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“I want to live!”
Those words were still haunting him. Soaring through his mind as Marco kneeled helplessly on the ground. This couldn’t be happening. It had been successful or so they had thought. Monkey D. Luffy had managed to get to Ace. He had managed to free him from the scaffold. They had been so close .
Ace had turned around. He had stopped and turned around. Being taunted and baited by Akainu into a fight. The Admiral had known just what to say and Ace had fallen right into it. The fatal flaw in him. Ace had always been so overprotective of Whitebeard’s name. Now… look where it had left him.
Marco had tears in his eyes. Staring at the smiling, bloodied face of his lover. Ace was lying prone on the ground as Shanks made sure that he was covered up. Dead. Ace was dead . The war was over. Luffy was safe. Ace’s final wish in his death. That was the one thing that Marco could make sure that happened, and it had worked. He should be far away from here by now. But all Marco could focus on was Ace. Whitebeard was gone. Ace was gone. The war was over.
This couldn’t be happening.
Marco had stumbled to his feet. The aftermath of the war was screaming through his body as he found himself limping over to where his lover was. They were all crying. Emotions were running high as Marco managed to get himself over to Ace and collapsed to his knees. Ace had wanted to live. He had heard it. Ace’s tears. That’s what he remembered. The waiver of his voice as he proclaimed that he wanted to go home and to continue being on the seas with them. Marco didn’t want to let him go.
A call was beckoning him forward. A numbness that went through him as he reached out and pulled Ace’s body to him. Marco choked back a cry as he squeezed his eyes shut. He looped his arms around Ace, pulling the other to him. He felt so cold. Ace’s temperature always ran so hot. There was a large, gaping hole in his body. Right where Akainu had punched right through. A fatal blow that had taken Ace’s life. It had gone straight through his back. Ace had made the biggest sacrifice. He had given his life for the person who mattered to him the most.
Shanks had already gotten Sengoku to agree to allow them to take the bodies of their nakama away from here. Give them a proper burial. Take them to their final resting place. They had failed. It didn’t matter what anyone said. They had failed. Their Captain was dead, and the person they were trying to save didn’t make it out of here.
Marco cradled Ace’s head to his shoulder, planting a hand on the back of his head as the emotion started to consume him. “I want to live!” Ace should be here. He shouldn’t be cold on the ground. Despite the smile on his face. Marco choked back a cry, his shoulders shaking as he held his lover tight.
“Come back to me, Ace.”
In that moment, Marco felt something roaring to life inside of him as he clutched onto Ace.
Come back to him. Please, come back to him.
It was so… warm. Ace cracked his eyes open, finding that he was lying on a beach. Whenever he looked around, he noticed that it looked almost tropical around him. A tropical island to be exact. Ace pushed himself up, getting to his feet as he looked around. Where was he?
“Oh… You’re so beautiful.” Ace spun on his heel from hearing the delicate, feminine voice and turned to see a good-looking woman standing in front of him. She had long, curly strawberry blonde hair and her face was dusted in freckles. Her wine colored eyes were fixated on him.
Who was she? The more he looked at her, the more a familiar feeling hit him. Ace felt the confusion hit for a second before he shook his head. He knew who she was. “Mom?” He whispered.
She smiled at him. Taking a step forward as she looked over his face. “Hi, Ace.”
Ace inhaled sharply. It was really her. He had never seen her before. He just knew who she was as she looked at him. He had stopped as he heard heavy footfalls coming from behind her and he looked over to see another man standing behind her. It only took him a second to realize who that was. Gol D. Roger . His biological father.
“What’s going on?” Ace whispered.
“You have a choice to make, Ace.” Roger stated with a bright smile on his face.
“A choice?” Ace murmured.
“You can come with us…” Roger started.
“Or you can return back.” Rouge finished.
Ace’s eyes widened, “What?! I can…”
“ Live . ” Roger and Rouge had said in unison.
That was impossible, right?
“It would seem that someone’s Devil Fruit awakened within the final moments of your life and it’s trying to pull you back to the world of the living.” Roger mused as he walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You have family waiting for you. Go back to them. It’s not your time yet.” Ace was completely paralyzed in shock.
“Who?” Ace questioned.
“I think you already know, sweetheart.” Rouge murmured as she reached out and cupped his face. “Go back to them. You can come with us if you want, but I want to see you continue living.”
“The power of a phoenix really is… impressive .” Roger whispered.
Ace’s eyes widened.
Marco .
Ace knew what he wanted to do in that instant as he looked between his parents. “Will…” He swallowed harshly, squeezing his eyes shut as he said, “Thank you for giving me life. I was confused for so long… But…”
“You finally found your way.” Roger said, there was pride in his voice as Ace looked back up.
Rouge also smiled at him, “It was all I ever wanted for you.” Rouge’s hand was so warm that Ace found himself leaning into it. “Make your choice, Ace.”
“I want to…” Ace whispered as he moved forward and curled his arms around his parents with a smile on his face. “ Live .”
Suddenly, a bright light flooded over him and all he felt was warmth.
Marco let out a sharp, shaking breath as he suddenly felt something come from Ace . He stared down at Ace in shock as he noticed that Ace’s injuries were engulfed in his blue flames, and he watched in complete astonishment as the injury started to completely heal . Marco slowly let Ace go, leaving him lying back in his lap. Head lulled back, eyes shut, and a bloodied smile still on his face.
“No… way.” Marco whispered.
He started blinking away the tears, just watching as the transformation took place. Everything was healing over. Organs reforming. Skin coming back. As if nothing had happened. It was nothing short of a… miracle . Marco had no idea what was going on. His tears continued to fall, hitting the place of the injury as Ace suddenly let out a breathy gasp.
Ace’s eyes snapped open, dazed and confused as he looked around. “Ace,” Marco murmured. Ace’s gaze moved to him. Slowly, it was like he watched clarity coming to Ace’s eyes.
“Marco…” Ace. That was Ace’s voice.
He was… breathing .
He was… alive .
“Holy shit.” Marco whispered in shock.
A tired smile broke out on Ace’s face as he whispered, “You… saved me.”
Marco inhaled sharply. Was that him ? He was the one who did this? Marco found himself looking over Ace for a moment before a large smile broke out on his face and he was laughing . He reached out, curling his arms tighter around Ace as he pulled him to him. He placed his hand on the back of Ace’s head, curling his fingers into his ebony hair as he whispered, “You’re back. You came back to me.”
Ace laughed softly as Marco pulled back a bit. Marco had paused as Ace reached up with a shaky hand and wiped his tears away. “You have no idea.” Ace whispered.
Marco didn’t care about anything else. He didn’t care about what was going on as he leaned in and pressed his lips right into Ace’s. The spark went down his spine as Ace kissed him back. It was brief. Just a gentle touch of the lips before Marco pulled back and whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”
Marco wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but the look in Ace’s eyes told him everything he needed to know as he stood up, curling an arm under Ace’s legs and back before he morphed into his half-phoenix point and taking off into the sky.
Ace came back to him, and that was all that mattered.
Ace was alive .