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“What am I supposed to do with you?”
Luffy, predictably, did not answer. He was snoring against Ace’s side, fast asleep after the excitement of the day.
Well, if getting almost eaten by a giant snake could be called exciting.
Sighing, Ace kept brushing his fingers through Luffy’s hair, pulling him closer.
He really thought Luffy was ready. Thirteen years old, with half his life spent in the jungle, he should have known better than to let his guard down. He should have been able to reliably hunt on his own.
And yet, a loud scream had interrupted the last of Ace’s preparations, and he had to hastily leave everything at Makino’s in order to go save his baby brother.
Maybe, in another world… Maybe Luffy would have managed the battle against the giant reptile. Maybe Ace would have felt confident enough to leave him on Dawn for those few years.
But as it was… Ace had no intention of leaving, only to come back to an obituary and another cross beside Sabo’s empty grave.
He couldn’t leave Luffy all alone in the forest, and the bandits weren’t an option either.
Sighing again, he leaned down to press a kiss against Luffy’s crown. Trying not to jostle the boy, Ace had hefted him into his arms and carried him to bed.
Even covered with a blanket, the bandages were visible. All the spots where the snake’s teeth cut Luffy’s skin… At least his devil fruit meant his bones couldn’t get broken.
And that was another thing: his devil fruit. Ace had honestly lost count of how many times he’s had to fish Luffy out of the water. Who would save Luffy when he was gone?
Who would cut him out of a crocodile’s stomach? Who’d protect him from a tiger’s claws? Who’d ensure that he wouldn’t eat the meat raw, who’d tuck him into the bed, who-?
Maybe Ace could delay his departure. Maybe he could stay for a few more months, ensure that Luffy was prepared-
Watching the steady rise and fall of Luffy’s chest, Ace knew one thing for sure - if he didn’t set sail on his seventeenth birthday, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
He’s been looking forward to this for over a decade. This was their grand plan — his and Sabo’s — to finally leave Dawn behind and make a name for themselves.
Sabo was gone, now, but maybe-
Turning around sharply, Ace thumped his forehead against the wall of their home. Stupid idea. Stupid, stupid, there was no way…
He had one more option, he supposed. And he had to go down to the village anyway, pick up the things he had left behind in a hurry. Making a quick trip there and back while Luffy was asleep would ensure he couldn’t get into any more trouble today, at least.
***
“Luffy lived with you before Gramps brought him up the mountain, right?” Ace asked Makino in the world’s least graceful change of topic.
Thankfully, Makino was too polite to comment on it. “Yes,” she said, helping pack the last of Ace’s provisions. “Garp-san didn’t like the proximity to the harbour, though. Not after Shanks-san’s visit and Luffy’s newfound desire to become the Pirate King that came with it, at least.”
Ace had never thought he would agree with Garp on anything, but if he had left Luffy with Makino (which wasn’t something he’d do), and then came back (also unlikely; he never would have left) to find him with a scar, devil fruit and a dream that placed him in direct opposition (ha! Tough chance of that) he would have immediately moved him someplace else, too (though he’d never pick the mountain bandits).
So actually Ace still didn’t agree with Garp on anything.
He also got the answer to the dilemma he was trying to solve.
Sighing, he hung his head down, moving to untie his bag.
“I’m going to need some more stuff,” he said, and explained his plan, half-hoping Makino would try to talk him out of it.
She thought it was a wonderful idea, though.
So.
***
When Luffy woke up in the morning, Ace was able to pinpoint the exact moment when his brother realized what day it was.
He put up a valiant effort to pretend nothing was wrong, though. Ace, knowing something Luffy didn’t — a rather natural state of being — found that amusing more than heartbreaking.
They hunted their breakfast, and something extra to take along. They couldn’t relay on Makino’s generosity alone for sating a D.’s appetite.
Luffy clung to Ace as much as he could get away with. He spent their walk down the mountain on Ace’s back, enjoying what he thought to be his last piggyback ride.
He watched as Ace prepared his little boat, helping to carry the bags from Makino’s bar to the dock. There wasn’t an awful lot of baggage to deal with, though, not even with Ace’s last-minute additions.
Soon, there was nothing more to do than sat sail.
Luffy was watching Ace anxiously, shifting from foot to foot. It was obvious that he wasn’t happy about Ace leaving. But he wouldn’t say that; Of course not. This was Ace’s dream. He’d never begrudge it.
Ace, however, had different plans.
He was sitting down in the boat, staring at Luffy with a small smile dancing on his lips.
“Well, Luffy?” He asked, deliberately vague. “What are you waiting for?”
“BYE ACE!” Luffy yelled in answer, his attempts at keeping tears at bay painfully transparent. “You better watch out because I will set sail, too, and I will get a bigger bounty than you-!”
“Luffy,” Ace interrupted, now with a full-on grin, opening his arms. “I changed my mind. Get in the boat.”
Luffy trailed off, confused. “Changed your mind about what?”
“I don’t wanna sail out alone. And since Sabo’s gone-”
He got cut off by a small rubber body careening into him, pushing all of the air out of his lungs.
“There, there,” he patted Luffy’s back. “Now make yourself useful and help me with the rigging.”
“Okay!” Luffy bounced back up. “You’re not my captain, though!”
“Well, you’re not my captain either, that’s for sure!”
He had a feeling that was an argument they’d have often, going forward. But it was a small price to pay for always knowing his baby brother would be okay.
