Heavy in Your Arms

It was overcast the day He felt his world fall apart. The blood and carnage scattered across the battlefield was not the reason for his shoulders to quake and tears to fall from his eyes.

Ace. Held up on a pedestal bound by cuffs and chains, screamed at his family, begging them to leave and to save themselves.

"Ace!" Luffy cried out as he raced forward. He bounced off pirate and marine alike on his quest to save his brother. "Ace!"

Portgas D. Ace. His brother, his best friend, his unspeakable. Luffy could not allow the light to fade from his eyes or watch as he lost his head like his father before him. Luffy panted as sweat trickled down his face. The salt stung his wind-dried eyes.

"Ace!" He cried out once again. He was so close - He could now make out the terrified expression Ace's face.

"Luffy!" Ace could only watch in horror as his baby brother flung himself headfirst into a bloodbath and thrust himself onto the execution podium.

Luffy was able to get around the marines and unlock Ace from his binds. "I got you Ace!"

A familiar rush of heat surrounded Luffy as Ace was freed from his seastone prison. "Luffy! You're such an idiot!"

Luffy could only smile as he and Ace ran away from the platform and into the heat of battle.

"Fire Fist has been freed!" Cries out outrage and victory resonated throughout the field. "Don't let him get away!"

Luffy and Ace produced a cloud of smoke when they landed back-to-back in the middle of the fray.

He felt like he was home. Ace was by his side and he relished the heat that came off of his brother in waves. They both were free and ready to fight to remain so.

They were surrounded by cries of joy and fear, in the distance, Whitebeard stood tall and their comrades fought with their lives.

"I never thought in my wildest dreams... That one day I'd be saved by you... Thanks, Luffy."

Luffy smiled, unperturbed about the blood that coated his body. "It was only thanks to uncle Whitebeard and his guys!"

Before Ace could respond Marines charged at the duo. "Don't think you're saved yet! This will be the execution site for both of you!"

Bullets flew through the air and bounced off of Luffy's rubber body and right through Ace. Bullets ricochet and shot back at those who fired. The two seemed to dance. They moved complementary to each other and dodged their multiple assailants. They were able to plow through Marine grunts and could barely make out their death penalties over the noise.

They continued to fight and were unable to do anything when Whitebeard was betrayed by one of his allies and stabbed through the chest. Luffy and Ace shouted in disbelief at the blatant betrayal.

The Marineford turned into chaos at WhiteBeard's order of retreat. NewGate's crew and their allies began to run back to the ships when a large wave of lava came from above and burned dozens of men to death.

Luffy and Ace were almost caught in the wave of lava and were going to continue to run when the Marine, "Red Dog" spoke.

"Running away the moment you grabbed ace. What a bunch of cowards. The Whitebeard Pirates. The captain as well... It can't be helped... Whitebeard is after all just a "failure" from the previous era!"

Luffy shot past Ace when he skidded to a halt.

"Ace?!" Luffy stumbled to a stop and turned to look back at his brother in confusion.