan transformation.” Thumping the kid down the older brother shoved his head down into an approximation of an apologetic bow. “Sorry for interrupting you drink.”

“Sorry!” The kid chirped, still laughing. Man, that was one happy kid. Marco relaxed a little. No kid could be that honestly happy with someone who would hurt them.

“Luffy getting in trouble again?” The new arrival was an identical, smaller version of the man Marco was still subtly enjoying the sight of. Minus the tattoos and about ten years of age. Must be another brother.

“Ah!” The smaller kid wiggled free and bounced over to the older child. “Ace is mean!”

“Ace isn’t the one who gets kidnapped every week because he can’t stay out of other people’s business.” The preteen snorted and thumped the younger boy on the head. “Now come on, Niichan’s taking us hunting and you’re wasting daylight in this stupid bar with a bunch of has-beens.”

Thatch started choking again and Marco tried to figure out if a twelve year old had really just insulted the strongest pirate crew in the world to their faces.

“Ace, stop being an instigating little shit.” The tattooed man, who Marco still had no name for, grabbed both of his younger brothers and dragged them bodily out of the bar. Marco stared at the red and gold firebird that stretched across the man’s back and firmly reminded himself that drooling was inappropriate, even if the man was all of Marco’s private fantasies come to life and already wearing Marco’s sigil. The door was kicked open in a mirror of how the man had arrived. “I swear the two of you do this deliberately just to see me get into fights. I think we’re going to do some Gramps style training…”

The door slammed shut just as the boys started protesting the oddly labeled punishment.

Thatch finally managed to catch his breath and paused, face creasing in thought. “Aren’t the animals on this island the ones resistant to Haki?”

/…/

“You’re an interesting man, Wildfire Riot.” Whitebeard examined the young Captain glaring up at him from where he stood in front of his crew. The younger brother’s Marco had spoken about were standing just behind their older brother with bared teeth. “From an East Blue no-name to a potential Warlord in only a year.”

“If you know that much you know that I also told the Marines to fuck off.” Despite being confronted with the Strongest Man in the world, Riot was relaxed. Not insolent, simply unconcerned, as if he knew that he had nothing to fear from Whitebeard. The younger Captain grinned and tipped his hat. “Speaking of which, Whitebeard. Care to tell me why you’ve decided to ambush me?”

“Well, it’s come to my attention that you have an interest in my First Division Commander.” Whitebeard grinned as his first child whipped around to stare at him in horror. “What are you intentions towards my son, Wildfire brat?”

“Pops!” Marco’s attempt to interfere was thwarted as he was dogpiled by his siblings, who very much wanted to see this play out.

Riot blinked. Looked from Whitebeard to the scrum between Marco and the rest of the Commanders. Gave his delighted little brothers a warning look. Turned back to Whitebeard and raised his chin. “All due respect, sir, but the fact that I want to bang Marco like a screen door in a hurricane is none of your goddamned business.”

Marco wheezed, collapsing under his brothers and hiding his face in his hands. What the fuck had he done to deserve this? Who even said something like that to someone’s father.

On his part, Whitebeard’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“What’s your problem now?” Riot crossed his arms with a grumpy scowl. “I answered your stupid question.”

“Maybe it’s because he’s old.” Picking at his ear, the smallest of the Portgas D brother’s offered up his explanation as the rest of the Anarchy’s crew nodded along.

“Yeah, his hearing is probably going.” The middle child added, hands laced behind his head as he smirked. “People start loosing their memory when they start loosing hair, don’t they?”

A deep, agonized sound of suffering escaped from Marco as he covered his entire head with his arms. He should never have let Thatch see him check out Wildfire’s ass. Never.

“Are we done?” Riot demanded loudly over the sound of the Whitebeard crew loosing their collective shit. “Because if your son isn’t up to dicking me down I’ve got meat to eat.”

Despite himself, Whitebeard is impressed. The brat has guts.

/…/

(Spoiler: Even after the most embarrassing confrontation of his life, Marco is totally up for dicking Riot down.)

#Sanjuno's ficwork #one piece fanfic #portgas d. ace #monkey d luffy #Edward Newgate #The Whitebeard Pirates #marco the phoenix #Wildfire Riot #Is totally Ace's SI name #time travel fix-it #Ace lives AU #twice over even #ideas of march #Ace raises his mini me and Luffy too #Tiny D children on the Grand Line #Having adventures #starting barfights #getting their big brother dates #yohoho it's a pirates life

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