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Sabo had promised Luffy he would get the mera mera no mi, no one else should be carrying on Ace’s legacy. Although, if he had to be honest, Sabo had hoped that there was no legacy to carry on. He hoped, wished, that Ace was still here. Luffy had said the same thing, that he wished it wasn’t so but that at least with this someone with the same bond would be taking over Ace’s devil fruit.
Getting his hands on the devil fruit, the first thing he noticed was how warm it felt. He didn’t get to meet Ace as an adult, but Luffy had mentioned that Ace was warm when they met. Lighter too, as if his year at sea had helped lessen the burden he had been forced to deal with given his parents. If there was one thing he hated most of all, it was the fact that he never got to meet an adult Ace, one that wasn’t so dragged down by the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Biting into it, he almost wanted to spit it back out. It tasted rancid, like that one time they ate spoiled meat or when he drank sour milk on a mission. Yet, the heat it brought with it was something he embraced wholehearted. Asking Ace to look out for him, and to support him as he used a fire fist on the arena.
For a second it almost felt like he was being guided to do it, like someone or something was telling him to do it like that. But Sabo shook his head, “It’s the link I have with Ace now, not Ace himself. It can’t be, he died two years ago.”
Shivering as he still didn’t cope well with the knowledge that Ace died. That he remembered too late and as such couldn’t be there for his brothers when they needed him most. Still, Sabo couldn’t help but think of all the hurt Luffy had to go through. Losing Ace right in front of him, being unable to do anything as Akainu bore down on them and Ace, like Sabo, would throw himself in between Luffy and a threat each and every time.
Taking a moment once he gets Rebecca out of there, Sabo mentally slapt himself in the face, ‘Get it together!’
Huffing as he makes his way into the underground ways of the colosseum where Koala is waiting for him. Getting dressed in his usual outfit. Only to tie his cravat when a voice pops up in his mind, “Still being so fancy, I see.”
He stops and breathes in sharply. He knew that voice, and had managed to hear it on the broadcast they had from Marineford. That was Ace’s voice, except that should be impossible.
“Sabo-kun, are you ok”, Koala asked and he needed a moment before he could answer her.
Swallowing thickly, he asks her, “Did you hear something?”
Koala frowns and shakes her head, “No, what is going on, Sabo-kun?”
Before he can answer, the voice sounds again, “Wait, you can hear me? Sabo, you can hear me?”
Opening and closing his mouth, Sabo whispers, “I can hear him, Ace, it’s like he’s talking to me inside of my head but I know that shouldn’t be possible. I don’t… What even is going on?”
With a trembling hand he reached out for his gloves and felt the flames spark as he tried to get the second one on. Yelping before letting go, looking on in shock as the flames on his hand continue to grow before he’s holding onto the hand of someone else. It’s Ace, but he’s made of fire and Sabo wonders if he finally lost his mind completely.
Frowning, he’s saved from that as Koala mentioned being able to see him as well. Looking on as Ace is standing there, Sabo slowly pulls his hand away, fearing that Ace will disappear. But he doesn’t, instead the flames draw back but leave the man standing there. Looking as shocked as Sabo is feeling. Slowly reaching out to touch a freckled cheek and gasping as he feels skin, as he feels the warmth, and doesn’t think twice before throwing his arms around Ace and hugging him close.
He doesn’t fall through, instead two strong arms wrap around his waist and pull him close as well. The scent of forests of embers after a fire and of spices enter his nose and he relaxes at how real it seems; “How?”
Ace shakes his head, “No clue, I died… I know I died, but it was like my consciousness was jolted awake when you ate the fruit. Which reminds me”, he mutteres as he pulled back to hit Sabo on the shoulder, “What the fuck was that with you not dying!”
Blinking, Sabo burst out laughing, “That’s what you’re mad about? Me forgetting because of the blast, all the while you came back from the dead in some way?”
Shrugging as he looks at his hands, “I don’t know what’s going on with that but I feel real? It’s odd though, I had no idea this was even possible. There is nothing on this planet that can bring the dead back to life is there?”
Koala hummed, “There are rumours that the Sun God Nika had that ability but I guess that might just be a myth told to the Slaves at Marigeose to give them courage during harsh times.”
She blushes as Ace turns to her, holding out her hand, “I’m Koala, Sabo and I work together for the Revolutionary Army so I’ve been there for his ups and down these past years. If you want an overview. I’ll be happy to get it to you.”
As Ace beamed at her, Sabo feared for his life, before turning back to Koala, “Wait up, Nika? The God Fishmen worship.”
Nodding, Koala shared that she had been close with the Fishman Pirates when Tiger Fisher led it. They had told her about their God and what he had been able to do. A lot of slaves had believed in him as well which is why she even knew all of that. Now, seeing Ace here, she couldn’t help the connection that her mind made at that.
Exchanging a look, neither Sabo nor Ace had been religious before. They didn’t plan on starting now; but it did have merrit. Although, if a God had brought Ace back why would he do something like that. Most Gods (especially as the only ones they knew were the Celestial Dragons) wanted something in return for a boon like that. It was quite worrying, but had to be a problem for another day as the announcement sounded that Trafalgar Law had been captured and Sabo knew Luffy would go and rescue his ally.
—
Once in the middle of things, they fell back into old habits quite fast. Dealing with adversaries as if they were nothing and enjoying the looks of shock on people's faces when they recognized Ace.
Nothing was better than Luffy’s face though. Tired as he was, his eyes widened and tears started streaming down his face at the sight of Ace. Even more so when it was Ace who dealt with Burgess (with a lot of pleasure) as the man had been there as Blackbeard took him in and exchanged him for a Warlord status.
Sneering at the other Pirate before dealing a killing blow. He had thrown his life in the balance once when the Blackbeard Pirates wanted to go after Luffy and he would do it again in a heartbeat.
“We got this, Lu, you go and get Trafalgar sorted out”, Ace soothed him. Hugging him as close as he could before he and Sabo turned as one to deal with others trying to get to their little brother. The announcement of Gol D. Ace having risen from the dead coming on to the screams which just had Ace more fired up. Screaming that it was Portgas D. Ace.
Sabo stayed at his side and cheered as the birdcage went out once Doflamingo was defeated at the hands of their little brother. Making their way to him and Law. With the Surgeon on edge and stopping Ace from approaching, mentioning that he had seen the toll it took on Luffy to lose him, so he wasn’t about to let that happen again.
Grinning, Ace smiled, “Thanks for looking out for him, Trafalgar, but I’m really here even if I don’t know how that came to be.”
A blue sphere popped up, although it obviously took a lot out of the other Pirate. The sphere disappeared leaving Law looking baffled, “You’re here and you’re healthy… No sight of the wound on your abdomen… How is that possible?”
Ace shrugged, “No idea, but I’m not complaining. Don’t know how to tell my crew that, though.”
The wince he saw from several of the people around him had Ace looking nervous, until Sabo sat him down to tell him there were no more Whitebeard Pirates. Some of them survived, but a lot of them perished in the war at Marineford and the Payback War. Leading to just a handful of them being around, several others had joined allied crew but they too had gotten into altercations with Teach and Weevil to the point that not a lot of them were around anymore.
He was shocked, asking about a few he had been close with; Marco and his Spades. To which Sabo could tell they survived, Deuce worked as a freelance reporter for Morgans now, so he was at least somewhat safe. The other Spades retired, Ace had been their glue and without him there they just kind of fell apart.
“Marco lived, he’s protecting the gravesites on Whitebeard’s home island. I went there, once, when Luffy turned up again to tell you. I’m sure he would be happy to hear from you”, Sabo offered Marco Snail number but Ace didn’t call it right away. He did so in the morning, and had to deal with Marco hanging up on him thinking it was a prank or he was hallucinating.
—
It would be in Wano that certain answers were given on how Ace had even come back here. The shock everyone felt at hearing Koala describe Nika, only to see Luffy’s awakened form was quite something. Ace and Sabo even felt bad for telling Luffy that rubber was a stupid power when it hadn’t been rubber anyway. Rubber-properties, sure, but really it was a mythical zoan.
Although late Sabo and Koala arrived to deal with the fall out. Something that was needed as Ace had stepped in when Queen deployed their ice demon gas, making it burn up before anyone was affected. Marco had been there too, as had Izou, and they both looked on wide eyed as he stepped forward. It took Law, Sabo and the Strawhats explaining what had happened (once they had all the answers themselves) to the former Whitebeard Pirates.
Once that was over, Ace was hugged tightly and grinning widely as he had at least this now. Seeing Tama and Yamato again was nice too, especially as both of them had heard he had died, so showing up alone was enough to make them happy.
Given the spooks of CP0 being in Wani, that also added to the fact that on top of Luffy’s new bounty poster, Ace’s was the first one to be reprinted after he died. The world would know, and they would be reminded of what Monkey D. Luffy was capable of, especially with his two brothers at his side.
“Thanks for this, Lu”, they would tell Luffy once he woke up. Explaining that his devil fruit had been close to awakening in Dressrosa and in doing so he had brought Ace back from the dead. It went over his head, as expected, but he did hug Ace close and didn’t seem inclined to let go anytime soon.