Work Text:
Marineford hurt.
Ace’s death hurt.
It did then and never stopped.
The worst part is he wasn’t there on the battlefield, fighting to get him back.
No, he was situated as a battle medic. Helping others, but he couldn’t help him. The one who gave him a new life. The one who gave him his name. The one who taught him that his family didn’t matter because there are people who care about him.
And now he was dead, alongside pops. And Thatch, earlier in the year. He was never really friends with him --never got to know him fully, but seeing how his death affected Ace… it hurt, too. That was the last time they saw each other before Marineford happened and all hope of meeting again was destroyed.
At least those three were together in the afterlife, if such a thing existed. He chuckled at the thought of Ace meeting Roger. He’d be so mad if he went to the same place as him.
Everyone said Roger was evil, but was he? Or was he only hated for being such a well-known pirate?
As Doflamingo said… rules change.
The lawful become unlawful. The criminals become heroes. All based on the highest force. The power that rules. The one considered “right”.
He hated it. Cause if only the world was fair, then Ace wouldn’t be dead.
And maybe then, he wouldn’t feel empty saying his own name.
If rules changed, then Ace would forgive him, wouldn’t him? If he left the life of the sea and joined a force to avenge him, would Ace understand? He’d probably tell him not to give up on his dream because of his death, but he already had enough material for a book, so what if he wouldn’t be able to write about his newer adventures? It wouldn’t matter anyway, since Ace wouldn’t appear again.
With Ace’s death, he wasn’t tied to that dream any longer. Another one arose instead.
Would the Revolutionaries need a helping hand? Probably not his, but it never hurt to try. Battle medics were always helpful, after all.