One Piece For You

**_Disclaimer: One Piece ain't moi._**

**A/N: Don't hate me for this. T.T It's sort of a drabble. Sort of. Set during, well, you'll know once you read it.**

"Whitebeard is, after all, just a failure from this era!"

After Akainu said those words, the world around Ace darkened. The sounds from the battlefield dulled into an unsettling hum. The pain and fatigue his body had suffered from his imprisonment in Impel Down was forgotten as he halted and turned to face the admiral, blood pumping in his veins and flames engulfing his two arms wildly.

How dare he?! How dare he talk about things he didn't understand?! Whitebeard was his ultimate salvation, the man who accepted him as a son aboard his ship—who, despite of his stubbornness and determination to kill him, still welcomed Ace with open arms. Edward Newgate was the first man who did not wish for him to die even after learning who his father was.

And because of his Oyaji, he experienced a love that he never imagined would happen to him in a thousand years.

His conversation with the magma Devil Fruit user was a blur of spurts of anger and irritation. He didn't bother paying much attention to it. Ace was always a man of action. It took everything he had not to land a blow.

When he had reached his limit, he pulled back his fist, already blazing, and put everything he had in that punch. Sharp pain cleared his muddled thoughts as his arm burned for the first time in what felt like an eternity. It had been too long since he felt the pain from a burn.

Akainu was talking again, but Ace wasn't listening intently. He only did so when his brother was mentioned.

"Take a good look."

Still numb, he rasped out, "Hey, wait!"

The next moments were hazier in his mind. He didn't know how and when he had stood up. He couldn't remember when he had decided to put himself between his little brother and the magma bastard.

Ace guessed that it was all instinct, and he had never been more thankful for it. The thought of losing his brother was worse than death itself.

He felt liquid trickling down his chin as he fell to his knees and was able to lean against someone. Luffy. He hated that he had to die in front of his brother.

Die? Without any hesitation, Ace knew his moment had come. He had waited for it in the darkest corners of Impel Down, but it seemed fate was much more cruel and decided to kill him off in front of his friends and family. Still, dying alone was more painful.

His head was resting against Luffy's shoulders and he couldn't bring himself to do anything than lift it a little. He saw Marco desperately struggling with the seastone chain around his wrist and choked back a sob. What about Marco? He was going to leave him. This was the First Commander's worst fear; to see Ace die before him. Fate really was cruel.

Ace swallowed and decided to focus on Luffy. "I'm sorry … Luffy." He apologized to his little brother for not letting him get saved properly. When he made out their ship's doctor approaching, he admitted that he knew he was not going to make it. His brother panicked below him and he couldn't bring himself to comfort him, to tell him that everything would go back to normal in the morning. Ace said everything he wanted to say with all his heart.

His lungs were struggling for air and he gasped. "It looks like what I really wanted in the end is not fame at all. It was the answer to the question of whether I should have been born."

He let himself remember his childhood with Sabo and Luffy. All the fun times they had spent together in the deep forests of Goa. And after he'd set sail, he remembered his first crew and then Oyaji's family. Ace had never really known what he was missing until Whitebeard took him in.

His brothers and sisters were all so precious to him. Especially that one guy with the funny hairdo.

It was ironic how just moments ago, he couldn't focus on what was happening around him, and now, he was thinking of every moment he'd spent with Marco. The first meeting, first smile, first teasing, first kiss, first time … the list of their firsts went on, replaying like a broken record in his mind. If Luffy could read his mind, he would laugh at what his big brother was thinking at his last moments.

The pain increased and his body grew heavy. He realized he couldn't do much. Only whisper. "Luffy, I want you to listen to what I say now … and tell it to the guys … afterwards. Oyaji … all you guys … Luffy. Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life … even though I carry the blood of a demon within me …"

At that moment, he spotted a figure coming over to him. He looked up and saw Marco's grief-stricken face. He locked eyes with him as he said, "Thank you … for loving me!" _Marco! _The sob he was holding in broke free.

Ace watched in fascination as Marco's eyes watered and soon, tears streamed down his face. He was mildly disturbed. The commander never cried. At least, not in front of him.

Ace frowned and then realized he didn't want something so sad to be Marco's last memory of him. With the last of his strength, he smiled, a truly happy smile at the older man before he gave in to the darkness.

**A/N: Eek! I'm crazy for writing something so heartbreaking for my birthday. Yes, it's my birthday today, so even if I broke your heart or something, send me some *sniff* love? God, I'm still feeling the effects from writing this!**


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One Piece, Drama, Romance