Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Vivi meets Luffy, she knows who he is. 

It scares her for a moment. The power that others cannot see radiates from him, nearly blinding. She fears his anger but cannot stop standing against him, having chosen her path.

But then he smiles and greets her by name, as though they were not enemies. He knows her far more than she knows him but that smile makes her hesitate. He’s warm like the old prophecies her father used to tell her by the fire. She finds herself trusting him before she even realizes it. 

He promises to help her country, even though a warlord is against him. She knows the prophecies say he’ll need Them. She knows that without Them he’s only a man. But the power shines in her eyes and she believes in his strength.

She meets his brother as well. She meets Ace, who smirks and holds the same power in his eyes. Under the desert night sky, the starlight in his hair seems impossible but she knows it’s because she sees too much.

He greeted her by name as well. He even called her a Child of Theia. Parts of her thirst for the knowledge but another sees the age in his eyes and wonders what the price could be. 

She settles for reassuring him about his brother instead. He holds worry in his eyes in a way only an older brother can. No matter who they are, she can reassure a friend’s loved one.

He allows it with a smile and thanks her for it anyways. The kindness and amusement seem almost normal. But, he looks with too old eyes and she can see his light. 

She sees them both and she knows. She knows why her ancestors have been waiting for them. There’s light in their eyes, strength in their soul. They’ll bring a new age, whether the world wants it or not. 

Edward Newgate knew something was off about his new son. 

After months of attacks, Ace had finally given into joining the family. Edward’s jolly roger across the brat’s back makes pride glow in his chest. He jokes and laughs with the crew like he belongs. 

After all of the attacks, Ace had finally settled. It had seemed that, before, the brat had simply bitten off more than he could chew. His attacks were, admittedly, strong but nothing Edward couldn’t handle. Ace’s power was great but normal for a supernova rookie. 

That was until he gave that look. 

Newgate’s daughters were trying to talk him into treatment for his illnesses. He didn’t want to worry them but he didn’t wish to undergo the treatment. He didn’t want for anything to change.

Eventually, his daughters gave up and stormed out of his office. He had sighed then only to be startled by the boy in his office. 

Ace hadn’t worn that look since he finally agreed to become his son. He had a face that was trying to pick through Edward’s defenses. A blank face that was so strange for the expressive pirate he had come to know. Something was off. Edward was on guard but Ace didn’t seem to want to fight.

“Do you not trust them?” The younger asked and Edward’s hackles raised.

“You doubt my care for my children,” he answered sternly. “I would trust them with my life.”

“Do you?” The other didn’t seem even phased by his anger. He simply tilted his head, face still blank. “But you refuse the treatment? You trust them with your life but not your treatment?”

“That’s different.” Edward didn’t know how to navigate this. “I love all of my children.”

“But you hurt them. You won’t even try what they ask.” Silver eyes had turned far too wise when they looked at Edward. “You fear change more than you love them.”

Edward was hit by the statement, never seeing it like that. 

Ace nodded. “You fear acknowledging the change, the age, so you refuse their help. If you take that treatment, you’re accepting the times and you would rather worry your family with helplessness than to accept their help, than to try to live despite it.”

Edward was silent in Ace’s wake, unable to string one sentence. Ace turned to leave but looked over his shoulder for one more piece of advice.

“Change is hard but it’s more painful to watch a person you love die while you're helpless to do anything.”

Edward had seen something then. Something was there inside of Ace. 

Seeing it then made him see it later, at moments when talking to the crew or the other commanders. It always came when he had just started to question if what he saw was real. 

He gave up denying it when he saw Ace outside of the infirmary, Thatch’s blood coating his hands. Marco wasn’t there to see, working with Edward’s daughters to save Thatch with the precious time Ace bought them. Anger burned alongside it then and Edward knew that Thatch’s survival would not spare Teach from his treason. 

“Teach will pay,” Ace spat, the name said like a curse. “I’m going after him.”

Edward knew no matter what he said, Ace would leave. He knew that Ace wouldn’t even humor him. So, he gives in. 

That look didn’t fade even as Ace’s ship disappeared over the horizon. 

Edward’s old captain used to claim to be a god. He would cackle when he said it, as though it was an old joke. The crew had long since dismissed it as ego. 

Edward remembers God Valley, though, and questioned it. He remembers when Roger and Garp appeared. He remembers their forms changing impossibly. 

He had reasoned it as lights or imagination. Looking at Ace, he saw something he only saw in Xebec. Looking at Ace, he saw something that made him accept what he saw then.

Maybe… there’s something a little more to being a D than he realized.

Sabo moved too quietly. 

It was something that should have meant nothing but Koala noticed. He glided across the room with barely a sound despite the buckles and heavy boots he wears. He could make those with the strongest observation haki jump. It was as though you couldn’t notice him unless he wanted it. 

It helped a lot on missions. No matter how out of place he looked in his outfit, the guards always seemed to overlook him. 

Still, she knew something ran under his skin that helped. That something seemed to twist and turn when he was angry. She could almost see it pull at him as he growled.

Something was hidden inside of him and she was the only one who noticed. 

Well, besides Hack. 

Hack said it was his voice though. It was too smooth, too loud, too wise. It was a flute, melodic and piercing. Not quite right for a human.

He just wasn’t normal. Koala saw it. Hack heard it. They kept quiet.

Then, one day, she saw a man in green looming behind Sabo. Sabo knew but wasn’t on guard and she wondered who was hiding under the cloak. 

They were whispering over a newspaper, then. She must have been too loud because the man looked up and she knew. Dragon, the leader of the army, was talking with her partner.

They had never met before but she had heard whispers of the two knowing each other. Now, she knew they were the same.

Dragon’s eyes were the most piercing, seeing her every secret and weakness. He straightened and said a goodbye. If Sabo was melodic, then Dragon was powerful, like a crack of thunder. He moved away as silently, as smoothly, as Sabo does, something unnatural left in his wake.

Sabo turned with a smile that pulled the thing in his skin strangely but was sincere. He hurried to her with a new mission and pulled her along to their friends. 

Something strange lives in Sabo’s skin. The same kind of thing lives in Dragon’s, 

Whatever it is, Koala decides to let it go. She trusts her leader and her partner. 

Sabo likely doesn’t remember it anyway.

Shanks knew the Little Anchor was a little off.

Maybe the biggest tell was the smile. It was too far, too wide. It simply didn’t make sense. 

It stretched as large as the Captain’s did once. 

Shanks felt a sense of nostalgia at that smile. 

Luffy is a pretty normal kid, a pile of energy and determination that hasn’t been crushed by the world yet. The kid even gave himself that scar to prove a point. 

Shanks is going to have gray hair by thirty at this point. Anchor cannot be good for his heart.

Something was still off in other ways. 

Luffy’s hair rustled and tossed in a breeze that didn't exist. Ben had seen it first but Shanks couldn’t not notice when Luffy was inside but his hair moved like it was at sea. 

Luffy’s eyes glowed. They caught the light unnaturally. Shanks wanted to blame it on lighting but the bar was closed and Luffy had woken him in the dead of night. 

The gaze was too old. It saw through Shanks and Shanks felt seen again. He felt a kid, secrets laid bare.

It was like he was with the Captain again. 

Maybe that's why he took to the kid so quickly. Maybe he was clinging to a man years dead. 

No, Shanks saw Anchor with the others. People who had never met the Captain were wrapped around his finger too. The light the boy gave off drew them in like moths to flame. 

The strangeness couldn’t be forgotten, though.

One night, as the bar winded down, Shanks became distinctly aware of that. 

The crew were passed out over tables and each other. Ben was shaking his head and talking with Makino. Luffy had finally agreed to go to bed.

Shanks sat at the bar, whiskey in hand, watching the boy go with a smile.

But the Anchor turned around and looked back. His eyes were too bright again, too seeing. He smiled his too wide smile and whispered words that carried despite the distance.

“You’ve almost found your freedom. You’re just too scared to reach for it.”

Shanks was glad his hand was resting against the bar because his grip weakened in his surprise. His smile dropped and Shanks felt like eyes were watching him from the corners of the room. 

Before he can pull himself together enough to ask, the boy is up the stairs and gone. 

Luffy is strange. Strange in the way that reminds him of too loud laughter and fiery love. It brings back memories of dark hair under a straw hat and blond hair held back by a flower. 

He remembers tales of gods and keepers of temples sailing the sea whispered in the night before the candle was blown out. 

Shanks wonders if those tales were a little more true than he had thought.

Law knew that Luffy was his kin. 

Ridiculousness and recklessness colored every bit of the other pirate but his presence announced him the second he stepped foot on Sabaody. The power in his soul burned against Law’s and he would know it dead.

He supposes it was accurate to call the other a supernova.

Law knew he would have simply brushed the boy off as reckless if he couldn’t feel it. But, how can it be reckless when it’s one of them? How can it be reckless when Luffy has the power behind it?

Still, punching a Celestial Dragon was pure stupidity. Enies Lobby was one thing but laying a hand on a Dragon was simply not done. 

Law, though, saw the look in Luffy’s eye. This wasn’t just a punch. 

It was a declaration of war.

Not war for the strawhats, but for them and their kin. Luffy was making a stand and he was calling the rest of them. 

Law gave a sigh and resigned himself to answer when it came. 

Because it would come. Just as Law can feel Luffy, Luffy can feel Law. He knows his darkness shines in his eyes like Luffy’s light shines in his own. 

Seeing that light when it glanced at him, however, made him pause. His soul felt cool and strong in a way he hadn’t felt since Lami’s death. He had almost forgotten what his own power felt like. 

Looking at Luffy’s light, he felt like he was discovering himself again. 

Yeah… he’ll answer the call.

Chapter Text

Marco just wanted to bring the firestarter home. 

Seeing the chaos and bloodshed that covers the battlefield, he knows that the task wouldn’t be easy. The Marines didn’t want it to be easy. 

He can see Ace, bound beside Sengoku and his executioners, and he feels his heart aching.

Something had drawn him to the firebug ever since the other had first stepped foot on the Moby. It was as though Marco’s own soul knew Ace’s. 

The feeling didn’t dim with time. Ace made himself a home in the crew, bringing joy and laughter. The crew never felt more unified in their love for him and Pops. 

He was their navigator, guiding them with a smirk and a glimmer in his eye. The second division flourished under his care and he was almost supernatural in his tricks and knowledge. He could read the currents like nothing Marco had seen before and could taste a storm in the air long before it opened up on them. His abilities granted him awe from the crew and even the commanders. 

Marco even suspected that he was the reason Pops started taking his medical treatments. Pops looked at him as if he was a curiosity and Ace always had this smug air about him when Pops listened to the nurses. The captain was doing much better than if he had been forced into them by declining health. For that alone, Marco adored him and all his impossibilities. 

Thatch, himself, never left the man alone. Maybe it was the challenge to fill the other’s stomach. Thatch could never settle for a crew member being anything but full. Maybe it was the pranks left scattered on the deck of the ship. Marco had to soothe many tempers that flared when the two got up to their own antics.

When Thatch was hurt, Ace was the one to find him. He was the one to hold him stable until Marco could try to heal enough to move him. He was the one left with blood coating his hands outside the infirmary as Marco took Thatch in for treatment.

That’s why Marco wasn’t surprised when he got out of surgery to hear Vista tell him Ace was leaving. He was surprised that Pops would allow it but he knew Ace would have gone with or without permission. He was just glad for the heads-up.

He had raced to the other commander’s room, still exhausted and covered in blood and sweat. He found him zipping up a bag and sighed in relief. 

Ace had been surprised to see him then but Marco had to tell him. Who knows when the next time they would see each other would be. 

Even with how imperfect it was, Marco would cherish that memory. Him, sweaty and tired, clasping the hands of a blushing Ace as he pours out his heart. The particular sparkle of joy wasn’t hidden as Ace gaped at him. 

He may have chuckled but Ace snapped out of it quickly. He lifted their joined hands and kissed Marco’s, making blue fire jump in his core.

Ace said that he had too many secrets then. He couldn’t love him without telling him all of them and there was no time. 

Ace pulled their heads together when Marco went to open his mouth. Forehead to forehead, he promised him.

“I will tell you when I get back,” Ace whispered. “I will love you when I get back.”

And Marco let him go. Marco held that promise in his ribs and let him sail beyond the horizon because he couldn’t hold him back. He would learn everything when Ace returned.

Standing in the bloodshed, Marco wonders if Ace meant his blood. It was a big secret but Marco hopes Ace didn’t put so much value in blood. Family was who you made it and Ace had never known his father. 

Marco hates that blood had become so important to start a literal war. Ace’s own little brother had fallen from the sky and had his own lineage exposed. Standing beside Pops is the sunshine child Ace used to brag about relentlessly and all the Marines could see was Dragon.

Ace’s head is lowered and his shoulders shake visibly. Marco’s heart aches and he needs to do something. 

Flying didn’t work after Garp the Fist smacked him out of the sky. Marco had seen the shock and pain on Ace’s face as he watched him plummet into the pavilion. 

It only made him more determined to reach him.

When Sengoku calls for the Den Den Mushis to be turned off, Marco’s heart drops. Ace is even shocked and Marco can see other marines’ confusion.

A voice comes over the speaker, then. 

“How underhanded. Do you have something to hide, Fleet Admiral?”

They turn to see a new ship has joined the chaos, thought to be a marine vessel but now boldly displaying the symbol of the Revolutionary Army. 

A blond hops out, Den Den still in hand. “The cameras still roll and you have to do what you’re planning with the world to see, Sengoku.”

“Sabo!” Ace calls. 

Luffy bounces and echoes, “Sabo!”

Marco turns back to the platform when he hears a sigh and is shocked to see Garp standing and going to leave.

“Garp!” Sengoku looks to be at his wits end. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Best to give up now.” Garp replies with a nonchalant shrug. “Nothing we can do now that those three are together.”

Marco glances to see Sabo has joined Luffy in standing beside Pops. They have stopped moving forward, confusing not just Marco.

“Ace!” The two call and Marco thinks it echoes wrong.

“You’re being ridiculous, Garp!” Sengoku seems moments from pulling out his own hair.

Aokiji pipes up, “He is bound, is he not?”

Garp laughs. “Seastone is powerful…” 

Marco’s eyes widen at Ace. 

“But not as powerful as the gods!”

Ace’s fire has returned as he collapses into flames. Fire spills through the battlefield, not hurting, simply passing by. It collects in front of the smiling brothers and Ace reforms before them with a smirk. 

The field is silent as Luffy launches himself at Ace. 

“Ace!” 

Garp bursts into laughter and Sengoku’s gaping stops. “You might want to call off the execution, Senny. Only a god can kill another god!”

Marco moves toward Ace, determined to take advantage of this situation. 

“Did you really expect us to let you kill our brother?” Sabo calls out smugly.

Luffy has let go and now looks out to the battlefield and laughs. Conqueror’s haki follows the sound and knocks some people down. Marco pushes forward.

“Retreat!” Pops calls, seeming on the same page as Marco. “We have got what we came for!”

They fall into a formation around the three, determined to protect them, impossible strength or not. Sabo smiles at them and Ace even gives a huff.

They are not good enough to stop it all. They feel the heat on their backs as Akainu’s fist aims at Luffy. 

Everything happens in slow motion. Sabo pulls Luffy back behind him as Ace jumps between them. 

Marco’s heart drops as the fist goes through Ace. He feels like throwing up when seeing his lover impaled on the admiral’s fist.

“Magma burns hotter than fire.” Akainu’s statement echoes.

Ace chuckles, head hanging. “True, but I’m not normal fire.”

He looks up and Marco watches as his form ripples. Black hair tips red and skin blushes a dark blue. Freckles have changed to starlight and black eyes glow orange. Marco can’t look away.

Akainu screams as he yanks his arm out. Marco sees that his arm has been severely burnt and turns to see flames licking at where Ace should have been wounded. Not a single scratch remained. 

“Now, Red Mutt,” Ace’s voice echoes with the same Conqueror’s his brother had. “You should have listened to the Old Man. You are no god.”

Marco watches in a daze as Ace waves a hand and fire spreads through the crowd. Akainu screams in pain again and scrambles away from the flame. All the marines are affected but the pirates seem to move forward without trouble. 

A hand grabs Marco’s wrist and pulls him back toward the ships. He sees his Ace, back to normal, with a shy smile. 

“Hi,” Ace calls quietly.

“Hi, yoi,” Marco returns breathlessly. 

Ace beams at him and continues to yank him toward the ship. Marco can see Thatch’s exasperated shake of the head but he can’t look away from the man.

They get on the ship and the Red Force arrives to cover their retreat. Marco settles by Ace and sighs with relief. 

They won.

Hours later and their allies have all collected to recover. Some commanders are busy doing damage control but the ones that aren’t are sat up on deck with Pops. Shanks’s crew seems to be dealing with their own injuries but the captain and first mate have boarded and stand beside Pops. They’re all staring at the brothers.

Ace has been turned into a chair for Luffy and is leaning back onto Sabo. They’ve been talking excitedly since they arrived on the ship. 

Trafalgar Law also appeared and offered aid, vouched for by Luffy and Ace. After finishing with his patients, he’s settled next to Luffy and seems to be whispering aggressively at the laughing boy. 

Marco is about at the end of his patience. He opens his mouth to speak but is cut off.

“Captain! A rowboat has been spotted!”

Even tired as they are, crewmates jump up, ready to fight. Luffy’s cry distracts them, however. They turn to see that the brothers have horror on their face but Law just looks exasperated. 

It distracts them enough for a large figure to land on the deck with a heavy thump. 

“You three!” Marco knows that voice. What the Marine Hero is doing here is beyond him.

“Gramps!” Luffy cries and Marco can feel his eyes bulge out of his head.

“You were too reckless! You gave the whole game away!”

“Technically,” Sabo starts, “You were the one to tell them.”

Ace smugly grins. “Yeah, Old Man! We didn’t say anything!” 

“Shut up!” Garp lands a fist on all their heads.

Trafalgar is knocked down. “Why did I get hit?!” 

“Association!”

Trafalgar is left to grumble as Luffy shoots up. “It was so much fun!”

Marco stared at the boy, wondering how his brother’s execution could be fun.

“And!” Luffy exclaims, jumping onto his grandfather’s back. “Ace needed to be free!”

That must mean something more to Garp because his form relaxes and he gives a heavy sigh. 

Ace chuckles at his brother but Sabo says, “It’s our choice. It is our secret, afterall.”

“Ok, ok!” It seems Thatch has reached the end of his patience. “What is going on?!”

They’re looking at Ace, who turns kinda sheepish. Luffy grins and blurts out, “We’re gods!”

“Eh?!” Marco can’t help but agree with the crew. 

Ace sighs and tugs his brother down. “I vote Luffy never tries to explain anything again.”

“Here here,” Sabo says with humor.

“Agreed,” says Trafalgar with a sigh, rubbing his temple.

The crew hasn’t stopped staring and Marco doesn’t blame them. How does that explain anything? What does that even mean?!

Sabo lets out a breath and explains. “D’s are said to be agents of fate, right? It just so happened that the more recent generation of D’s had a particular role to play.”

“What kind of role?” Red-Hair asks.

“A role that has been prophesied for centuries: The rebirth of the old gods.”

“They’re not joking,” Garp says gruffly. “I was the first one. All D’s after me were born as something more than human. Always came in pairs, too.”

“Xebec.” Pops has leaned forward. His eyes gleam like he’s putting together an old mystery. “Back then, I remember you and him. You both changed.”

Garp nods. “Chaos and Order, him and I. Our powers only came out together so my being at God Valley made us go all out.” He pauses and continues. “Wasn’t kidding when I said only a god can kill another god. Only Roger, Rouge, and I could have killed him there.”

“Rouge?” Pops’ voice is curious now. “I didn’t see her there.”

“She was there alright!” Garp laughs. “How else do you think Roger used his power? She was picking off the smaller ones mostly.”

“So Cap and Mrs. Rouge were ones.” Red-Hair isn’t really asking but Garp answers with a nod.

“What’s this got to do with the kids?!” Jozu blurts out. 

Haruta hits him on the back of his head. “They’re D’s! He’s saying the kids are gods!”

“Not just any!” Garp laughs again. “The Trinity!”

“The Trinity?” Vista asks.

Trafalgar has mercy on them. “The king gods. They’re the big three.”

“EH?!” 

Marco thinks back to the silly kid who attacked Pops at any given moment but let the captain take his treatments in peace. He thinks back to the kid that fell asleep into his plate full of food only to wake up and continue eating like nothing happened. He thinks of the kid they had to fish out of the water because he kept falling off the ship but refused to stay away from the railing. That kid is a king of gods?

Ace at least has the decency to look sheepish. Sabo seems to find their reaction amusing, judging by the smirk. Luffy is smiling with pride, laughter slipping through his teeth. 

Ace does give a more knowing look toward Shanks with a joking smile. “I did tell you that you placed your bets on the right person.”

The crew is still in varying states of shock. Marco himself can’t drag the pieces together in his mind. 

“Nika…” Jinbei whispers and the three perk up.

Luffy beams. “You know my name, Jinbei?!”

The crew explodes into questions.

“Your name?!”

“I thought it was Luffy?!”

“I’m starting to get confused…”

“Just now?!”

 Marco simply watched Luffy’s excited face. He didn’t even glance at the crew, who were practically passing out from hysteria.

It’s strange to see Jinbei looking so nervous to have that gaze on him. “The Fishmen still carry old tales. Some of us know the names of the old gods but we’ve forgotten any more than that. It was said their names were Astrus, Lecate, and the king god Nika?”

 “Just Nika?! There’s three kings, you know?!” Ace looks personally wronged and Marco feels a moment of reassurance. He’s still their Ace.

“It’s been so long, though. At least they remember something?” Sabo tries to look on the brightside.

Ace gives a huff and looks away. “Yeah, not much.”

Poor Jinbei looks like he wants to apologize so Marco steps forward. “Sabo has a point. It’s probably been lost over time. You guys are probably the only source of the truth.”

Ace looks at him and gives a sigh. “He’s not wrong. Astrus, Lecate, and Nika are our names. It’s just that we were given new names when we were reborn. My name is Ace and for anything human, I’ll go by that, but my godly name is Astrus. We inherited those names in this life the way we inherited our powers and our forms.”

Law shakes his head at the still confused looks. “What Fire Fist-ya means is that it’s somewhat similar to a devil fruit having a name. The power is tied to the name but it doesn’t mean the ones they use daily aren’t their names. We simply have two names.”

“Perhaps,” Sabo interrupts, “a reintroduction is in order? My name is Sabo but I am also Lecate, the God of the Moon and Choice.”

“I’m Luffy and Nika! Sun and Freedom!” Luffy cheers.

“I was Astrus, God of Stars and Loyalty” Ace says simply.

“I was called Janus of Order.” Garp says, bored.

Law sighs and says, “Iapetos, God of Death.” 

Some members edge away from the surgeon at that.

The crew takes it in but Marco can tell it doesn’t mean much. Those names were big once but not anymore. He is starting to see why Ace would be so peeved about misinformation or Luffy so excited about a scrap of it.

Vista clears his voice. “So, Astrus–”

His eyes widen suddenly and he falls into a kneel. It was as though his body went weak suddenly. Marco starts in his direction, worry rising.

Ace pulls himself before him and presses a hand on his shoulder. Vista’s shoulders relax and whatever trance he went into dissipates. 

“It’s best if you don’t call us by name when you’re right next to us,” Ace warns. “Names have power and you just drew all of my attention onto you. It’s okay when you’re praying from far away but a little overwhelming when you’re too close.”

“Wait!” Haruta chimes in. “You grant prayers?!”

Sabo tilts his head. “Yes? Of course, you have to pray for the right thing to the right person. The Old Man does great at keeping Order but he can’t, and really shouldn’t, help with Freedom. It’s better to ask Luffy for that.”

Marco digests this, trying to place a new religion in his beliefs. It seems strange to deny it, though, when the proof is standing before them.

One thing was still bothering him.

“Why not tell, yoi? Being gods and all, why not cry it from the rooftops?”

Law, strangely, was the one to answer, and with a deathly serious tone. His head toward the ground, he said, “We’re mortal when we’re alone. My father was Matis, God of Aid, and my sister was Eos, Goddess of Life. My father wasn’t near Dragon and I wasn’t near my sister when they died.”

The tension in the air is morbid and thick. Marco can barely swallow. 

Law looks up and finishes, “If the Marines had known, they wouldn’t have given Luffy or Sabo a chance to get there.”

Marco is suddenly happy that they didn’t tell. He can’t imagine being unable to do anything for Ace.

He looks around at the faces of the crew and he can see them imagining it too. Even the Ds are quiet.

Marco realizes that they don’t have that safety anymore. What happened at Marineford gave that away.

“Gramps!” Luffy yells suddenly, scaring the others out of their thoughts. “How funny were their reactions?! They had to be like, ‘Wha?’ and ‘Huh?’ and ‘Eh?!’” Luffy’s face pulled into different reactions, even prompting a couple chuckles. 

Garp, on the other hand, barks out a laugh. “You see–!”

Marco smiled as the tension fades. Looking at the bright smile of the God of Freedom, he knew it wasn’t an accident.

Ace is leaning against a railing and, for a moment, Marco can pretend that it was before. Before Thatch’s attack and Teach’s betrayal. Before Ace’s hunt. Before Marineford.

But, Marco can’t live in the past. So, he moves to stand by the other.

“You really weren’t kidding about having secrets, yoi,” Marco jokingly says, but flinches at the words. It’s not quite what he meant.

“Well…” Ace bitterly chuckles. “I did mean to do it before but the Teach and Marineford happened and…”

Marco nods. He looks off and ponders how to phrase something that’s been on his mind since Ace left. “Why was it so important for you, chasing Teach? Why leave your family to hunt down someone who was dead to us, yoi?”

From the corner of his eye, Marco can see Ace purse his lips. He gestures with a hand out toward the brothers laughing below. Luffy was leaning on Sabo, grin bright enough to shine. Sabo and Garp had matching looks of pride and Marco wonders what story Luffy told.

“When we became kings, we inherited the celestial bodies. Sabo best fit with the moon, all the sneaking he did anyway. Luffy’s bright laughter made him best for the sun. I, with my pride and fire, was made for the stars. But… we weren’t born those.”

“Born, yoi?” Marco hadn’t thought about how gods were born.

Ace nods, waving his hand in the air in a vague gesture. “Gods are born from intangible stuff that ties us to our domains. Luffy, for example, was born from that bubbly feeling you get when you break your chains or you’re at the helm of a ship bound for anywhere. He is born from freedom and will always be freedom.” Marco can see Luffy’s bright grin again and recognizes that look. It’s the look that always threatens to crawl on his face when the wind catches under his wings. 

“Sabo, on the other hand, was born from the feeling of taking back the reins and the satisfaction of an action being truly yours, something so easily overlooked until choice is taken away.” Marco supposes it’s true. He’d felt chains before and never forgotten how valuable it is again.

“I was born from the burning dedication to a loved one.” 

And Marco can see it. Ace cared for his brothers, that was easy to see. But Ace always cared for the crew, too. Once he called them family, he would go above and beyond for them. Thatch needed more meat for dinner? Ace would single-handedly wrestle a bear. Izou needed fabric but they were nowhere near an island to get it? Ace could use Striker to go get it. The nurses needed help moving stuff across the ship? Say no more. Ace was there. 

“But…” Ace’s form becomes more withdrawn. “There are downsides. Luffy’s domain wants freedom from all things, which can even mean promises to those he loves. Sabo’s domain wants him to respect all choices, bad or otherwise, like some uncaring third party. Luffy’s crew and the Revolutionaries have been helping them respectively, but they can still slip up sometimes.

“And I,” Ace wrests a hand over his chest. “I was also born from the burn of vengeance against betrayal. Usually, it just means I’m a bit of a hot head.” They chuckle at the memory of his first days on the Moby. “But… Teach’s betrayal hit more for me because it hit more for you and Pops.”

“For us…?” Marco pauses before he realizes. Gods were said to be highly attuned to their domains. Ace also would move mountains for them. Marveled, he whispers, “You could tell how hurt we were because of it, yoi.”

Ace tries to smile but it looks more like a grimace. “You were hurt because of how long you had known him and how easily he betrayed you. That feeling didn’t mix well with my natural anger so I couldn’t resist chasing him down. I would have done that back then as well.”

Somehow, Marco thinks back then wasn’t referring to back before the attack. “So it hit close to home…”

“Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it. The same way Luffy was upset about my freedom being taken away and Sabo was angry about my choice being lost.” Ace shakes his head and looks down. “I… I’m sorry.”

Marco can’t let that thought continue. Laying a hand on Ace’s, he says, “We can’t help the instincts we’re born with, yoi. There’s no need to apologize.”

Marco will hopefully never forget Ace’s blush then. He looks as if Marco had done much more than say a couple of words. 

Ace looks off toward the deck with a small smile. 

They sit in silence as they watch Luffy try to convince Curiel to start playing music. How he managed to get that secret out of the pirate, Marco would never guess. It took months for the other commander to tell him about the fiddle. 

Marco breaks that quiet. “So… about how you looked at Marineford, yoi?”

“Oh? You mean my godly form?” Ace says with a smirk. “I was cut from loyalty and heavenly fire. I got some stardust when I was made king. We all have one.”

He gestures back toward his brothers who were dancing, fiddle now playing. Sabo and Luffy had changed. 

Sabo’s hair paled to a soft gold and his cheeks and nose were now blushing a light gray. His outfit, which was already blue, darkened to midnight with spots of gold. His white cloak had darkened to a starless sky, empty and endless. 

Luffy, on the other hand, lit up. His hair and clothes went white and seemed to glow. His eyes were a pinkish red and his smile had turned impossible in its size. Ace’s brother had become the sun, bouncing and laughing. Was the deck bending with him?

“Most of us can only really take that form with our others.”

“Most?” Marco catches. 

Ace’s smirk grows. “There are some benefits to being king. Sabo can shut off any godly form, which he likes to abuse.”

Ace points at Luffy, who's now dancing with Garp. Garp’s hair has turned golden, much brighter than Sabo’s. His already white uniform gains touches of gold where black stitches are held. Even his polished shoes have turned a shiny gold. 

“Luffy can activate anyone’s power, part of the pair or not. He can even do it to himself when Sabo and I aren’t there.” Luffy has switched to dance with Law, who’s clothes bleed black. The yellow of his hoodies has turned to a dark slate and his hands look as though he’s dipped them in ink. His hat’s colors have inverted, the now white spots looking almost like skulls. He looks way more like Death now. 

Marco turns back to see Ace staring at him with a soft smile. “I have the power to make godly power weaker or stronger, to an extent. I can’t shut them off like Sabo, but I can lessen it to a dribble. I can’t turn it on like Luffy, but if it’s already on, I could make it far more powerful than they could have achieved alone.”

A memory pops into Marco’s head. Leaning over Thatch, trying to save his life, Marco remembers Ace’s warm hand between his shoulder blades. Ace has always ran hot–side effect of being a fire logia–but something felt different then. It felt like Ace’s fire was warming his very core. Like Phoenix could do anything then. 

“Did you… help me heal Thatch, yoi?” He shakes his head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. I don’t have godly power, yoi. Unless, devil fruits count as godly power?”

Ace laughs, sending a warmth through Marco. He was starting to sound like before. 

“Mostly no, devil fruits are not godly. There are a couple, though, that were made from godly power.” Ace pauses to think. “Luffy, for example. Gum gum is literally made from his power. Its real name is Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika, but the government tried to change it to Gum Gum.

“Another fruit is Phoenix, which I know well. So, yeah, I did help you then.”

Marco thinks on it and the way his core seemed to call to Ace, even when they didn’t know each other. Was Phoenix drawing them closer?

“Is that why I recognized you back when you first got on the boat? Because Phoenix knew you, yoi?” He was almost dreading the answer.

Ace is silent and Marco’s heart thuds in his chest. 

He does answer, though. “When the prophecy started spinning to bring back the old religion, it didn’t just bring back the gods. Shanks is a good example.” Marco just looks puzzled and Ace huffs a laugh. “You notice how many Ds have come across him? It’s because he’s the Keeper of the Temples. He’s drawn to us to better understand our words and values. I think some religions would call him the High Priest? Although, he doesn’t really remember it, I think.”

Marco is shocked and looks down to the man drinking with Pops. He seems so… normal. For an emperor, that is. 

“Phoenix was made from my fire.” Ace’s voice draws him back. The man is not looking at him, instead downwards at the railing. “My brothers and I had just become kings and we were so busy wrangling the gods and celestial bodies. I had never been apart from them that long so… I decided to make my own companion. I ripped them straight from my body and watched their form burn blue, so different from my orange. I named him Phoenix and he followed me everywhere.”

Ace looks up with a knowing but sad look. “Even to another life, it seems.”

Marco stares in shock. That was a lot of things to take in and today had already been a lot. Staring at the planks beneath them, he needs a moment. Marco takes a deep breath and sets his shoulders, deciding to follow his gut.

He feels Ace’s hand start to slip away and grips tighter. He doesn’t look up but asks, “Can I see you, yoi?”

He can feel more than see Ace’s freeze but soon a warmth fills the space in front of him. The hand in his has changed to a dark purple that bleeds into orange, like a sunset. Stars dot inside the purple and Marco is caught on them for a moment.

He drags his gaze up and his breath catches in his throat. He was wrong about the hair being black, but instead the deepest purple, tipped the same orange as his hands. The blush is more violet, but still shows white freckles shining. Glowing orange eyes are unnatural and striking. The starlight in his hair seems impossible, like you can’t see the individual stands. It looks like seeing the night sky, constellations cut and laid over his head. 

Marco's eyes keep staring and he remembers. He remembers counting freckles, 438. He remembers impossibly running hands through hair of the night sky. He remembers trancing flames spilling from orange calloused fingers. He remembers.

He pulls the hand still clutched in his up toward his lips, Ace staring on in confusion. He kisses those same calloused hands, so different but still the same. 

Against knuckles, he whispers, “Astrus.”

The pressure is large but oh so familiar that Marco basks in the warmth, the attention. He can feel the blue flames crest his hair, invisible feathers fluffing in pride. Blue flames travel down his arm to dance an old dance between fingers. It prompts the same giggle it always did.

Ace has tears in his eyes when he whispers, “Phoenix…”

“I’m home,” Marco says, a smile pulling at his lips.

Ace’s smile is just as bright. “Welcome home.”