Chapter Text
♠️x🐦🔥 C1: Thank you… for loving me!..
Even after everything, Ace still lay there, bleeding out with a large hole through his abdomen. He was punched right through the tattoo of his father’s flag, his symbol, that stood out on Ace’s back, right through it so he could never gain the wings he deserved. Luffy had broken into and out of Impel Down, then came to Marinefort. All to try to save one life, the life of his sworn brother. Yet he failed. Ace was lying down, bleeding out, and soaking his little brother in the color red. He was taking slow, but deep breaths, trying to stay composed as he buried the need to scream out. Although they were genuine, he still had to force the words out of his mouth. “Thank you.. for loving me!…” He faded. No more breathing, no more pulse, his heartbeat died, and he went with it.
Luffy screamed out, a piercing shrill that could be heard from every inch of the battlefield. ‘Why? Why did Ace have to say that?’ He couldn’t even fathom the idea of not loving Ace. His brother was so kind, loving, and polite, not to him, but still. He cared for Luffy, and Luffy cared for him. Ace was his brother, and he lost him. He lost both of his brothers. What kind of failure was he? He couldn’t save either of them. He was too weak. His vision started to blur and fade to black. However, he still couldn’t think of anything but Ace. Ace was always there for him. Through everything, he was by his side. Even just moments ago, they were fighting side by side. He, Ace, and Sabo. They had always just clicked together; they were like peas in a pod. Now he was alone. There was no more pod.
Even as he felt his body shut down and hit the ground, he couldn’t bring his mind off the idea that someone could despise Ace. That someone wanted him dead, and all because of his blood at that. He was the past pirate king’s son, sure, but he never wanted to be his son; he didn’t ask for that, nor did he want to be the king. That was always Luffy’s dream. Luffy thought one final, devastating thought, ‘Ace.. I’m sorry, I couldn’t save you. I’m too.. Weak!..’
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Law was nervous, but also so goddamn excited. He knew he could potentially save Straw Hat, and even if he didn’t wake up for a while, he would still be alive. It would be the same for Jimbe, the first son of the sea. “This is going to be a fun surgery,” Law announced, honing a sadistic smile. The Heart Pirates were skeptical, but they would always listen to their captain no matter what. And at that moment, they did just that. They will always try to save someone, even if there is only a slim chance. They would follow their captain and his ideals, his morals, to the end of the Earth. It was all a part of Law’s personality and dreams, so it became his crew’s responsibility as well.
The surgery started intensely; the Hearts had to be quick and precise or else both Luffy and Jimbe would die on the spot. Each cut was made with purpose and intention. It was a show of Law’s expertise. Each swing of his sword or drag of his scalpel was perfect. It was clean and smooth. Law knows that Straw Hat will have a scar, and even he isn’t able to change that. He took organs out, put some back, and repeated. Law took his time, but not sparingly. He used the little time he had to perform the surgery and used it to save their lives. The surgery was long and suspenseful. It lasted way longer than any surgeries the crew had ever completed. It took 17 hours to get Jimbe stable, and Luffy totaled to 22. Law was exhausted. His eyes were drooping even lower than usual towards the end.
Even though the surgery was finished, Law spent another 10 hours cleaning up and caring for the minor injuries on other areas of their bodies.
When he finally walked out and into the kitchen, he noticed some of the crew were awake. There were mostly people who took the second shift, since it had only been about 14 hours since the first shift finished, and they had all been up for over 2 days total. Law was able to stay awake, he was an insomniac and barely slept anyway, but it took a toll on him. However, his crew needed sleep. He knew that. 10 hours into the surgery, he told half of his crew, the less experienced and more tired half, to scrub out and rest so they could come back later. When they came back, the stopwatch was at 18 hours. They had finished up on Jimbe at that point and were trying to finish Luffy. This is when Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, Ikkaku, and the rest of his older crew members left to get some sleep.
He guessed that some of the people who did take the first shift were out there. He estimated the ones out there had slept for about 12–13 hours, and considering how they were still in pajamas, the possibility they were up for over 3 hours was unlikely. Law was in the kitchen for one reason only: he needed some fucking coffee. He walked over and started the coffee machine. He wanted a cup of pure black coffee, if it was even still coffee with how he was making it. He noticed Bepo walking over with Ikkaku trailing after him.
“Captain..” Bepo started. “You should really get some sleep so you are ready when Luffy and Jimbe come back to it..!” Bepo had his hands in fists and curled his arms into his chest while making eye contact with Law.
Law exhaled sharply and looked down, “Bepo.. I can’t. I need to be up for anything. Besides, it doesn’t bother me. Stop worrying.” He broke eye contact and looked over to his coffee cup, which was slowly filling next to him.
“I’m so sorry, Captain! You’re right, I just want you to be okay, though.” Bepo looked to his feet, slightly concealed by his figure. He fisted his hands into his jumpsuit, pushing the material at his hips lower.
Ikkaku stared daggers into the back of the captain’s head. “Captain Law. You will eat and wash up, then head to bed. You may be the captain, but you can’t take care of your crew or patients if you neglect taking care of yourself! Stop being so selfish and listen to us for once in your life!” Ikkaku was up in his face, poking his forehead with her finger. She was fuming, almost spitting on him through her words.
Law looked defeated. What was he supposed to do? He didn’t want to sleep. Even if his body did, his heart nor mind supported it. He wasn’t trying to be selfish; he just wanted to be up and ready for whoever needed him. “I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to make you guys upset or worried.” Law was definitely exhausted, there was no way he would have outwardly apologized or said that if he was completely there. “What food is there? I’ll eat then try to nap, but I’m still drinking my goddamn coffee!”
Ikkaku accepted that answer, reluctantly. “We can make whatever you want, Captain. Just say the word!” She tried to sound upbeat, but it was a struggle when she saw the face her leader was sporting. The tone of her voice was difficult to use, even for her, and everyone around could see that.
Law was in deep thought, he picked up his supposed coffee and took a sip before responding, “Sushi.. yeah, that sounds good, easy and nutritious.” He slowly looked up to see the half-forced smile on the faces of Bepo and Ikkaku.
Bepo opened his mouth and inhaled before words came out, “Yes, Captain! We’ll get it started right away!” He pumped his fist in the air and smiled a bright, proud smile at Law.
Law yawned, despite his attempt to keep it down, and sighed. “Thanks,” but that was all he could muster up at the moment, even though his mind wanted to say more. He wanted to tell them how nice they were, how accepting and supportive and considerate and caring and loving and so many more things, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know why, but the words were stuck in his throat. Actually, that might be for the better. Who knows how many tears they would shed if they heard such kind words out of his mouth.
Law sat down at the head of the long table, Bepo sitting on his right, taking right-hand man a little too seriously. Law continued to down his coffee while Ikkaku left with a few others to fix up a platter of Sushi. They should probably make enough for the whole crew, who knows when everyone else will be waking. They also need to find food for Luffy, he eats like a fucking maniac. He has the appetite of a whole village, and a decent-sized one at that.
Law didn’t know how long he was lost in thought before a plate was set in front of him. There was an array of flavors scattered before him. He grabbed his chopsticks and started to eat, slowly but surely. He could hear everyone around him conversing, but it was too much effort to process the words. He tuned it out like background noise. This situation was all too much for him at the moment, too stressful, too pressing. He doubts Straw Hat even remembers saving him from Doflamingo, or anything after Ace had passed, for that matter. When he wakes up, Law will ask him.
Law knew he was starting to doze off. He stood up and placed his plate, cup, and other utensils in the sink. As he walked out of the kitchen, the noise started to fade even further.
He made his way to his quarters, grabbed some trousers, underwear, and a large t-shirt. He walked into the en suite and into the wet room. He started to fill the tub and walked back into the powder room. He closed the door and locked it. Law undressed himself, put his dirty clothes into the hamper, and found a towel before making his way back into the wet room. The area was now steamy and warm. He put up his towel before sitting down on the stool in front of the mirror. He turned off the water to the tub before turning on the water to the detachable shower head. He scrubbed himself head to toe before starting on his hair.
When he was all rinsed, he went to lie down in the tub, enjoying the warmth and relief it brought to his aching muscles. He had to stop himself from closing his eyes, knowing he would fall asleep and drown. Thankfully, the sub had a filter system to clear out the saltiness; many of the newer ships have it built in. It used to be done by hand.
He decided to lie there for a while, feeling like a bag of bones. He could only think about the millions of other ways the war could have ended. Ace could have made it out, but Luffy could have died. What if both of them died? Or what if Jimbe, Ace, and Luffy all passed away? Was there a chance Law could have saved Ace, or Whitebeard, or even Little Oars Jr?
Law needed to sleep and let his mind rest. He got out of the tub and opened the drain. He dried himself with the towel and left the wet room. He put on his clothes, the white t-shirt turning see through. His pants, made of black fluffy fabric with a draw string, were pulled up over his boxers. He looked into the mirror before brushing his teeth and washing his face. He combed his hair before dragging himself to his bed, lying down under his dark black comforter. The room was dimly lit with the light from the sunset that shone through the tiny porthole on the side of his room. Law fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
— — — — — — — —
He heard sobbing and panting. His throat hurt a little. Was he screaming? Where was he? Last he knew he had died. He felt so weak, but why? He had so many questions about what was happening, but no one could answer them. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t voice his thoughts. He felt small. Was Ace small right now? He couldn’t even open his eyes! Now that was concerning. What was stopping him from seeing? He also felt bare. Everything was rushing through his mind, observations, questions, and even possible answers, but what was right, what did he know for sure was going on?
Ace tried his hardest, pushing himself to open his eyes, to see. Yet he couldn’t. Once again, he was too weak, all his power and wil,l and he still couldn’t do anything. At that moment, a singular word, a name, filled all of his thoughts. Luffy. What happened to him after Ace lost consciousness? ‘Was he even alive?’ That thought scared Ace, way more than he would admit to anyone, especially Luffy himself. That brought out another thought, Ace thought he died, so how was he ‘alive’ right now?
Ace couldn’t see, but he could still feel, smell, hear, and hopefully taste. He doesn’t know what he would do without his taste. He felt warmth, though, were there arms around him? He once again felt small when he realized the size of the figure holding him. He still didn’t know who it was or where he was. He could smell something sweet, was it hibiscus and cherries? Although there was also another scent, something that made him feel inferior, it was the scent of steel, wood, and wine. He knew all of those very well. He burnt a ton of wood and drank a ton of wine, he was also always around people with guns or swords made of steel. It wasn’t new to him, but it still felt comforting; it made him calm. He heard the screaming die down. ‘So I guess it was me screaming, now that I think about it, I can feel something wet running down my face. Am I crying?’ He was so confused.
“Look how cute he is, Mi. He looks just like you!” Ace could feel the person holding him talking, their chest rising. He guessed it was a male by the voice, but Ace wasn’t one to assume.
The other person, he guessed it was this ‘Mi’ the other spoke of, also chimed in. “Me? If anything, he looks like you; he has your freckles and your tanned skin.” He heard a soft chuckle from the person who now had a hand on his arm. Once again, the hand was large, much larger than the forearm of the body Ace was in. Ace felt like himself, but also not; it was him, but different.
The figure behind him also let out a breathless laugh. “I guess he shares my freckles and skin, but he has your black hair and your ears.”
“My ears? Do you really look at me that closely? You must be really smitten with me, huh?” Ace felt kind of awkward and even uncomfortable as he heard a wet kiss from above him.
Ace was upset, he couldn’t do anything, and he did not like the fact the people were kissing while holding him. He didn’t even know that he started to, but he was crying and wailing before he could stop himself. Ace wasn’t going to complain since they stopped and started cooing at him, trying to calm him, even bouncing him up and down softly.
“Shhh, it’s okay, calm down.” He could smell more of the cherry and hibiscus scent from before. Was it coming from the person behind him?
Ace involuntarily started to calm down. How? He guessed it was from the smell, but once again, he was confused about how it helped him. He stopped crying; he could tell. He blinked. Wait, he blinked? He opened his eyes?
“Hey, Red? I think he opened his eyes!” The Mi figure spoke enthusiastically. He heard a gasp from who he now knows as Red. “He does look more like you, see? They are brown, just like you.” The voice calmed and started cooing again, whispering little words to him such as ‘hi’ or ‘awes’.
“I guess he does, huh? Maybe.. he looks like both of us, hm?” The voice was low and sweet. Red spoke calmly, softly. He looked at the figure. ‘No fucking way!’ He was being held by Red Hair Shanks! When did he get so large? No.. when did Ace get so tiny?
He averted his gaze to the other person, he knew that black hair and those piercing golden eyes. There was no way, Hawkeye Mihawk? Does that mean that Mihawk and Shanks kissed one another? What were they doing holding Ace, though? Did he miss something? He heard a door squeak, then close softly.
“Hey, Captain, Mihawk.” The new voice spoke calmly. “I need to check up on the baby, and then you. Have you guys thought of a name?” Ace was confused. He had a name. Why were they trying to name him? Didn’t they know?
“Hey Hongo, that’s fine. And yeah, we have thought of a name. His name is Ace, in honor of my dad.” Shanks spoke calmly with happiness laced in his tone. “Gol D. Ace.” Ace was, once again, lost. What did he mean, ‘in memory of my dad’? Ace was the son of Roger, so why was he being named after Shanks’s dad?
Ace felt his tiny body being lifted by another large figure, who he found out to be Hongo. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was the head doctor on the Red Force. He was carried to another connected room where he was laid down on what he believed was an examination area. Ace didn’t really know though, he didn’t do anything medical, only navigation. He lay there while he was poked and prodded, he felt cold metal a couple of times, but that was it. Ace was exhausted. He was tiny and weak, which made him feel very weird. What was he supposed to do, though?
‘I suppose I could take a nap… It couldn’t hurt, right?’
— — — — — — — —
As soon as Hongo stepped out of the room, Shanks spoke. “Hey Mi?.. Did anything seem weird to you?”
Mihawk sat on the bed next to Shanks with his legs hanging over the side. He put his hand on the back of Shanks’s head and pushed their foreheads together. He hummed, “Yeah, his haki isn’t sealed off, and it isn’t even just unlocked and all over, either. It is controlled. I don’t know how. I do know that a few people have been born with or have a natural skill for one of the three types of haki, such as observation haki, but I have never heard of someone who was born with conqueror’s haki. It is weird, especially since I can sense all three types, not just the one. Even throughout your pregnancy, he was using haki to protect himself.”
“Mi, we should watch him closely. I don’t want tests or anything of the sort, I just want to see how it develops. Can you make sure not to bring it up as he gets older? Or train him until I give the okay, please?” Shanks pleaded, looking into Mihawk’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around his neck and locked one hand into the black hair atop his head, the other settled on his nape, tracing a bite-shaped scar.
“If that is your decision, I will always listen, mi amour. We are in this together, and I don’t want you to ever be upset.” Mihawk laid a gentle kiss upon Shanks’s own pink lips. It was soft and slow. They moved together, in a dance only they know.
Shanks muttered against Mihawk’s lips, “I love you so much, how did I get someone as perfect as you?” His lips curled upwards into a smile. Mihawk leaned in, connecting their lips one last time before he spoke back.
“My dear, we were made for each other. You are so perfect, and I love you and Ace both with my full heart, and that will never change. I am so proud of you, thank you so much for the best gift I could ever receive. I love you and I care for you. And because of that, I think you should get some sleep, you just gave birth.” Shanks chuckled while Mihawk pulled away. He walked over to grab a blanket and pillow from the couch on the far wall. He placed the pillow under Shanks’s head and lay down next to him, slipping his hands around the smaller’s waist. Shanks curled his hands into Mihawk’s chest and nuzzled his face into the warm skin in front of him.
“I love you so much, Mi. Thank you… for loving me.” Shanks muttered before slipping into sleep.
“I love you too, my daring.”