Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ace sighed in satisfaction, licking steak sauce off of his fingers as he gulped down chunks of meat from a skewer. This was the best resupply mission ever. The Second Division had been dispatched to a quiet spring island, one with rolling hills overlooking a cozy mid-sized town, and they’d been lucky enough to sail with good winds and collect everything needed with time to spare. Given that they didn’t need to leave until first light, Ace had declared that his men deserved one night of shore leave and sent them on their way. Unsurprisingly, most of them had scattered to the bars in the area, with others seeking the brothels. Ace, enjoying the glowing orange haze of the sunset, promised the others that he’d join them for drinks later and instead strolled along the main thoroughfare. Luckily for him, he’d quickly found some food stands selling several local delicacies and a quiet, out-of-the-way bench to sit and appreciate both the view and the food. As each delicious aroma hit his nose, he reveled in his spoils, determined to enjoy every morsel of this oh-so-special meal.

Suddenly, a flash of white drew his eye. He looked up from his food, staring toward the harbor, and scowled as a set of ivory sails came to rest at the docks. Ace quickly appraised the ship; only officers at the Lieutenant Commander level or higher generally received their own vessels (see, Marco? He had been listening to Izo’s explanation!). The name emblazoned on the mainsail sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it; maybe he'd heard it in passing a while ago? In this case, that could only be a good thing; it meant that whoever had docked was below the Rear Admiral level, as he was well-informed about THAT group of bastards, and thus someone that he could most likely take in a fight.

He tore into his meat again, feeling slightly more bloodthirsty than before, and tossed the now bare skewer into a nearby trash can. Those damn Marines… the war at Marineford eighteen months ago had changed everything (he remembered Luffy dragging him, trying desperately to get him to safety; he remembered just being on the verge of passing out, barely able to place one foot in front of the other; he remembered a voice, tearful and resonant, that had given them just enough time to escape… memories he’d much rather try to forget, even if he’d never be granted the privilege of anonymity again). Once he’d returned home, his body and soul barely intact, he’d been forced to take a step back, to train until his limbs felt like lead, to push himself until his vision swam. If he didn’t, then… then… Ace shook his head. To become a burden was unthinkable. Even if he now knew and understood the depth of his family’s love for him, how much they cared, it also meant that Ace was even more acutely aware of how weak he was. As much as he loved the Whitebeards, he still craved his independence, meaning that he at least needed to be strong enough to protect himself and his division while away from the Moby Dick. If he’d wanted to retire and live quietly on an island somewhere, then they certainly would have allowed it, but the selfish part of Ace demanded that he remain and train until he was up to snuff.

He took a deep breath, in and out, and slowly relaxed his hands (when had they curled into fists?). He wasn’t about to rush in and make trouble, but if trouble found him, he’d deal with it accordingly. Until then, he’d stay alert and maybe do some reconnaissance at the docks, just to know what he was working with. A quiet huff escaped him; maybe one good thing had come out of Marineford. With all the time he’d spent thinking about and regretting everything from his birth to his impending death, he’d also gotten a little better at planning, it seemed. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was a bit of a hothead at heart, but time and experience had tempered him and he and his division had finally been approved to handle a mission by themselves.

(He refused to admit that it had also taken him this long to even ask for a mission, to feel confident enough to be away from the Moby Dick for long periods of time. Nobody in his division had said that they’d minded, but that wasn’t nearly enough to stop his brain from worrying about it.)

With a start, he got to his feet, having every intention of strolling down to the dock to check out the boat before the sun set completely. Yet before he could take a single step, his observation haki shouted a warning, and in a flash, he dodged slightly to the left, just in time to miss a seastone dart that embedded itself into the stone right next to him. Shit. Quickly, Ace called upon his fire, whirling around to face his opponents, only to see overgrown hedges with no sign of life. His senses on alert, Ace felt his breathing pick up. "Where are you?!" he screamed. "Come out, you bastard!" Nothing. Ace's brain kicked into overdrive. Should he run back down to rally his men and find his attackers? No, there wasn't time. Besides, he could handle himself; he wasn't a commander for nothing!

As if to break him out of his reverie, a seastone bullet whizzed past, and once again, Ace barely managed to dodge, the impact shattering a nearby pot. Ace's gaze locked onto the direction that the bullet had come from, and he began to sprint toward it, eager for a fight. A fight was just what he needed to distract him from all of these unwelcome thoughts! If he could just--

His observation haki rang out one more warning, but it was too late. Ace felt a prick in the back of his neck, and like an anchor in the ocean, he was dragged down beneath waves of dreamless sleep.

When Ace came to, he immediately felt the telltale chafe of seastone cuffs around his wrists (restrained tightly behind his back, of course) and the sluggishness seeping deep into his bones. He blinked a few times, trying to make out his surroundings as best he could, but he was laying on his stomach, his head facing right, which unfortunately didn’t offer the best view. Night had already fallen, although a weak sputter of light emanated from somewhere to his left, and from the look and feel of the floor and walls (as well as the draft), he’d been brought to an abandoned stone structure.

Turning his head to the left, Ace immediately spotted two men and a woman in black suits, fedoras, and long white coats, the three of them discussing something in hushed tones. One of the men was tall and gangly, with waist-length yellow locks and a cigarette dangling idly from his lips. The woman was slightly shorter than the smoker, with her shoulder-length purple hair cut in a bob and sunglasses perched on her nose, despite the darkness. Goldilocks and Grape Lady were standing still, while the other man was sitting at a small wooden table. Ace couldn’t quite get a good look at him, though, as the other two were pretty effectively blocking him from view. As he was sizing them up, all three turned toward him. The tall smoker walked over to Ace, quickly inspecting him. “Ah, good. You’re awake,” he murmured in a thick West Blue accent. “You must be wondering why you’re here. You see, we of CP6 are waiting for our transfer ship, and we happened to see you and chose to… capitalize on the opportunity.” The agent’s grin was full of knives, and Ace grimaced at the maliciousness practically oozing off of his captor. “When we deliver you to headquarters, I have no doubt that our superiors will be quite pleased.”

Ace snarled at him, struggling vainly to free himself. “You’ll never get away with it! I’ll yell! My men–”

“Your men,” the woman interrupted, her voice honey-smooth, “won’t even notice that you’re gone. I took the liberty of paying for twenty rounds of food and drink, and eight hours at the brothels, for your division members. They’ll all be far too busy to notice your absence until long after we’ve left, and not even tracking your vivre card will make a difference. Besides, even if you do yell, there’s nobody close enough to hear.” With a light chuckle, she turned her back on Ace as Blondie walked away to rejoin her and their other companion, a stout guy with a thin mustache and a shifty gaze. He reminded Ace of a rat.

The commander's heart sank in his chest like a devil fruit user in the ocean. Normally, he’d have confidence that someone in the crew would keep their wits about them and only order water, but this time, he couldn’t be sure. He’d left everyone to their own devices, thinking that he’d fill the role himself, and even though his division knew to contact him if there were any problems, that wouldn’t do much good if they didn’t know that there were problems in the first place. Would they have even noticed that he’d never joined them at the bar?

Slight tears threatened to form in the corners of his eyes, and Ace swallowed them down. What had he been thinking? If he’d only trained his haki more, then they wouldn’t have gotten the jump on him. If he’d just remained with his crew from the start, it would have made him a harder target. If he’d stayed on the Moby Dick, he wouldn’t have gotten captured again. If he hadn’t been born…

No, Ace. What had Tate told him during their therapy sessions? Don’t blame yourself for things that you can’t control. It wasn’t (entirely) his fault that things had turned out this way, but as soon as he got back home, he could throw himself into training to be more prepared for the future. He wasn’t alone. He took another deep breath, wishing that he could feel the familiar thrum of his fire beneath his skin. However, in its absence, all he could do was stop burning energy on despair and start formulating escape plans. Maybe…

Ace closed his eyes and concentrated. He could try using conqueror's haki, but he hadn't yet been able to consciously manifest it beyond a fairly harmless shock. Armament wouldn't help here either; it came far more naturally to him than the others, but in his weakened state, he felt somewhat pessimistic about drawing out enough power to break the cuffs. That left only one option. His observation haki was still fairly weak, but he understood the basics; this type of haki was all about perceiving others. At least five of his division members could use some level of haki technique, so if he could just make sure that they noticed him somehow…

Deep inside of himself, Ace sharpened his Voice, concentrating his emotions into something that anyone who could use observation haki would be able to sense. His desperation, his confidence that someone would come, his worry, his hope, his fear… instead of pushing these emotions away, Ace embraced them, condensing them into a beacon that would hopefully alert anyone in the vicinity. Please… please let someone find me. I need help… I NEED HELP!

Three pairs of eyes snapped toward him, and moments later, the tip of a steel-toed boot connected with his stomach, shattering his focus. A gasp shuddered through him and his eyes opened wide as he reflexively stared up at his attacker, who turned out to be the woman. "Try that again, and I’ll kill you here and now," she sneered sweetly, her previously smug expression having morphed into something stormy.

The rat man, who’d been watching Ace with interest, suddenly stood up, his chair scraping loudly across the stone floor. The noise caused Cigs to shift his eyes back; Grapes, meanwhile, refused to avert her gaze from Ace. “How long until the boat arrives?” he asked, and unlike the other two, he actually signed his query in Grand Line Standard Sign Language, making the motions with crisp, practiced strokes. Despite this, his hands trembled with urgency; clearly, he'd also sensed Ace's wordless cry.

Blondie nodded. “It should arrive first thing in the morning, give or take–”

Suddenly, a sharp, insistent knock echoed throughout the room. The three CP6 members shared shocked glances before staring at something over Ace’s shoulder, likely the front door. “Did you–” the smoker began, and just as the other two shook their heads, the knocking resumed, with three short raps this time.

“This is the Marines! Please open the door at once; we are conducting an inspection.” A youthful voice, somewhat muffled by the thick wood, carried into the room, bearing not only politeness but also no small amount of authority. Ace’s eyes narrowed; for some reason, that voice sounded highly familiar, but he couldn’t place it. It certainly wasn’t his Gramps’ or Isuka’s, nor was it… Smoke? Smokey? That Marine who’d been chasing Luffy in Alabasta. Yet oddly enough, this voice stirred something in his heart, and Ace tried to crane his neck toward the door as if that would give him even the slightest clue toward the identity of the mysterious Marine.

Glasses briefly nodded to the other two, ignoring Ace, and as the blond pulled a gun and the rat assumed a martial stance, the woman cracked open the wooden door, obviously unwilling to open it fully. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice cloyingly sweet.

“Yes ma’am,” came the Marine’s voice, clearer now, and once again Ace was struck by how familiar it was. If only he could just see who was speaking! “We’ve received reports of a disappearance in the area, and it is our duty to inspect each structure. Please cooperate to the best of your ability and we will be quick.”

Grapes made a small sound of displeasure. “Hm. I’m sorry, but we really can’t have you intruding on our business–huh?!” Ace could distinctly make out the sound of splintering wood, and the door falling apart behind him. “What do you think you’re doing?!” the woman shouted, a sharp contrast to the even click of boot heels as someone new entered the stone room.

“Stop right there!” ordered Blondie, letting loose two quick shots. There was the sound of swishing fabric, an angry call of “you missed?!” from Glasses, and then a long white jacket–a Marine jacket–being gently laid atop Ace’s back.

“Don’t worry,” the voice murmured from somewhere behind him, much more reassuring than authoritative this time. “You’re going to be ok.”

Ace couldn’t quite voice his disbelief, but before he had time to reply, the Marine was moving, and finally, Ace could see his face. His “rescuer” was fairly short compared to most of the Whitebeards, with light pink hair and a bright floral headband that supported a pair of thick, circular glasses. More than that, though, Ace could see that the guy was young; about the same age as Luffy, if he had to guess. What was someone like this doing with an officer’s coat? Could he be…

His thoughts were drawn to an abrupt halt as he took in the scene before him. Right before his eyes, the three agents had surrounded the Marine, the woman panting as blood trickled from her mouth. She’d likely been hit when the door had been kicked in. The smoker brandished his gun in the guy’s direction, eyes wide and jittery. The mustached man was hanging back, evidently sizing up the situation. Suddenly, as if a signal had gone off, Grapes and the rat rushed the Marine as the blond fired into the fray.

Blood flew through the air, some of it in Ace’s direction, although most of it landed on the quilt-like coat rather than on Ace himself. However, it wasn’t the Marine’s blood dotting the coat; rather, the spray had come from Grapes, who’d been kicked into the wall above Ace’s head, her nose broken at an odd angle. She slumped against the stone, letting out a quiet moan as she lapsed into unconsciousness. Two more shots rang out before the Marine’s foot silenced the pistol permanently, the familiar sheen of armament haki coating his boots in black as the gun's barrel cracked beneath the blow. Blondie stumbled back in shock, grasping at his wrist and staring blankly at the intruder. The rat attempted to catch him off guard, bringing his leg down into a sweep, but the Marine jumped at the last second and caught him mid-rotation, grabbing him in a headlock. Using his free hand to deliver a swift strike to the temple, he knocked the man unconscious in a matter of moments. This left only the blond, who was staring wide-eyed at the intruder, and with a quick “Soru!” the Marine was behind him, quickly dropping him as well.

Once all three CP6 agents were down, the Marine inspected their bodies as if searching for something. Once he was satisfied, he walked over to Ace and crouched down beside him. “What do you want with me?” Ace asked, clenching his jaw. The situation was just going from bad to worse; this Marine was obviously capable, and even though Ace could probably match him in a fair fight, his current circumstances were by no means fair.

His fighting spirit drained away, however, at the slight pout that now crossed his supposed rescuer’s face. “Believe it or not,” the Marine answered, “I really am here to rescue you. Your men are worried sick.” Ace blinked in surprise, then in downright disbelief as the guy freed him from the seastone cuffs. Had he really searched the bodies just to find the key?

“...Thanks,” the logia muttered, rubbing his wrists as he moved to sit up. The bloodied jacket fell from his shoulders, its warmth and weight no longer needed. “I’m Ace. Who are you? Why are you here?” Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be this calm when face to face with an enemy, but this Marine had shown him no small amount of goodwill, and if he had meant to harm Ace, then there was really no point in freeing him from the seastone.

“Oh, I’m Koby! Erm, Lieutenant Commander Koby,” his rescuer explained, and Ace was taken aback as his mind connected the dots. THIS was the captain of the ship in the harbor?

As if oblivious to Ace’s surprise (or perhaps he was just used to this sort of reaction), Koby took the seastone cuffs and resecured them around Glasses’ wrists. The Marine then dug around in his pocket, retrieving a set of regular handcuffs, and secured Blondie as well. For the rat, Koby cast his gaze around the room before his eyes settled on some sturdy rope in the corner. He quickly bound the man’s hands and feet together before nodding in satisfaction. With that done, Koby plucked his dirtied jacket from the floor and held a hand out to Ace. “I’m stationed at Marine Headquarters. As for why we’re here, we were just restocking when–”

Ace interrupted him with a growl of annoyance, throwing his arms up in the air before taking the offered hand and pulling himself to his feet. “No! I mean, why are you here? Why did you help me?”

Koby silently blinked for a moment, then simply replied, “Like I said, your men were worried about you, Ace-san. We’d overheard that you’d disappeared, and when my own men and I decided to help with the search, I heard you.”

Ace’s eyes widened as he registered the emphasis. “You… you heard me?”

The Marine nodded, smiling reassuringly. “Yeah. I could hear you calling for help, trying to make yourself known to anybody with haki who might have been nearby. I know I’m probably not the help you were hoping for, but once I’d heard you, well, I couldn’t just leave you.”

Something about that statement struck Ace as odd; there was a strange weight to that last sentence that he didn’t fully understand. However, just as he was about to ask for clarification, Koby sighed and turned toward the door. “I can tell you more later if you’d like, but for now, why don’t you meet up with your men? I can feel their worry from here, and I should report back to my crew as well.”

Ah, right. His men. But first… he looked toward the unconscious agents. ”Why are we just leaving them here? If we kill them, then–”

“If we kill them,” Koby interrupted, “then when their backup comes and finds them–because they will–the Whitebeards will be made out as villains who slew innocents on a civilian island. Let their superiors punish them for their failures and insubordination; I’ll do what I can to make sure that it happens.”

The commander gave Koby a weighty look, and the Marine returned it in equal measure. Ace knew what lay in the craters of his eyes; fiery passion, burning brightly. In the depths of Koby's gaze, Ace saw the ocean, calm and inviting, but deceptively intense. It was the kind of gaze that saw through you, and given Koby's apparent proficiency in observation haki, maybe he wasn't too far off the mark. Either way, it was a look that promised action, and despite his lengthy history with the Marines, Ace found himself trusting Koby at his word.

It wasn't a terribly bad feeling.

“Fine,” Ace replied aloud, his stare softening. “I'll hold you to it, then.”

Chapter Text

The Second Division had erupted into cheers of celebration once Ace came back, and although he’d tried several times to apologize, his division members shrugged it off, really just happy that he’d come back to them in one piece. Elmer and Partridge, two of his division members who could use haki, told him much the same thing that Koby had: his attempt at making himself a beacon had actually worked, and had been rather effective in snapping them out of their stupor. They hadn’t meant for Koby and his crewmates to overhear that Ace had gone missing, but in the chaos of finding and alerting the rest of the division, it made sense that the secret would slip. Mostly, Ace was glad that none of them had been hurt or drugged by the enemy agents; even though it was likely due to an abundance of caution on CP6’s part and having a surprise opportunity more than anything else, he was still grateful that there were no casualties or injured to speak of during their rather harrowing evening.

The crew had unanimously agreed to return to the ship that night. Even though the situation had been resolved about as well as it could have been, they still didn’t trust that nothing else would go wrong, particularly regarding the transfer ship that the CP6 agents had apparently been waiting on. However, their caution didn’t stop them from carrying out Ace’s plan, which involved conducting a full inspection of the stone building; confiscating the agents’ den den mushi, extra berri, supplies, and weapons; and then spending each and every berri on a few more rounds of food and drinks. The Marines didn’t even bother trying to stop them; Koby must have let them know that he’d allowed it. Still, it warmed Ace's heart to see that the Lieutenant Commander had kept his word, and even more than that, several members of his division reported that as soon as they’d confirmed that he was missing, the 30-man platoon of Marines had offered to join the search. They’d woken up townspeople, collected statements, and generally helped as much as they could. It was somewhat strange to think about, but while Ace had a fairly negative view of the Marines in general, his crew appeared to think that these Marines weren’t half-bad, and truthfully, that went a long way toward reassuring Ace as well.

Later that night, once his division had been reduced to a mass of sleepy, celebratory sailors, Ace carefully crept away from the ship. He walked through the sleeping streets of the town to the bench he’d found earlier that day, pausing once he realized that Koby was already there. The Lieutenant Commander was simply sitting and waiting for him, staring out into the vast expanse of the ocean. Ace didn’t have a clue what was going through his head. “Uh, sorry. Were you waiting long?”

“Nah,” Koby chirped, turning his head to look toward Ace as he leaned back comfortably against the bench. “You’re fine.”

Ace shuffled over, taking a seat on the bench next to the Marine. He had so many questions that he’d wanted to ask and yet now that he was here, he could think of absolutely none of them… save for one.

“Koby, I know you said earlier that you'd come to save me because my men were looking for me, but… why? I'm a pirate, and given everything that's happened, there's not a chance in hell that you don't recognize me.” A bitter laugh escaped Ace’s lips, his smile failing to reach his eyes as he looked away from the Marine. “Honestly, I was amazed that you took those seastone cuffs off of me. It didn’t make sense, and even less so once you said you were from headquarters.”

Koby hummed thoughtfully. “I guess… there are a few reasons,” he murmured, catching Ace by surprise. He’d half expected something like “because I wanted to” or some other bullshit, but if he had actual reasons, then Ace was more than willing to listen.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But first and foremost, it’s because it was the right thing to do.”

Oh. There was the bullshit. “The right thing to do,” Ace repeated flatly.

“Yes.”

Ace almost wanted to smack him here and now; what the hell was that supposed to mean? If it was more self-righteous, justice-worshipping nonsense, then Ace would just deck him and move on with his life, but the ring of honesty and the sheer conviction in the Marine’s voice stayed the logia’s hand. Instead, he ground out, “And how did you figure that?”

Koby sighed, looking down over the town. “You called for help, and I had the ability to help. So I did. That was it, really.”

Ace blinked, somewhat taken aback. Who did that? This guy couldn’t be serious; nobody in their right mind was that altruistic. Seemingly ignoring his reaction, Koby pressed on.

“But it’s not just that. It’s you yourself, Ace-san. My observation haki is pretty strong. I could tell by your men's Voices just how much they worried for and cared about you; they wouldn’t feel that way about a commander who gave them hell.”

…Huh. The observation lit a spark in Ace’s chest, warm like a fireplace. Ace’s own observation haki was pretty shitty, but he still knew that his division cared about him. Yet, hearing it from an outsider was pretty damn validating. That said…

“You shouldn’t have bothered.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ace blinked at the edge that had appeared in the Marine’s words.

“You’re a Marine and I’m a pirate. Any sensible Marine would have just left me, especially once you’d realized that it was Cipher Pol behind it all.”

“Maybe. But like I said, saving you was the right thing to do.”

“...” Ace fell silent, his hands clenching into fists. “Don’t act like you don’t know who I am. The entire Marine force must know by now, about who my father is and–”

“I know. I know perfectly well who you are, Ace-san.” Koby interrupted his tirade as smoothly as a ship parting a calm sea. “I was there at Marineford that day, 16 years old and terrified for my life.” Koby turned to face Ace, and the seriousness in the Marine’s eyes hooked Ace like a fish on the rod; he couldn’t look away. Maybe THAT was why he’d seemed so familiar.

“I was there alongside my mentor, facing down some of the world’s greatest pirates, who were there to save their kin. I was there, listening as my superiors dragged justice’s name through the mud, aiming to kill an innocent man made out to be a criminal just because of who his father was.”

Ace suddenly shot to his feet, staring down at the Marine. Fire began to crawl along his arms and wreathe his legs. “FINE! I’m sorry! I’m sorry that it’s my fault you were dragged into a war zone just because YES, my bastard father was Gol D. Roger. I’m sorry I ruined your life too–”

“But you didn’t.”

“...I… what?” Ace felt himself deflate a bit, some of his defensive ire snuffing itself out like a candle.

“You didn’t do anything like ruin my life, Ace-san. That’s ridiculous. Again, if anything, you were much more of a victim in all of this than I was.”

Ace plopped back down on the bench again, his body suddenly feeling heavy as if his anger had been the only thing keeping him standing. “But… I’m…HIS son…”

“Did you take his name?”

“What? No!”

“Did you ever want to be like him?”

“Not at all.”

“Did you ever decide to take up his mantle as your reason for sailing the seas?”

“Grrrrr… Goddamnit, NO! I just wanted to be free of him!”

“Then there you go. Children shouldn’t be judged for the sins of their parents, and since you’ve cut your ties with him, how can I blame you for the aftermath of things he did?”

Ace fell silent. He had no words to break this stupid bubblegum Marine’s impervious logic. “Then why…” he whispered, “then why did they do it?”

Koby’s expression seemed to melt into one of sadness, and he gently reached out a hand toward Ace, placing it on the bench as if to close the distance between them just a little bit.

“Because they decided to do what was easy. Not what was right.”

Ace closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench, the cold stone feeling somewhat refreshing. “I kinda wish someone had told me that when I was younger. But it’s nice to hear it now.” He cracked open an eye, turning toward Koby. “So how come you’re not the same as the rest of those guys, huh?”

Koby gave a soft chuckle in response. “Well, your family has quite a lot to do with it. For example, I know your little brother, Monkey D. Luffy-san. In fact, I’d call him one of my best friends.”

Ace’s eyes popped open and he sat up straight, staring at the Marine in shock. He could tell that his jaw had dropped, but he made no move to close it. Instead, a loud “EHHHHHHHHHHH?!” came spilling out, almost disturbing the otherwise placid night. Koby, the pink-headed bastard who’d just turned his world upside-down, giggled in response.

“It’s true! My family lived on a tiny island in East Blue. One day, when I was 14, I boarded what I thought was a fishing boat. As it turned out… it wasn’t. It was a skiff commandeered by some pirates.” Koby looked embarrassed, and frankly, Ace could see why; it was kind of a dumb mistake to make! The Marine hunched forward, tapping his fingers on his knees and taking a deep breath before continuing his tale.

“They took me back to their captain, Lady Alvida. She was this…” Koby took a deep breath, embarrassment giving way to something deeper, more pensive as his gaze moved back out to the sea. “This...awful, abusive hag with a spiked club. I begged for my life on my hands and knees, and in her words, that was the only reason why she didn’t kill me. From there, she found out that I was good at navigation, so she ensured that I never left the boat without her knowledge, and demanded that everyone on her ship call her beautiful or get a beating. Didn’t stop her or her men from beating me bloody on a whim, though… Let’s just say that my medicine skills improved pretty quickly.”

Koby let out a hollow laugh and fell silent for a moment, licking his lips, and Ace could see it, see the flashes of pain and trauma that accompanied his expression. He knew that look. But before he could say something comforting or even reach out a hand, Koby sat up, squared his shoulders, and straightened his spine. Ace swallowed his words, waiting; maybe telling this story was Koby's method of working through his pain.

“One day, after spending about two years in that hellhole, a barrel washed up onto the beach of our island hideout. I had just rolled it inside the storage shed when three of Alvida’s men walked in, demanding to know what was in it. At the time, I thought it was sake, so imagine my surprise when it burst open to reveal some kid my age!”

Koby’s laughter was genuine this time, infectious in its joy, and Ace couldn’t help but laugh along with him, easily seeing where this was going.

“Before I knew it, Lady Alvida had already shown up and destroyed the building with her mace. In the chaos, I managed to drag the kid away from the storage shed, and show him the boat that I’d been trying to piece together from scraps, but really, I didn’t think I would ever use it. At that point, I was so close to just giving up and accepting that I would serve Alvida for the rest of my life. Yet Luffy… Luffy-san saved me. He told me that he was going to be the King of the Pirates, and somehow, despite everything in me saying it was impossible, he made it sound possible. He swore that even if he died trying, then at least he tried!”

The storm swirling in Koby’s voice was breathtaking.

“It renewed my resolve. I thought that if there was anything worth risking my life for, it was trying to achieve my dream of being a Marine. I’d wanted to be one ever since I was a kid, and after everything that Alvida had done to me, I wanted it even more. I wanted to protect the people like me who’d been terrorized by pirates. I decided then and there that I would risk my life to become a Marine, because giving my all and failing to achieve my dream was better than letting that witch break me!”

Koby had evidently worked himself up, because after a moment he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. “Ah, sorry about that,” he grinned, facing Ace with an embarrassed look. “I just… that was my turning point. After that, Alvida showed up, and Luffy knocked her and her whole gang down! He didn’t even flinch when she hit him with her mace, and with one punch, he stretched out his arm and knocked her right out! Luffy-san defeated them so easily that I felt silly for being scared of her for so long.

After that, he demanded that they give us a boat–a real boat, not the hunk of junk that I’d been working on–and we set out together. I was with him when he met Zoro-san, and that’s another story, but once they set out and I joined the Marine base at Shells Town, that’s where my career as a Marine finally started.”

“That… sounds like Luffy,” Ace replied, completely blown away by how batshit insane and yet completely in character that sounded. “But… wait. You found him in a barrel?”

“Yes. Apparently, he’d steered his ship into a whirlpool, and because of his devil fruit abilities, he couldn’t swim, so hiding in a barrel was his only way of surviving.”

“...Ah. Ok, so Luffy’s basically your savior. I guess that makes sense.”

“Yes, but that’s not all. The Marines in Shells Town were horribly corrupt, a far cry from what I thought Marines should be. They terrified the civilians and abused a man for fun.”

“Wait, when you say ‘a man,’ was that Zoro?! Luffy’s first mate? Then you’re… oh my god. YOU’RE Koby!”

“Yes, it–wait, huh?”

“Luffy told me about you! He told me that you were some scared weakling when he’d met you, and that when he’d rescued Zoro, you’d been pissing your pants at the thought of going up against the Marines. But when they broke their promise to Zoro and one of them took you hostage, you actually stood up for yourself in the end! Man, I wish I could’ve seen it.”

Koby gave a surprised laugh, a faint blush of embarrassment dusting his cheeks. “Yeah, I was really weak back then. But after having gone through all of that, it inspired me to get stronger. I still have a long way to go, but I’m getting closer to my dream every day.

…That said, I can’t get there by myself. Garp-san has helped me a lot though.”

That made Ace pause. “Wait. Garp-san? As in, Garp the Fist?”

“Yes! He’s my mentor.”

Ace resisted the urge to throw his hands up in disbelief. Garp had been his mentor. Of course he’d been; why wouldn’t he? At this rate, Lieutenant Commander Koby would also secretly be a D. and end up being the prince of a lost kingdom. Seriously, how was this guy so good at making connections with his whole-ass family?

Then again, compared to the stories Luffy had told of him, Koby was definitely not the same sniveling weakling he had been. Ace had to give Garp credit; despite being one of the shittiest excuses for a parent in existence, he was good at making sure that weaklings were ready to brave the wild world they called home.

Ace couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, congrats on surviving my shitty gramps, I guess. But what were you saying about a dream?”

“Heh. Well… being an admiral. That’s my dream.”

Ace fell silent for a moment at the proclamation, his good humor morphing into something a little more serious. “...If you do become an admiral, what then?”

Koby leaned back on the bench as well, staring at the stars. “I’d make the Marines a group that lives up to what it claims to be. A place of justice, but where that justice is tempered by mercy. A people who citizens can rely on and take heart when they see them, rather than be fearful. An organization that doesn’t kill innocents for no good reason, or start pointless wars that simply waste human life.”

“Human life…” Something about that seemed to click with something in Ace’s brain. The questions he’d had earlier came rushing back to him, and in a moment of clarity, he sat up and turned toward Koby with a profoundly new understanding. “It was you.”

Koby blinked, surprised by Ace’s change in attitude. “Huh?”

“It was you. It was your voice I heard, the one that stopped the war at Marineford. You. You… gave Luffy a chance to escape. You gave my crew time to get away.” Tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. He tried to wipe them away but he couldn’t quite manage; they were falling too quickly for him to stop. How long had it been since he’d last cried in front of someone else, much less a stranger?

“But… but why?” Ace murmured, trying to pull himself together. “Why would you risk your life to stop it? Why would you go so far?”

Koby reached into his pocket, and offered him a handkerchief. It was just as floral as his bright-ass headband, and Ace took it gingerly, holding it to his leaking eyes. “Truthfully, I wasn’t even thinking about it at the time. All I knew was that the war had to end, and that someone had to do something, even if that person was me.”

Koby took a breath, taking in Ace’s teary eyes, and bit his lip, worrying that he was also about to start sobbing. “Ace-san, please remember this: no matter what anyone else says, I’m glad that you’re alive. I’m glad that an innocent life wasn’t lost to such a travesty of justice.”

Koby’s words bounced around in Ace’s skull over and over like a refrain. He was glad? And yet, everything he’d seen so far pointed to this being the truth. A Marine, of all people, was telling him that he was glad that he was here and that it wasn’t his fault. That none of it was his fault. This was different than hearing it from Luffy, or from his crew. This was hearing it from someone who should have hated him, and yet instead stood for everything that Ace had wanted, needed to hear and to feel from someone in his life. He was innocent.

The floodgates burst. Tears poured from Ace’s eyes, and even his heart felt like it was crying. What kind of sense did that make? Had he really been so desperate to hear this all along? As his thoughts scrambled to put themselves in order, he felt something warm, like a blanket, being draped over him. Once again, the warmth of that bloodstained officer’s coat was surrounding him, a blanket and a boundary all in one. He couldn’t help but pull it tighter around him.

Over the sound of his own sobbing, Ace could vaguely hear Koby sobbing too. Maybe it was pity, or maybe it was something else, but somehow or another, it made Ace feel just a little bit less alone.

“So Ace,” Koby started as the two made their way back down to the docks, “do you have a dream?”

The sky was beginning to lighten, and the two captains had left their bench to find their way home to their respective crews. The town was beginning to wake up around them, orange rays of sun stretching across the skies as yawning townsfolk began their mornings. Koby’s coat was back on his shoulders, the elegant “Justice” billowing in the wind with each step they took, and Ace’s face was noticeably more clear, his steps almost having a spring to them as they walked along, shoulder to shoulder. “A dream, huh? Honestly, I used to, but now I don’t know.”

Koby hummed in response. “Yeah? What was it?”

Ace gave a quiet sigh. “I wanted to come out from under my father’s shadow. I wanted to convince myself that I was strong despite having his blood. But now… I don’t know. I don’t really know what I want. To tell you the truth, I’m still not ok after everything that happened.”

Koby simply nodded in understanding. “That’s alright, Ace. After everything that I experienced with Lady Alvida, I wasn’t ok for a long time. It took a lot of therapy and a lot of self-growth to get to where I am now, and some days are still worse than others; some days, it’s hard to remember that I am free.”

The Marine took a breath, glancing toward the morning waves. “But you’ll get there, Ace-san. I’m sure you will. And along the way, you’ll probably find a new dream, something else worth working toward. Who knows, maybe it’s closer than you think.”

His steps stopped, and Ace stopped in turn. Before them were their ships, crews already getting to work. Cheers and calls of “good morning!” came from all directions, some even directed toward the other ship.

“Commander Ace!” one of his men called. “Good morning!”

“Heyo, Commander! We’re ready to go!”

“We’ve got everything we need!”

Nothing but smiles could be seen on his men’s faces, and Ace felt his heart lighten at the sight. Maybe there was something to what Koby had said after all. After a moment, as if interrupting his train of thought, the pink-haired Marine’s voice jolted him back to reality. “So, I think this is where we part ways.”

“Huh?” Ace replied dumbly.

“You need to get going, and we’re going to stay and deal with CP6,” Koby explained. “Don’t worry; we’ll be sure to keep the town out of any trouble.”

“Oh. Yeah, thanks,” Ace replied, getting his head back in order. He held out a hand toward the Lieutenant Commander. “And, uh, it was nice to meet you Koby. Thanks for everything.” He couldn’t quite put into words just what that everything was, but from the kind expression on Koby’s face, he was pretty sure he understood.

“You’re welcome, Ace-san. And thank you.”

“What for? I didn’t do anything.”

Ace’s vehement denial was met with another laugh, and Ace scowled in return. He didn’t like being out of the loop! “Oh, but you did. Luffy-san may have told you about me, but he told me about you too. It’s because of you that he is who he is, and it’s because of you, albeit indirectly, that I am who I am. So, Ace-san… thank you.” With that, the Marine bowed, a textbook example of decorum, and both ships went utterly still at the gesture, the talk and hubbub coming to an abrupt halt. Marines don’t bow to pirates, Ace thought, but then again, when had this guy ever done anything that he’d expected? In the face of such sincerity, Ace could only give a clumsy bow in response, but from the look of gratitude in Koby’s eyes, that was more than enough.

Suddenly, the spell was broken by a call from his ship. “Commander! We’re ready to go when you are!” Right. They needed to go. Ace hopped about the ship and directed the crew to pull out of the harbor. With practiced ease, the men got the ship moving, until slowly but surely, they were free to sail. Ace was about to give the order to move, when, as if on impulse, he turned back to shore to stare at a little pink splotch on the pier.

“See you next time, Lieutenant Commander!”

A loud, bell-like laugh echoed out in return, along with a call of “Until then, Second Commander!” bellowing across the waves. Ace couldn’t help but smile; like Koby, he also had a long way to go toward becoming strong. His trauma, his struggles, his self-doubt… those wouldn’t go away overnight, and yet, somehow, his heart felt light. It was the right call to request this mission, despite his worries, and once he returned to the Moby Dick, he could start to build himself back up, one little bit at a time.