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He's a little bit far when he sees it.
The way that Crocodile scum pierces his baby brother with the hook that he has for a hand and then throws him into the quicksand.
But by the time his fiery fists come flying he merely passes through the remains of the swirling sand.
The bastard's already gone.
He notices that a bit too late, and feels a surge of fury, then worry explodes in his chest when he comes back to the situation at hand.
Luffy.
No no no no no.
He dives into the quicksand without a second thought, and his heart stops at the sight of the body thrown in there. The bloodied body with a hole through his chest and a young face twisted by pain.
The body of his little brother.
He forces himself to move, while feeling the weight of every second passing by that he is forced to let slip by, the weight of his little brother's life on his shoulders, he picks him up with as much gentle care as he can with the sand aggressively closing in, and he releases fire into the sand at such a high speed that it sends them flying out of the deathtrap.
He lands more gently than he ever had, extremely careful not to jostle his little brother any more than he already did.
"Luffy?" he tentatively asks.
No reply.
"Luffy. " He's more aggressive now, shaking the smaller body a little to try and wake him up.
"Otouto-chan..." He's patting his cheek a little.
"Let him rest."
He doesn't even look up at the voice. The voice presses on anyway.
"He'll be fine, you just need to take him to a doctor."
This, is fine?
He stops when a gentle hand is placed on his shoulder. Then the force moves away, and he spares a glance behind him.
No one.
"O-Onii-chan..." His eyes lock with Luffy's own half-lidded ones. Maybe he's looking a little bit too worried, because even in this state Luffy is making a strained smile.
Ace feels a pang in his chest at this, Luffy shouldn't be the one to comfort him.
"I need meat..."
Oh, Luffy. He can't help but crack a small smile. He stands up again with Luffy cradled in his arms, gently as ever.
"In a moment, little buddy."
owari